PART I. TRANSLATION

§1. ERIC THE RED AND THE COLONIZATION OF GREENLAND

This passage is common to all versions of the story. The source is Landnámabók, II. 14, which is accordingly the text followed here. The transcript in the Flatey Book is somewhat abridged. Additional matter supplied by any version of the story is given in italics.

Thorvald, son of Oswald, son of Wolf, son of Oxen-Thori, and Eric the Red, his son, came from Jæderen (in Norway) to Iceland because they were implicated in homicide. _Iceland was then largely settled._[2] They took land in Hornstrands, and lived at Drange, where Thorvald died. Eric then married Thjodhild, daughter of Jörund Atlison and Thorberga the Ship-breasted, who at that time was married to Thorbjörn of Haukadal. Eric then moved from the north, and cleared ground in Haukadal, and settled at Ericstad near Vatshorn. _Eric and Thjodhild had a son called Leif._[2] Now Eric’s slaves sent down a landslide on the house of Valthjof at Valthjofstad. Eyulf Saur, a relation of Valthjof, killed the slaves near Skeidsbrekka above Vatshorn. For this Eric killed Eyulf Saur; he also killed Hrafn the Duellist at Leikskáli. Geirstein and Odd of Jörfi, Eyulf’s relations, prosecuted Eric, whereupon he was banished from Haukadal. He then took Brokey and Öxney, and lived at Trade in Suderey the first winter. At this juncture he lent his hall-beams[3] to Thorgest. Afterwards Eric moved to Öxney, and lived at Ericstad. He then asked for his beams and failed to get them. _Thence arose the quarrels and fights with Thorgest and his party which are related in Eric’s Saga._[4] [Thereupon he went in search of his beams to Breidabolstad, but Thorgest came after him. They fought a short way from the farm at Drange, where two sons of Thorgest fell, and some other men. After this both sides had a numerous following.[5] Styr _Thorgrim’s son_[4] helped Eric _in the proceedings_[4] as did Eyulf of Sviney, the sons of Thorbrand of Alptafjord and Thorbjörn Vifilson; but the sons of Thord Gelli and Thorgeir of Hitadal, Aslak from Langadal and his son Illugi sided with Thorgest. Eric and his men were outlawed at the Thorsness sessions. He made ready his ship in Ericsvág, but Eyulf hid him in Dimunavág while Thorgest and his men were looking for him about the islands. Thorbjörn and Eyulf and Styr escorted Eric out round the islands. He told them that he intended to look for the land which Gunnbjörn, son of Wolf the Crow, sighted when he was driven west past Iceland, when he discovered Gunnbjörn’s skerry. He said that he would come back and look up his friends if he discovered the country, _and they parted on the best of terms. Eric said that he would repay them with such help as lay in his power if they should happen to need him._[6] Eric sailed out to sea past Snæfellsjökul, and arrived (on the Greenland coast) near Midjökul, which is now called Bláserk[7]; thence he sailed south along the coast, to ascertain if it was habitable there. He was the first winter at Ericsey near the centre of the Western Settlement[8]; the following spring he came to Ericsfjord, and took himself a site there. He went that summer to the western wilds, _where he remained a long time_[9]: he gave names to places there over a wide tract. The next winter he was at Ericsholm off Hvarfsgnipa, but the third summer he went right up north to Snæfell, and into Hrafnsfjord. Then he claimed to have come to the head of Ericsfjord. At this point he turned back, and he was at Ericsey off the mouth of Ericsfjord the third winter. But afterwards, in the summer, he returned to Iceland, and arrived in Breidafjord.

[He passed that winter with Ingolf at Holmlat. In the spring he was attacked by Thorgest and his men, and Eric was then defeated; after which they were reconciled.[10] That summer Eric went to colonize the country which he had discovered, and called it Greenland, stating as his reason that men would be much attracted thither if the country had a good name.[11]

Learned men tell us that the same summer _that Eric the Red went to colonize Greenland_[12] twenty-five ships[13] set sail from Breidafjord and Borgafjord, but only fourteen arrived at their destination: some were driven back, and some were lost. This was fifteen winters before Christianity was legally established in Iceland. _Bishop Frederic and Thorvald Kodranson came out (to Iceland) the same summer._[12]

The following men who went out at this time with Eric took land in Greenland:—Herjulf took Herjulfsfjord, he lived at Herjulfsness; Ketil (took) Ketilsfjord; Hrafn, Hrafnsfjord; Sölvi, Sölvadal; Helgi[14] Thorbrandson, Alptafjord; Thorbjörn Glora, Siglufjord; Einar, Einarsfjord; Hafgrim, Hafgrimsfjord and Vatnahverfi; Arnlaug, Arnlaugsfjord; but some went to the Western Settlement.

NOTE, _Hall-pillars_. ‘Setstokkar’ are strictly speaking the horizontal beams running between the central hall and the side aisles on to which the bedrooms opened. They were frequently carved with the figures of Thor, or other heathen deities, and were a sacred and valuable family possession. The loan of such articles is difficult to explain, as they would be necessary to their owner, and at first sight of no use to a temporary borrower. Eric, however, had not at the time settled down in his new home; he would wait to build a suitable house until he had definitely fixed upon a site, and in the meantime presumably would not require his ‘setstokkar’. It may be that Thorgest represented that he wished to copy them, but we know of another use to which such things were put, which may throw some light on the matter. When Ingolf, the founder of the colony, wished to select a home for himself in Iceland, we are told that he ‘threw overboard the pillars of his holy place (öndugis sulur) for an omen, saying that he would settle in that place where the pillars came to land’ (Landnáma, 1. 6). This practice was evidently widely adopted, for we read (Landnáma, 3. 7) how Kraku-Hreidar ‘said that he would not throw his pillars overboard, saying that he considered it a poor thing to determine his plans in that way’. That ‘setstokkar’ were used in the same way as ‘öndugis sulur’ is shown by another passage in Landnáma (5. 9) where ‘Hástein threw his setstokkar overboard after the time-honoured custom’. There is something analogous in the usage, which is recorded in various traditions of the Scottish Highlands, whereby a man would take up his residence where the packs first fell from his horse after he set out on his travels. Thorgest was no doubt a native of Iceland, for he was the son of Stein the Great Sailor, who was settled in Breidabolstad, still he may have required supernatural aid in the choice of a new home.

§2. THE ADVENTURE OF BJARNI HERJULFSON

From the Flatey Book.

Herjulf was a son of Bard the son of Herjulf, who was related to Ingolf the founder of the Iceland colony. Ingolf gave land between Vóg and Reykjaness to Herjulf (the elder) and his people. Herjulf (the younger) lived first at Drepstok. He had a wife named Thorgerd, and their son was Bjarni, a very promising man. He had taken to foreign voyages from his youth. This brought him both wealth and credit, and he used to spend his winters alternately abroad and with his parents. Bjarni soon had a trading-ship of his own, and the last winter that he was in Norway was when Herjulf undertook the voyage to Greenland with Eric, and removed his home there. Herjulf had on board his ship a Christian from the Hebrides, who composed the Song of the Tidal Wave, which contains this verse:—

Almighty God, to whom alone The hearts of all thy saints are known, Sinless and just, to thee I pray To guide me on my dangerous way: Lord of the heavens that roof the land, Hold o’er me thy protecting hand.

Herjulf settled at Herjulfsness; he was held in the greatest respect. Eric the Red lived at Brattahlid; he was the most distinguished person there, and was obeyed by all. Eric’s children were Leif, Thorvald, and Thorstein, and a daughter named Freydis, who was married to a man named Thorvard: they lived at Garda, where the cathedral is now: she was a very haughty woman, but Thorvard was a man of no account; she was married to him mainly for his money. People were heathen in Greenland at that time.

Bjarni arrived in his ship at Eyrar in the summer of the same year in the spring of which his father had sailed away. Bjarni was much concerned at the news, and would not discharge his cargo. His crew thereupon asked him what he meant to do; he replied that he meant to keep to his custom of passing the winter with his parents, ‘and I will’, said he, ‘take my ship on to Greenland, if you will accompany me’. They all said that they would abide by his decision; upon which Bjarni remarked, ‘Our voyage will be considered rash, since none of us have been in Greenland waters.’ Notwithstanding this they put to sea as soon as they had got ready, and they sailed for three days before the land was laid; but then the fair wind ceased, and north winds and fogs came on, and they did not know where they were going, and this went on for many days. After this they saw the sun, and so were able to get their bearings, whereupon they hoisted sail, and after sailing that day they saw land, and they discussed among themselves what land this could be, but Bjarni said he fancied that it could not be Greenland. They asked him whether he would sail to this land or not. ‘I am for sailing in close to the land’, he said, and on doing so they soon saw that the land was not mountainous, and was covered with wood, and that there were small knolls on it, whereupon they left the land on the port side, and let the sheet turn towards it. Then after sailing two days they saw another land. They asked Bjarni if he thought this was Greenland; he said that he did not think this was Greenland any more than the first place, ‘for it is said that there are very large glaciers in Greenland’. They soon neared this land, and saw that it was a flat country and covered with wood. At this point the fair wind dropped, whereupon the crew suggested that they should land there: but Bjarni would not. They considered that they were short both of wood and water. ‘You are in no want of either’, said Bjarni, but he got some abuse for this from his crew. He ordered them to hoist sail, which was done, and they turned the bows from the land, and sailed out to sea for three days before a south-westerly breeze, when they saw the third land: now this land was high and mountainous, with ice upon it. So they asked if Bjarni would put in there, but he said that he would not, since—as he put it—this land appeared to him to be good for nothing. Then without lowering sail they kept on their course along the coast, and saw that it was an island: once more they turned the bows away from the land, and held out to sea with the same breeze; but the wind increased, so that Bjarni told them to reef, and not crowd more sail than their ship and rigging could stand. They now sailed for four days, when they saw the fourth land. Then they asked Bjarni if he thought this was Greenland, or not. Bjarni replied, ‘This is most like what was told me of Greenland, and here we will keep our course towards the land.’ So they did, and that evening they came to land under a cape, which had a boat on it, and there on that cape lived Herjulf, Bjarni’s father, and it is from him that the cape received its name, and has since been called Herjulfsness.

Bjarni now went to his father, and gave up voyaging, and he was with his parents as long as Herjulf was alive, and afterwards he succeeded his parents, and lived there.

§3. OF THORBJÖRN VIFILSON

This passage is a translation from the text of Eric’s saga, collated with that of Hauk’s Book. Both are an accurate abridgement from the Landnámabók. The words italicized are in Hauk’s book only.

There was a _warrior_ king named Olaf, who was called Olaf the White. He was a son of King Ingjald, son of Helgi, son of Olaf, son of Gudröd, son of Halfdan Whitelegs King of the Uplands. Olaf made a raiding voyage in the West, and conquered Dublin in Ireland and the Dublin district, and made himself king over it. He married Aud the Very Wealthy, daughter of Ketil Flatnose, son of Björn Buni, a great man from Norway. Their son was called Thorstein the Red. Olaf fell in battle in Ireland, whereupon Aud and Thorstein went away to the Hebrides. There Thorstein married Thurid, daughter of Eyvind Eastman and sister of Helgi the Lean: they had many children. Thorstein became a warrior king: he joined forces with _Earl_ Sigurd the Rich, son of Eystein Glumri. They won Caithness and Sutherland, Ross and Moray, and more than half Scotland. Thorstein made himself king over this district, until the Scots betrayed him, and he fell there in battle. Aud was in Caithness when she heard of Thorstein’s fall. Thereupon she had a vessel built secretly in the wood, and when she was ready she sailed for the Orkneys. There she gave in marriage Thorstein the Red’s daughter Gró, who became the mother of Grelada, whom Earl Thorfinn the Skull-cleaver married. After this Aud went to look for Iceland; she had twenty free men on board. Aud came to Iceland, and stayed the first winter in Björnhaven with her brother Björn. Later on Aud took all the Dalelands between the rivers Dogurda and Skraumuhlaup, and she lived at Hvamm. She had a private chapel at Crossholes, where she had a cross set up, for she was baptized and of the true faith.

With her came out many distinguished men, who had been captured in the western raids and were nominally slaves. One of these was named Vifil. He was a man of good family, who had been taken captive beyond the western sea, and was nominally a slave until Aud freed him. And when Aud gave homes to her crew Vifil asked her why she did not give him a home like the rest. Aud said that it would make no difference, and remarked that he would be considered noble as he was. (Later on) Aud gave him Vifilsdal, and he settled there. He had a wife. Their sons were Thorgeir and Thorbjörn[15]: they were promising men, and they grew up with their parents.

§4. GUDRID COMES TO GREENLAND

Translation from the saga of Eric the Red: there are no material variations in Hauk’s Book.

Thorgeir Vifilson married, taking Arnora, daughter of Einar of Laugarbrekka, the son of Sigmund, the son of Ketil Thistil, who had taken Thistilsfjord. Einar had another daughter, named Hallveig; Thorbjörn married her, getting with her Laugarbrekkaland at Hellisvelli. Thorbjörn moved his home there, and became a most respected man. He was a local chief (goði), and had a magnificent estate. The daughter of Thorbjörn was called Gudrid; she was a very beautiful woman and most noble in all her behaviour.

There was a man called Orm, who lived at Arnarstapi. He had a wife named Halldis. Orm was a well-to-do yeoman, and a great friend of Thorbjörn, and Gudrid was brought up for a long time in his home. There was a man called Thorgeir, who lived at Thorgeirsfell. He was well off for money and had been freed from slavery. He had a son named Einar, who was a fine man and well-bred; he was also a great dandy. Einar was engaged in the trade between Iceland and Norway, a business in which he throve; he stayed alternate winters for an equal time in Iceland and Norway. Now at this point it must be told how one autumn when Einar was out here he went out with his wares along Snæfellness to sell them. He came to Arnarstapi. Orm asked him to stop there, and Einar accepted, for they were friends. His wares were carried into an outhouse. Einar opened his wares and showed them to Orm and his household, inviting him to take what he liked. Orm accepted, saying that Einar was a good sailor and a very lucky man. Now as they were engaged over the wares a woman passed the door of the outhouse. Einar asked Orm, ‘Who may that beautiful woman be who passed by the door there? I have not seen her here before.’ ‘That is Gudrid, my foster-child,’ replied Orm, ‘daughter of squire Thorbjörn of Laugarbrekka.’ ‘She would be a good match,’ said Einar, ‘but I suppose more than one man has come to ask for her hand.’ ‘Certainly there have been proposals, my friend,’ answered Orm, ‘but she is not to be snapped up by the first comer; it is thought that both she and her father will prove particular.’ ‘However that may be,’ said Einar, ‘she is the woman I mean to ask in marriage, so I wish that you would take up the suit for me with her father, and put all your mind into the matter to bring it about: for I shall consider it a most friendly act on your part. Squire Thorbjörn should see that a union between us would be a good thing, since he is a man of good standing and of good estate, but I am told that his wealth is greatly decreasing, while I and my father have no lack of land or goods, and it will be the strongest support to Thorbjörn if this proposal is accepted.’ ‘Certainly I consider myself a friend of yours,’ replied Orm, ‘but still I am unwilling to undertake this suit, for Thorbjörn is quick-tempered and a very proud man as well.’ Einar said that he would be content with nothing but that his proposal should be conveyed. Orm said he would undertake it. Einar went back south till he came home.

Some time afterwards Thorbjörn had a harvest festivity, as was his custom, for he was a man of a very generous disposition. Orm came there from Arnarstapi, and many others of Thorbjörn’s friends. Orm spoke to Thorbjörn, and said that Einar had arrived there from Thorgeirsfell, and that he had grown into a promising man. Then Orm started the proposal for Einar’s hand, and said that it would be a good thing for various reasons. ‘It might become a great source of strength to you, squire, from the pecuniary point of view.’ Thorbjörn replied, ‘I did not expect you to say such a thing as that I should give my daughter in marriage to the son of a slave. You evidently think that my wealth is on the wane, and Gudrid shall not stay with you any more, since you think her suited to so poor a match.’ After this Orm and all the other guests went home. Gudrid stayed thenceforward with her parents, and was at home that winter.

But in spring Thorbjörn gave a party and a good feast was prepared: many people came, and the feast was of the best. And at the feast Thorbjörn prayed silence and spoke as follows:—‘I have lived here a long time, I have experienced men’s goodwill and love towards me, and I admit that we have got on well together in our intercourse. But now my fortune is beginning to run low, though it has hitherto been thought no unworthy one. Now I will rather shift my home than lose my standing, rather quit the country than disgrace my family; so now I am resolved to fall back upon the word of my friend Eric the Red, which he gave me when we parted in Breidafjord, so now I mean to travel to Greenland this summer, if things go as I wish.’

This decision created a great sensation among the audience,—Thorbjörn had long been popular—but they felt sure that Thorbjörn, having made this announcement so publicly, could not be prevailed upon to draw back. Thorbjörn made presents to the guests, after which the banquet came to an end and the men went back to their homes. Thorbjörn sold his estates and bought a ship which was lying at the mouth of Hraunhaven. Thirty men accompanied him on his voyage. Orm of Arnarstapi and his wife were there, and such of Thorbjörn’s friends as were unwilling to part with him. Thereupon they put to sea. The weather was fine when they set out, but when they came into the ocean the fair breeze took off and they were caught in a great storm, and they made slow progress during the summer. Next a plague attacked their party, and Orm and Halldis his wife and half of them died. The sea began to rise, and they underwent a great deal of exhaustion and misery in many ways, yet they reached Herjulfsness in Greenland just as the winter began. Now a man named Thorkel lived at Herjulfsness. He was a good man and the principal landowner. He took in Thorbjörn and all his crew for the winter. Thorkel entertained them liberally. Thorbjörn and all his crew were well satisfied.

§5. GUDRID AND THE SIBYL

Translation from the saga of Eric the Red, collated with Hauk’s Book. Passages italicized occur only in Hauk’s Book.

At this time there was a great famine in Greenland; those men who had gone fishing had made but a small catch, while some did not return. There was in the settlement a woman named Thorbjörg; she was a prophetess, and was called the little sibyl. She had had nine sisters, who were all gifted with prophecy, but she alone remained alive. Thorbjörg was accustomed to attend banquets in the winter, and she was especially invited by those who were curious about their fate or the prospects of the season. And since Thorkel was the principal landowner there, he thought he would approach her to find out when these times of scarcity which were oppressing them would cease. Thorkel asked the prophetess to his house, where a good welcome was prepared for her, as was customary when this sort of woman was received. A throne was made ready for her, and a cushion laid beneath, in which there were hen’s feathers. Now when she came in the evening with the man who had been sent to fetch her she was attired as follows:—she had on a blue mantle, which was set with stones down to the hem; she had a rosary of glass on her neck and a black hood of lambskin lined with white catskin on her head, and she had a staff in her hand with a knob on it: it was ornamented with brass, and set with stones down from the knob: round her waist she had a belt of amadou on which was a great skin bag, in which she kept those charms which she needed for her art. On her feet she wore hairy calfskin shoes, the thongs of which were long and strong-looking and had great buttons of lateen on the ends. On her hands she had catskin gloves, which were white inside and furry.

Now when she came in every one thought it right to offer her courteous greetings, which she received according as they were agreeable to her. Squire Thorkel took the wise-woman by the hand, and led her to the throne which was ready for her. Thorkel then asked her to run her eyes over household and herd and home there. She spoke little about it all. In the evening a table was brought in, and at this point it must be told what food was made ready for the prophetess. There was made for her porridge of goat’s beestings, and for her food there were provided hearts of all living creatures which were obtainable; she had a brass spoon, and a knife with an ivory handle bound with copper, and the point was broken off. But when the table was cleared away Squire Thorkel approached Thorbjörg, and asked what she thought of the house, or the behaviour of the men, or how soon those things would become known to her which he had asked and men wished to know. She told him that she would not say before the following morning, when she had first slept the night.

But on the morrow late in the day the necessary preparations were made for her to carry out the spell. She asked that such women should be procured for her as were instructed in the knowledge which was needed for the spell, and was called ‘varðlokkur’.[16] But no such women were found, whereupon a search was made about the house to find if any one knew these things. Then Gudrid said, ‘I am not skilled in magic, nor a wise-woman, but Halldis my foster-mother taught me in Iceland that art which she called “varðlokkur”.’ ‘Then you are wiser than I thought,’ answered Thorbjörg. ‘This is a kind of lore and a proceeding’, said Gudrid, ‘which I intend in no way to forward, since I am a Christian woman.’ ‘It may be’, said Thorbjörg, ‘that you might become useful to the company in this matter, yet be no worse woman than before; however I will leave it to Thorkel to procure those things which are necessary to me.’ At this Thorkel urged Gudrid till she said she would do as he wished.

The women then made a circle about the platform, while Thorbjörg sat on the top of it; Gudrid sang the song so beautifully and well that those who were by thought that none had heard the song sung with a more beautiful voice. The prophetess thanked her for the song, and said that she had brought many spirits there who thought it delightful to hear the chant, _since it was so well done_, ‘who before wished to keep themselves aloof from us, and not to yield us any assistance: and many of those things are now clear to me which before were hidden from me and others. Now I can say that this famine will not last longer _than this winter_, and that the season will improve as the spring comes: the sickness which has so long oppressed you will grow better sooner than was hoped. But you, Gudrid, I will reward at once for the help which has been received from you, for your fate is now quite clear to me. You shall make the most distinguished match here in Greenland that is open to you, though it will not last you long, for your ways lie out to Iceland, where a great lineage and a good shall come from you, and over the branches of your stock bright rays shall shine. But now farewell and prosper, daughter mine.’

After this people approached the wise-woman, and every one inquired about that which he was most curious to know, and she was free with information, and that which she told turned out true. Next she was sent for from other houses, and she went there. Then they sent for Thorbjörn, for he would not be in the house while such heathen rites were in progress. The state of the weather improved quickly when spring came, as Thorbjörg had said. Thorbjörn made ready his ship and sailed till he came to Brattahlid. Eric received him with open arms, and said that he had done right to come there. Thorbjörn and his family passed the winter with him, _but they lodged the crew with the farmers_. Later in the spring Eric gave Thorbjörn land at Stokkaness, and a fine house was built there, where he lived thenceforward.

§6. LEIF GOES TO NORWAY

From the Saga of Eric the Red, collated with Hauk’s Book.

At that time Eric had a wife named Thjodhild, and by her two sons, one called Thorstein and the other Leif. They were both likely men. Thorstein lived at home with his parents, and no man in Greenland was considered so promising as he. Leif had sailed to Norway, and was with king Olaf Tryggvason. But when Leif sailed from Greenland in the summer they were driven by storms to the Hebrides. It was a long time before they had a fair wind thence, and they made a protracted stay there in the summer. Leif was attracted by a woman there, named Thorgunna.[17] She was a woman of good family, and Leif formed the opinion that she was gifted with supernatural knowledge. Now when Leif prepared to go away Thorgunna asked to go with him. Leif asked whether this would have the approval of her kin. She said that as to that she did not care. Leif replied that he could not carry off a lady of such high birth in an unknown country, especially considering how small a force he had. ‘It is not certain that the course which appeals to you is best,’ said Thorgunna. ‘I must risk that,’ said Leif. ‘Then I tell you’, said Thorgunna, ‘that I shall not suffer alone. I am with child, and I say that the child is yours. I prophesy that it will be a boy when it is born. And though you will not pay any heed still I will bring up the boy, and send him to Greenland as soon as he can go with other men. And I prophesy that the possession of this son will turn out such a joy as befits our parting. And I intend myself to come to Greenland before the end.’ Leif gave her a gold ring, and a cloak of Greenland homespun, and a belt of (walrus) ivory. This boy came to Greenland, and was named Thorgils. Leif accepted paternity; some men say that this Thorgils came to Iceland in the summer of the Froda miracle. But anyhow Thorgils came to Greenland, where it was thought that there was something uncanny about him up to the last.

Leif and his men sailed away from the Hebrides, and reached Norway in the autumn. Leif joined the court of king Olaf Tryggvason. The king treated him with honour, evidently recognizing that he must be a man of good breeding.

One day the king spoke to Leif, and said, ‘Do you mean to go out to Greenland this summer?’ ‘Yes,’ said Leif, ‘with your consent.’ ‘I think it will be well,’ replied the king, ‘you shall go with my mission, and preach Christianity in Greenland.’ Leif said he would consider it, but added that he thought such a mission would have a difficult task in Greenland. The king, however, said that he knew no fitter person for it than he, adding, ‘you will bring it good luck.’ ‘If so, the luck will be solely derived from you,’ said Leif.[18]

* * * * *

Leif landed in Ericsfjord, and went home afterwards to Brattahlid, where he was well received. He soon started preaching about the country Christianity and the Catholic Faith, and published the message of King Olaf Tryggvason, and told how great glory and treasure accompanied this creed. Eric was slow to abandon his religion, but Thjodhild was soon won over, and she had a church built, though not in the immediate neighbourhood of the houses, which was called Thjodhild’s Church: there she, and her fellow-converts, who were many, used to offer up their prayers. Thjodhild would not live with Eric after her conversion, and this he took very much to heart.

NOTE. _Thorgunna and the Froda Miracle._ From the mention of the Froda miracle it is clear that this must be the same Thorgunna who is mentioned in the Eyrbyggja Saga (R. L. Stevenson’s _Waif Woman_). On the other hand, neither the chronology nor the description of Thorgunna can be reconciled in the two sagas. According to Eyrbyggja (chap. 50) Thorgunna came to Iceland in the summer in which Christianity was legally established (A.D. 1000), and the Froda miracle, which was concerned with her death, followed immediately afterwards; Thorgils, her son, could not therefore have come to Iceland at this time unless he accompanied her as an infant, and he is not stated to have done so. Again, though the Eyrbyggja Saga agrees in describing Thorgunna as a Hebridean, and states that she had valuable dresses and other property with her, it gives the following account of her personal appearance, which does not suggest the maiden victim of Leif’s early passion:—‘Thorgunna was a woman of great size, broad and tall and very fat, swarthy and with eyes set close together, with a quantity of brown hair; most men considered that she would have reached the sixties.’ The words in Eric’s Saga, ‘some men say’, suggest that there were various accounts of the matter. As the whole story of the Froda miracle is obviously incredible, there may well be some inaccuracy about the date of her arrival in Iceland, which is really all that is required to reconcile the two stories.

§7. LEIF DISCOVERS WINELAND

From the Flatey Book.

Now the next event to be recorded (after the death of Olaf Tryggvason, September 1000) is that Bjarni Herjulfson came over from Greenland to Earl Eric (who became the ruler of a large part of Norway after Olaf’s death), and the earl gave him a good reception. Bjarni told the story of his voyage when he saw the (strange) lands, but people thought that he had been lacking in curiosity, since he had nothing to report about those countries, and some fault was found with him on this account. Bjarni was made an officer of the earl’s court, but the following summer he went out to Greenland.

There was now much talk of exploration. Leif, Eric the Red’s son from Brattahlid, went to Bjarni Herjulfson and bought a ship of him, and engaged a crew of thirty-five men. Leif asked his father Eric still to be leader of the expedition.[19] Eric excused himself, saying that he was now an old man, and less fitted to bear all the hardships than formerly. Leif said that he was still the member of the family who would bring the best luck; Eric thereupon gave way to Leif, and as soon as they were ready for it he rode from home, and came to within a short distance of the ship. The horse which Eric was riding stumbled, and he fell off and hurt his foot. Then Eric said, ‘I am not fated to discover more countries than this in which we are now settled, and we ought not to bear one another company any longer.’ So Eric went home to Brattahlid, but Leif went on board with his companions, thirty-five men. There was a southerner (German) on the expedition called Tyrker.

Now they prepared their ship, and when they were ready they put to sea, and they found first the country which Bjarni found last. There they sailed up to the land, and having cast anchor and lowered a boat went ashore, and saw no grass there. The background was all great glaciers, and all the intermediate land from the sea to the glaciers was like one flat rock, and the country seemed to them destitute of value. Then Leif said, ‘We have not failed to land, like Bjarni; now I will give this country a name, and call it Helluland (the land of flat stone).’ Thereupon they returned on board, after which they sailed to sea and discovered the second land. Again they sailed up to the land and cast anchor, then lowered the boat and went ashore. This land was low-lying and wooded, and wherever they went there were wide stretches of white sand, and the slope from the sea was not abrupt. Then Leif said, ‘This land shall be given a name from its resources, and shall be called Markland (woodland),’ after which they returned to the ship as quickly as possible. And they sailed after that in the open sea with a north-east wind, and were out two days before they saw land, towards which they sailed, and having come to an island which lay to the north of the mainland they landed on it, the weather being fine, and looked round; and they perceived that there was a dew on the grass, and it came about that they put their hands in the dew, and carried it to their mouths, and thought that they had never known anything so sweet as that was. Then they went back to the ship, and sailing into the sound which lay between the island and the cape which ran north from the mainland they steered a westerly course past the cape. It was very shallow there at low tide, so that their ship ran aground, and soon it was a long way from the ship to the sea. But they were so very eager to get to land that they would not wait for the tide to rise under their ship, but hurried ashore where a river came out of a lake; but when the sea had risen under their ship they took the boat and rowed to the ship, and took her up the river and afterwards into the lake, where they cast anchor, and carrying their leather kitbags ashore they put up shelters, but later, on deciding to pass the winter there, they made large houses.

There was no want of salmon, either in the river or the lake, and bigger salmon than they had seen before; the amenities of the country were such, as it seemed to them, that no cattle would need fodder there in the winter; there came no frost in the winter, and the grass did not wither there much. Day and night were more equally divided there than in Greenland or Iceland: on the shortest day the sun was up over the (Icelandic) marks for both nones and breakfast time.[20]

Now when they had finished building their houses, Leif said to his men, ‘Now I will divide our party into two, and have the country explored: and one half shall stay at home in camp while the other explores the country, going no further than they can return by the evening, and not separating.’ And so for a time they did this, Leif sometimes going with the explorers and at others staying at home in camp. Leif was a big, strong man, the handsomest of men in appearance, and clever; in fact he was in all respects an excellent commander.

It happened one evening that a man of their party was missing, and this was Tyrker the southerner. Leif was much distressed at this, for Tyrker had been long with his father and him, and had been very fond of Leif as a child: so now Leif, after finding great fault with his men, prepared to look for him, taking a dozen men with him. But when they had got a little way from camp Tyrker came towards them, and was received with joy. Leif saw at once that his foster-father was in good spirits.

Tyrker had a projecting forehead and a very small face with roving eyes; he was a small and insignificant man, but handy at every kind of odd job.

Then Leif said to him, ‘Why are you so late, my foster-father, and why did you separate from your companions?’ Tyrker at this spoke for a long time in German, rolling his eyes and grimacing, but the others did not distinguish what he was saying. But a little later he said in Norse, ‘I did not go much further than you, (but) I have found something fresh to report. I found vines and grapes.’ ‘Is that true, foster-father?’ said Leif. ‘Certainly it is true,’ he replied, ‘for I was born where there was no lack of vines or grapes.’

Now they slept that night, but in the morning Leif said to his crew, ‘We will now do two things, keeping separate days for each; we will gather grapes and cut down vines, and fell wood, to make a cargo for my ship,’ and this suggestion was adopted. The story goes that their pinnace was full of grapes. So a cargo was cut for the ship, and in spring they made ready and sailed away, and Leif gave the country a name according to its resources, and called it Wineland.

So after this they put to sea, and the breeze was fair till they sighted Greenland, and the mountains under its glaciers. Then a man spoke up and said to Leif, ‘Why are you steering the ship so much into the wind?’ ‘I am paying attention to my steering,’ replied Leif, ‘but to something else as well: what do you see that is strange?’ They said they could see nothing remarkable. ‘I do not know’, said Leif, ‘whether it is a ship or a reef that I see.’ Then they saw it, and said that it was a reef. But Leif was longer sighted than they, so that he saw men on the reef. ‘Now,’ said Leif, ‘I wish that we should beat up wind, so as to reach them if they need our help and it is necessary to assist them, and if they are not peaceably disposed we are masters of the situation and they are not.’ So they came up to the reef, and lowered their sail and cast anchor: and they launched a second dinghy that they had with them. Then Tyrker asked who was the captain (of the shipwrecked party). ‘His name is Thori,’ was the reply, ‘and he is a Norseman, but what is your name?’ Leif told his name. ‘Are you a son of Eric the Red of Brattahlid?’ said Thori. Leif assented. ‘Now,’ said Leif, ‘I will take you all on board my ship, and as much of your stuff as the ship can hold.’ They agreed to these terms, and afterwards they sailed to Ericsfjord with this freight, until they came to Brattahlid where they unloaded the ship. After that Leif invited Thori and Gudrid his wife, and three other men to stay with him, and procured lodgings for the rest of the crews, both Thori’s men and his own. Leif took fifteen men from the reef; he was subsequently called Leif the lucky. So Leif gained both wealth and honour. That winter Thori’s folk were much attacked by sickness, and Thori and a great part of his crew died.[21]

§8. THORVALD’S VOYAGE AND DEATH

Translation from the Flatey Book.

Now there was much discussion of Leif’s expedition to Wineland, and Thorvald, his brother, thought that the exploration of the country had been confined to too narrow an area. So Leif said to Thorvald, ‘If you wish, brother, you shall go to Wineland in my ship: but I wish the ship to go first for the wood which Thori had on the reef.’ And this was done. Thereupon Thorvald prepared for this expedition, taking thirty men, by the advice of Leif, his brother. Afterwards they made their ship ready and held out to sea, and there is no report of their voyage before they came to Wineland to Leif’s camp. There they laid up their ship, and remained quiet that winter, catching fish for their food. But in the spring Thorvald told them to make ready their ship, and ordered the ship’s pinnace with some of the crew to go to the west of the country and explore there during the summer. It seemed to them a fine wooded country, the trees coming close down to the sea, and there were white sands. There were many islands, and many shoals. They found no traces either of men or beasts, except that on an island to the west they found a wooden barn.[22] Finding no further human handiwork they returned, and came to Leif’s camp in the autumn. But the next summer Thorvald sailed to the east with his trading ship, and along the more northerly part of the country: then a sharp storm arose off a cape, so that they ran ashore, breaking the keel under their ship; so they made a long stay there to repair their vessel. Then Thorvald said to his companions, ‘Now I wish that we should raise up the keel here on the cape, and call it Keelness,’ and so they did. Afterwards they sailed away thence and eastward along the coast and into the nearest fjord mouths, and to a headland which ran out there: it was all covered with wood. Then they moored their ship, and put out the gangway to land, and there Thorvald went ashore with all his crew. Then he remarked, ‘This is a beautiful spot, where I should like to make my home.’ After this they returned to the ship, and saw on the sands inside the headland three lumps, and on approaching they saw three canoes of skin, with three men beneath each. Thereupon they divided their party, and laid hands on all of them, except one who escaped with his canoe. They killed the eight, and afterwards went back to the headland, when they saw inside in the fjord some mounds, which they took to be dwelling-places. After this there came over them so great a heaviness that they could not keep awake, and they all fell asleep. Then came a cry above them, so that they all woke up, and the cry was, ‘Awake, Thorvald, and all your company, if you value your life: and return to your ship with all your men, and leave the land with all speed.’ At that there came from within the fjord countless skin canoes, which made towards them. So Thorvald said, ‘We must set the war-shields over the side, and defend ourselves as well as we can, while assuming the offensive but little.’ So they did, but the savages,[23] after shooting at them for a while, afterwards fled away, each as quickly as he could. Then Thorvald asked his men if they were wounded at all; they said there were no casualties. ‘I have got a wound under the arm,’ said he; ‘an arrow flew between the gunwale and the shield under my arm and here it is, and it will be my death. Now my advice is that you prepare to go away as quickly as possible, after carrying me to that headland which I thought the best place to dwell in: maybe it was the truth that came into my mouth that I should stay there awhile. Bury me there with a cross at my head and at my feet, and call it Crossness hereafter for ever.’ Greenland was then converted, though Eric the Red died before conversion.

Now Thorvald died, but they carried out all his instructions, after which they went and met their companions, and told each other such tidings as they knew, and they stayed there that winter, gathering grapes and vines for their ship. Then in the spring they prepared to go back to Greenland, and arrived with their ship in Ericsfjord, with great news to tell Leif.

NOTE. ‘_A wooden barn_’. (_Kornhjálm af tre_). This is the only allusion, direct or indirect, which is made to corn in the course of the Flatey Book version. It is frequently referred to as one of the absurdities affecting the credit of this part of the story. But it does not seem to me to have any necessary or probable connexion with the wild corn of the Saga of Eric. The ‘selfsown wheat’ is never mentioned by the historian of the Flatey Book; unlike the wild grapes, he does not seem to have heard of this feature. It is therefore impossible to suppose that the barn is an imaginary feature introduced to colour the reports of wild corn. It is recorded merely as the only trace of human occupation met with during the exploration conducted in the ship’s pinnace. And its very inappropriateness to the uncultivated crops of which we are told in the rival version seems to me a strong proof of its authenticity. Like the whole of this part of the story, it is too purposeless to be invented. We need not on this account imagine that it actually was a barn. The storage of Indian corn in New England, according to the earliest observers, was, for the most part at any rate, in holes in the ground, and an island remote from human habitation seems a most unlikely situation.

On the other hand, De Laet’s _Nieuwe Werelt_ reports Hudson as having seen ‘a house well constructed of oak bark, and circular in shape, so that it had the appearance of being well built, with an arched roof. It contained a great quantity of maize or Indian corn, and beans of the last year’s growth, and there lay near the house, for the purpose of drying, enough to load three ships.’ (_Hudson the Navigator_, Hakluyt Society, p. 161).

But there may easily be a different interpretation. ‘Hjálm’ in its primary meaning is a conical helm, then a stack or cock of similar shape, and so finally a building used to cover such a stack of corn. Two possible explanations occur to me. One is that what was seen and originally reported was a structure of poles and bark of conical shape, and that the explorers, being unfamiliar at this time with savage architecture, assumed that it was intended to cover a rick of corn, which in shape it resembled. Alternatively it may be that originally the reference was solely to its shape, and not to its purpose, and that the first report mentioned a conical ‘stack’ of poles. In either case what was actually seen may well have been a deserted wigwam of poles and bark such as the Micmacs and other Indians build at the present day. In the earliest records similar dwellings are described, while in some cases those observed by Champlain appear to have been roughly dome-shaped at the top; this, as a glance at those illustrated in the sketch-maps of that writer will show, would give them even more exactly the form of a cock of hay or corn. It seems to me that the knowledge of the wild corn mentioned in Eric’s Saga and by Adam of Bremen has alone diverted the minds of previous commentators from this, the most probable explanation.

§9. THORSTEIN’S UNSUCCESSFUL VENTURE

Translation from the Flatey Book.

It had happened in Greenland, meanwhile, that Thorstein of Ericsfjord had taken in marriage Thorbjörn’s daughter Gudrid, who, as has already been mentioned, had been the wife of Thori Eastman. Now Thorstein Ericson wished to go to Wineland for the body of Thorvald his brother, so he made ready the same ship, choosing his crew for their strength and size; and with twenty-five men and Gudrid his wife they put to sea when they were ready, and lost sight of land. All the summer they tossed about in the open, and did not know where they went, and in the first week of winter they made the land at Lysefjord in Greenland in the Western Settlement.

Thorstein looked for lodgings for the party, and got them for all his crew, but he and his wife were houseless. So they remained behind by the ship some two nights. Christianity was still new then in Greenland. One day some men came to their tent early in the morning. So these men who were there asked what persons were in the tent. Thorstein replied: ‘Two persons,’ he said, ‘but who are you who ask?’ ‘My name is Thorstein,’ (said one of the men), ‘and I am called Thorstein the Black, but my errand here is to invite both of you to lodge with me.’ Thorstein said that he wished to consult his wife, but she told him to decide, whereupon he accepted. ‘Then,’ (said the man), ‘I will come for you to-morrow with a carthorse, for I have plenty of room to take you in; but it is very dull to stay with me, for there are just the two of us, my wife and I, and I am of a very obstinate disposition. I hold a different faith from you, though I consider that which you hold is superior.’ So then he came for them in the morning with a horse, and they went to lodge with Thorstein the Black, and he treated them well. Gudrid was a woman of striking appearance, and a clever woman who could get on well with strangers. Early in the winter a plague attacked Thorstein Ericson’s party, and many of his companions died there. Thorstein ordered coffins to be made for the bodies of those who died, and directed that they should be taken to the ship and looked after, ‘for’, he said, ‘I wish to remove all the bodies to Ericsfjord in the summer.’ Now after a short interval plague attacked Thorstein’s house, and his wife, whose name was Grimhild, was the first to fall ill. She was very energetic, and as strong as a man, yet the plague got the better of her, and soon afterwards Thorstein Ericson caught the plague, and they were both laid up at the same time: and Grimhild, wife of Thorstein the Black, died. Now when she was dead Thorstein (the Black) went out of the room for a plank to lay the body on. Then Gudrid spoke: ‘Do not stay away long, my Thorstein,’ she said. He said it should be as she wished. Then said Thorstein Ericson, ‘Wonderful things are happening to our hostess now, for she is raising herself up with her elbows, and moving her feet from the bench, and groping for her shoes’: and with that Thorstein the owner of the place came in, whereupon Grimhild laid herself down, and every beam in the room creaked. Now Thorstein made a coffin for Grimhild’s body, and took it away and made preparations. He was a big man and strong, but he needed all this before he got her out of the house. Now the illness of Thorstein Ericson grew worse, and he died. Gudrid his wife hardly realized it. They were all in the room at the time. Gudrid had seated herself on a chair before the bench on which Thorstein her husband had been laid. Then Thorstein the owner of the house took Gudrid from the chair in his arms, and sat on another bench with her opposite Thorstein’s corpse, and spoke to her about it in many ways, and comforted her, promising her that he would go with her to Ericsfjord with the bodies of Thorstein her husband and his companions, and said, ‘I will also engage more servants here to console and entertain you.’ She thanked him. Then Thorstein Ericson sat up and cried, ‘Where is Gudrid?’ Three times he said this, but she remained silent. Then she said to Thorstein of the house, ‘Shall I answer his speech or not?’ He told her not to answer. Then Thorstein of the house crossed the floor, and sat on the chair with Gudrid on his knees, and then he spoke, saying, ‘What do you want, namesake?’ A moment passed, and the other answered: ‘I am anxious to tell Gudrid her fortune, so that she can the better bear my death, for I have come to a good resting-place. Now there is this to tell you, Gudrid, that you will be married to a man of Iceland, and your life together will be long, and a great line of men will spring from you, vigorous, bright and good, sweet and of a good savour. You will travel from Greenland to Norway, and thence to Iceland, where you will build a home. There the two of you will live long, and you will survive him. You will go abroad and make a pilgrimage to Rome (lit.: go south), and come back home to Iceland, and then a church will be built there where you will remain and take the vows of a nun, and there you will die.’ Upon this Thorstein sank back, and his body was prepared and carried to the ship. Thorstein of the house thoroughly performed all that he had promised Gudrid. He sold his land and livestock in the spring, and accompanied Gudrid to the ship with all that was his; he made the ship ready and engaged a crew, and then sailed away to Ericsfjord. The bodies were now buried by the church. Gudrid went to Leif at Brattahlid, while Thorstein the Black built a house on Ericsfjord, where he stayed during his life, being considered the most chivalrous of men.

§10. THE EXPEDITION OF THORFIN KARLSEFNI

Translation from the text of the saga of Eric the Red collated with that of Hauk’s Book. Passages in italics from Hauk’s Book only.

There was a man named _Thord, who lived at Höfda in Höfdastrand. He married Fridgerda, daughter of Thori Hyma and of Fridgerda daughter of Kjarval king of the Irish. Thord was a son of Björn Byrdusmör, son of Thorvald Hrygg, son of Asleik, son of Björn Ironside, son of Ragnar Shaggy-Breeches. They had a son called Snorri: he married Thorhild Rype, a daughter of Thord Gelli: their son was Thord Horsehead. Thord Horsehead had a son called_ Thorfin Karlsefni, who lived in the north at Reynisness in Skagafjord, as it now is called. Besides being of a good stock Karlsefni was a wealthy man. His mother’s name was Thorunn. He was in the cruising trade, and had a good reputation as a sailor.

One summer Karlsefni made ready his ship for a voyage to Greenland. Snorri Thorbrandson from Alptafjord joined him,[24] and they had forty men with them. A man named Bjarni Grimolfson from Breidafjord, and another called Thorhall Gamlison[25] from Eastfjord both made ready their ship the same summer as Karlsefni to go to Greenland; they had forty men on board. They put to sea with these two ships, when they were ready. We are not told how long they were at sea; suffice it to say that both these ships arrived at Ericsfjord in the autumn. Eric and other settlers rode to the ships, where they began to trade freely: the skippers told Gudrid[26] to help herself from their wares, but Eric was not behindhand in generosity, for he invited the crews of both ships to his home at Brattahlid for the winter. The traders accepted this offer and went with Eric. Thereupon their stuff was removed to the house at Brattahlid, where there was no lack of good large out-buildings in which to store their goods, and the merchants had a good time with Eric during the winter.

But as it drew towards Christmas Eric began to be less cheerful than usual. One day Karlsefni came to speak to Eric, and said: ‘Is anything the matter, Eric? It seems to me that you are rather more silent than you used to be; you are treating us with the greatest generosity, and we owe it to you to repay you so far as lies in our power, so tell us what is troubling you.’ ‘You have been good and courteous guests,’ replied Eric, ‘my mind is not troubled by any lack of response on your part, _it is rather that I am afraid it will be said when you go elsewhere that you never passed a worse Christmas than when you stayed with Eric the Red at Brattahlid in Greenland_.’[27] ‘That shall not be so,’ replied Karlsefni, ‘we have on our ships malt and meal and corn, and you are welcome to take of it what you will, and make as fine a feast as your ideas of hospitality suggest.’ Eric accepted this offer, and a Christmas feast was prepared, which was so splendid that people thought they had hardly ever seen so magnificent a feast _in a poor country_.

And after Christmas Karlsefni asked Eric for Gudrid’s hand, since it appeared to him to be a matter under Eric’s control, and moreover he thought her a beautiful and accomplished woman. Eric answered, saying that he would certainly entertain his suit, but that she was a good match; that it was likely that she would be fulfilling her destiny if she was married to him, and that he had heard good of Karlsefni. So then the proposal was conveyed to her, and she left it to Eric to decide for her. And now it was not long before this proposal was accepted, and the festivities began again, and their wedding was celebrated. There was a very merry time at Brattahlid in the winter with much playing at draughts and story-telling, and a great deal to make their stay pleasant.

[At this time there was much discussion at Brattahlid during the winter[28] _about a search for Wineland the Good, and it was said that it would be a profitable country to visit_; Karlsefni and Snorri resolved to search for Wineland, and the project was much talked about, so it came about that Karlsefni and Snorri made ready their ship to go and look for the country in the summer.[29] The man named Bjarni, and Thorhall, _who have already been mentioned_, joined the expedition with their ship, and the crew which had accompanied them. There was a man named Thorvald[30] (evidently Thorvard), who was connected by marriage with Eric the Red. _He also went with them, and_ Thorhall _who was called the Hunter_, he had been long engaged with Eric as hunter in the summer,[31] and had many things in his charge. Thorhall was big _and strong_ and dark, and like a giant: he was rather old, of a temper hard to manage, taciturn and of few words as a rule, cunning but abusive, and he was always urging _Eric to_ the worse course. He had had little dealings with the faith since it came to Greenland. Thorhall was rather unpopular, yet for a long time Eric had been in the habit of consulting him. He was on the ship with Thorvald’s men,[32] for he had a wide experience of wild countries. They had the ship which Thorbjörn had brought out there, and they joined themselves to Karlsefni’s party for the expedition, and the majority of the men were Greenlanders. The total force on board their ships was 160 men.[33] After this they sailed away to the Western Settlement and the Bear Isles. They sailed away from the Bear Isles with a northerly wind. They were at sea two days. Then they found land, and rowing ashore in boats they examined the country, and found there a quantity of flat stones, which were so large that two men could easily have lain sole to sole on them: there were many arctic foxes there. They gave the place a name, calling it Helluland. Then they sailed for two days with north wind, _and changed their course from south to south-east_, and then there was a land before them on which was much wood and many beasts. An island lay there off shore to the south-east, on which they found a bear, and they called it Bjarney (Bear Island), but the land where the wood was they called Markland (woodland).

[Then when two days were passed they sighted land, up to which they sailed. There was a cape where they arrived.[34] They beat along the coast, and left the land to starboard: it was a desolate place, and there were long beaches and sands there. They rowed ashore, and found _there on the cape_ the keel of a ship, so they called the place Keelness: they gave the beaches also a name, calling them Furdustrands (the Wonder Beaches) because the sail past them was long. Next the country became indented with bays, into _one of_ which they steered the ships.]

Now when Leif was with king Olaf Tryggvason and he commissioned him to preach Christianity in Greenland, the king gave him two Scots, a man called Hake and a woman Hekja. The king told Leif to make use of these people if he had need of speed, for they were swifter than deer: these people Leif and Eric provided to accompany Karlsefni. Now when they had coasted past Furdustrands they set the Scots ashore, telling them to run southward along the land to explore the resources of the country and come back before three days were past. They were dressed in what they called a ‘_kjafal_’,[35] which was made with a hood above, and open at the sides without sleeves: it was fastened between the legs, where a button and a loop held it together: otherwise they were naked. They cast anchor and lay there in the meanwhile. And when three days were past they came running down from the land, and one of them had in his hand a grape-_cluster_ while the other had a wild (lit: self-sown[36]) ear of wheat. They told Karlsefni that they thought that they had found that the resources of the country were good. They received them into their ship, and went their ways, till the country was indented by a fjord. They took the ships into the fjord. There was an island outside, about which there were strong currents, so they called it Straumsey (Tide or Current Island). There were so many birds[37] on the island that a man’s feet could hardly come down between the eggs. They held along the fjord, and called the place Straumsfjord, and there they carried up their goods from the ships and prepared to stay: they had with them all sorts of cattle, and they explored the resources of the country there. There were mountains there, and the view was beautiful. They did nothing but explore the country. There was plenty of grass there. They were there for the winter, and the winter was severe, but they had done nothing to provide for it, and victuals grew scarce, and hunting and fishing deteriorated. Then they went out to the island, in the hope that this place might yield something in the way of fishing or jetsam. But there was little food to be obtained on it, though their cattle throve there well. After this they cried to God to send them something to eat, and their prayer was not answered as soon as they desired. Thorhall disappeared and men went in search of him: that lasted three successive days. On the fourth day Karlsefni and Bjarni found Thorhall on a crag; he was gazing into the air with staring eyes, open mouth, and dilated nostrils, and scratching and pinching himself and reciting something. They asked him why he had come there. He said it was no business of theirs, told them not to be surprised at it, and said that he had lived long enough to make it unnecessary for them to trouble about him. They told him to come home with them, and he did so. Soon afterwards there came a whale, and they went to it and cut it up, but no one knew what sort of whale it was. Karlsefni had a great knowledge of whales, but still he did not recognize this one. The cooks boiled this whale, and they ate it, but were all ill from it: then Thorhall came up and said: ‘Was not the Red-Beard (Thor) more useful than your Christ? This is my reward for chanting of Thor my patron; seldom has he failed me.’ But when they heard this none of them would avail themselves of the food, and they threw it down off the rocks and committed their cause to God’s mercy: _the state of the weather then improved and_ permitted them to row out, and from that time there was no lack of provision during the spring. They went into Straumsfjord, and got supplies from both places, hunting on the mainland, and eggs and fishing from the sea.

Now they consulted about their expedition, and were divided. Thorhall the Hunter wished to go north by Furdustrands and past Keelness, and so look for Wineland, but Karlsefni wished to coast south [and off the east coast, considering that the region which lay more to the south was the larger, and it seemed to him the best plan to explore both ways.[38] So then Thorhall made ready out by the islands, and there were no more than nine men for his venture, the rest of the party going with Karlsefni. And one day as Thorhall was carrying water to his ship he drank it, and recited this verse:

_They flattered my confiding ear With tales of drink abounding here: My curse upon the thirsty land! A warrior, trained to bear a brand, A pail instead I have to bring, And bow my back beside the spring: For ne’er a single draught of wine Has passed these parching lips of mine._[39]

After this they set out, and Karlsefni accompanied them by the islands.

Before they hoisted their sail Thorhall recited a verse:

_Now let the vessel plough the main To Greenland and our friends again: Away, and leave the strenuous host Who praise this God-forsaken coast To linger in a desert land, And boil their whales in Furdustrand._[40]

Afterwards they parted, and they sailed north past Furdustrands and Keelness, and wished to bear westward; but they were met by a storm and cast ashore in Ireland, where they were much ill-treated and enslaved. There Thorhall died, _according to the reports of traders_.

Karlsefni coasted south with Snorri and Bjarni and the rest of their party. They sailed a long time, till they came to a river which flowed down from the land and through a lake into the sea: there were great shoals of gravel there in front of the estuary and they could not enter the river except at high tide. Karlsefni and his party sailed into the estuary, and called the place Hóp.

They found there wild (lit: self-sown) fields of wheat wherever the ground was low, but vines wherever they explored the hills. Every brook was full of fish. They made pits where the land met high-water mark, and when the tide ebbed there were halibut in the pits. There was a great quantity of animals of all sorts in the woods. They were there a fortnight, enjoying themselves, without noticing anything further: they had their cattle with them.

And one morning early, as they looked about them, they saw nine skin canoes, on which staves were waved with a noise just like threshing, and they were waved with the sun. Then Karlsefni said, ‘What is the meaning of this?’ Snorri answered him, ‘Perhaps this is a sign of peace, so let us take a white shield and lift it in answer,’ and they did so. Then these men rowed to meet them, and, astonished at what they saw, they landed. They were _swarthy_[41] men and ugly, with unkempt hair on their heads. They had large eyes and broad cheeks. They stayed there some time, showing surprise. Then they rowed away south past the cape.

Karlsefni and his men had made their camp above the lake, and some of the huts were near the mainland while others were near the lake. So they remained there that winter; no snow fell, and their cattle remained in the open, finding their own pasture. But at the beginning of spring they saw one morning early a fleet of skin canoes rowing from the south past the cape, so many that the sea was black with them,[42] and on each boat there were staves waved. Karlsefni and his men raised their shields, and they began to trade: the (strange) people wanted particularly to buy red cloth, _in exchange for which they offered skins and grey furs_. They wished also to buy swords and spears, but Karlsefni and Snorri forbade this. _The savages got for a dark skin a spans length of red cloth, which they bound round their heads._[43] Thus things continued for awhile, but when the cloth began to give out they cut it into pieces so small that they were not more than a finger’s breadth. The savages gave as much for it as before, or more.

It happened that a bull belonging to Karlsefni’s party ran out of the wood, and bellowed loudly: this terrified the savages, and they ran out to their canoes, and rowed south along the coast, and there was nothing more seen of them for three consecutive weeks. But when that time had elapsed they saw a great number of the boats of the savages coming from the south like a rushing torrent, and this time all the staves were waved widdershins, and all the savages yelled loudly. Upon this Karlsefni’s men took a red shield and raised it in answer. _The savages ran from their boats and_ thereupon they met and fought; there was a heavy rain of missiles; the savages had war-slings too. Karlsefni and Snorri observed that the savages raised up on a pole a _very_ large globe, _closely resembling a sheep’s paunch_ and dark in colour, and it flew _from the pole_ up on land over the party, and made a terrible noise where it came down. Upon this a great fear came on Karlsefni and his party, so that they wished for nothing but to get away up stream, _for they thought that the savages were setting upon them from all sides, nor did they halt till they came_ to some rocks where they made a determined resistance.

Freydis came out, and seeing Karlsefni’s men retreating she cried out, ‘Why are such fine fellows as you running away from these unworthy men, whom I thought you could have butchered like cattle? Now if I had a weapon it seems to me that I should fight better than any of you.’ They paid no attention to what she said. Freydis wished to follow them, but was rather slow because she was not well; yet she went after them into the wood, pursued by the savages. She found before her a dead man, Thorbrand Snorreson, with a flat stone standing in his head: his sword lay beside him. This she took up, and prepared to defend herself with it. Then the savages set upon her, but she drew out her breast from beneath her clothes and beat the sword upon it: with that the savages were afraid, and running back to their ships they withdrew. Karlsefni’s men came up to her and praised her courage. Two men of Karlsefni’s force fell, but four[44] of the savages, although the former were outnumbered. So then they went back to their huts, _and bound their wounds_, and considered what that force could have been which set upon them from the land side; it now appeared to them that the attacking party consisted solely of those who came from the ships, and that the others must have been a delusion.

Moreover the savages found a dead man with an axe lying beside him. _One of them took up the axe and cut at a tree, and then each of the others did so, and they thought it a treasure and that it cut well. Afterwards_ one of them cut at a stone, and the axe broke, whereupon he thought that it was useless, since it did not stand against the stone, and threw it down.

It now appeared to Karlsefni’s party that though this country had good resources yet they would live in a perpetual state of warfare and alarm on account of the aborigines. So they prepared to depart, intending to return to their own country. They coasted northward, and found five savages in skins sleeping _by the sea_; these had with them receptacles in which was beast’s marrow mixed with blood. They concluded that these men must have been sent from the country[45]: they killed them. Later on they discovered a promontory and a quantity of beasts: the promontory had the appearance of a cake of dung, because the beasts lay there in the winter.[46] Now they came to Straumsfjord, where there was plenty of every kind.

Some men say that Bjarni and Freydis[47] stayed there with a hundred men and went no further, while Karlsefni and Snorri went south with forty men, staying no longer at Hóp than a scant two months, and returning the same summer.[48]

* * * * *

_They considered that those mountains which were at Hóp and those which they now found were all one, and were therefore close opposite one another, and that the distance from Straumsfjord was the same in both directions._[49] They were at Straumsfjord the third winter.

At this time the men were much divided into parties, _which happened because of the women_, the unmarried men claiming the wives of those who were married, which gave rise to the greatest disorder. There Karlsefni’s son, Snorri, was born the first autumn, _and he was three winters old when they left_.[50]

_On sailing from Wineland_ they got a south wind, and came to Markland, where they found five savages, one of whom was bearded. There were two women and two children: Karlsefni’s men caught the boys, but the others escaped, disappearing into the ground. But they kept the two boys with them, and taught them speech, and they were christened. They called their mother Vætilldi and _their father_ Uvægi. They said that the savages’ country was governed by kings, one of whom was called Avalldamon and the other Valldidida. They said that there were no houses there: people lived in dens or caves. They reported that another country lay on the other side, opposite to their own, where people lived who wore white clothes, and uttered loud cries, and carried poles, and went with flags. It is thought that this was Hvítramannaland, _or Ireland the Great_. So then they came to Greenland, and stayed with Eric the Red for the winter.

Then Bjarni Grimolfson was carried into the sea of Greenland,[51] and came into a sea infested by the teredo, and the first thing they noticed was that the ship beneath them was worm-eaten. So they discussed what plan should be adopted. They had a boat which was coated with seal-tar. It is said that the teredo does not eat wood which is coated with seal-tar. The majority declared in favour of the proposal to man the boat with such men as she would accommodate. But when this was tested the boat would not accommodate more than half the crew. Bjarni then said that the manning of the boat should be by lot, and not by rank. But every man who was there wished to go in the boat, and she could not take them all. For this reason[52] they agreed to the course of drawing lots for the manning of the boat from the ship. So the result of the drawing was that Bjarni drew a seat in the boat, and about half the crew with him. So those who had been chosen by the lots went from the ship into the boat. When they had got into the boat, a young Icelander, who had been one of Bjarni’s companions, said, ‘Do you mean, Bjarni, to desert me here?’ Bjarni replied, ‘So it has turned out.’ ‘This is not what you promised me’, said he, ‘when I left my father’s house in Iceland to go with you.’ ‘But still’, said Bjarni, ‘I do not see any other course in this predicament: but answer me, what course do you advise?’ ‘The course I see’, said he, ‘is that we change places, and you come here while I go there.’ Bjarni answered, ‘Be it so. For I see that you cling greedily to life, and think it a hard thing to die.’ Thereupon they changed places. This man went down into the boat, while Bjarni got on board the ship, and men say that Bjarni was lost there in the teredo sea, with those men who were on board with him. But the boat and those on board of her went their ways, till they came to land, _at Dublin in Ireland_, where they afterwards told this story.

NOTE. _Snorri Thorbrandson comes to Greenland._ The Eyrbyggja Saga (chap. 48) mentions this emigration of Snorri Thorbrandson as an event taking place ‘after the reconciliation of the men of Eyr and Alptafjord’. The ingenuity of commentators in constructing a difficulty is well exemplified in connexion with this passage. Chapter 49 begins with the words ‘it was next after this that Gizur the White and Hjalti his son-in-law came out with the mission of Christianity, and all men in Iceland were baptized, and Christianity was legally established at the general sessions’. The events thus described happened in the year 1000. If therefore the emigration of Snorri Thorbrandson is taken as the event after which Christianity was introduced, a discrepancy in the chronology is apparent. A reference to the context shows, however, that chapter 48 concludes the section of the saga which deals with the dispute between the men of Eyr and Alptafjord. It is in accordance with the usual practice in such cases that the subsequent fate of the principal characters should be briefly indicated. Thus in the Flatey Book the Wineland episode concludes with the subsequent careers of Karlsefni and Gudrid, and the mention of their descendants. The book then reverts to the consideration of other matters following upon the death of Olaf Tryggvason. It is therefore quite unnecessary to regard Snorri’s journey to Greenland and his Wineland adventures as taking place _immediately_ after the settlement of the feud in which his family were concerned, while the introduction of Christianity is the next main episode after the Eyr-Alptafjord quarrel, and does not necessarily follow in date the minor facts recorded in winding up this matter. It may further be pointed out that the sequence of the two chapters is not the same in all MSS. of the Eyrbyggja Saga.

Apart from this question of chronological discrepancy this passage strongly corroborates the Wineland story, for it goes on to state how ‘Snorri went to Wineland the Good with Karlsefni; when they fought with the savages there Thorbrand Snorrison, the bravest of men, fell there’. Some texts read ‘Snorri Thorbrandson’ for ‘Thorbrand Snorrison’, but, apart from the occurrence of the correct name in what is probably the most reliable manuscript, the sense seems to demand a different name from that of the original subject of the sentence, while to substitute Snorri, incorrectly, for a similar name not previously mentioned is a natural and characteristic error for a copyist to commit.

§11. FREYDIS

Translation from the Flatey Book.

Now talk began again about the journey to Wineland, for the voyage thither seemed both lucrative and honourable. The same summer that Karlsefni returned from Wineland there came a ship from Norway to Greenland, commanded by two brothers, Helgi and Finnbogi, and they stayed that winter in Greenland. These brothers were of an Icelandic stock from Eastfjord. Now the story goes that Freydis, Eric’s daughter, made a journey from her home at Garda, and went to see the brothers, Helgi and Finnbogi, and invited them to go to Wineland with their ship, and divide with her all the profit they might make out of it. They consented. From them she went and interviewed her brother Leif, whom she asked to give her the houses which he had had built in Wineland; but he gave her the same answer as before, that he would lend the houses but not give them.[53] So it was arranged between the brothers[54] and Freydis that each should take thirty fighting men on board, besides women. But Freydis broke these terms at once, and took five extra men, whom she hid, so that the brothers knew nothing of it before they reached Wineland.

Now they put out to sea, having arranged to sail together as far as practicable, and as it turned out there was not much difference between them, but the brothers were slightly the first to arrive, and took their belongings up to Leif’s camp. But when Freydis arrived her ship was unloaded, and her things taken up to the camp. Then Freydis said, ‘Why have you brought your property in here?’ ‘Because we imagined’, said they, ‘that the whole arrangement between us was going to be kept.’ ‘Leif lent me the houses,’ said she, ‘but not you.’ Then Helgi said, ‘We brothers are no match for you in wickedness’: so they carried out their goods, and made themselves a camp, which they placed further from the sea by the shore of a lake, and they thoroughly settled in, while Freydis had wood cut for her ship.

Now when winter set in the brothers suggested that games should be started to pass the time. This went on for a while, until a quarrel arose which led to discord between them, and the games stopped, and no one went from the one camp to the other. This state of things continued for a long time during the winter. Then one morning early Freydis got out of bed and dressed, but put nothing on her feet: and it happened that there was a heavy dew. She took her husband’s cloak, and went out to the brothers’ house, to the door: now a man had been out shortly before, and had left the door ajar. She opened the door, and stood for a while in the doorway without saying anything, till Finnbogi, who was lying furthest from the door and who was awake, said, ‘What do you want here, Freydis?’ She replied, ‘I want you to get up and come out with me, and I want to talk to you.’ He did as she asked, and they went to a log which was lying under the wall of the house, and sat down on it. ‘How are you enjoying yourself?’ she said. ‘I like the country,’ he replied, ‘but I do not like the quarrel which has sprung up between us, for I do not see any reason for it.’ ‘There you speak truly,’ said she, ‘and I am of the same opinion, but my reason for coming here to you is that I want to buy the ship which belongs to you brothers, for you have a larger ship than I, and I wish to go away from this place.’ ‘I will agree to that’, said he, ‘if it will please you.’ With that they separated; she went home, and Finnbogi went to bed. She climbed into bed with her cold feet, and waked Thorvard with them, so that he asked her why she was so cold and wet. She answered with great vehemence, ‘I have been to the brothers to bid for their ship, since I wanted to buy a larger ship; but they took it so ill that they beat me and grossly maltreated me: and you, miserable man, will neither avenge my shame nor your own; but I can realize now that I am not in Greenland, and I will separate from you if you will not avenge this.’ And when he could bear her reproaches no longer he ordered his men to get up at once and take their weapons, and having done so they went to the brothers’ house, and they went in to them as they slept, and took them and bound them, and brought each man out as he was bound, and Freydis had each one killed as he came out. Now all the men were killed, but the women were left, and no one would kill them. Then said Freydis, ‘Hand me an axe.’ So they did, and she killed the five women who were there, and left them dead.

Now after that outrage they returned to their camp, and Freydis appeared to them to think that she had arranged matters perfectly: and she said to her men, ‘If we are lucky enough to get back to Greenland I shall contrive the death of anyone who tells of these doings; we must rather say that they stayed behind here when we came away.’

So early in the spring they made the ship ready which had belonged to the brothers, and loaded it with all the good things which they could collect and the ship would hold. After this they put to sea, and had a rapid voyage, and came with their ship to Ericsfjord early in the summer. Karlsefni was there then, ready to put to sea, and waiting for a breeze, and it is said that no richer ship ever left Greenland than this which he commanded.

Freydis now went to her house, which had stood safe meanwhile, and having given large presents to all her followers, because she wished to hush up her misdeeds, she settled down at home. But all were not so close as to keep silent about their crimes and wickedness, that it should not leak out anywhere. So now it came to the knowledge of her brother Leif, who thought it a thoroughly bad business. Then Leif took three men of Freydis’s crew and tortured them till they told the whole of the circumstances, and their stories tallied with one another. ‘I cannot bring myself’, said Leif, ‘to treat Freydis, my sister, as she deserves, but I will predict of them that their stock will never be worth much.’ And the end of it was that no one from that time forward thought anything but ill of them.

Now we must go back to the point where Karlsefni made ready his ship and sailed to sea. He made a good passage, and arriving in Norway safe and sound he stayed there for the winter and sold his wares, and both he and his wife were honourably received by the noblest men in Norway. But in the following spring he made his ship ready to sail to Iceland, and when he was quite ready and his ship was waiting for a breeze alongside the quay, a southerner came to him who was of Bremen in Saxony, and bargained with Karlsefni for his ‘húsa-snotra’.[55] ‘I will not sell it’, said he. ‘I will give you half a mark of gold for it’, said the southerner. Karlsefni thought it a good bid, and thereupon they clinched the bargain. The southerner went away with the ‘húsa-snotra’; now Karlsefni did not know what wood it was, but it was ‘mausur’ come from Wineland.

Now Karlsefni put to sea, and came with his ship along the north of the land to Skagafjord, and his ship was laid up there for the winter. But in the spring he bought Glaumbæjarland, and built a house there, where he passed the remainder of his life: he was a most noble man, and many men and a good stock are descended from him and his wife Gudrid. And when Karlsefni was dead, Gudrid and Snorri her son, who was born in Wineland, took over the management of the place. But when Snorri married Gudrid went abroad, and made a pilgrimage to Rome (lit.: went south), and returned to the house of Snorri her son, who had by that time had a church built at Glaumbæjar. Afterwards Gudrid became a nun and lived the life of a recluse, and she remained there while she lived. Snorri had a son named Thorgeir, who was father of Ingveld, mother of Bishop Brand. Snorri Karlsefnison had a daughter named Hallfrid, she was the mother[56] of Runolf, the father of Bishop Thorlak. There was a son of Karlsefni and Gudrid called Björn; he was the father of Thorunn, the mother of Bishop Björn. Many men are descended from Karlsefni, and he became blessed in his descendants: and Karlsefni has told most clearly of all men the incidents of all these voyages, of which something has now been related.

APPENDIX

ALTERNATIVE VERSIONS AND SUPPLEMENTARY PASSAGES

1. ERIC THE RED.

_Eyrbyggja Saga, chap. 24._

At the same sessions the family of Thorgest the Old and the sons of Thord Gelli prosecuted Eric the Red for the slaughter of Thorgest’s sons, which had occurred in the autumn, when Eric went after his beams to Breidabolstad; and these sessions were very well attended. The parties had previously had a numerous following. During the sessions Eric had a ship made ready for sea in Ericsvág in Oxney: and Eric’s party were assisted by Thorbjörn Vifilson and Styr the Slayer and the sons of Thorbrand of Alptafjord and Eyulf Æsuson from Sviney; but Styr was Eric’s sole supporter at the sessions, and he drew away from Thorgest all the men he could. Styr then asked Snorri Godi not to attack Eric after the sessions with Thorgest’s men, promising Snorri in return that he would help him another time, if he should happen to get into difficulties; and because of this promise Snorri lost interest in the proceedings. Now after the sessions Thorgest and his men went with a number of ships in among the islands, but Eyulf Æsuson hid Eric’s ship in Dimunavág, where Styr and Thorbjörn met Eric: Eyulf and Styr followed Arnkel’s example by escorting Eric together on his journey out round Ellida Island.

On that expedition Eric the Red discovered Greenland, and stayed there three winters, after which he went to Iceland, where he stayed one winter before setting out to colonize Greenland, and that was fourteen winters before Christianity was legally established in Iceland.

_From Ari’s Íslendíngabók._

That land, which is called Greenland, was discovered and colonized from Iceland. It was a man called Eric the Red from Breidafjord who went out thither from this country, and he settled in the place which was afterwards called Ericsfjord: he named the country, and called it Greenland; saying that the fact that the country had a good name would attract men to journey thither. They found there, both in the east and the west of the country, dwellings of men, and fragments of canoes, and stone implements of a kind from which one may tell that there the same kind of people had passed who have settled in Wineland, and whom the Greenlanders call ‘skrælings’ (savages). Now when he started to colonize the country it was fourteen to fifteen winters before Christianity came here to Iceland, according to what was told Thorkel Gellison in Greenland by one who himself accompanied Eric the Red.

2. LEIF.

_Saga of Olaf Tryggvason_ (_Fríssbók text_).

The same winter Leif, the son of Eric the Red, was with King Olaf, in great favour, and he adopted Christianity. But that summer when Gizur went to Iceland King Olaf sent Leif to Greenland, to preach Christianity there. He sailed that summer to Greenland. He found at sea men on a wreck, whom he assisted. Then too he discovered Wineland the Good, and he came in the autumn to Greenland. He brought thither a priest and other clergy, and he went home to Eric his father at Brattahlid. Men called him afterwards Leif the Lucky. But Eric, his father, said that the account was balanced, by Leif’s rescue of the crew at sea, and his importation of the hypocrite to Greenland. This referred to the priest.

_Kristni Saga_ (_Hauk’s Book_).

That summer Olaf the king went from the country south to Wendland: then too he sent Leif Ericson to Greenland, to preach the faith there: then Leif found Wineland the Good, he found also men on a wreck at sea, wherefore he was called Leif the Lucky.

_Flatey Book, chap. 352_ (_in the body of the Saga of Olaf Tryggvason_).

Then the king had the Long Serpent brought out, and many other ships both great and small. That same summer he sent Gizur and Hjalti to Iceland, as has already been written. Then King Olaf sent Leif to Greenland to preach Christianity there. The king got him a priest and some other holy men to baptize people there and teach them the true faith. Leif went that summer to Greenland, and brought into safety a crew of men who were at that time in distress and lay upon a wreck. He came at the end of that summer to Greenland, and went to Eric his father to stay at Brattahlid. Afterwards men called him Leif the Lucky. But Eric his father said that the account was balanced, in that Leif had rescued the crew and given the men life, and had brought a hypocrite to Greenland. So he called the priest. Yet by the counsel and persuasion of Leif, Eric and all the people in Greenland were baptized.

_Saga of Eric the Red and Hauk’s Book, the latter italicized._

‘Leif put to sea when he was ready. He was driven about at sea for a long time, and lighted on lands whose existence he had not before suspected. There were wild (lit.: self-sown) wheatfields there, and vines growing. There were also those trees which are called “mösur”, and they had some samples of all these things: _some of the trees were so large that they were used in house-building_. Leif _found men on a wreck and_ took them home with him, and got them all lodging for the winter. He showed in this the greatest courtesy and courage, _as in many other ways_, since he introduced Christianity into the country, and rescued the men, and he was _ever afterwards_ called Leif the Lucky.’

_Flatey Book._

When sixteen winters had passed since the time when Eric the Red crossed to live in Greenland, Leif, Eric’s son, travelled from Greenland to Norway: he came to Trondhjem in the autumn when King Olaf Tryggvason was come from the north from Halogaland (A.D. 999). Leif brought his ship into Nidaros, and went straight to King Olaf. The king preached the faith to him as he did to other heathen men who came to him. The king had an easy task with Leif, so he was baptized, and all his crew; Leif stayed with the king during the winter, and was hospitably entertained.

3. THORVALD’S VOYAGE.

_Hauk’s Book: the companion text is here badly confused by the copyist._

Karlsefni went with one ship to look for Thorhall the Hunter, while the main body remained behind, and they travelled north past Keelness, and then bore along to the west of it, having the land on their port side. There there was nothing but desolate woods, with hardly any open places. And when they had sailed a long time, a river came down from the land from the east to the west: they entered the mouth of the river, and lay by its southern bank. It happened one morning that Karlsefni and his men saw before them on an open place a speck, which glittered before them, and they shouted at it; it moved, and it was a uniped, which darted down to the bank of the river by which they lay. Thorvald, son of Eric the Red, was sitting by the rudder, and the uniped shot an arrow into his entrails. Thorvald drew out the arrow, crying, ‘There is fat about my belly, we have reached a good country, though we are hardly allowed to enjoy it.’[57] Thorvald died of this wound soon afterwards. Then the uniped rushed away, and back northward. Karlsefni and his men pursued him, and saw him from time to time. The last they saw of him was that he ran towards a certain creek. Then Karlsefni and his men turned back. Thereupon a man sang this little ditty:

Hear, Karlsefni, while I sing Of a true but wondrous thing, How thy crew all vainly sped, Following a uniped: Strange it was to see him bound Swiftly o’er the broken ground.

Then they went away, and back north, and imagined that they saw Uniped Land. They would not then risk their people further.

4. THORSTEIN’S VOYAGE.

_Saga of Eric the Red and Hauk’s Book, the latter italicized._

At this time men spoke much of seeking for those countries which Leif had found. The leader of the project was Thorstein Ericson, a clever and popular man. Eric was also asked to join, since his luck and foresight were most highly thought of. _He was a long time making up his mind, but he did not refuse what his friends asked_;[58] so in the end they made ready the ship which Thorbjörn had brought over, and manned her with twenty men, taking little cargo, mostly arms and provisions. The morning when Eric rode from his home he took a casket containing gold and silver, which he hid before going on his way, but when he had hardly started he fell from horseback and broke a rib, and hurt his arm in the shoulder-joint, which made him cry out. In consequence of this mishap he told his wife to remove the money which he had hidden, considering that he had incurred this punishment by hiding it. Thereupon they sailed out from Ericsfjord in high spirits, thinking most favourably of their project. But they were tossed about for a long time in the ocean, and could not keep on the course which they desired. They sighted Iceland, and they came across birds from Ireland. Then their ship was driven out over the ocean. They came back in the autumn, exceedingly worn out and exhausted; they came to Ericsfjord _at the beginning of winter. Then Eric said_, ‘We were merrier in the summer sailing out of the fjord than we are now, and yet we have still much to be thankful for.’ Thorstein replied, ‘It is proper now for the leaders to think out some good plan for all these men who are here now unprovided for, and to get them lodging for the winter.’ Eric answered, ‘_It is a true saying that one is only wise after the event, and our experience proves it. You shall now have your way in this matter._’ _And so all who had no other lodging went with the father and son, after which they went home to Brattahlid, where they stayed during the winter._[59]

Now at this point the story tells how Thorstein Ericson proposed for the hand of Gudrid, Thorbjörn’s daughter. The proposal was accepted both by her and by her father, and the matter was concluded by the marriage of Thorstein to Gudrid, which took place at Brattahlid in the autumn. The festivity was a success, and very well attended. Thorstein had an estate in the Western Settlement, in the district known as Lysefjord. A man named Thorstein had also a share in the place: his wife’s name was Sigrid. Thorstein went to Lysefjord in the autumn, to his namesake, and Gudrid with him. They were given a good reception and stayed there for the winter. But as the winter drew on it happened that their estate was visited by a plague. The foreman there was a man named Gardi, who was an unpopular man: he was the first to fall ill and die. After that it was not long before one person after another fell ill and died. Then Thorstein Ericson and Sigrid, wife of (the other) Thorstein, fell ill, and one evening the latter wished to go to the yard which stood opposite the front door. Gudrid accompanied her, and they sat facing the doors. Then Sigrid uttered a cry. ‘We have been foolish’, said Gudrid, ‘to come unprotected into the cold weather, so let us go in at once.’ ‘It is not possible to do so’, replied Sigrid. ‘All the host of the dead is here before the doors, and there in the throng I recognize Thorstein your husband, and myself, and a sad sight it is.’ And when this passed off she said, ‘Now I do not see the host.’ The foreman had also vanished then, who had seemed to Sigrid at first to have a whip in his hand, and to have made as if to beat the host. After this they went in, and before morning came Sigrid was dead, and a coffin was made for her body. And the same day men were intending to go rowing out, and Thorstein conducted them to the quay, and in the twilight he went to see after their fishing. Then Thorstein Ericson sent his namesake word to come to him, saying that they were having an uneasy time in the house, for the housewife made as if to get on her feet, and get under the clothes by him; and when Thorstein came in she had come to the bedpost close to Ericson. He took her by the hands, and laid an axe to her breast. Thorstein Ericson died about sunset. (His namesake) Thorstein told Gudrid to lie down and sleep, saying that he would watch through the night over the bodies. She did as he told her and soon fell asleep, but when a little of the night was past Thorstein Ericson raised himself up, and said that he wished Gudrid to be called there, and that he wished to speak to her. ‘It is God’s will that this hour be given me for leave of absence, and for the perfecting of my advice.’ Thorstein went to Gudrid, and woke her, telling her to cross herself and pray God to help her, and said, ‘Thorstein Ericson has spoken to me, saying that he wishes to see you. Now you must decide what to do, for I cannot advise you.’ She replied, ‘It may be that this, this wonderful event, is meant for one of those things which are remembered afterwards, but I hope that God will watch over me. With God’s mercy I will risk speaking to him, for I must not at such a time shrink from harm to myself. I will do it lest he should go further, for I suspect that would happen otherwise.’ So then Gudrid went and saw Thorstein (her husband) and it seemed to her as if he shed tears, and spoke some words low in her ear so that she alone heard, and he said that those were blessed who kept the faith well, and mercy and succour attended them: but he said that many kept it ill:—‘That is no good custom which has prevailed here in Greenland since Christianity was introduced, to put men in unconsecrated ground with but little singing over them. I wish to be taken to the church with the others who have died here, but Gardi I wish to have burnt on a pyre as soon as possible, for he is the cause of all the apparitions which have been here this winter.’[60] He spoke to her also of her affairs, and said that she would have a great future. And he told her to beware of marrying a Greenlander: he told her too to contribute their money to the church, or to give it to poor men, and then he sank back for the second time.

The custom in Greenland, since the introduction of Christianity, had been that men were buried on the farms where they died, in unconsecrated ground, and a stake would be set up from their breasts, and later on, when priests came, the stake would be drawn up, and holy water poured in there, and a funeral service sung over them, though it might be long afterwards.[61]

The bodies were carried to the church at Ericsfjord and funeral services held over them by the priests. After this Thorbjörn died, and all his property then came to Gudrid. Eric took her in, and looked after her well.

5. THORFIN KARLSEFNI.

_Flatey Book Version._

That same summer (when Thorstein the Black brought Gudrid to Ericsfjord) a ship came to Greenland from Norway, commanded by a man named Thorfin Karlsefni, who was a son of Thord Horsehead, son of Snorri Thordarson of (Höfda).[62] Thorfin Karlsefni was a wealthy man, and he stayed at Brattahlid with Leif Ericson during the winter. He soon turned his attention to Gudrid, and proposed to her, but she left it to Leif to answer for her. Afterwards they were betrothed, and their wedding took place that winter. There were the same discussions as before about a Wineland voyage, and people—both Gudrid and others—strongly urged Karlsefni to undertake that journey. So then his expedition was arranged, and he engaged his crew, sixty men and five women. Karlsefni agreed with his crew that they should have an equal share in any profit they might make. They had with them all kinds of cattle, because they proposed to colonize the country if they could. Karlsefni asked Leif for his houses in Wineland, but he declared that he would lend his houses but not give them. Afterwards they put out to sea with their ship, and arriving at Leif’s camp safe and sound they carried up their baggage.

They soon made a great and a good catch, for a whale both large and good was stranded there, upon which they went to the whale and cut it up; they were then in no want of food. The cattle went ashore there, but it soon came about that the males were unmanageable, and made great havoc about them. They had brought a bull with them. Karlsefni had wood cut, and shaped into a cargo for the ship, and laid the wood on a rock to season. They all took advantage of the valuable resources of the country, such as there were in the way of grapes and all kinds of game and good things. In the summer following the first winter they became acquainted with savages, a great crowd of whom came from the forest: their cattle were close by, and the bull began to bellow and roar very loudly; now this terrified the savages, and they ran away with their packs, which consisted of grey furs and sables and all kinds of peltries, and turning towards Karlsefni’s house they would have entered it, but Karlsefni had the doors guarded. Neither side understood the speech of the other: then the savages brought down their packs and undid them and offered their wares, desiring especially weapons in exchange, but Karlsefni forbade his men to sell weapons. And now he hit upon the idea of telling the women to carry out milk to them, and when they saw the milk they wished to buy that and nothing else. So then the result of the savages’ trading was that they carried away their purchases in their stomachs, but Karlsefni and his companions kept their bales and furs; so they went away.

Now the story goes that Karlsefni had a strong palisade made round his house, and preparations made there (for defence). At that time Gudrid, Karlsefni’s wife, bore a boy child, and the boy was called Snorri. Then at the beginning of the second winter the savages came to them in much greater numbers than before, with the same kind of wares as previously. Thereupon Karlsefni said to the women, ‘Now you must carry out the food for which there was a demand on the former occasion, and nothing else.’ And when they saw it they threw their packs in over the palisade.

But Gudrid was sitting in the doorway by the cradle of Snorri her son: then a shadow appeared in the doorway and there came in a woman in a black ‘namkirtle’. She was rather short, and had a band round her head; her hair was light brown; she was pale and had eyes so large that no one had ever seen eyes so large in a human head. She went up to where Gudrid was sitting, and said, ‘What is your name?’ ‘My name is Gudrid,’ said she; ‘but what is yours?’ ‘My name is Gudrid,’ said she. Then Gudrid the housewife beckoned with her hand to her to sit by her, when all of a sudden Gudrid heard a great crash, and the woman had then vanished, and simultaneously one of the savages was killed by one of Karlsefni’s servants, because he had wanted to steal their arms, whereupon they ran away as fast as possible, leaving their clothing and wares behind them. No one had seen that woman but Gudrid only.

‘Now we must take counsel,’ said Karlsefni, ‘for I imagine they will pay us a third visit in a strong and hostile body. Now the plan which we should adopt is that ten men go forward on to this point and show themselves there, while the rest of our force go into the forest and there cut clearings for our cattle, as the army comes out of the wood. We ought also to take our bull, and let it go before us.’

Now the place where their meeting was arranged had a lake on one side and the forest on the other. Karlsefni’s advice was followed, and the savages came into the place which Karlsefni had planned for the battle; so the fight took place, and many of the savages’ army fell. There was a tall and distinguished man in the army of the savages, who Karlsefni thought must be their chief: now one of the savages had taken up an axe, and having looked at it for a while he raised it against one of his fellows and hewed at him so that he fell dead; whereat the tall man took hold of the axe and looked at it for a time, after which he flung it into the sea as far as he could; and thereupon they fled into the forest, each one as best he might, and thus their fight then came to an end.

Karlsefni’s men were there all that winter, but in spring Karlsefni announced that he would not stay there longer, but would sail to Greenland. So then they made ready for their voyage, and they brought thence much that was of value in vines and grapes and furs. Now they put out to sea, and came safely to Ericsfjord with their ship, and were there for the winter.

6. KARLSEFNI’S DESCENDANTS.

_Saga of Eric the Red with Hauk’s Book._ (_The latter italicized._)

The second summer after this Karlsefni came to Iceland, and Snorri[63] with him, and he went home to Reynisness. His mother thought that he had made a poor match, and so _Gudrid_ was not at their house the first winter. But when she found that Gudrid was a very fine lady she came home, and they got on well together.

The daughter of Snorri Karlsefnison was Hallfrid, the mother of Bishop Thorlak, son of Runolf. They (i.e. Karlsefni and Gudrid) had a son called Thorbjörn. His daughter was called Thorunn, the mother of Bishop Björn. There was a son of Snorri Karlsefnison called Thorgeir, the father of Ingveld, the mother of Bishop Brand the first. _Another daughter of Snorri Karlsefnison was Steinunn, who married Einar, son of Grunda-Ketil, son of Thorvald Krok, son of Thori of Espihol. Their son was Thorstein the Unjust, who was father to Gudrun who married Jörund of Keldi: their daughter was Halla, mother of Flosi, father of Valgerda, mother of Sir Erlend the Strong, father of Sir Hauk the Lawman. Another daughter of Flosi was Thordis, mother of Lady Ingigerd the Rich. Her daughter was Lady Hallbera, abbess of Reynisness at Stad. A number of great men in Iceland besides are sprung from Karlsefni and Gudrid, who are not catalogued here. God be with us. Amen._ And that is the end of this story.

_Ari’s Íslendíngabók._

Aud, the woman colonist, who settled to the west of Breidafjord in Hvamm, was mother of Thorstein the Red, father of Olaf Feilan, father of Thord Gelli, father of Thorhild Rype, mother of Thord Horsehead, father of Carlsefni, father of Snorri, father of Hallfrid, mother of Thorlak, who is now bishop in Scalaholt.