'
““
/
6
T H E D I SC OV E R
O F T H E N O RS E M E N O N T H E
N O R T H E A ST C O A ST O F
A M E R I CA
7
W WW
T H E I R ATT E MP T A T
C O L O N I ' AT I O N
Q
Q;
N
A
T ran sl ate d b y
G U S TAVE NI E BAU M
M
e
m b er
of
T ra n s a c t i o n s
th e
C oun cil
an d
of
th e
I
G eo g r ap h ical
P ro c e e d i n g s
of
of
S o ci e ty
th e G
th e P a c i fi c
of
eo g r ap
th e P
acifi c
h i c a l So c i ety
T H E D I SC OV E R I ES
O F T H E N O RS EM E N O N T H E
N O R T H EA S T C O A S T O F
AM E R I CA
T H E I R ATT E MP T A T COLON I ' AT I ON
M
G U S T AV E N I E BA U
CON T E NT S
.
.
I n trodu c tion
A b ou t B i arn e H erjolf
L ei fi E ri k
,
’
s son ,
’
s s on s s aili n g
’
di s c ov ers
foreign
la nds
L eifi pass es th e wi n ter th er e on th e land
s ai ls th er eafter h ome to G ron la nd
a n d c alls
an d
i t Vi nland ;
h elps
so
me s h ip
wrec k ed men
65
A b ou t Th orw ald E ri k
’
,
s s on ,
L ei fi
’
broth er
s
,
a nd
S k r a elli ng
E rn e i n Vi nland
A bou t Th o rs tei n E ri k
’
,
to
68
s son ,
L ei fi
’
s
b roth er
,
an d
h is
v oy ag es
Vi nland
71
A bou t Th orfind K a rls efn e h ow h e
,
ca
me
to
Vi nland
a nd a b o u t
S k ra elli ng- E rn e
A bou t F reydi s
,
E ri k
s c a nd alous
’
s
74
d augh ter
d o i ngs ;
,
h er
v oy ag e
to
Vi nland
a nd
78
I NT R ODU CT OR Y
.
A mong the countle ss obje ct s of worth in e ve ry line of knowle d ge
and be aut y that we re consume d in t he gre ate st c on flagrati on of
history A p ril 1 8 2 1 1 90 6 in S an Franci sc o we re three large foli o
v olume s of the S agas of the N orse se a v oyage s dating bac k m ore
t han ni ne hundre d ye ars
—
,
,
,
,
,
.
the se v olume s we re the S agas de scribing t he di sco ve ry and at
tempt at settlement of the northe ast coast of N ort h Ame ri ca The
d isco ve ry range d from the c oast of L a b rador t o the e aste rn
Cape of M assachusett s The attempt at c oloni zati on was in the lati
tu d e whe re the sun rose at half past se ven and se t at half p ast four
on the shorte st day of D e cembe r
In
.
.
.
Those chapte rs whi ch relate d t o the discovery and first settlement
of Wineland the Good we re t ranslate d b y Captain Gusta ve Nie
b aum for the pu rp ose of study and compari son with othe r nar
rations t o t ry t o locate the landfalls of the first a d venture rs
,
.
That t ranslation was not burne d and it i s proposed to reproduce
so that it may b e a v ailable for student s in ge ograp hi c re se arch
,
it
.
A s the re are no date s gi ven in that narrati ve it i s p rope r t o gi ve
a few word s of int roduction from one of the late st aut horitie s
not only for the e xhibition of the d ate s gene rally accepte d but
also t o ve ry brie fly pre sent t he st atu s of the que sti on whethe r the
N o rsem en d id re ally di scove r Ame rica
*
,
,
.
Profe ssor Fi sche r was well fitte d for such re se arch and for e i ght
ye ars had the act ive assistance of the Fathe rs of the O rde r that
,
D i c i f th N m n in Am ica w i th S p cial R la ti n t th i Ea ly C
f G g ap hy J
i t C ll g
t g
l R p
n tati n By J p h Fi c h S J P f
ph i
F l dk i c h A t i a T an la t d f m th G man b y Ba il H S l b y B A S p in t n d nt
f th
f t h M p R m B i ti h M
m H
S
H a k l yt S ci ty L n d n H n y S t
* Th e
o
ca
ra
e
o
r
e
v en s ,
s o v e r es o
,
e
Son
res e
us r
a
oo
an d
e
o
r
.
r
,
S til es
,
s
s
s
o rs e
e
o se
.
e
us e u
1 903
.
on
O ne
.
.
,
er
e
.
er ,
s
ro
e
er
ec
.
v o l.
,
Oc t
u
e
o
.
,
pa g
.
es
eo
ou s
o
r
,
e
.
,
.
.
VI I I b i b lio g 1 2 :
,
e r
o
o
ro es s o r o
s
.
e
.
o
Te
o
'
e su
u
.
ar
r
,
o
er
e
e
r
t 130 : 10
e
e,
e
e
m ap s
.
52
ON
N O RS E M E N
TH E
N O RT H E A S T C O A S T
TH E
OF
A MERI CA
.
re ache d int o the archi ve s of the Vati can and int o e ve ry library that
containe d ancient re cord s
,
.
I n h is
sho rt p re face detailing the line s of re search he give s a ve ry
brie f summary of the state of the que stion as late as 1 8 9 8 whi ch we
t ranscribe
.
Page V :
“The Anti
qu it ate s
Am e ri c an ae
that epoch making work b y
“Carl Chr R afn
h a s now for ove r sixt y ye ars enj oye d a de
“cide d influence in t he answe r t o the que stion : What did the
“N orsemen di scove r in A me ri ca ?
“R afn seeme d to ha ve a complete maste ry of all the Norse lite ra
‘
.
-
,
,
‘
“ture be aring on the su bj e ct and it i s qui te intelli gible that many
“pe cu liar di cta shoul d have b een accepte d me rely on hi s authorit y
,
“though sub se quent inve sti gations have prove d them unsoun d
“The followe rs of R afn we re nume rou s and unc ri ti cal and went
“much furthe r t han their m aste r S ome of the argument s whi ch he
“emp loye d me rely a s a se condary suppo rt t o his the orie s we re tw is
“te d b y them an d d e sc rib e d as inconte stable and in di sput able e v i
“d ence S uch a bre ach of all laws of criti ci sm did not fail t o arouse
“a st orm of opposition The p seudo authorit y claime d for the al
“le e d Runi c inscri ption on the D ighton R oc k d ro ve B ancroft int o
g
“an e xagge rate d opposition of cyni cal scepti ci sm or rathe r t ot al
“
*
m
d i s b elie f in the d i sco ve ry of A me rica b y the N o rse en
S ince
“the time of B ancroft the re has been a large party of almost t oo
“e age r pa rti sans of R afn as we ll as a strong opposition of whom
Justin Winsor has been the m ost di stinguishe d leade r 1
Page V I :
“In Ge rmany France and England the e xpe rt s we re diamet ri cally
“oppose d as in Ame ri ca It re qui re d a H enri ci t o out H e rod H ors
“ford s wild e st claims in t he lite rary supplement t o the A ll emei n e
,
.
,
.
,
,
.
-
.
,
,
,
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,
,
‘
'
.
,
-
.
’
“' ei tu n
g
1
l
M
n
i
ch
of
A
pril
2
8 9 2 and yet e v en B ancroft finds a
u
)
g (
“ri va l for sce ptici sm in Profe ssor G e lc i c h when he w rite s : New s
“h ad re ache d Iceland that in the s out h or southwe st it was not
“quite ce rt ain which was situate d a Vine land S pain whe re t he
)
(
,
,
‘
,
,
-
,
*G
U
.
.
,
Banc o ft H I S TO R Y o r T H E U NI TE D S u
Wn
i
r
so r .
,
H
I S TO R Y
or
AM
E RI C A
;
I 66
.
,
m s ; Vo l I C ap I
se q
.
.
.
.
8 7 ; I I , 33
.
.
.
,
RES E A RC H E S OF
FATH E R F I S C H E R
53
.
“sailor p asse d by wondrous cli ffs Fi n gal s
and in Ireland
(
“white robe d p rie st s le d proce ssions with banners flying et c et c
“Thi s w as all j umble d up in a le gend dating from voyage s t o H ellu
“land and
’
,
-
,
.
,
.
“
S uch we re t he confli cting views ei ght years ago when H o f rat h
“
,
D r von Wie se r induce d t he author t o ma ke inquirie s of the d i s
“c o v e rie s of the Norseme n in Ame ri ca
.
'
.
We nee d not follow Fathe r Fi sche r further in detail
.
A s Christi anit y had been introduce d int o N orway at that time
and pil grimage s made t o R ome by t he e xt reme ze alous pro se lyte s it
,
was natural that Fathe r Fi sche r should appe al t o the t re asure s of
the Vati can H e was rewarde d by the di scove ry of four imp ort ant
maps of Greenland di ffe ring from t he two hithe rt o unknown Pt o l
At Wolfe gg Castle he was able t o di scove r
emy M S S ( Page VI I )
a valuable M S by Donn u s Nicolaus G e rrn an u s whose maps of
Greenland corre spond t o t hose of t he U lm e ditions of Ptolemy of
1 4 8 2 and 1 4 86; and was able t o identify the Wolfe gg M S
as the
“
p rototype of the U lm editi ons
H e re he made a m o st
( Page V I I )
“impo rtant di scove ry : t he long lost large World M ap and Cart a
“M arina of t he cart ographe r M artin
ald se e m u lle r ( I la c o m i lu s)
“1 5 0 7 and 1 5 1 6 cove ring some 2 4 large foli o sheet s Thi s luc ky
“find was remarkable if only for it s map s on t he di scove rie s made b y
“the N o rsemen as well as on t hei r relati on t o the late r di scoverie s of
“Columbus and hi s succe ssors
It still has gre ate r conse qu ence s as
“re gard s the repre sentati on of t he di scove rie s of Columbus and
“Ame ri go Ve spucci The first map of America of 1 50 7 h as at last
“b een une arthe d and wit h t he e qually important Ca rta M arina of
“1 5 1 6 he lp s t o mark an epoch in carto graphy whi ch will be m ore
“apparent when the se two m ap s are reproduce d in facsimile
( Page V I I ) T
Re duce d copie s of se ven of t he map s are given in Fathe r Fi sche r s
work H i s bibli ography e xhibit s three hundre d and twent y one
title s of works consulte d
From so many source s of information he has arri ve d at an ac c ep
t ab le jud gment of the wei ght s which should be gi ven t o di ffe rent
S agas and t o the authoritie s who had pre vi ou sly e xamine d them
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
W
’
,
‘
,
,
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,
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’
‘
,
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'
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’
-
.
.
.
,
'
* G e lc c h
i
1 P rinc e
'
M
W
.
W
AT E R I A LI E N
a ldb u rg ~
.
p
.
1 04
o lf e g g v
.
al u
es
t h is
Ma p
of
th e
Wl
or
d
i ty th o us an d
at s '
gu i
neas
.
T H E N O R S E M E N O N TH E N O R T H E A S T C O A S T
54
OF
A ME RI CA
.
For our pre sent purpose we shall e xt ract only that part whi ch
c ove rs the incident s of the first di scove ry and first attempt s at
coloni zati on
Fathe r Fische r agree s wit h R ee ve s that t he re we re only two voy
age s t o Wineland : the voyage of di sco v e ry by L eif the Luc ky and
the voyage of e xplorati on by K arlse f ni P 8 9
“Greenland and Winelan d we re known t o the e arlie st Icelandi c
“t own and family S agas a s well a s t o hi st ori ans and ge ographe rs of
“hi gh le arning an d good repute
“
A bou t t he ye ar 1 0 00
S n o rri went on with K arlse f ni t o
“Wineland the Good and Sn o rri s son T h o rb ran d fell in battle
“when the y fought with the men of S k ralin in Wineland
P 9
g
In the se account s we have the e arlie st noti ce s of the di s
“c o v e rie s of the N orsemen in Ame ri ca
S ome of t he pre
“v io u s account s which we re mainly by e arlie r e xplore rs have been
“enti rely ne gle cte d b y ustin Winsor but have been duly em h a
p
J
“si se d by S torm an d R ee ve s The noti ce s are ve ry b rief e spe cially
“as re gards Wineland But we can t race a gene ral consensus of
“t radition in t he northe rn re gions a t radition dating from the
“1 1 th century an d stating de fini tely that Eric the Re d th e Bloo d
[
y]
“di scove re d Greenland in t he ye ar 9 85 or 9 8 6 and c oloni se d it
“Fu rthe r hi s son L eif was returning from N o rway t o Greenland
“
whe re K ing O laf h ad commi ssione d him t o sp re ad t he Gospel
“when he di scove re d Wineland the Good in the ye ar 1 00 0 Thor
“fi n n K arlse f n attempte d late r t o coloni se Wineland but he was
i
“unsucce ssful as he was defe ate d in battle
“The hardy e xplore rs di scove re d two othe r countrie s M arkland
“and H e llu lan d situate d t o the south of Greenland
P 10
Fathe r Fi sche r then opens a new chapte r to see k for fulle r inve sti
e
b
i
n
a
t
o
1
4
of
the
details
of
the
S
agas
of
the
th
and
th
centurie
s
1
3
g
cause there i s di ve rsit y of authority as t o the d ate and the name
of the first di scove re r
He give s the de finition of the lands di scove re d as follows re c k
o n e d from the north :
H e llu lan d stony ; M arkland woode d ; Wine
land rich in grape s He also give s an explanation of the name
“
S aga
The word S a ga w h ic h corre spond s with the Gree k K0 7 0 9
“logos was used by the Icelande rs both for an hi stori cal re port in
[
]
“the st ri cte st sense of the word as for e xample the Iceland B oo k of
“A ri and for what we call a me re le gend We the refore no more
.
—
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,
.
V O YA G E S
LE I F
OF
LU C K Y
TH E
55
.
“acce pt e ve ry word and line of the S agas as gospe l t ruth than we
“should be justi fied in rej e cting thei r authorit y i n toto
P 12
I n h i s criti cal e xamination of two autho ritie s Fathe r Fi sche r
“
says :
In the B oo k of H auk L eif the son of E ri c the Re d di s
“cove re d Wineland by chance in the ye ar 1 000 on the way home
“from Norway when he was carrying out the commi ssion of King
“O laf to Spre ad the Gospel in Greenland
“In the Flate y B ook thi s honour i s assi gne d t o Bj arne the so of
,
'
.
,
,
,
.
.
,
.
n
“H er u lf w h o w as se arching for hi s fathe r in Greenland and he i s
j
“said as e arly as 5 or
98
9 8 6t o have saile d from Iceland and di scove r
“c d the count rie s known late r as Wineland M arkland and H ellu
“land
P 13
Fathe r Fi sche r then inve sti gate s the authoritie s t o obtain the
most probable cause of the di screpancy and make s out a re asonably
cle ar case
“
H e t hen w rit e s P 1 7 :
We will ende avour to give the main
“hi st orical fact s of the voyage s t o Wineland emplo ing the a c
y
“c e te d standard in a brief res ume
p
“L eif a so n of E ri c the Re d st arte d on h i s way from Greenland t o
“No rw ay in 9 99 H e kept t oo far on a southe rly c o u rse b u t on the
“first di re ct voyage from Greenlan d thi s e rror in navi gation woul d
“not be so apparent A t last he reache d hi s j ourne y s e nd and en
“te re d the se rvice of t he King of N o r a O laf Tr v a son H e was
y
yg
“
conve rte d t o Chri sti ani ty and remaine d at the N orwe gian Court
“till O laf sent hi m in 1 00 0 t o e vangeli ze Greenland L eif was driven
“out of h i s course on the return voyage and saile d in unknown se as
“for many days till at last he came t o an unknown country The re
“he found grape s growing wild corn mai ze and timb e r suit able
[
]
“for building h ouse s H e t ook away sample s of all the se valuable
“product s The adventurou s marine rs t ook a nort h e aste rly
“course and re ache d Greenland
Just be fore he came t o land L ei f
“save d a numbe r of ship w re c ke d men and re ceive d the name of
“the F ortunate
“Chri stianit y was int roduce d int o Greenland in the winte r of 1
000
“1 0 0 1 an d was at first oppose d by E ri c the Red The newly di s
“cove re d count rie s arouse d popular inte re st whi ch le d t o voyage s of
“
e xplorati on Thorstein a he ro of the S a ga s an d an e lde r brothe r
“of L eif t ook the le ad in the e xpediti on whi ch E ri c also wi she d
“
t o j oin ; but on the way to the s hi p the age d fathe r met with
,
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56
TH E
N O RS E M E N O N
TH E
N O RT H E A S T C OA S T
OF
A ME RI CA
.
“a se ve re fall and was obli ge d t o relinqui sh hi s purp ose The
“acci dent brought di saste r in it s t rain The adventure rs neve r
“re ache d their goal Thorstein and hi s band of twent y followe rs we re
“tosse d about on the wave s for months and at last we ary and worn
“out he had t o return to Greenland
In the autumn of 1 00 1
“Thorstein marrie d G u d ri d of Ice land one of t he he roine s of the
“S agas who arri ve d in Greenland with he r fathe r in the pre viou s
“ye ar Thorstein di e d the following winte r at hi s Li se f o rd farm
j j
“in We st Greenland and G u d ri d rej oine d E ri c in E ast Greenland
“In the summe r of 1 2 two I celandi c ve ssels ar ri ve d at Bratt ah
00
“li d the home of E ri c O ne shi p be longe d t o Th o rfi n n K a rlse f n i
“an ente rpri sing and succe ssful me rchant the othe r t o Bj arne and
“Th orh all of Iceland With t rue Norse hospit alit y E ri c opened hi s
“halls t o t he capt ains and thei r ei ght y men K arlse f ni made the
“acquaint ance of G u d ri d and E ri c gave hi s consent t o t hei r mar
“ri a e in the sp ring of 1 0 0 3 The news of the di scove ry of Wine
g
“land had an i rre si stible att raction for
K arlse f n i and hi s crew
5 The y dete rmined t o e xplore and coloni se thi s El D orado
P 18
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“The starting point thi s time was the we st side of Greenland
“whe re G u d rid s home was Situate d About 1 4 went out on thi s
0
“e xpe dition Be side s the two Ice landi c Shi ps and thei r crews the
“following sailed in thei r own ve ssels : Thorwald a younge r son of
“E ri c and hi s Si ste r the Am azon
F re y di s with he r husband Thor
“wald and G u d rid who accompa nie d he r husband The voyage
“prove d a succe ss The first point re ached was a long flat st ony
“stret ch t o which the y gave the name of H e llu lan d th e S tony L and
“Two days late r the y re ached a land of ma gni ficent fore st s whi ch
“the y calle d M arkland or Fore st L and Then afte r a longe r and
“uninte re sting voyage the e xplore rs came t o a third land whe re
“tw o runni ng scout s a pre sent from O laf t o L eif fou n d grape s and
“co rn growing wild The spot was a long w ay from the shore and a
“di ffe rence of opi ni on arose as t o the ri ght route T h o rh all and nine
“followe rs t oo k a nort he rly course and we re dri ven by a storm t o
“Ireland whe re th e v fell int o captivity K a rlsf ni stee re d t o the
“south and came at last t o a spot whe re he found both grape s and
“corn growing wild Thi s the e xplore rs thought mi ght be Wine
“land t he Good but no menti on i s made of Le i f sb u d ir The ground
“seeme d suitable for colon st s and hou se s we re built The nati ve s
i
“appe are d in large numbe rs sailing in le athe r boat s and the n e w
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N O RS E
A TT E M P T S A T S E TT L E M E N T
57
.
“c ome rs thought the y would now have a fa v orable opportunit y for
“barte r and e xchange But the nati ve s made a furi ous attac k up on
“them and T h orb an d of Ice land fell in battle It was only afte r
“re pe ate d losse s that the men of S k ralin who be gan the att ac k
g
“be gan t o reti re K a rlsef n i fe aring a furt he r su r se
not
r
i
w
o
u
ld
p
“stay in thi s dange rou s Spot and t rie d t o settle furt he r nort h The
“
men of S k ralin g did not mole st them again but in the course of a
“subse quent e xploration Thorwald a son of E ri c lost hi s li fe as h i s
“companions said in fighting with a one foote d man
D i ssen
“sions broke out among the c oloni st s themselve s for whi ch the
“women we re t o b lame and accordingly in the summe r of 1 00 6 the
“colo ni sati on scheme w as abandone d
K a rlse f n i lande d again on
“M ar k land on hi s return voyage O n the be ach we re five in h ab i
“tant s of S k ralin three e scape d a man and two w omen but K arl
g;
“Se f n i s men capture d two children t oo k t hem away and t aught
“them t o t alk
“K arlse f ni and G u d rid with thei r little boy n o rri now t hree
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“ye ars old re ache d Greenland in safet y but
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worm e aten
“ship lost it s course and founde re d H alf the crew succee de d in
“re aching Irelan d and spre ad the new s of the he roi sm of Bj arne
“who lost hi s life in saving a young sailor N furthe r attempt s at
0
“coloni sation are noti ced by the B oo k of H auk or by the e arlie r
“Icelandi c authoritie s
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Bj arn e
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That ends the narrative of Fathe r Fi sche r who then de scribe s
growth of the Norse colony in Greenland
th e
.
It i s t he fore going brief account of the di scove ry and attempt at
colonizing on the Coast of Nort h Ame rica which i s t old in much de
t ail in the S aga first mentione d and which we now pre sent as it
was lite rally t ranslate d by Captain Gust ave Nie b aum aide d by hi s
friend Captain Chr E L indqui st
It i s containe d in C hapte rs
1 0 5 1 0 6 1 0 7 1 0 8 1 0 9 1 1 0 and 1 1 1
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,
It may be prope r t o ad d for the bene fit of those scholars who may
wi sh t o appe al t o the o ri ginal v olume s from which thi s t ranslati on
was made that the title i s he rewith gi ven in O ld N orse or Ice landi c
D ani sh or N orwe gi an and L atin
The work must be ve ry rare
be cause it doe s not appe ar in the remarkably full biblio graphy of
Fathe r Fi sche r whe re he enume rate s no le ss than three h u n d re d an d
twent y S agas authoritie s and map s We appe ale d t o the D i re ct or
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TH E N O R S E M E N O N T H E N O R T H E A S T
58
COAST O F
A ME RI CA
.
of the B riti sh M useum for the tit le and o b t aine d it from t he Curat or
of the M ap D e partment The Engli sh t ranslati on i s TH E H I S
T O RY O F T H E K I N G S O F N O R AY B Y S N O RR E S T U R L E S O N
Capt ain
Nieb au m s copy was e vi d ently boun d in a manne r di ff e rent from the
v olume s in the B riti sh M useum
,
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GE O R GE DAV I D S O N
S AN
A u gu st 7
1 90 8
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F RA N C I S C O CA L I F O R N I A
,
.
.
No re g s K on u n g a S Og or af S n o rra S tu rlu sy n i
S norre S tu rle s o n s N o rs k e K o n g e rs H i st orie
H i st ori a R e gum
No rv e gi c o rum consc ript a a S n o rri o S tu rl ae Fili o
Qu a S umti
b u s S e reni ssimi e t Clem en ti ssim i P rin c i pi s Dan i ae No rv e gi mqu e
H ee re d i s Fre de ri ci M ag ni R egi s Fre de ri ci Filii
N ova emen
d at a et au c t a e d iti one in lu c e m pro d it O pe ra G e rh ar d i S choning
H a v n i m Typi s
R e gi a C ons
Ju st et Arc h iv i s S e c ret io rib u s
Fre de ri ci S tei nn M D CC L ' ' V I I
H e im s k ri n gla
edr
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h
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Th e
ab ov e
i s th e t i tl e
th e Cu ra t o rs h a s k i n d l y
of
t h e S a g a i n th e B r i t i s h
and
one
of
fo l l o w i ng m em o ra n d u m :
I c e l D a n a n d La t
6 To m
( To m 1 3 a n d pa rt o f To m 4 e d i te d b y
G S C h On ing : t h e rem a i n d e r o f To m 4 b y S Th o rla c iu s ; To m 5 6 b y B
a
dd e d
Mu s e u m ;
th
e
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Th o rla c iu s
a nd
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W
e rla u ff
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H a v n i ae
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1777
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1 82 6 f o l
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C HA PT E R
AB O UT B I A RN E
105
’
H E R JO LE S S
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O N S S AI LI N G
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B ard s s on and H e rj olf s g rand so n w h o w as I n go lf s
friend who first upbuilt Island [ I ce land ]
Ingolf gave thi s H e rj o lf land to settle on between B og and R ei k e
H e rj o lf re sided first in Dre pst oc k ; h i s wife w a s named T hor
ne s
gerd but Biarne their son who showed himse lf t o be come one of t he
most worthy and most manly men
H e found a li ki ng in hi s yout h t o t rave l t o forei gn lands whe re he
accumulated soon and e asily both goods and re spe ct
H e shi fte d
about one winte r forei gn and anothe r with hi s fathe r
It was not long before Biarne hi mself owne d a me rchant ship
The last winte r he was in No rri g [ N orway ] made H e rjolf himself
re ady and le ft for Gro nland wit h E ri k and gave u p hi s home
O n H e rj o lf s ship was a Chri sti an man from t he S out he rn I sland s
H e rj o lf li ve d on H e rj o lf sn a s and was a much e steemed man
E ri k li ve d on Brat te li d ; he w a s the man who had the gre ate st worth
and be c ame of all held in gre at honor
The se we re E ri k s C hildren : Leiff Th o rw a 1d and Thorstein but
hi s dau ghte r was name d F re y di s who be came married t o a man by
name Thorwald and th e y liv e d in Garde whe re n ow i s Bi shop stool
S he was a ve ry hi ghstrung and conceited woman but Thorwald
was a man sli ghtly e steeme d ; an d sh e was gi ven t o him for the sake
of hi s d i fi e re n t C haracte r
Thi s time were all t he pe ople in Gr o nland he athe ni sh
Biarne came with hi s ship t o O rene in the summe r of the year in
the Spring Of w hi ch hi s fat he r had saile d away
O ve r the se news wonde red Bia rne much and w ould not unload
[ di scharge ] hi s shi p
Then asked him the ship s folk what he intended t o do but he
answe red th at he wante d t o do as before and t ake winte r quarte rs
wit h hi s fathe r be cause I want t o hold [ said he ] with the ship t o
Gro nlan d if you should allow me your following
The y said the y we re all willing t o follow hi s advi ce
Then said Biarne t o many it may seem that our voyage i s illy
advised since none of us has before sailed on G rOn lan d s S ea
H e rj o lf w as
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60
TH E
N O RS E M E N O N
TH E
N O R T H E A S T C OA S T
OF
A M E RI CA
.
Then proceede d the y t o sea when they we re re ad y and sailed in
3 days until the land be came vi sible t o them unde r the wate r
Then the wind calmed down but in place the re of came n o rth wind
wit h thic k we athe r so t hat the y knew not whe re the y went and it
remaine d SO m any days
Then the y si ghte d the sun so that it was possible t o di stingui sh
t he horizon Then the y set sail and saile d t he following ni ght
a n d d a y be fore the y sighte d land when the y S oke wit h one an
p
othe r what kind Oi land thi s c ould be ; but Biarne said he di d no t
think it wa s Gro nland
The y aske d then whethe r he would sail t o t hi s land or not ; it i s
my advi ce [ says he ] t o sail ahead ne ar t o the land
The y did so accordingly and then the y di scove re d t hat t he land
was ithout mount ains but grown ove r wit h fore st and had a few
small hei ght s
They let the land lie on t he le ft Si de of the shi p and the sai l s Sheet
p ointe d t o t he land
Then the y saile d 2 days be fore the y si ghted an othe r land ; the y
aske d if Bi arne belie ve d that t o be Gro nland
H e sai d he li kewi se as little believed t hat t hi s w as Gr o nland as
the first [ land the y saw ] as large i cebe rgs are sai d t o be on Gr o n
land
The y soon came ne are r thi s land and saw it was leve l and widely
ove rgrown with fore st
Then it calme d d own and said t hen the ship s fol k it seeme d t o
them advi sable t o land t he re but Biarne did not want it They ar
gue d that the y we re sho rt Of both wate r and fue l ; none of the part s
nee d you sai d Biarne but for all that he re ceived the re for some crit
i c i sm from t he Shi p s folk
H e aske d them t o turn the sail whi ch the y also did ; the y pointe d
the fore stem across from the land and saile d t o se a with s outh
we st wind in 3 days Then the y Sighted the third land it was hi gh
with m ount ains and i cebe rgs
The y asked i f Biarne would lay t o but he said he did not want
t o as t o me thi s land seem s noncultivable
They did not then take thei r sail down but saile d ahe ad along t h e
land an d saw it was an i sland
The y turne d then t he ste rnp ost t oward the land and sailed t o se a
with the same st rong blow
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B I A RN E C O M E S
To
G R E E N LA N D
61
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But the wind incre ase d ; then asked Biarne hi s men t o set the sails
and not sail more than the shi p and the ship s sails could stand
The y saile d in this manne r three days ; then the y si ghted the
fou rth land an d que sti one d Biarne if he me ant thi s t o be Gr o nland
or not
Biarne answe red : Thi s land i s most li ke what I have been t old
a b out Gro nland and he re we will lay t o the land
The y did so and lande d in the e vening unde r a N ae s [ n e ss spit or
point ] whe re the re was a boat On this N aes li ved H e rj o lff Biarn e s
f ath er f ro m whom th e N aes had re ceive d it s name and i s since calle d
H e rj o lf s n aes
Biarne went home to hi s fathe r and gave up going to
se a H e rem ai ned with hi s fathe r while H e rj o lff li ved but the re
afte r li ved he the re afte r h i sfathe r s de ath
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C H A PT E R
LE I F F
E RI K
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10 6
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S S O N D I S C O V E RS F O R E I G N LA N D S
,
.
Now follows t o relate th at Bi arne H e rj olf s son came from G rOn
land t o N o rri g [ No rway ] and vi sited E ri k Jarl and the Jarl re ceive d
him well
Biarne relate d then about hi s voyage when he saw the [ before
mentioned ] lands and it seeme d he had not been ve ry inqui sitive as
he di d not have an y thing t o relate about the se lands for whi ch he
was b lame d somewhat
Biarne be came the Jarl s envoy and de parte d for Gr o nland the
fol lowing summe r and t he re was much talk about the di scove ry
of the new lands
Lei ff E ri k R au d e s son from Bratte lid came t o Bi a rne H e rj olf s
s on and bought t he shi p from h im f o r which he engaged ship s fo lk
so they we re in all 3 5 men
E ri k e x
Leiff bade hi s fathe r E ri k t o be foreman for thi s v oyage
c u se d himself and sai d himself t o be t oo age d t o endure cold and wet
we athe r as of yore
Lei ff answere d t o thi s t hat he still mi ght have [t o thi s and an
othe r busine ss ] t he gre ate st luc k among hi s friends
Then E ri k consente d t o h i s re que st and rode from h i s home when
t he y we re almost ready for the voyage and the re was only a Short
road t o t he s hi p
The horse upon whi ch E ri k rode stumble d so that he fell t o t he
ground and hi s foot was hurt t hen s ai d E ri k : I may not b e de stine d
to di scove r any more lan d s th an t hi s whe re we now live and we
should not travel t ogethe r farther
Eri k turne d bac k again home t o Brattelid b u t Leiff went t o the
shi p wit h his comrade s who numbe re d 3 5 men
O n thi s voyage was also a S outhe rn lan di sh [ Ge rman ] man with
them named Tyr c k e r
The y now prepared thei r ship and saile d t o se a when ready and
found first that l and whi ch Biarne and hi s men found last
There saile d the y t o the land and cast thei r anchor launche d a
boat on t he se a and walke d on the land but s aw there no grass
H i gh inland we re large i cebe rgs but from the se a up to the i ce
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64
TH E
N O RS E M E N O N
TH E
N O R T H E AS T C O A S T
OF
A M E RI CA
.
lake whi ch [the lake or salmon ?' was larger than the y some
time before had seen
The land qualitie s the re we re so good that it seeme d t o them no
kind of cattle nee ded fodde r w inte rtime ; b e cau se t here came no
frost during the winte r so that herbs withe red only sli ghtly
The re was day and ni ght more e ven than on Gr o nland or Island
be cause the su n came up at half past se ven o cloc k and went down at
half past four o clock when t he day was Sho rte st
But when the y we re re ady with thei r house building then sai d
Leiff to hi s f ollow e rs z n ow will I shift our fol k in two part s and let
inve sti gate the land ; t he one part of the fol k shall be at home about
t he house but the othe r pa rt shall inve sti gate the land but how
e ve r not t o go farthe r O ff than that t he y may come home again in the
e veni ng and t he y Should not separate
Then did li kewi se some time Leiff do thi s and shi fted about at
following t hem or st aying at home a b out t he hou se
Lei ti w
as a
man of bi g grow t h st rong manly and re spe cte d be side s a wi se man
and informed on all subj e ct s
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C H A PT E R
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A S S E S T H E I N T E R T H E R E O N T H E LA N D A N D C A L L S I T V I N
L A N D ; S A I LS T H E R E A F T E R H O M E T O G R ON LA N D A N D H E L P S
S O M E S H I P RE C K E D M E N
LE I F F P
W
.
It happene d one e vening t hat the re was mi sse d a man of their
pa rty who w as Ty rc k er t he sout he rn lan d ish man [T he Ge rman ]
Thi s worrie d Le itf ve ry much as Ty rc k e r had ve ry long been with
them both fat he r and son and brought up Lei ff wit h gre at dili
gence in hi s childhood
Leiff the refore upbraide d hi s folk seve rely and v oluntee re d him
self wit h twe lve ot he rs t o go o ff and se arch for him but when the y
had come a short pie ce from t he hou se came Ty rc k e r t oward them
and he was we ll re ceive d Leifl found at once that h is f oste r fat he r
was in good humor
H e [Ty rc k e r ] was othe rwi se S h arpsigh te d and qui ck t o unde r
stand had shi ft y e ye s and was rat he r sli ght of face small and scrag
g y of growt h but wit h thi s re ady an d handy in all sort s of art s
Then said Leiff t o him : whe refore did you my foste r fathe r drop
behind and be come separate d from t he part y ?
H e sp oke then first a long time in Ge rman rolled the e ye s here and
there in the head and wrinkle d hi s face but t he y did not unde rst and
what he said
A fte r some time said he in N orwe gian : I was gone not much far
the r than you [ also ] tw o [b oth ] and I can now tell you somethi ng
new namely I have found vi n e tree s and wine grape s
M ay t hat be t rue my foste r fathe r said Leiff of course it i s true
answe re d he be cause I was the re born whe re neithe r vine tree s
nor wine grape s are scarce
They allowe d t he re on t hi s night t o pass but on the morning fol
lowing the re afte r said Lei ff to hi s s hi p s folk : now will we t ake before
u s two things e ach thing on it s day The one day colle ct grape s
but the ot he r felling vine t ree s and cutting in the fore st until by thi s
me ans we can Obt ain load for my ship ; and in thi s manne r the y did
It is relate d that thei r hind boat [the large boat which was bound
t o the ship ] was fille d with grape s
The re afte r the y cut the load for t he shi p
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66
TH E
N O RS E M E N O N
N O RT H E A S T C O A S T
TH E
OF
A M E RI CA
.
The re we re whe at fi e ld s that see de d them se lve s and t hat kind O f
t ree whi ch i s calle d M osur [ Birch ] and t he y t ook wit h them some of
all t hi s for Show and proof ; some tree s we re SO large that hou se s we re
built t he re of
I n t he spri ng t he y l ai d o ff and saile d away the re from
Leiff gave t he land a name from it s b e auty and calle d it Vinland
The y saile d t he re afte r t o se a an d had good bree ze until the y
si ghte d Gr o nland and the m ountains unde rlying t he i cebe rgs
Then sp oke up a man and said to Leiff why d o you stee r t he shi p
so up against t he wind ?
Leiff answe re d : I give attenti on t o my b usine ss t o stee r but also
now t o somethi ng e lse ; what new do you see
The y said nothi ng was t o be seen whi ch c ould be calle d new
I do not kn ow sai d then Lei ff if I see a st rip or a ree f [ c li ff ;
roc k ]
N ow looke d t he y all t hat way and sai d that it was a cliff [ rock ]
But he had still so much keene r si ght than the y, that he saw the re
some pe ople on t he cli ff [ roc k ]
N ow I want that we hold the ship unde r the wind says Leiff so
that we may come t o t hem i f the re are pe ople who have our ar ri v al
in nee d so it i s ne ce ssary t hat we may come t o thei r assi stance
But should the y not be pe ace able then it stands i n our p owe r
what we want t o d o but not in thei rs
A fte rwards saile d the y
up und e r t he cli ff [ rock ] let the sail fall cast anchor an d
launche d an othe r li ttle boat [ on the se a ] which the y had with them
Then aske d Ty rc k e r : who was thei r foreman ? The one wh o
w as t hi s calle d him se lf Th o re r and said himself t o be O f N orwe gian
relation ; but what i s you r name ? [ asked he ] Le iff t old him who
he was
A re you E ri k R au d e [ Erik the R e d ] from Bratte lid hi s s on ?
aske d he [ again ] Leiff sai d it w a s so N ow will I says Lei ff b e
side s take you all on board my ship with all the good s whi ch can
b e st owe d in the ship
The y acce pted the o ffe r
The reafte r saile d the y with t hi s load t o E ri k sfj ord until the y came
t o Bratte li d and carrie d the re the cargo Off the shi p
Leiff invi te d them Th o re r and hi s wife with t hree othe rs t o live
wit h t hem but assi gne d the othe r ship s fol k both Th ore r s and hi s
own followe rs quarte rs [ at othe r place s ]
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LUCKY
LE I F F T H E
L ei li sa ve d 1 5 men from the c liff
L uc ky
an d
he
w as
Since calle d L ei ti the
.
Leiff w a s
pe c t
,
67
.
afte r that lucky t o e arn for h imse lf b oth goo d s
an d re s
.
This same winte r we re Th ore r s folk t aken d own b y si c kn e S S Of
w hi ch Th o re r himse lf die d and t he greate r part of hi s folk Thi s
w inte r di e d also E ri k R an de
N ow much was spoken about Leifi s v oyage to Vinlan d an d
T h orw ald hi s b rothe r t hou ght that the lan d was b eing inve sti gate d
in re a lly t oo few p lace s
Then sai d Leiff t o Tho rw al d : thou shalt brothe r if thou so wilt
sail t o Vinland wit h my Ship ; b ut first will I let the ship go and
b ring t hat timbe r t hat T h o re r had laden b ac k on the c li ff fiwhi ch
also happene d
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CH A P T E R 1 0 8
A B O UT TH O R
W
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A LD , E R I K S
SON,
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L E I BE S B R OT H E R
A R N E I N V I N LA N D
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A ND S K
,
RA E L L I N G
.
The re afte r made T h orw ald himself re ady for t hi s voyage wit h t he
advi ce of L ei li hi s brothe r and had 30 men with him
The y made th eir sh ip re ady and saile d t o sea N othing i s nar
rate d about t heir voyage until they came t o Leiff s warehouse s in
Vinland where the y laid up t heir Ship a ri d had the re stillne ss ove r
the winte r and caught fish for thei r sub sistence
I n the spring said T h orw ald that they should make thei r ship
re ady an d the ship s large boat should with some men procee d along
t he land we stward and se arch t he land there during the summer
To the se the land seeme d t o be good looking strongly ove rgrown
wi th fore st s b ut narrow between the forest and the se a
The re was white sand also many i slands and ve ry shallow wate r
The y found nowhe re eithe r living place s of pe ople or animal lairs
but on an i sland far t oward the we st found the y see d drie rs of
woo d b ut more Signs of han d icraft of pe ople saw t hey not the re
A fte r that turned the y bac k and came in the autumn t o Leiff s
ware house s
The following summe r procee de d Leiff e astward with the me rch
ant ship and northward around t he lan d
Then the y re cei ve d a se ve re storm out side a promonto ry so that
they drifte d on shore and broke the keel unde r the shi p on whi ch
account the y remaine d the re a long time
Then said Thorwal d t o hi s followe rs : N ow wi ll I that we shal l
rai se up the ship s keel he re on the N ae s [ spit ] an d call it the refrom
Kj alarn ae s which t he y also did
The y saile d afte r that e astward of t he land and looked int o
t he ent rance s of the fj ord s whi ch lay ne xt t o them [ and pro
c ee d e d ] t o a promontory whi ch the re stood ahe ad and all ove r w a s
ove rgrown with fore st
Then the y lai d their ship in qua rte rs and launche d the gangw ay
across t o t he land and Thorwal d walke d up the re with all hi s fol
lowe rs
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THO R
A LD F A LLS I N F I G H T W
ITH
W
NATIVE S
69
.
T hen said he : here it looks ni ce and he re will I rai se my ne st po le
There afte r t he y went t o t he Ship and saw the re 3 heap s on t he
sand inside of the promont ory and when t he y came the re saw t he y
3 skin boat s and 3 men unde r e ach boat
Then the y divide d thei r pe ople and capture d them all e xcepting
one who got away with hi s b oat ; but t he y ki lle d the 8 and went bac k
afte r that t o the promont ory and looke d the re around : The y saw
inside the fj ord a few e le vations [hi gh place s ] and conclude d t hat
t he re we re settlement s
A fte r t hat t he y got so drowsy that the y could not keep awake
and fell asleep all
Then came a cry ove r t hem SO t hat the y all awo ke whi ch c ry
sounde d li ke thi s : wa ke up you Thorwald and all you followin g in
case you will keep your li fe ; go aboard your ship with all your men
and get away from the land t he e arlie st you can
Then rowe d out from the fj ord an unaccountable lot of skin
boat s and attacke d them
Then said T h o rw ald : we should set up along the shi p Si de our
war shie ld s [ Sto rm ta ge ] an d de fend ourselve s manfully b ut not fight
much with them ; and the y di d li kewi se
S k raellin ge rn e [ the scrawny or sc rubby pe ople ] launched arrow s
upon t hem some time but afte r that the y ret reate d the qui c ke st
the y could e ach one as he saw fit [ the be st he could ]
Then aske d T h o rw ald h i s men if t hey had been wounde d The y
said that none had been wounde d
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have re cei ve d a woun d unde r the hand says he t hen be cause an
arrow flew between the s hi p s side and the shie ld in unde r my hand
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He re
i s the arrow and thi s wil l be my last wound
[ B ane
.
S aar ]
.
N ow gi ve I thi s advi ce : that you make yourse lve s re ady as soon
as possible t o retu rn b ut first Should you conve y me t o that prom on
t ory whi ch looke d t o me s o good t o live on ; it happens t o be t rue
what then came in my mouth t hat I shoul d li ve the re some time :
t he re you b ury me and set up tw o crosse s at t he he ad and the feet
and name t he re afte r [the prom ont ory ] Cross Point [ K orse Nae s ]
Gr o nland had then acce pte d the Chri sti an be li e f b ut E ri k
R au d e die d for the bringing in of Chri stendom
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70
N ORSE M E N O N
TH E
TH E
N O R TH E A S T C O A S T
OF
A M E RI CA
.
T h e re afte r di e d T h orw ald and the y d id in all t hings accordin g to
what he had said
A f te r that the y de parte d and came t o thei r shi pmate s [ stall
b rothe rs ] when e ach narrate d t o the othe r what new s the y k new on
both side s
They li ve d the re o ve r t he winte r and gathe re d wine grape s and
vine t ree s for the ship s cargo
But in t he spring t he y made t hem se lve s re ady t o sail t o Gr o n
land where the y arrive d with thei r ship at Eri k s fj ord and
coul d tell Leiff gre at news
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72
THE
N O RS E M E N
N O RT H E A S T C O A ST O F
O N TH E
A ME RI CA
.
H e came fo r them ne xt m orning with horse and the y left for
,
quarte rs with Thorstein the B lac k who kept them well the re
G u d rid was a re spe ctful also p rudent wife and kn ew well how t o
carry he rself among st range rs E arly in the winte r came si c k
ne ss among T h orstein s fol k and died many of hi s followe rs
H e had then co f fins made for those w ho died ; and carry
those t o the sh ip an d make t he re a place for them be cau se I will
[ said he ] in the summe r have all the bodie s ta ken t o E ri k s fj ord
It was not long before si c k ne ss came in Th o r stein s [th e B lac k s ]
hou se whe re hi s wife Grimhild first fell sic k ; she was uncommonly
large of st ature and as strong as a man but for all that t oo k the si c k
ne ss C harge of he r S hortly afte r was also Th o rstein E ri k s son
t aken down with sic kne ss and the y l ay there b oth at the same time
and Grimhild Thorstein the B lac k s wife die d
When she was de ad went Thorstein out from the cabin afte r a
[ bier t o lay t he corp se on
G u d rid sai d t hen : remain not my Thorstein long away ; he an
sw e re d
s o be it
Then said Thorstein E ri k s son : ve ry quee rly doe s our house
mothe r conduct he rself now be cause sh e raise s he rself on the e l
bow s and carrie s the feet so e asily ove r the be dpost and se arche s
around for he r shoe
At the same time came in the host Thorstein and Grim hi ld laid
he rself down again so that it cracke d in e ach be am and post in the
cabin
The re afte r made Thorstein a co ffin for Grimhild s corp se carrie d
it away and set it away in it s place
H e was both large and strong but he neede d all hi s strengt h b e
fore he got he r brou ght away from the premi se s
A fte r t hat t oo k Thorstein E ri k s son s si c kne ss a grave r form s o
that he die d and hi s wife G u d rid t ook it close t o he art
The y we re then all t ogethe r in the cabin
G u d ri d had se ate d he rself on a st ool alongside the bench whe re
he r hu sband Thorstein lay
Then took the host Thorstein G u d rid in hi s lap and se ated him
self with he r on anothe r bench opposite T h o rstein s body and
ente rtaine d and console d he r in e ve ry manne r : he promi sed to fol
low he r t o E ri k s fj ord and to t ake t he re he r husband Thorstein s
and hi s followe rs corp se s ; I will also [ sai d he ] take se ve ral house
me ssenge rs who can be come your consolation and pastime
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G U D R I D A ND
S he thanke d him for thi s
T H O RS T E I N
73
.
Then Thorstein E ri k s son rai se d him se lf in the be d and aske d
whe re G u d rid was H e said thi s three time s but she waite d
L astly sh e que sti one d the host Thorstein whethe r sh e shou ld
answe r t o thi s or not ? He advi se d he r not t o answe r
The re afte r went Thorstein farme r [ host ] across the floor and
se ate d himself on the stool but G u d rid s at in h i s lap
Then said the host Thorstein : what will you name H e answe re d
af te r a short time : I should willingly let G u d rid k now he r future
form [ fate ] so that She all t he bette r c oul d carry he rself [ get along ]
about my de ath be cau se I am arrivi ng I have now arri ved t o good
re sting place s
But thi s I can tell you G u d rid : t hat you Shall get marrie d t o an
I slandi sh man ; you should long be t ogethe r and le ave afte r you a
many lande d large m an ly be autiful famou s and ve ry hand some
O ff sp ring Y ou should go from Gr o nland t o No rri g [ Norw ay ] and
from the re again to Island whe re you should settle down and be
li ving the re a long time but shall outlive him and t hen go forei gn
and make a sou th ernlan d v a y a ge [to R ome ] and when you come
bac k again to your place whe re in the me antime a Church i s [b e
ing ] built you shall remain se ate d the re and allow yourself t o be
conse crated to a nun and the re afte r die in the s ame place
The re afte r sank Thorstein down and hi s b ody was lai d in state
[ prepare d ] and carried t o the ship
The host Thorstein accomp li she d we ll all that he had promi se d
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G u d ri d
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In the Sp ring he sold hi s prope rty and hi s ca ttle an d left for the
Ship with all he owne d togethe r with G u d ri d ; he made the Ship
re ady got togethe r shi p fol k and saile d the re afte r t o E ri ks Fj ord
The re we re all the corp se s burie d near a church
G u d ri d went t o Le iff in Bratte li d but Thorstein the B lac k
made h i s home in E ri k s Fj ord and li ve d the re d uring hi s life and
wa s conside re d to be a ve ry manly and brave man
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C H A PT E R
A B O UT
T H OR F I ND
K A R L S E F NE
A B O UT
HO
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1 10
W
HE
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CAME
S K R A E L L I N G E R NE
V I N LA N D
TO
AND
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The same summe r came a ship from N o rri g t o Gr o nland ; the man
was calle d Th o rfi n d K arlse f n e who stee re d the Ship he was Th o rd
H e st h Of d is s on but thi s was S n orri s son who was Thord from
H of d e h i s son
Th o rfi n d K arlse f n e was an e xcepti onally ri ch man and remaine d
o ve r t hi s winte r in Bratte lid with L ei ti E ri k s son
H e soon had hi s mind on G u d ri d and aske d he r favor ; but sh e
sent hi m t o Leiff for answe r about th i s
The re afte r was sh e engaged t o him and t hei r we dding was he ld
the reafte r in t he winte rtime
The re w a s still as be fore mu ch said about the voyage t o Vinland
The re we re also many and G u d ri d petiti one d othe rs who ad
vi sed K arlse f ne t o such a voyage
N ow was hi s voyage thithe r de ci d e d and he engaged 60 ship s
men and 5 women
K arlse f n e made such an agreement wit h h is shi p s f o lk t h at the y
Should di vi de between them se lve s in e qual part s all the y re ceive d
of [the land s ] good things The y had with them all kinds of cattle ;
as they intende d to build up the lan d i f t hey could do so
K a rlse f n e aske d Leiff for hi s house in Vinland but he answe re d
he would lend him the house s but not gi ve them
The re afte r saile d the y t o se a with the Ship ; came hale and in good
condition to L eif s ware house s and the re carrie d up thei r sac ks
S oon a good capture came into thei r hands be cause the re was
d ri ven up on the be ach a large and valuable whale
They engage d t hem selve s t o t hi s and carved it in pie ce s s o that
the y had no scarcity o f food
A fte r t hei r young cattle had been on the shore it soon hap
pene d that the male s the re of whi ch had not been castrate d be “
came unmanageable [ k aad t ]
The y had also b rou ght a bull with them
K arlse f n e let them fell t ree s and cut timbe r from t h em for hi s ship s
cargo and place d the wood on a hil l t o d ry
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CO M MERCE
W
I H
T
TH E
N AT I VE S
75
.
The y t ook the re all sort s of be autifu l t hings from t he lan d s fruit
fulne ss as it was there b oth wine grape s and all kind s of game and
othe r valuable t hi ngs
A fte r the first w inte r was p ast and the summe r came they b e
came aware of S k rae llin gs when the re came from the fore st a gre at
mass of pe ople
Ne ar by was thei r horne d cattle an d then the b ull be gan t o b ellow
ve ry lou d ; b u t ove r thi s be came the native s scared and ran from
the re with thei r bundle s in whi ch we re gray ware sable s k in and
all othe r sort s of ski n ware s and t ook the road t o K arlse f n e s li ving
place whe re the y wante d to go inside t he house s ; but K arlse f n e
hinde re d them from getting inside
The
NO one of eithe r party unde rst ood the othe r s language
S k rae llin g s laid them down thei r bundle s loosene d them an d o i
f e re d thei r ware s and wante d in pre fe rence t o have arms t he refor
but K arlse f ne prohibite d t o sell them arms
H e found then thi s advi ce t hat he let hi s women folk b ring fort h
mil k or milk grub : when t he y saw t hi s t hey woul d have not hing
e lse
The S k rae llin g s b argain was conse quently t hi s that t he y car
rie d the goods t he y purchase d away in t hei r stomachs b ut K arlse f n e
and hi s men ke pt thei r bundle s and skin ware s
In the se conditi ons of t hings t he y le ft
N ow the re i s t o relate that K a rlse f ne had made a st rong plank
fence around hi s premi se s ; and t hey placed them selve s the re in
standing and p repare dne ss
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A bout the same time gave G u d rid
male child which was calle d S norre
,
K arlse f n e
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wife b i rth t o a
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In t he b e ginning of ne xt winte r came the S k rae llin g s and vi site d
t h em and the y we re more nume rou s than before and had still the
same kind of ware s as before
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Then said K arlse f n e t o the women folk : now Shall you b ring
fo rth the same k ind of food whi ch the re was most of t he forme r
tim e b u t not hing e lse and when the y see t hat the y throw thei r
b undle s in ove r the plank fence
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G u d rid
sat in the
d oorway
with he r
s on
Sn o rre
And the re came a Shadow b efore t he d oor
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cradle
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the re ente re d
TH E N O RS E M E N O N T H E
76
N O RT H E A S T
C OAST
OF
A MERI CA
.
a woman in a blac k crooke d s ki rt who was somewhat Short of stat
ure had a bandage around the he ad li ght brown hair a p ale face
and was ve ry large e ye d so that ne ve r had anyone seen large r e ye s
in a human he ad
S he went up t o whe re G u d rid sat and said : what i s v our name ?
M y name i s G u d ri d [ answe re d sh e ] but what i s your name ? M y
name i s also G u d rid sai d the othe r
Then the hoste ss G u d rid re ache d out he r hand t o he r that she
should se at he rself with he r
But at thi s time it happened that G u d rid he ard a loud report when
the woman disappe are d an d at the same time w a s a S krae lling k ille d
by K a rlse f ne s houseman be cau se he wante d t o take th ei r arm s
away
The S k raellin g s le ft as soon a s the y could but thei r furs and
ware s we re le ft be hi nd
The be fore mentione d woman nobod y but G u d ri d alone had Seen
N ow are we in nee d of good coun sel sai d K a rlse f n e b e c au se I be
lie ve that the y will vi sit u s the thi rd time but with t rouble and ve ry
strong in numbe rs
N ow will we t ake thi s course that 1 0 men Should go along on the
p oint and allow them selve s t o be seen the re ; but the othe r fol k Shall
go int o t he fore st and cut the re R y d nin g e r for our horne d cattle ;
when t he S k rae llin gs a rmy eme rge s from the fore st we should also
t ake our bull and let him go ahe ad of u s
But that place which had b ee n se le cte d t o fight on was so Situate d
that a fre sh lake w as on t he one side but the fore st o n t he othe r
N ow was e ve r yt hing place d afte r the advi ce whi ch K alse f ne h ad
given
The S k rae llin g s proceede d also t o the place whi ch K arlse f ne had
pi c ke d for the fight
The re came then a sharp fight and many of S kraelling fol k fe ll
The re was a large and p rominent looking man in the army o f the
S k rae llin g s whom K a rlse f n e took t o be thei r he adm an
On e of the S k rae llin g s had ta ken up an ax upon w hi ch he looke d
some time but lifted it [the re afte r ] up against one of hi s part y and
st ruc k him with it so that he at once fe ll down and die d
Then t oo k the large man hold of t he ax looked at it a Short time
but t hrew it the re afte r the fa rthe st he could out on the lake
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K A R L S E F NE
A B A N D O N S V I N LA N D S E TT L E M E N T
77
.
The re afte r fle d t he y away t oward the fore st e ve ryone the be st he
could and wit h thi s ende d thei r fight
K arlse f n e an d hi s men we re the re the whole winte r ove r
But in the Spring made K arlse f n e it unde rst ood that he did not
want t o remain the re any longe r but intende d t o trave l bac k t o
Gr o nland
The reafte r prepare d the y for t he voyage and t oo k along many
valuable things vine t ree s grape s and s kin ware s
The y saile d the re afte r t o se a and came with thei r ship unharme d
t o Eri k s Fj ord whe re the y passe d the winte r
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C H A PT E R
A B O UT
F R E YDI S ,
E RI K S
DA U G H T E R
’
,
S C A N D A LO U S
111
.
V O YA G E
HER
DOINGS
V I N LA N D A N D
TO
.
Then be gan afre sh a t al k about Vinland voyage be cause the
vo yage thithe r w a s held t o bring fort h both ri che s and re spe ct
The same summer when K arlse f n e came from Vinland came
also a ship from No rri g t o Gr o nland whi ch was stee red by two
brothe rs namely H elge and F inn b o ge who remaine d ove r the
winte r in Gr o nland
The se brothe rs we re Islande rs by de scent from Ostf j ord en s
N ow be gins our narrative the refrom that F re y d is Eri k s d au gh
te r wande re d from home and procee ded t o the two b rothe rs
H elge and F innb o ge whom she asked t o sail with thei r ve ssel t o
Vinland and the y should share half and half with he r of all the
goods which the re could be gotten ; thi s the y promi se d he r
From the re sh e went t o he r b rothe r Lei ff and asked hi m t o give
he r t he house s he had let const ruct in Vinland
But he answe re d the same as b e f o re th at he would rent the
house s but not give them away
The b rothe rs and F re y di s had othe rwi se such an unde rstanding
between t hemselve s that e ach of t hem Should have on [e ach ] shi p
3 0 fighting men be side s w omen
But F re y di s ove rsteppe d thi s at once and had along with he r 5
men more than t he othe rs and conce aled t hem so that the brothe rs
b e came not aware of them be fore t he y came t o Vinland
Then saile d the y t o se a but the re wa s pre viously [ between t hem ]
underst ood that the y Should follow e ach othe r [ during t he voyage ] ;
the di ff e rence between them was also only Sli ght but the brothe rs
came there somewhat be fore [ the others ] and had carrie d t hei r
things up from the ship to Lei ff s house s
When F re y dis came afte rward s t o the land the y also made thei r
Ship fast and brought their ge ar up t o the house
Then said F re y d is : w h atf or have you your things he re ? Be cause
we thought said the y that our agreement should be ke pt
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80
N O RS E M E N O N
TH E
N O RTH E A S T C O AS T O F A M E RI CA
TH E
.
When sh e ste pped int o the bed wit h he r cold feet T h o rw ald
awo ke and asked : why sh e was so cold and wet ? S he answe re d then
with much ill tempe r
I went ove r t o t he brothe rs says sh e t o ma ke an o ff e r on t hei r
s hi p as I will purchase it being large r [than ours ]
But they be came t he re for so e vil t hat the y st ruc k and handled
me illy ; but you worthle ss scamp will neithe r avenge nor puni sh
the shame whi ch has been d one t o me and you ; I now di scove r t hat
I am not any more in Gr o nland ; and I will se parate myself from you
in case you do not avenge thi s
N ow could he not any longe r forbe ar he r accu sati ons and the hap
penin gs but had hi s men get up at once and grab thei r weapons
The y did so and procee de d at once ove r t o the brothe rs house
whe re the y ente re d while the y we re aslee p and grabbe d and bound
t hem and carried thi s way e ach one bound out from the house but
F re y d i s let e ach of them be ki lled a s soon as he c ame out
In t hi s manne r we re all t he men fol k t he re killed but the women
we re still le ft be hi nd whom nobody wante d t o kill
Then sai d F re y d i s : let me have the ax ; it was d one ; and the reafte r
st ruc k sh e all the 5 w omen that we re the re and ceased not be fore
t he y we re all de ad
The re afte r p roceede d t he y bac k t o t hei r house afte r having done
thi s bad dee d ; and nothing else was noti ce d t han t hat F re y di s seem
e d he rself in thi s t o have done well A nd she t alke d t o he r men then
t hi s way : when we c ome t o Gro nland again says sh e then shall I
ha ve that man d one away with who menti ons thi s aff air ; but we
shoul d say that the y remaine d he re be hi nd when we went away
N ow e arly in the sp ring made the y that ship re ad y w h i c h form e rly
belonge d t o the b roth e rs an d the y t ook along of the lan d s pro du c ts
all that the y found and the ship could carry
The re afte r saile d the y t o se a and had a rapid and luc ky t ri p and
came in time in t he summe r t o E ri k s Fj ord
Then lay K a rlsef ne the re who had h i s ship ready t o sail away and
waited for wind
It i s a well known thing that hardly any s hi p had saile d from
Gr o nland with a ri che r load than had thi s ship whi ch K arlse f ne
stee re d
F re y d i s went home t o he r place which had stood uninjure d while
sh e wa s away
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TH E
I LL
DE E D
D I S C OV E R E D
81
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S he gave he r whole following much goods and honor so that her
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mi sdee ds should not be known
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The re afte r remaine d sh e on he r place
Still afte r all di d not all he r men kee p thei r word as t o silence
about thei r mi sdee d s s o that afte r a while it be came known t o he r
brothe r Lei ff who seeme d ve ry much ve xe d about thi s st ory
Then t ook Leiff 3 men of F re y dis following and pre sse d them t o
confe ss and all their st orie s the re of coincided
I do not intend said then Leiff t o d o so wit h my si ste r as sh e de
se rve s but t h i s can I predi ct t o he r and t o he r man that their d e
sce n d a nts will ne ve r thri ve
N ow it came to pass that all seeme d t o be again st them from
thi s time on
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