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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/17946-0.txt b/17946-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3570f08 --- /dev/null +++ b/17946-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1351 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Eirik the Red's Saga, by Anonymous + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Eirik the Red's Saga + +Author: Anonymous + +Translator: John Sephton + +Release Date: March 8, 2006 [EBook #17946] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EIRIK THE RED'S SAGA *** + + + + +Produced by National Library of Iceland and Cornell +University Library via www.sagnanet.is, Jóhannes Birgir +Jensson, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team of Distributed Proofreaders Europe at +http://dp.rastko.net + + + + + + + + + + EIRIK THE RED'S SAGA: + + A TRANSLATION + + + + READ BEFORE THE + LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY + OF LIVERPOOL, + + JANUARY 12TH, 1880, + + + + BY + THE REV. J. SEPHTON. + + + + + LIVERPOOL: + D. MARPLES & CO., LIMITED, MELVILL CHAMBERS. + + 1880. + + + + +CONTENTS. + + +1. How Vifil, Gudrid's grandfather, came to Iceland. + +2. Of Eirik the Red, and his discovery of Greenland. + +3. Gudrid's parentage, and the emigration of her father, Thorbjorn, +and his family to Greenland. + +4. Eirik's family, and his son Leif's discovery of Vinland. + +5. Gudrid marries Thorstein, son of Eirik the Red. [Sickness and +death of Thorstein.] + +6. Gudrid marries Karlsefni. + +7. Karlsefni's expedition to Vinland. The first winter is passed at +Straumsfjordr. + +8. Fate of Thorhall the Sportsman. + +9. The second winter is passed at Hop. + +10. Dealings with the Skrœlingar. + +11. Fight with the Skrœlingar. + +12. Return to Straumsfjordr. + +13. The slaying of Thorvald by a One-footer. The colonists return +to Greenland after passing the third winter at Straumsfjordr. + +14. Heroic magnanimity and fate of Bjarni. + +15. Gudrid's descendants. + + + + +[Olaf, who was called Olaf the White, was styled a warrior king. He +was the son of King Ingjald, the son of Helgi, the son of Olaf, the +son of Gudred, the son of Halfdan Whiteleg, king of the Uplands (in +Norway). He led a harrying expedition of sea-rovers into the west, and +conquered Dublin, in Ireland, and Dublinshire, over which he made +himself king. He married Aud the Deep-minded, daughter of Ketil +Flatnose, son of Bjorn the Ungartered, a noble man from Norway. Their +son was named Thorstein the Red. Olaf fell in battle in Ireland, and +then Aud and Thorstein went into the Sudreyjar (the Hebrides). There +Thorstein married Thorid, daughter of Eyvind the Easterling, sister of +Helgi the Lean; and they had many children. Thorstein became a warrior +king, and formed an alliance with Earl Sigurd the Great, son of +Eystein the Rattler. They conquered Caithness, Sutherland, Ross, and +Moray, and more than half Scotland. Over these Thorstein was king +until the Scots plotted against him, and he fell there in battle. Aud +was in Caithness when she heard of Thorstein's death. Then she caused +a merchant-ship to be secretly built in the wood, and when she was +ready, directed her course out into the Orkneys. There she gave in +marriage Thorstein the Red's daughter, Gro, who became mother of +Grelad, whom Earl Thorfinn, the Skullcleaver, married. Afterwards Aud +set out to seek Iceland, having twenty free men in her ship. Aud came +to Iceland, and passed the first winter in Bjarnarhofn (Bjornshaven) +with her brother Bjorn. Afterwards she occupied all the Dale country +between the Dogurdara (day-meal river) and the Skraumuhlaupsa (river +of the giantess's leap), and dwelt at Hvamm. She had prayer meetings +at Krossholar (Crosshills), where she caused crosses to be erected, +for she was baptised and deeply devoted to the faith. There came with +her to Iceland many men worthy of honour, who had been taken captive +in sea-roving expeditions to the west, and who were called bondmen. +One of these was named Vifil; he was a man of high family, and had +been taken captive beyond the western main, and was also called a +bondman before Aud set him free. And when Aud granted dwellings to her +ship's company, Vifil asked why she gave no abode to him like unto the +others. Aud replied, “That it was of no moment to him, for,” she said, +“he would be esteemed in whatever place he was, as one worthy of +honour.” She gave him Vifilsdalr (Vifilsdale), and he dwelt there and +married. His sons were Thorbjorn and Thorgeir, promising men, and they +grew up in their father's house. + +2. There was a man named Thorvald, the son of Asvald, the son of Ulf, +the son of Yxna-Thoris. His son was named Eirik. Father and son +removed from Jadar (in Norway) to Iceland, because of manslaughters, +and occupied land in Hornstrandir, and dwelt at Drangar. There +Thorvald died, and Eirik then married Thjodhild, daughter of Jorund, +the son of Atli, and of Thorbjorg the Ship-breasted, whom afterwards +Thorbjorn, of the Haukadalr (Hawkdale) family, married; he it was who +dwelt at Eiriksstadr after Eirik removed from the north. It is near +Vatzhorn. Then did Eirik's thralls cause a landslip on the estate of +Valthjof, at Valthjofsstadr. Eyjolf the Foul, his kinsman, slew the +thralls beside Skeidsbrekkur (slopes of the race-course), above +Vatzhorn. In return Eirik slew Eyjolf the Foul; he slew also Hrafn the +Dueller, at Leikskalar (playbooths). Gerstein, and Odd of Jorfi, +kinsman of Eyjolf, were found willing to follow up his death by a +legal prosecution; and then was Eirik banished from Haukadalr. He +occupied then Brokey and Eyxney, and dwelt at Tradir, in Sudrey, the +first winter. At this time did he lend to Thorgest pillars for +seat-stocks, Afterwards Eirik removed into Eyxney, and dwelt at +Eiriksstadr. He then claimed his pillars, and got them not. Then went +Eirik and fetched the pillars from Breidabolstadr, and Thorgest went +after him. They fought at a short distance from the hay-yard at +Drangar, and there fell two sons of Thorgest, and some other men. +After that they both kept a large body of men together. Styr gave +assistance to Eirik, as also did Eyjolf, of Sviney, Thorbjorn +Vifilsson, and the sons of Thorbrand, of Alptafjordr (Swanfirth). But +the sons of Thord Gellir, as also Thorgeir, of Hitardalr (Hotdale), +Aslak, of Langadalr (Longdale), and Illugi, his son, gave assistance +to Thorgest. Eirik and his people were outlawed at Thorsnes Thing. He +prepared a ship in Eiriksvagr (creek), and Eyjolf concealed him in +Dimunarvagr while Thorgest and his people sought him among the +islands. Eirik said to his people that he purposed to seek for the +land which Gunnbjorn, the son of Ulf the Crow, saw when he was driven +westwards over the ocean, and discovered Gunnbjarnarsker (Gunnbjorn's +rock or skerry). He promised that he would return to visit his friends +if he found the land. Thorbjorn, and Eyjolf, and Styr accompanied +Eirik beyond the islands. They separated in the most friendly manner, +Eirik saying that he would be of the like assistance to them, if he +should be able so to be, and they should happen to need him. Then he +sailed oceanwards under Snœfellsjokull (snow mountain glacier), and +arrived at the glacier called Blaserkr (Blue-shirt); thence he +journeyed south to see if there were any inhabitants of the country. +He passed the first winter at Eiriksey, near the middle, of the +Vestribygd (western settlement). The following spring he proceeded to +Eiriksfjordr, and fixed his abode there. During the summer he +proceeded into the unpeopled districts in the west, and was there a +long time, giving names to the places far and wide. The second winter +he passed in Eiriksholmar (isles), off Hvarfsgnupr (peak of +disappearance, Cape Farewell); and the third summer he went altogether +northwards, to Snœfell and into Hrafnsfjordr (Ravensfirth); +considering then that he had come to the head of Eiriksfjordr, he +turned back, and passed the third winter in Eiriksey, before the mouth +of Eiriksfjordr. Now, afterwards, during the summer, he proceeded to +Iceland, and came to Breidafjordr (Broadfirth). This winter he was +with Ingolf, at Holmlatr (Island-litter). During the spring, Thorgest +and he fought, and Eirik met with defeat. After that they were +reconciled. In the summer Eirik went to live in the land which he had +discovered, and which he called Greenland, “Because,” said he, “men +will desire much the more to go there if the land has a good name.”] + +3. Thorgeir Vifilsson married, and took to wife Arnora, daughter of +Einar, from Laugarbrekka (the slope of the hot spring), the son of +Sigmund, the eon of Ketil-Thistil, who had occupied Thistilsfjordr. +The second daughter of Einar was named Hallveig. Thorbjorn Vifilsson +took her to wife, and received with her the land of Laugarbrekka, at +Hellisvollr (the cave-hill). To that spot Thorbjorn removed his abode, +and became great and worshipful. He was the temple-priest, and had a +magnificent estate. Thorbjorn's daughter was Gudrid, the fairest of +women, and of peerless nobility in all her conduct. There was a man +named Orm, who dwelt at Arnarstapi (eagle-rock), and he had a wife who +was named Halldis. He was a well-to-do franklin, a great friend of +Thorbjorn, and Gudrid lived at his house as his foster-child for a +long time. There was a man named Thorgeir, who dwelt at Thorgeirsfjall +(fell). He was mighty rich in cattle, and had been made a freedman. He +had a son, whose name was Einar, a handsome man, well mannered, and a +great dandy. Einar, at this time, was a travelling merchant, sailing +from land to land with great success; and he always passed his winter +either in Iceland or in Norway. Now after this, I have to tell how +that one autumn, when Einar was in Iceland, he proceeded with his +wares along Snœfellsnes, with the object of selling; he came to +Arnarstapi; Orm invited him to stay there, and Einar accepted his +invitation, because there was friendship between him and Orm's people, +and his wares were earned into a certain outhouse. There he unpacked +his merchandise, showed it to Orm and the housemen, and bade Orm take +therefrom such things as he would. Orm accepted the offer, and +pronounced Einar to be a goodly gallant traveller, and a great +favourite of fortune. When now they were busy with the wares, a woman +passed before the door of the outhouse; and Einar inquired of Orm who +that fair woman might be, passing before the door. “I have not seen +her here before,” said he. “That is Gudrid, my foster-child,” said +Orm, “daughter of Thorbjorn the franklin, from Laugarbrekka.” “She +must be a good match,” said Einar; “surely she has not been without +suitors who have made proposals for her, has she?” Orm answered, +“Proposals have certainly been made, friend, but this treasure is not +to be had for the picking up; it is found that she will be particular +in her choice, as well as also her father.” “Well, in spite of that,” +quoth Einar, “she is the woman whom I have it in my mind to propose +for, and I wish that in this suit of mine you approach her father on +my part, and apply yourself to plead diligently[A] for me, for which +I shall pay you in return a perfect friendship. The franklin, +Thorbjorn, may reflect that our families would be suitably joined in +the bonds of affinity; for he is a man in a position of great honour, +and owns a fine abode, but his personal property, I am told, is +greatly on the decrease; neither I nor my father lack lands or +personal property; and if this alliance should be brought about, the +greatest assistance would accrue to Thorbjorn.” Then answered Orm, “Of +a surety I consider myself to be thy friend, and yet am I not willing +to bring forward this suit, for Thorbjorn is of a proud mind, and +withal a very ambitious man.” Einar replied that he desired no other +thing than that his offer of marriage should be made known. Orm then +consented to undertake his suit, and Einar journeyed south again until +he came home. A while after, Thorbjorn had a harvest-feast, as he was +bound to have because of his great rank. There were present Orm, from +Arnarstapi, and many other friends of Thorbjorn. Orm entered into +conversation with Thorbjorn, and told him how that Einar had lately +been to see him from Thorgeirsfjall, and was become a promising man. +He now began the wooing on behalf of Einar, and said that an alliance +between the families would be very suitable on account of certain +interests. “There may arise to thee, franklin,” he said, “great +assistance in thy means from this alliance.” But Thorbjorn answered, +“I did not expect the like proposal from thee, that I should give my +daughter in marriage to the son of a thrall. And so thou perceivest +that my substance is decreasing; well, then, my daughter shall not go +home with thee, since thou considerest her worthy of so poor a match.” +Then went Orm home again, and each of the other guests to his own +household, and Gudrid remained with her father, and stayed at home +that winter. + +[Footnote A: The word “alendu” is a difficulty. Perhaps we ought to +read “allidnu,” or “allidinu.”] + +Now, in the spring, Thorbjorn made a feast to his friends, and a +goodly banquet was prepared. There came many guests, and the banquet +was of the best. Now, at the banquet, Thorbjorn called for a hearing, +and thus spake:--“Here have I dwelt a long time. I have experienced +the goodwill of men and their affection towards me, and I consider +that our dealings with one another have been mutually agreeable. But +now do my money matters begin to bring me uneasiness, although to this +time my condition has not been reckoned contemptible. I wish, +therefore, to break up my household before I lose my honour; to remove +from the country before I disgrace my family. So now I purpose to look +after the promises of Eirik the Red, my friend, which he made when we +separated at Breidafjordr. I purpose to depart for Greenland in the +summer, if events proceed as I could wish.” These tidings about this +design appeared to the guests to be important, for Thorbjorn had long +been beloved by his friends. They felt that he would only have made so +public a declaration that it might be held of no avail to attempt to +dissuade him from his purpose. Thorbjorn distributed gifts among the +guests, and then the feast was brought to an end, and they departed to +their own homesteads. Thorbjorn sold his lands, and bought a ship +which had been laid up on shore at the mouth of the Hraunhofn (harbour +of the lava field). Thirty men ventured on the expedition with him. +There was Orm, from Arnarstapi, and his wife, and those friends of +Thorbjorn who did not wish to be separated from him. Then they +launched the ship, and set sail with a favourable wind. But when they +came out into the open sea the favourable wind ceased, and they +experienced great gales, and made but an ill-sped voyage throughout +the summer. In addition to that trouble, there came fever upon the +expedition, and Orm died, and Halldis, his wife, and half the +company. Then the sea waxed rougher, and they endured much toil and +misery in many ways, and only reached Herjolfsnes, in Greenland, at +the very beginning of winter. There dwelt at Herjolfsnes the man who +was called Thorkell. He was a useful man and most worthy franklin. He +received Thorbjorn and all his ship's company for the winter, +assisting them in right noble fashion. This pleased Thorbjorn well and +his companions in the voyage. + +At that time there was a great dearth in Greenland; those who had been +out on fishing expeditions had caught little, and some had not +returned. There was in the settlement the woman whose name was +Thorbjorg. She was a prophetess (spae-queen), and was called +Litilvolva (little sybil). She had had nine sisters, and they were all +spae-queens, and she was the only one now living. It was a custom of +Thorbjorg, in the winter time, to make a circuit, and people invited +her to their houses, especially those who had any curiosity about the +season, or desired to know their fate; and inasmuch as Thorkell was +chief franklin thereabouts, he considered that it concerned him to +know when the scarcity which overhung the settlement should cease. He +invited, therefore, the spae-queen to his house, and prepared for her +a hearty welcome, as was the custom whereever a reception was accorded +a woman of this kind. A high seat was prepared for her, and a cushion +laid thereon in which were poultry-feathers. Now, when she came in the +evening, accompanied by the man who had been sent to meet her, she was +dressed in such wise that she had a blue mantle over her, with strings +for the neck, and it was inlaid with gems quite down to the skirt. On +her neck she had glass beads. On her head she had a black hood of +lambskin, lined with ermine. A staff she had in her hand, with a knob +thereon; it was ornamented with brass, and inlaid with gems round +about the knob. Around her she wore a girdle of soft hair, and therein +was a large skin-bag, in which she kept the talismans needful to her +in her wisdom. She wore hairy calf-skin shoes on her feet, with long +and strong-looking thongs to them, and great knobs of latten at the +ends. On her hands she had gloves of ermine-skin, and they were white +and hairy within. Now, when she entered, all men thought it their +bounden duty to offer her becoming greetings, and these she received +according as the men were agreeable to her. The franklin Thorkell took +the wise-woman by the hand, and led her to the seat prepared for her. +He requested her to cast her eyes over his herd, his household, and +his homestead. She remained silent altogether. During the evening the +tables were set; and now I must tell you what food was made ready for +the spae-queen. There was prepared for her porridge of kid's milk, and +hearts of all kinds of living creatures there found were cooked for +her. She had a brazen spoon, and a knife with a handle of walrus-tusk, +which was mounted with two rings of brass, and the point of it was +broken off. When the tables were removed, the franklin Thorkell +advanced to Thorbjorg and asked her how she liked his homestead, or +the appearance of the men; or how soon she would ascertain that which +he had asked, and which the men desired to know. She replied that she +would not give answer before the morning, after she had slept there +for the night. And when the (next) day was far spent, the preparations +were made for her which she required for the exercise of her +enchantments. She begged them to bring to her those women who were +acquainted with the lore needed for the exercise of the enchantments, +and which is known by the name of Weird-songs, but no such women came +forward. Then was search made throughout the homestead if any woman +were so learned. Then answered Gudrid, “I am not skilled in deep +learning, nor am I a wise-woman, although Halldis, my foster-mother, +taught me, in Iceland, the lore which she called Weird-songs.” “Then +art thou wise in good season,” answered Thorbjorg; but Gudrid replied, +“That lore and the ceremony are of such a kind, that I purpose to be +of no assistance therein, because I am a Christian woman.” Then +answered Thorbjorg, “Thou mightest perchance afford thy help to the +men in this company, and yet be none the worse woman than thou wast +before; but to Thorkell give I charge to provide here the things that +are needful.” Thorkell thereupon urged Gudrid to consent, and she +yielded to his wishes. The women formed a ring round about, and +Thorbjorg ascended the scaffold and the seat prepared for her +enchantments. Then sang Gudrid the weird-song in so beautiful and +excellent a manner, that to no one there did it seem that he had ever +before heard the song in voice so beautiful as now. The spae-queen +thanked her for the song. “Many spirits,” said she, “have been present +under its charm, and were pleased to listen to the song, who before +would turn away from us, and grant us no such homage. And now are many +things clear to me which before were hidden both from me and others. +And I am able this to say, that the dearth will last no longer--the +season improving as spring advances. The epidemic of fever which has +long oppressed us will disappear quicker than we could have hoped. And +thee, Gudrid, will I recompense straightway, for that aid of thine +which has stood us in good stead; because thy destiny is now clear to +me, and foreseen. Thou shalt make a match here in Greenland, a most +honourable one, though it will not be a long-lived one for thee, +because thy way lies out to Iceland; and there, shall arise from thee +a line of descendants both numerous and goodly, and over the branches +of thy family shall shine a bright ray. And so fare thee now well and +happily, my daughter.” Afterwards the men went to the wise-woman, and +each enquired after what he was most curious to know. She was also +liberal of her replies, and what she said proved true. After this came +one from another homestead after her, and she then went there. +Thorbjorn was invited, because he did not wish to remain at home while +such heathen worship was performing. The weather soon improved when +once spring began, as Thorbjorg had said, Thorbjorn made ready his +ship, and went on until he came to Brattahlid (the steep slope). Eirik +received him with the utmost cordiality, saying he had done well to +come there. Thorbjorn and his family were with him during the winter. +And in the following spring Eirik gave to Thorbjorn land at Stokknes, +and handsome farm buildings were there built for him, and he dwelt +there afterwards. + +4. Eirik had a wife who was named Thjodhild, and two sons; the one was +named Thorstein, and the other Leif. These sons of Eirik were both +promising men. Thorstein was then at home with his father; and there +was at that time no man in Greenland who was thought so highly of as +he. Leif had sailed to Norway, and was there with King Olaf +Tryggvason. Now, when Leif sailed from Greenland during the summer, he +and his men were driven out of their course to the Sudreyjar. They +were slow in getting a favourable wind from this place, and they +stayed there a long time during the summer ... reaching Norway about +harvest-tide. He joined the body-guard of King Olaf Tryggvason, and +the king formed an excellent opinion of him, and it appeared to him +that Leif was a well-bred man. Once upon a time the king entered into +conversation with Leif, and asked him, “Dost thou purpose sailing to +Greenland in summer?” Leif answered, “I should wish so to do, if it +is your will.” The king replied, “I think it may well be so; thou +shalt go my errand, and preach Christianity in Greenland.” Leif said +that he was willing to undertake it, but that, for himself, he +considered that message a difficult one to proclaim in Greenland. But +the king said that he knew no man who was better fitted for the work +than he. “And thou shalt carry,” said he, “good luck with thee in it.” +“That can only be,” said Leif, “if I carry yours with me.” Leif set +sail as soon as he was ready. He was tossed about a long time out at +sea, and lighted upon lands of which before he had no expectation. +There were fields of wild wheat, and the vine-tree in full growth. +There were also the trees which were called maples; and they gathered +of all this certain tokens; some trunks so large that they were used +in house-building. Leif came upon men who had been shipwrecked, and +took them home with him, and gave them sustenance during the winter. +Thus did he show his great munificence and his graciousness when he +brought Christianity to the land, and saved the shipwrecked crew. He +was called Leif the Lucky. Leif reached land in Eiriksfjordr, and +proceeded home to Brattahlid. The people received him gladly. He soon +after preached Christianity and catholic truth throughout the land, +making known to the people the message of King Olaf Tryggvason; and +declaring how many renowned deeds and what great glory accompanied +this faith. Eirik took coldly to the proposal to forsake his religion, +but his wife, Thjodhild, promptly yielded, and caused a church to be +built not very near the houses. The building was called Thjodhild's +Church; in that spot she offered her prayers, and so did those men who +received Christ, and they were many. After she accepted the faith, +Thjodhild would have no intercourse with Eirik, and this was a great +trial to his temper. + +After this there was much talk about making ready to go to the land +which Leif had discovered. Thorstein, Eirik's son, was chief mover in +this, a worthy man, wise and much liked. Eirik was also asked to go, +and they believed that his luck and foresight would be of the highest +use. He was [for a long time against it, but did not say nay], when +his friends exhorted him to go. They made ready the ship which +Thorbjorn had brought there, and there were twenty men who undertook +to start in her. They had little property, but chiefly weapons and +food. On the morning when Eirik left home he took a little box, which +had in it gold and silver; he hid the money, and then went forth on +his journey. He had proceeded, however, but a little way, when he fell +from his horse, and broke his ribs and injured his shoulder, and cried +out, “Aiai!” At this accident he sent word to his wife that she should +take away the money that he had hidden, declaring his misfortune to be +a penalty paid on account of having hid the money. Afterwards they +sailed away out of Eiriksfjordr with gladness, as their plan seemed to +promise success. They were driven about for a long time on the open +sea, and came not into the track which they desired. They came in +sight of Iceland, and also met with birds from the coast of Ireland. +Then was their ship tossed to and fro on the sea. They returned about +harvest-tide, worn out by toil and much exhausted, and reached +Eiriksfjordr at the beginning of winter. Then spake Eirik, “You were +in better spirits in the summer, when you went forth out of the firth, +than you are in now, and yet for all that there is much to be thankful +for.” Thorstein replied, “It is a chieftain's duty now to look after +some arrangement for these men who are without shelter, and to find +them food.” Eirik answered, “That is an ever-true saying, 'You know +not until you have got your answer.' I will now take thy counsel about +this.” All those who had no other abodes were to go with the father +and the son. Then came they to land, and went forth home. + +5. Now, after this, I have to tell you how Thorstein, Eirik's son, +began wooing Gudrid, Thorbjorn's daughter. To his proposals a +favourable answer was given, both by the maid herself, and also by her +father. The marriage was also arranged, so that Thorstein went to take +possession of his bride, and the bridal feast was held at Brattahlid +in the autumn. The banquet went off well, and was numerously attended. +Thorstein owned a homestead in the Vestribygd on the estate known as +Lysufjordr (shining firth). The man who was called Thorstein owned the +other half of the homestead. His wife was called Sigrid. Thorstein +went, during the autumn, to Lysufjordr, to his namesake, both he and +Gudrid. Their reception was a welcome one. They were there during the +winter. When little of the winter was past, the event happened there +that fever broke out on their estate. The overseer of the work was +named Garth. He was an unpopular man. He took the fever first and +died. Afterwards, and with but little intermission, one took the fever +after another and died. Then Thorstein, Eirik's son, fell ill, and +also Sigrid, the wife of his namesake Thorstein. [And one evening +Sigrid left the house, and rested awhile opposite the outer door; and +Gudrid accompanied her; and they looked back towards the outer door, +and Sigrid screamed out aloud. Gudrid said, “We have come forth +unwarily, and thou canst in no wise withstand the cold; let us even go +home as quickly as possible.” “It is not safe as matters are,” +answered Sigrid. “There is all that crowd of dead people before the +door; Thorstein, thy husband, also, and myself, I recognise among +them, and it is a grief thus to behold.” And when this passed away, +she said, “Let us now go, Gudrid; I see the crowd no longer.” +Thorstein, Eirik's son, had also disappeared from her sight; he had +seemed to have a whip in his hand, and to wish to smite the ghostly +troop. Afterwards they went in, and before morning came she was dead, +and a coffin was prepared for the body. Now, the same day, the men +purposed to go out fishing, and Thorstein led them to the landing +places, and in the early morning he went to see what they had caught. +Then Thorstein, Eirik's son, sent word to his namesake to come to him, +saying that matters at home were hardly quiet; that the housewife was +endeavouring to rise to her feet and to get under the clothes beside +him. And when he was come in she had risen upon the edge of the bed. +Then took he her by the hands and laid a pole-axe upon her breast. +Thorstein, Eirik's son, died near nightfall. Thorstein, the franklin, +begged Gudrid to lie down and sleep, saying that he would watch over +the body during the night. So she did, and when a little of the night +was past, Thorstein, Eirik's son, sat up and spake, saying he wished +Gudrid to be called to him, and that he wished to speak with her. “God +wills,” he said, “that this hour be given to me for my own, and the +further completion of my plan.” Thorstein, the franklin, went to find +Gudrid, and waked her; begged her to cross herself, and to ask God for +help, and told her what Thorstein, Eirik's son, had spoken with him; +“and he wishes,” said he, “to meet with thee. Thou art obliged to +consider what plan thou wilt adopt, because I can in this issue advise +thee in nowise.” She answered, “It may be that this, this wonderful +thing, has regard to certain matters, which are afterwards to be had +in memory; and I hope that God's keeping will test upon me, and I +will, with God's grace, undertake the risk and go to him, and know +what he will say, for I shall not be able to escape if harm must +happen to me. I am far from wishing that he should go elsewhere; I +suspect, moreover, that the matter will be a pressing one.” Then went +Gudrid and saw Thorstein. He appeared to her as if shedding tears. He +spake in her ear, in a low voice, certain words which she alone might +know; but this he said so that all heard, “That those men would be +blessed who held the true faith, and that all salvation and mercy +accompanied it; and that many, nevertheless, held it lightly.” “It +is,” said he, “no good custom which has prevailed here in Greenland +since Christianity came, to bury men in unconsecrated ground with few +religious rites over them. I wish for myself, and for those other men +who have died, to be taken to the church; but for Garth, I wish him to +be burned on a funeral pile as soon as may be, for he is the cause of +all those ghosts which have been among us this winter.” He spake to +Gudrid also about her own state, saying that her destiny would be a +great one, and begged her to beware of marrying Greenland men. He +begged her also to pay over their property to the Church and some to +the poor; and then he sank down for the second time.] It had been a +custom in Greenland, after Christianity was brought there, to bury men +in unconsecrated ground on the farms where they died. An upright stake +was placed over a body, and when the priests came afterwards to the +place, then was the stake pulled out, consecrated water poured +therein, and a funeral service held, though it might be long after the +burial. The bodies were removed to the church in Eiriksfjordr, and +funeral services held by the priests. After that died Thorbjorn. The +whole property then went to Gudrid. Eirik received her into his +household, and looked well after her stores. + +6. There was a man named Thorfinn Karlsefni, son of Thord Horsehead, +who dwelt in the north (of Iceland), at Reynines in Skagafjordr, as it +is now called. Karlsefni was a man of good family, and very rich. His +mother's name was Thorun. He engaged in trading journeys, and seemed a +goodly, bold, and gallant traveller. One summer Karlsefni prepared his +ship, intending to go to Greenland. Snorri, Thorbrand's son, from +Alptafjordr, resolved to travel with him, and there were thirty men in +the company. There was a man named Bjarni, Grimolf's son, a man of +Breidafjordr (Broadfirth); another called Thorhall, son of Gamli, a +man from the east of Iceland. They prepared their ship the very same +summer as Karlsefni, with intent also to go to Greenland. They had in +the ship forty men. The two ships launched out into the open sea as +soon as they were ready. It is not recorded how long a voyage they +had. But, after this, I have to tell you that both these ships came to +Eiriksfjordr about autumn. Eirik rode down to the ships with other men +of the land, and a market-fair was promptly instituted. The captains +invited Gudrid to take such of the merchandise as she wished, and +Eirik displayed on his part much magnificence in return, inasmuch as +he invited both these ships' companies home with him to pass the +winter in Brattahlid. The merchants accepted the invitation, and went +home with Eirik. Afterwards their merchandise was removed to +Brattahlid, where a good and large outhouse was not lacking in which +to store the goods. The merchants were well pleased to stay with Eirik +during the winter. When now Yule was drawing nigh, Eirik began to look +more gloomy than he was wont to be. Presently Karlsefni entered into +conversation with him, and said, “Art thou in trouble, Eirik? it +appears to me that thou art somewhat more taciturn than thou hast +been; still thou helpest us with much liberality, and we are bound to +reward thee according as we have means thereto. Say now what causes +thy cheerlessness.” Eirik answered, “You receive hospitality well, and +like worthy men. Now, I have no mind that our intercourse together +should be expensive to you; but so it is, that it will seem to me an +ill thing if it is heard that you never spent a worse Yule than this, +just now beginning, when Eirik the Red entertained you at Brattahlid, +in Greenland.” Karlsefni answered, “It must not come to such a pass; +we have in our ships malt, meal, and corn, and you have right and +title to take therefrom whatever you wish, and to make your +entertainment such as consorts with your munificence.” And Eirik +accepted the offer. Then was preparation made for the Yule-feast, and +so magnificent was it that the men thought they had scarcely ever seen +so grand a feast. And after Yule, Karlsefni broached to Eirik the +subject of a marriage with Gudrid, which he thought might be under +Eirik's control, and the woman appeared to him to be both beautiful +and of excellent understanding. Eirik answered and said, that for his +part he would willingly undertake his suit, and said, moreover, that +she was worthy of a good match. It is also likely, he thought, that +she will be following out her destiny, should she be given to him; +and, moreover, the report which comes to me of him is good. The +proposals were now laid before her, and she allowed the marriage with +her to be arranged which Eirik wished to promote. However, I will not +now speak at length how this marriage took place; the Yule festival +was prolonged and made into a marriage-feast. Great joy was there in +Brattahlid during the winter. Much playing at backgammon and telling +of stories went on, and many things were done that ministered to the +comfort of the household. + +7. During this time much talk took place in Brattahlid about making +ready to go to Vinland the Good, and it was asserted that they would +there find good choice lands. The discourse came to such conclusion +that Karlsefni and Snorri prepared their ship, with the intention of +seeking Vinland during the summer. Bjarni and Thorhall ventured on the +same expedition, with their ship and the retinue which had accompanied +them. [There was a man named Thorvard; he married Freydis, natural +daughter of Eirik the Red; he set out with them likewise, as also +Thorvald, a son of Eirik.] There was a man named Thorvald; he was a +son-in-law[B] of Eirik the Red. Thorhall was called the Sportsman; he +had for a long time been Eirik's companion in hunting and fishing +expeditions during the summers, and many things had been committed to +his keeping. Thorhall was a big man, dark, and of gaunt appearance; +rather advanced in years, overbearing in temper, of melancholy mood, +silent at all times, underhand in his dealings, and withal given to +abuse, and always inclined towards the worst. He had kept himself +aloof from the true faith when it came to Greenland. He was but little +encompassed with the love of friends, but yet Eirik had long held +conversation with him. He went in the ship with Thorvald and his man, +because he was widely acquainted with the unpeopled districts. They +had the ship which Thorbjorn had brought to Greenland, and they +ventured on the expedition with Karlsefni and the others; and most of +them in this ship were Greenlanders. There were one hundred and sixty +men in their ships. They sailed away from land; then to the Vestribygd +and to Bjarneyjar (the Bear Islands). Thence they sailed away from +Bjarneyjar with northerly winds. They were out at sea two half-days. +Then they came to land, and rowed along it in boats, and explored it, +and found there flat stones, many and so great that two men might well +lie on them stretched on their backs with heel to heel. Polar-foxes +were there in abundance. This land they gave name to, and called it +Helluland (stone-land). Then they sailed with northerly winds two +half-days, and there was then land before them, and on it a great +forest and many wild beasts. An island lay in the south-east off the +land, and they found bears thereon, and called the island Bjarney +(Bear Island); but the mainland, where the forest was, they called +Markland (forest-land). Then, when two half-days were passed, they saw +land, and sailed under it. There was a cape to which they came. They +cruised along the land, leaving it on the starboard side. There was a +harbourless coast-land, and long sandy strands. They went to the land +in boats, and found the keel of a ship, and called the place +Kjalar-nes (Keelness). They gave also name to the strands, calling +them Furdustrandir (wonder-shore), because it was tedious to sail by +them. Then the coast became indented with creeks, and they directed +their ships along the creeks. Now, before this, when Leif was with +King Olaf Tryggvason, and the king had requested him to preach +Christianity in Greenland, he gave him two Scotch people, the man +called Haki, and the woman called Hækja. The king requested Leif to +have recourse to these people if ever he should want fleetness, +because they were swifter than wild beasts. Eirik and Leif had got +these people to go with Karlsefni. Now, when they had sailed by +Furdustrandir, they put the Scotch people on land, and requested them +to run into the southern regions, seek for choice land, and come back +after three half-days[C] were passed. They were dressed in such wise +that they had on the garment which they called _biafal_. It was made +with a hood at the top, open at the sides, without sleeves, and was +fastened between the legs. A button and a loop held it together there; +and elsewhere they were without clothing. Then did they cast anchors +from the ships, and lay there to wait for them. And when three days +were expired the Scotch people leapt down from the land, and one of +them had in his hand a bunch of grapes, and the other an ear of wild +wheat. + +[Footnote B: Later on in the Saga he is called a son of Eirik. The +text would appear to be somewhat corrupt here, as the passage in +square brackets from Hauks-bok seems to show.] + +[Footnote C: The word “dœgr,” both here and above, is translated +“half-day,” though it may possibly mean a period of twenty-four +hours. It is to be noticed, however, that these Scotch people return +after three “dagar,” which can only mean periods of twenty-four +hours.] + +They said to Karlsefni that they considered they had found good and +choice land. Then they received them into their ship, and proceeded on +their journey to where the shore was cut into by a firth. They +directed the ships within the firth. There was an island lying out in +front of the firth, and there were great currents around the island, +which they called Straums-ey (Stream-island). There were so many birds +on it that scarcely was it possible to put one's feet down for the +eggs. They continued their course up the firth, which they called +Straumsfjordr, and carried their cargo ashore from the ships, and +there they prepared to stay. They had with them cattle of all kinds, +and for themselves they sought out the produce of the land thereabout. +There were mountains, and the place was fair to look upon. They gave +no heed to anything except to explore the land, and they found large +pastures. They remained there during the winter, which happened to be +a hard one, with no work doing; and they were badly off for food, and +the fishing failed. Then they went out to the island, hoping that +something might be got there from fishing or from what was drifted +ashore. In that spot there was little, however, to be got for food, +but their cattle found good sustenance. After that they called upon +God, praying that He would send them some little store of meat, but +their prayer was not so soon granted as they were eager that it should +be. Thorhall disappeared from sight, and they went to seek him, and +sought for three half-days continuously. On the fourth half-day +Karlsefni and Bjarni found him on the peak of a crag. He lay with his +face to the sky, with both eyes and mouth and nostrils wide open, +clawing and pinching himself, and reciting something. They asked why +he had come there. He replied that it was of no importance; begged +them not to wonder thereat; as for himself, he had lived so long, they +needed not to take any account of him. They begged him to go home with +them, and he did so. A little while after a whale was driven ashore, +and the men crowded round it, and cut it up, and still they knew not +what kind of whale it was. Even Karlsefni recognised it not, though he +had great knowledge of whales. It was cooked by the cook-boys, and +they ate thereof; though bad effects came upon all from it afterwards. +Then began Thorhall, and said, “Has it not been that the Redbeard has +proved a better friend than your Christ? this was my gift for the +poetry which I composed about Thor, my patron; seldom has he failed +me.” Now, when the men knew that, none of them would eat of it, and +they threw it down from the rocks, and turned with their supplications +to God's mercy. Then was granted to them opportunity of fishing, and +after that there was no lack of food that spring. They went back again +from the island, within Straumsfjordr, and obtained food from both +sides; from hunting on the mainland, and from gathering eggs and from +fishing on the side of the sea. + +8. When summer was at hand they discussed about their journey, and +made an arrangement. Thorhall the Sportsman wished to proceed +northwards along Furdustrandir, and off Kjalarnes, and so seek +Vinland; but Karlsefni desired to proceed southwards along the land +and away from the east, because the land appeared to him the better +the further south he went, and he thought it also more advisable to +explore in both directions. Then did Thorhall make ready for his +journey out by the islands, and there volunteered for the expedition +with him not more than nine men; but with Karlsefni there went the +remainder of the company. And one day, when Thorhall was carrying +water to his ship, he drank, and recited this verse:-- + +“The clashers of weapons did say when I came here that I should have +the best of drink (though it becomes me not to complain before the +common people). Eager God of the war-helmet! I am made to raise the +bucket; wine has not moistened my beard, rather do I kneel at the +fountain.” + +Afterwards they put to sea, and Karlsefni accompanied them by the +island. Before they hoisted sail Thorhall recited a verse:-- + +“Go we back where our countrymen are. Let us make the skilled hawk of +the sand-heaven explore the broad ship-courses; while the dauntless +rousers of the sword-storm, who praise the land, and cook whale, dwell +on Furdustrandir.” + +Then they left, and sailed northwards along Furdustrandir and +Kjalarnes, and attempted there to sail against a wind from the west. A +gale came upon them, however, and drove them onwards against Ireland, +and there were they severely treated, enthralled, and beaten. Then +Thorhall lost his life. + +9. Karlsefni proceeded southwards along the land, with Snorri and +Bjarni and the rest of the company. They journeyed a long while, and +until they arrived at a river, which came down from the land and fell +into a lake, and so on to the sea. There were large islands off the +mouth of the river, and they could not come into the river except at +high flood-tide. Karlsefni and his people sailed to the mouth of the +river, and called the land Hop. There they found fields of wild wheat +wherever there were low grounds; and the vine in all places were there +was rough rising ground. Every rivulet there was full of fish. They +made holes where the land and water joined and where the tide went +highest; and when it ebbed they found halibut in the holes. There was +great plenty of wild animals of every form in the wood. They were +there half a month, amusing themselves, and not becoming aware of +anything. Their cattle they had with them. And early one morning, as +they looked around, they beheld nine canoes made of hides, and +snout-like staves were being brandished from the boats, and they made +a noise like flails, and twisted round in the direction of the sun's +motion. Then Karlsefni said, “What will this betoken?” Snorri answered +him, “It may be that it is a token of peace; let us take a white +shield and go to meet them.” And so they did. Then did they in the +canoes row forwards, and showed surprise at them, and came to land. +They were short men, ill-looking, with their hair in disorderly +fashion on their heads; they were large-eyed, and had broad cheeks. +And they stayed there awhile in astonishment. Afterwards they rowed +away to the south, off the headland. + +10. They had built their settlements up above the lake. And some of +the dwellings were well within the land, but some were near the lake. +Now they remained there that winter. They had no snow whatever, and +all their cattle went out to graze without keepers. Now when spring +began, they beheld one morning early, that a fleet of hide-canoes was +rowing from the south off the headland; so many were they as if the +sea were strewn with pieces of charcoal, and there was also the +brandishing of staves as before from each boat. Then they held shields +up, and a market was formed between them; and this people in their +purchases preferred red cloth; in exchange they had furs to give, and +skins quite grey. They wished also to buy swords and lances, but +Karlsefni and Snorri forbad it. They offered for the cloth dark hides, +and took in exchange a span long of cloth, and bound it round their +heads; and so matters went on for a while. But when the stock of cloth +began to grow small, then they split it asunder, so that it was not +more than a finger's breadth. The Skrœlingar {Esquimaux) gave for it +still quite as much, or more than before. + +11. Now it came to pass that a bull, which belonged to Karlsefni's +people, rushed out of the wood and bellowed loudly at the same time. +The Skrœlingar, frightened thereat, rushed away to their canoes, and +rowed south along the coast. There was then nothing seen of them for +three weeks together. When that time was gone by, there was seen +approaching from the south a great crowd of Skrœlingar boats, coming +down upon them like a stream, the staves this time being all +brandished in the direction opposite to the sun's motion, and the +Skrœlingar were all howling loudly. Then took they and bare red +shields to meet them. They encountered one another and fought, and +there was a great shower of missiles. The Skrœlingar had also +war-slings, or catapults. Then Karlsefni and Snorri see that the +Skrœlingar are bringing up poles, with a very large ball attached to +each, to be compared in size to a sheep's stomach, dark in colour; and +these flew over Karlsefni's company towards the land, and when they +came down they struck the ground with a hideous noise. This produced +great terror in Karlsefni and his company, so that their only impulse +was to retreat up the country along the river, because it seemed as if +crowds of Skrœlingar were driving at them from all sides. And they +stopped not until they came to certain crags. There they offered them +stern resistance. Freydis came out and saw how they were retreating. +She called out, “Why run you away from such worthless creatures, stout +men that ye are, when, as seems to me likely, you might slaughter them +like so many cattle? Let me but have a weapon, I think I could fight +better than any of you.” They gave no heed to what she said. Freydis +endeavoured to accompany them, still she soon lagged behind, because +she was not well; she went after them into the wood, and the +Skrœlingar directed their pursuit after her. She came upon a dead man; +Thorbrand, Snorri's son, with a flat stone fixed in his head; his +sword lay beside him, so she took it up and prepared to defend herself +therewith. Then came the Skrœlingar upon her. She let down her sark +and struck her breast with the naked sword. At this they were +frightened, rushed off to their boats, and fled away. Karlsefni and +the rest came up to her and praised her zeal. Two of Karlsefni's men +fell, and four of the Skrœlingar, notwithstanding they had overpowered +them by superior numbers. After that, they proceeded to their booths, +and began to reflect about the crowd of men which attacked them upon +the land; it appeared to them now that the one troop will have been +that which came in the boats, and the other troop will have been a +delusion of sight. The Skrœlingar also found a dead man, and his axe +lay beside him. One of them struck a stone with it, and broke the axe. +It seemed to them good for nothing, as it did not withstand the stone, +and they threw it down. + +12. [Karlsefni and his company] were now of opinion that though the +land might be choice and good, there would be always war and terror +overhanging them, from those who dwelt there before them. They made +ready, therefore, to move away, with intent to go to their own land. +They sailed forth northwards, and found five Skrœlingar in jackets of +skin, sleeping [near the sea], and they had with them a chest, and in +it was marrow of animals mixed with blood; and they considered that +these must have been outlawed. They slew them. Afterwards they came to +a headland and a multitude of wild animals; and this headland appeared +as if it might be a cake of cow-dung, because the animals passed the +winter there. Now they came to Straumsfjordr, where also they had +abundance of all kinds. It is said by some that Bjarni and Freydis +remained there, and a hundred men with them, and went not further +away. But Karlsefni and Snorri journeyed southwards, and forty men +with them, and after staying no longer than scarcely two months at +Hop, had come back the same summer. Karlsefni set out with a single +ship to seek Thorhall, but the (rest of the) company remained behind. +He and his people went northwards off Kjalarnes, and were then borne +onwards towards the west, and the land lay on their larboard-side, and +was nothing but wilderness. And when they had proceeded for a long +time, there was a river which came down from the land, flowing from +the east towards the west. They directed their course within the +river's mouth, and lay opposite the southern bank. + +13. One morning Karlsefni's people beheld as it were a glittering +speak above the open space in front of them, and they shouted at it. +It stirred itself, and it was a being of the race of men that have +only one foot, and he came down quickly to where they lay. Thorvald, +son of Eirik the Red, sat at the tiller, and the One-footer shot him +with an arrow in the lower abdomen. He drew out the arrow. Then said +Thorvald, “Good land have we reached, and fat is it about the paunch.” +Then the One-footer leapt away again northwards. They chased after +him, and saw him occasionally, but it seemed as if he would escape +them. He disappeared at a certain creek. Then they turned back, and +one man spake this ditty:-- + +“Our men chased (all true it is) a One-footer down to the shore; but +the wonderful man strove hard in the race....[D] Hearken, Karlsefni.” + +Then they journeyed away back again northwards, and saw, as they +thought, the land of the One-footers. They wished, however, no longer +to risk their company. They conjectured the mountains to be all one +range; those, that is, which were at Hop, and those which they now +discovered; almost answering to one another; and it was the same +distance to them on both sides from Straumsfjordr. They journeyed +back, and were in Straumsfjordr the third winter. Then fell the men +greatly into backsliding. They who were wifeless pressed their claims +at the hands of those who were married. Snorri, Karlsefni's son, was +born the first autumn, and he was three winters old when they began +their journey home. Now, when they sailed from Vinland, they had a +southern wind, and reached Markland, and found five Skrœlingar; one +was a bearded man, two were women, two children. Karlsefni's people +caught the children, but the others escaped and sunk down into the +earth. And they took the children with them, and taught them their +speech, and they were baptized. The children called their mother +Vœtilldi, and their father Uvœgi. They said that kings ruled over the +land of the Skrœlingar, one of whom was called Avalldamon, and the +other Valldidida. They said also that there were no houses, and the +people lived in caves or holes. They said, moreover, that there was a +land on the other side over against their land, and the people there +were dressed in white garments, uttered loud cries, bare long poles, +and wore fringes. This was supposed to be Hvitramannaland (whiteman's +land). Then came they to Greenland, and remained with Eirik the Red +during the winter. + +[Footnote D: in this _lacuna_ occur the words “af stopi,” which Dr. +Vigfusson translates, in his notes, “over the stubbles.”] + +14. Bjarni, Grimolf's son, and his men were carried into the Irish +Ocean, and came into a part where the sea was infested by ship-worms. +They did not find it out before the ship was eaten through under them; +then they debated what plan they should follow. They had a ship's boat +which was smeared with tar made of seal-fat. It is said that the +ship-worm will not bore into the wood which has been smeared with the +seal-tar. The counsel and advice of most of the men was to ship into +the boat as many men as it would hold. Now, when that was tried, the +boat held not more than half the men. Then Bjarni advised that it +should be decided by the casting of lots, and not by the rank of the +men, which of them should go into the boat; and inasmuch as every man +there wished to go into the boat, though it could not hold all of +them; therefore, they accepted the plan to cast lots who should leave +the ship for the boat. And the lot so fell that Bjarni, and nearly +half the men with him, were chosen for the boat. So then those left +the ship and went into the boat who had been chosen by lot so to do. +And when the men were come into the boat, a young man, an Icelander, +who had been a fellow-traveller of Bjarni, said, “Dost thou intend, +Bjarni, to separate thyself here from me.” “It must needs be so now,” +Bjarni answered. He replied, “Because, in such case, thou didst not so +promise me when I set out from Iceland with thee from the homestead of +my father.” Bjarni answered, “I do not, however, see here any other +plan; but what plan dost thou suggest?” He replied, “I propose this +plan, that we two make a change in our places, and thou come here and +I will go there.” Bjarni answered, “So shall it be; and this I see, +that thou labourest willingly for life, and that it seems to thee a +grievous thing to face death.” Then they changed places. The man went +into the boat, and Bjarni back into the ship; and it is said that +Bjarni perished there in the Worm-sea, and they who were with him in +the ship; but the boat and those who were in it went on their journey +until they reached land, and told this story afterwards. + +15. The next summer Karlsefni set out for Iceland, and Snorri with +him, and went home to his house in Reynines. His mother considered +that he had made a shabby match, and she was not at home the first +winter. But when she found that Gudrid was a lady without peer, she +went home, and their intercourse was happy. The daughter of Snorri, +Karlsefni's son, was Hallfrid, mother of Bishop Thorlak, the son of +Runolf. (Hallfrid and Runolf) had a son, whose name was Thorbjorn; his +daughter was Thorun, mother of Bishop Bjarn. Thorgeir was the name of +a son of Snorri, Karlsefni's son; he was father of Yngvild, the mother +of the first Bishop Brand. And here ends this story. + +(This translation is made from the version of the Saga printed in Dr. +Gudbrand Vigfusson's _Icelandic Prose Reader_. The passages in square +brackets are taken from the Hauks-bok version given in _Antiquitates +Americanæ_. It may be mentioned here that Carl Christian Rafn and the +other Danish scholars who edited this elaborate work have concluded +that Kjalarnes is the modern Cape Cod, Straumsfjordr is Buzzard's Bay, +Straumsey is Martha's Vineyard, and Hop is on the shores of Mount Haup +Bay, into which the river Taunton flows. + +English readers of Icelandic owe a large debt to Dr. Vigfusson for his +labours in the cause of Icelandic literature. The great _Dictionary_, +the _Sturlunga Saga_, and the _Prose Reader_, together make an undying +claim on our gratitude; and yet they only show how very much more is +still to be done. May we hope that Dr. Vigfusson will not cease from +his labours until he has put forth a large instalment of the series +which he has sketched in the able introduction to the _Sturlunga_, p. +ccix.; and that the Delegates of the Clarendon Press will continue +generously to appreciate his eager, scholarly, and laborious +enthusiasm.) + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Eirik the Red's Saga, by Anonymous + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EIRIK THE RED'S SAGA *** + +***** This file should be named 17946-0.txt or 17946-0.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/7/9/4/17946/ + +Produced by National Library of Iceland and Cornell +University Library via www.sagnanet.is, Jóhannes Birgir +Jensson, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team of Distributed Proofreaders Europe at +http://dp.rastko.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Eirik the Red's Saga + +Author: Anonymous + +Translator: John Sephton + +Release Date: March 8, 2006 [EBook #17946] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EIRIK THE RED'S SAGA *** + + + + +Produced by National Library of Iceland and Cornell +University Library via www.sagnanet.is, Jhannes Birgir +Jensson, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team of Distributed Proofreaders Europe at +http://dp.rastko.net + + + + + + + + + + EIRIK THE RED'S SAGA: + + A TRANSLATION + + + + READ BEFORE THE + LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY + OF LIVERPOOL, + + JANUARY 12TH, 1880, + + + + BY + THE REV. J. SEPHTON. + + + + + LIVERPOOL: + D. MARPLES & CO., LIMITED, MELVILL CHAMBERS. + + 1880. + + + + +CONTENTS. + + +1. How Vifil, Gudrid's grandfather, came to Iceland. + +2. Of Eirik the Red, and his discovery of Greenland. + +3. Gudrid's parentage, and the emigration of her father, Thorbjorn, +and his family to Greenland. + +4. Eirik's family, and his son Leif's discovery of Vinland. + +5. Gudrid marries Thorstein, son of Eirik the Red. [Sickness and +death of Thorstein.] + +6. Gudrid marries Karlsefni. + +7. Karlsefni's expedition to Vinland. The first winter is passed at +Straumsfjordr. + +8. Fate of Thorhall the Sportsman. + +9. The second winter is passed at Hop. + +10. Dealings with the Skroelingar. + +11. Fight with the Skroelingar. + +12. Return to Straumsfjordr. + +13. The slaying of Thorvald by a One-footer. The colonists return +to Greenland after passing the third winter at Straumsfjordr. + +14. Heroic magnanimity and fate of Bjarni. + +15. Gudrid's descendants. + + + + +[Olaf, who was called Olaf the White, was styled a warrior king. He +was the son of King Ingjald, the son of Helgi, the son of Olaf, the +son of Gudred, the son of Halfdan Whiteleg, king of the Uplands (in +Norway). He led a harrying expedition of sea-rovers into the west, and +conquered Dublin, in Ireland, and Dublinshire, over which he made +himself king. He married Aud the Deep-minded, daughter of Ketil +Flatnose, son of Bjorn the Ungartered, a noble man from Norway. Their +son was named Thorstein the Red. Olaf fell in battle in Ireland, and +then Aud and Thorstein went into the Sudreyjar (the Hebrides). There +Thorstein married Thorid, daughter of Eyvind the Easterling, sister of +Helgi the Lean; and they had many children. Thorstein became a warrior +king, and formed an alliance with Earl Sigurd the Great, son of +Eystein the Rattler. They conquered Caithness, Sutherland, Ross, and +Moray, and more than half Scotland. Over these Thorstein was king +until the Scots plotted against him, and he fell there in battle. Aud +was in Caithness when she heard of Thorstein's death. Then she caused +a merchant-ship to be secretly built in the wood, and when she was +ready, directed her course out into the Orkneys. There she gave in +marriage Thorstein the Red's daughter, Gro, who became mother of +Grelad, whom Earl Thorfinn, the Skullcleaver, married. Afterwards Aud +set out to seek Iceland, having twenty free men in her ship. Aud came +to Iceland, and passed the first winter in Bjarnarhofn (Bjornshaven) +with her brother Bjorn. Afterwards she occupied all the Dale country +between the Dogurdara (day-meal river) and the Skraumuhlaupsa (river +of the giantess's leap), and dwelt at Hvamm. She had prayer meetings +at Krossholar (Crosshills), where she caused crosses to be erected, +for she was baptised and deeply devoted to the faith. There came with +her to Iceland many men worthy of honour, who had been taken captive +in sea-roving expeditions to the west, and who were called bondmen. +One of these was named Vifil; he was a man of high family, and had +been taken captive beyond the western main, and was also called a +bondman before Aud set him free. And when Aud granted dwellings to her +ship's company, Vifil asked why she gave no abode to him like unto the +others. Aud replied, "That it was of no moment to him, for," she said, +"he would be esteemed in whatever place he was, as one worthy of +honour." She gave him Vifilsdalr (Vifilsdale), and he dwelt there and +married. His sons were Thorbjorn and Thorgeir, promising men, and they +grew up in their father's house. + +2. There was a man named Thorvald, the son of Asvald, the son of Ulf, +the son of Yxna-Thoris. His son was named Eirik. Father and son +removed from Jadar (in Norway) to Iceland, because of manslaughters, +and occupied land in Hornstrandir, and dwelt at Drangar. There +Thorvald died, and Eirik then married Thjodhild, daughter of Jorund, +the son of Atli, and of Thorbjorg the Ship-breasted, whom afterwards +Thorbjorn, of the Haukadalr (Hawkdale) family, married; he it was who +dwelt at Eiriksstadr after Eirik removed from the north. It is near +Vatzhorn. Then did Eirik's thralls cause a landslip on the estate of +Valthjof, at Valthjofsstadr. Eyjolf the Foul, his kinsman, slew the +thralls beside Skeidsbrekkur (slopes of the race-course), above +Vatzhorn. In return Eirik slew Eyjolf the Foul; he slew also Hrafn the +Dueller, at Leikskalar (playbooths). Gerstein, and Odd of Jorfi, +kinsman of Eyjolf, were found willing to follow up his death by a +legal prosecution; and then was Eirik banished from Haukadalr. He +occupied then Brokey and Eyxney, and dwelt at Tradir, in Sudrey, the +first winter. At this time did he lend to Thorgest pillars for +seat-stocks, Afterwards Eirik removed into Eyxney, and dwelt at +Eiriksstadr. He then claimed his pillars, and got them not. Then went +Eirik and fetched the pillars from Breidabolstadr, and Thorgest went +after him. They fought at a short distance from the hay-yard at +Drangar, and there fell two sons of Thorgest, and some other men. +After that they both kept a large body of men together. Styr gave +assistance to Eirik, as also did Eyjolf, of Sviney, Thorbjorn +Vifilsson, and the sons of Thorbrand, of Alptafjordr (Swanfirth). But +the sons of Thord Gellir, as also Thorgeir, of Hitardalr (Hotdale), +Aslak, of Langadalr (Longdale), and Illugi, his son, gave assistance +to Thorgest. Eirik and his people were outlawed at Thorsnes Thing. He +prepared a ship in Eiriksvagr (creek), and Eyjolf concealed him in +Dimunarvagr while Thorgest and his people sought him among the +islands. Eirik said to his people that he purposed to seek for the +land which Gunnbjorn, the son of Ulf the Crow, saw when he was driven +westwards over the ocean, and discovered Gunnbjarnarsker (Gunnbjorn's +rock or skerry). He promised that he would return to visit his friends +if he found the land. Thorbjorn, and Eyjolf, and Styr accompanied +Eirik beyond the islands. They separated in the most friendly manner, +Eirik saying that he would be of the like assistance to them, if he +should be able so to be, and they should happen to need him. Then he +sailed oceanwards under Snoefellsjokull (snow mountain glacier), and +arrived at the glacier called Blaserkr (Blue-shirt); thence he +journeyed south to see if there were any inhabitants of the country. +He passed the first winter at Eiriksey, near the middle, of the +Vestribygd (western settlement). The following spring he proceeded to +Eiriksfjordr, and fixed his abode there. During the summer he +proceeded into the unpeopled districts in the west, and was there a +long time, giving names to the places far and wide. The second winter +he passed in Eiriksholmar (isles), off Hvarfsgnupr (peak of +disappearance, Cape Farewell); and the third summer he went altogether +northwards, to Snoefell and into Hrafnsfjordr (Ravensfirth); +considering then that he had come to the head of Eiriksfjordr, he +turned back, and passed the third winter in Eiriksey, before the mouth +of Eiriksfjordr. Now, afterwards, during the summer, he proceeded to +Iceland, and came to Breidafjordr (Broadfirth). This winter he was +with Ingolf, at Holmlatr (Island-litter). During the spring, Thorgest +and he fought, and Eirik met with defeat. After that they were +reconciled. In the summer Eirik went to live in the land which he had +discovered, and which he called Greenland, "Because," said he, "men +will desire much the more to go there if the land has a good name."] + +3. Thorgeir Vifilsson married, and took to wife Arnora, daughter of +Einar, from Laugarbrekka (the slope of the hot spring), the son of +Sigmund, the eon of Ketil-Thistil, who had occupied Thistilsfjordr. +The second daughter of Einar was named Hallveig. Thorbjorn Vifilsson +took her to wife, and received with her the land of Laugarbrekka, at +Hellisvollr (the cave-hill). To that spot Thorbjorn removed his abode, +and became great and worshipful. He was the temple-priest, and had a +magnificent estate. Thorbjorn's daughter was Gudrid, the fairest of +women, and of peerless nobility in all her conduct. There was a man +named Orm, who dwelt at Arnarstapi (eagle-rock), and he had a wife who +was named Halldis. He was a well-to-do franklin, a great friend of +Thorbjorn, and Gudrid lived at his house as his foster-child for a +long time. There was a man named Thorgeir, who dwelt at Thorgeirsfjall +(fell). He was mighty rich in cattle, and had been made a freedman. He +had a son, whose name was Einar, a handsome man, well mannered, and a +great dandy. Einar, at this time, was a travelling merchant, sailing +from land to land with great success; and he always passed his winter +either in Iceland or in Norway. Now after this, I have to tell how +that one autumn, when Einar was in Iceland, he proceeded with his +wares along Snoefellsnes, with the object of selling; he came to +Arnarstapi; Orm invited him to stay there, and Einar accepted his +invitation, because there was friendship between him and Orm's people, +and his wares were earned into a certain outhouse. There he unpacked +his merchandise, showed it to Orm and the housemen, and bade Orm take +therefrom such things as he would. Orm accepted the offer, and +pronounced Einar to be a goodly gallant traveller, and a great +favourite of fortune. When now they were busy with the wares, a woman +passed before the door of the outhouse; and Einar inquired of Orm who +that fair woman might be, passing before the door. "I have not seen +her here before," said he. "That is Gudrid, my foster-child," said +Orm, "daughter of Thorbjorn the franklin, from Laugarbrekka." "She +must be a good match," said Einar; "surely she has not been without +suitors who have made proposals for her, has she?" Orm answered, +"Proposals have certainly been made, friend, but this treasure is not +to be had for the picking up; it is found that she will be particular +in her choice, as well as also her father." "Well, in spite of that," +quoth Einar, "she is the woman whom I have it in my mind to propose +for, and I wish that in this suit of mine you approach her father on +my part, and apply yourself to plead diligently[A] for me, for which +I shall pay you in return a perfect friendship. The franklin, +Thorbjorn, may reflect that our families would be suitably joined in +the bonds of affinity; for he is a man in a position of great honour, +and owns a fine abode, but his personal property, I am told, is +greatly on the decrease; neither I nor my father lack lands or +personal property; and if this alliance should be brought about, the +greatest assistance would accrue to Thorbjorn." Then answered Orm, "Of +a surety I consider myself to be thy friend, and yet am I not willing +to bring forward this suit, for Thorbjorn is of a proud mind, and +withal a very ambitious man." Einar replied that he desired no other +thing than that his offer of marriage should be made known. Orm then +consented to undertake his suit, and Einar journeyed south again until +he came home. A while after, Thorbjorn had a harvest-feast, as he was +bound to have because of his great rank. There were present Orm, from +Arnarstapi, and many other friends of Thorbjorn. Orm entered into +conversation with Thorbjorn, and told him how that Einar had lately +been to see him from Thorgeirsfjall, and was become a promising man. +He now began the wooing on behalf of Einar, and said that an alliance +between the families would be very suitable on account of certain +interests. "There may arise to thee, franklin," he said, "great +assistance in thy means from this alliance." But Thorbjorn answered, +"I did not expect the like proposal from thee, that I should give my +daughter in marriage to the son of a thrall. And so thou perceivest +that my substance is decreasing; well, then, my daughter shall not go +home with thee, since thou considerest her worthy of so poor a match." +Then went Orm home again, and each of the other guests to his own +household, and Gudrid remained with her father, and stayed at home +that winter. + +[Footnote A: The word "alendu" is a difficulty. Perhaps we ought to +read "allidnu," or "allidinu."] + +Now, in the spring, Thorbjorn made a feast to his friends, and a +goodly banquet was prepared. There came many guests, and the banquet +was of the best. Now, at the banquet, Thorbjorn called for a hearing, +and thus spake:--"Here have I dwelt a long time. I have experienced +the goodwill of men and their affection towards me, and I consider +that our dealings with one another have been mutually agreeable. But +now do my money matters begin to bring me uneasiness, although to this +time my condition has not been reckoned contemptible. I wish, +therefore, to break up my household before I lose my honour; to remove +from the country before I disgrace my family. So now I purpose to look +after the promises of Eirik the Red, my friend, which he made when we +separated at Breidafjordr. I purpose to depart for Greenland in the +summer, if events proceed as I could wish." These tidings about this +design appeared to the guests to be important, for Thorbjorn had long +been beloved by his friends. They felt that he would only have made so +public a declaration that it might be held of no avail to attempt to +dissuade him from his purpose. Thorbjorn distributed gifts among the +guests, and then the feast was brought to an end, and they departed to +their own homesteads. Thorbjorn sold his lands, and bought a ship +which had been laid up on shore at the mouth of the Hraunhofn (harbour +of the lava field). Thirty men ventured on the expedition with him. +There was Orm, from Arnarstapi, and his wife, and those friends of +Thorbjorn who did not wish to be separated from him. Then they +launched the ship, and set sail with a favourable wind. But when they +came out into the open sea the favourable wind ceased, and they +experienced great gales, and made but an ill-sped voyage throughout +the summer. In addition to that trouble, there came fever upon the +expedition, and Orm died, and Halldis, his wife, and half the +company. Then the sea waxed rougher, and they endured much toil and +misery in many ways, and only reached Herjolfsnes, in Greenland, at +the very beginning of winter. There dwelt at Herjolfsnes the man who +was called Thorkell. He was a useful man and most worthy franklin. He +received Thorbjorn and all his ship's company for the winter, +assisting them in right noble fashion. This pleased Thorbjorn well and +his companions in the voyage. + +At that time there was a great dearth in Greenland; those who had been +out on fishing expeditions had caught little, and some had not +returned. There was in the settlement the woman whose name was +Thorbjorg. She was a prophetess (spae-queen), and was called +Litilvolva (little sybil). She had had nine sisters, and they were all +spae-queens, and she was the only one now living. It was a custom of +Thorbjorg, in the winter time, to make a circuit, and people invited +her to their houses, especially those who had any curiosity about the +season, or desired to know their fate; and inasmuch as Thorkell was +chief franklin thereabouts, he considered that it concerned him to +know when the scarcity which overhung the settlement should cease. He +invited, therefore, the spae-queen to his house, and prepared for her +a hearty welcome, as was the custom whereever a reception was accorded +a woman of this kind. A high seat was prepared for her, and a cushion +laid thereon in which were poultry-feathers. Now, when she came in the +evening, accompanied by the man who had been sent to meet her, she was +dressed in such wise that she had a blue mantle over her, with strings +for the neck, and it was inlaid with gems quite down to the skirt. On +her neck she had glass beads. On her head she had a black hood of +lambskin, lined with ermine. A staff she had in her hand, with a knob +thereon; it was ornamented with brass, and inlaid with gems round +about the knob. Around her she wore a girdle of soft hair, and therein +was a large skin-bag, in which she kept the talismans needful to her +in her wisdom. She wore hairy calf-skin shoes on her feet, with long +and strong-looking thongs to them, and great knobs of latten at the +ends. On her hands she had gloves of ermine-skin, and they were white +and hairy within. Now, when she entered, all men thought it their +bounden duty to offer her becoming greetings, and these she received +according as the men were agreeable to her. The franklin Thorkell took +the wise-woman by the hand, and led her to the seat prepared for her. +He requested her to cast her eyes over his herd, his household, and +his homestead. She remained silent altogether. During the evening the +tables were set; and now I must tell you what food was made ready for +the spae-queen. There was prepared for her porridge of kid's milk, and +hearts of all kinds of living creatures there found were cooked for +her. She had a brazen spoon, and a knife with a handle of walrus-tusk, +which was mounted with two rings of brass, and the point of it was +broken off. When the tables were removed, the franklin Thorkell +advanced to Thorbjorg and asked her how she liked his homestead, or +the appearance of the men; or how soon she would ascertain that which +he had asked, and which the men desired to know. She replied that she +would not give answer before the morning, after she had slept there +for the night. And when the (next) day was far spent, the preparations +were made for her which she required for the exercise of her +enchantments. She begged them to bring to her those women who were +acquainted with the lore needed for the exercise of the enchantments, +and which is known by the name of Weird-songs, but no such women came +forward. Then was search made throughout the homestead if any woman +were so learned. Then answered Gudrid, "I am not skilled in deep +learning, nor am I a wise-woman, although Halldis, my foster-mother, +taught me, in Iceland, the lore which she called Weird-songs." "Then +art thou wise in good season," answered Thorbjorg; but Gudrid replied, +"That lore and the ceremony are of such a kind, that I purpose to be +of no assistance therein, because I am a Christian woman." Then +answered Thorbjorg, "Thou mightest perchance afford thy help to the +men in this company, and yet be none the worse woman than thou wast +before; but to Thorkell give I charge to provide here the things that +are needful." Thorkell thereupon urged Gudrid to consent, and she +yielded to his wishes. The women formed a ring round about, and +Thorbjorg ascended the scaffold and the seat prepared for her +enchantments. Then sang Gudrid the weird-song in so beautiful and +excellent a manner, that to no one there did it seem that he had ever +before heard the song in voice so beautiful as now. The spae-queen +thanked her for the song. "Many spirits," said she, "have been present +under its charm, and were pleased to listen to the song, who before +would turn away from us, and grant us no such homage. And now are many +things clear to me which before were hidden both from me and others. +And I am able this to say, that the dearth will last no longer--the +season improving as spring advances. The epidemic of fever which has +long oppressed us will disappear quicker than we could have hoped. And +thee, Gudrid, will I recompense straightway, for that aid of thine +which has stood us in good stead; because thy destiny is now clear to +me, and foreseen. Thou shalt make a match here in Greenland, a most +honourable one, though it will not be a long-lived one for thee, +because thy way lies out to Iceland; and there, shall arise from thee +a line of descendants both numerous and goodly, and over the branches +of thy family shall shine a bright ray. And so fare thee now well and +happily, my daughter." Afterwards the men went to the wise-woman, and +each enquired after what he was most curious to know. She was also +liberal of her replies, and what she said proved true. After this came +one from another homestead after her, and she then went there. +Thorbjorn was invited, because he did not wish to remain at home while +such heathen worship was performing. The weather soon improved when +once spring began, as Thorbjorg had said, Thorbjorn made ready his +ship, and went on until he came to Brattahlid (the steep slope). Eirik +received him with the utmost cordiality, saying he had done well to +come there. Thorbjorn and his family were with him during the winter. +And in the following spring Eirik gave to Thorbjorn land at Stokknes, +and handsome farm buildings were there built for him, and he dwelt +there afterwards. + +4. Eirik had a wife who was named Thjodhild, and two sons; the one was +named Thorstein, and the other Leif. These sons of Eirik were both +promising men. Thorstein was then at home with his father; and there +was at that time no man in Greenland who was thought so highly of as +he. Leif had sailed to Norway, and was there with King Olaf +Tryggvason. Now, when Leif sailed from Greenland during the summer, he +and his men were driven out of their course to the Sudreyjar. They +were slow in getting a favourable wind from this place, and they +stayed there a long time during the summer ... reaching Norway about +harvest-tide. He joined the body-guard of King Olaf Tryggvason, and +the king formed an excellent opinion of him, and it appeared to him +that Leif was a well-bred man. Once upon a time the king entered into +conversation with Leif, and asked him, "Dost thou purpose sailing to +Greenland in summer?" Leif answered, "I should wish so to do, if it +is your will." The king replied, "I think it may well be so; thou +shalt go my errand, and preach Christianity in Greenland." Leif said +that he was willing to undertake it, but that, for himself, he +considered that message a difficult one to proclaim in Greenland. But +the king said that he knew no man who was better fitted for the work +than he. "And thou shalt carry," said he, "good luck with thee in it." +"That can only be," said Leif, "if I carry yours with me." Leif set +sail as soon as he was ready. He was tossed about a long time out at +sea, and lighted upon lands of which before he had no expectation. +There were fields of wild wheat, and the vine-tree in full growth. +There were also the trees which were called maples; and they gathered +of all this certain tokens; some trunks so large that they were used +in house-building. Leif came upon men who had been shipwrecked, and +took them home with him, and gave them sustenance during the winter. +Thus did he show his great munificence and his graciousness when he +brought Christianity to the land, and saved the shipwrecked crew. He +was called Leif the Lucky. Leif reached land in Eiriksfjordr, and +proceeded home to Brattahlid. The people received him gladly. He soon +after preached Christianity and catholic truth throughout the land, +making known to the people the message of King Olaf Tryggvason; and +declaring how many renowned deeds and what great glory accompanied +this faith. Eirik took coldly to the proposal to forsake his religion, +but his wife, Thjodhild, promptly yielded, and caused a church to be +built not very near the houses. The building was called Thjodhild's +Church; in that spot she offered her prayers, and so did those men who +received Christ, and they were many. After she accepted the faith, +Thjodhild would have no intercourse with Eirik, and this was a great +trial to his temper. + +After this there was much talk about making ready to go to the land +which Leif had discovered. Thorstein, Eirik's son, was chief mover in +this, a worthy man, wise and much liked. Eirik was also asked to go, +and they believed that his luck and foresight would be of the highest +use. He was [for a long time against it, but did not say nay], when +his friends exhorted him to go. They made ready the ship which +Thorbjorn had brought there, and there were twenty men who undertook +to start in her. They had little property, but chiefly weapons and +food. On the morning when Eirik left home he took a little box, which +had in it gold and silver; he hid the money, and then went forth on +his journey. He had proceeded, however, but a little way, when he fell +from his horse, and broke his ribs and injured his shoulder, and cried +out, "Aiai!" At this accident he sent word to his wife that she should +take away the money that he had hidden, declaring his misfortune to be +a penalty paid on account of having hid the money. Afterwards they +sailed away out of Eiriksfjordr with gladness, as their plan seemed to +promise success. They were driven about for a long time on the open +sea, and came not into the track which they desired. They came in +sight of Iceland, and also met with birds from the coast of Ireland. +Then was their ship tossed to and fro on the sea. They returned about +harvest-tide, worn out by toil and much exhausted, and reached +Eiriksfjordr at the beginning of winter. Then spake Eirik, "You were +in better spirits in the summer, when you went forth out of the firth, +than you are in now, and yet for all that there is much to be thankful +for." Thorstein replied, "It is a chieftain's duty now to look after +some arrangement for these men who are without shelter, and to find +them food." Eirik answered, "That is an ever-true saying, 'You know +not until you have got your answer.' I will now take thy counsel about +this." All those who had no other abodes were to go with the father +and the son. Then came they to land, and went forth home. + +5. Now, after this, I have to tell you how Thorstein, Eirik's son, +began wooing Gudrid, Thorbjorn's daughter. To his proposals a +favourable answer was given, both by the maid herself, and also by her +father. The marriage was also arranged, so that Thorstein went to take +possession of his bride, and the bridal feast was held at Brattahlid +in the autumn. The banquet went off well, and was numerously attended. +Thorstein owned a homestead in the Vestribygd on the estate known as +Lysufjordr (shining firth). The man who was called Thorstein owned the +other half of the homestead. His wife was called Sigrid. Thorstein +went, during the autumn, to Lysufjordr, to his namesake, both he and +Gudrid. Their reception was a welcome one. They were there during the +winter. When little of the winter was past, the event happened there +that fever broke out on their estate. The overseer of the work was +named Garth. He was an unpopular man. He took the fever first and +died. Afterwards, and with but little intermission, one took the fever +after another and died. Then Thorstein, Eirik's son, fell ill, and +also Sigrid, the wife of his namesake Thorstein. [And one evening +Sigrid left the house, and rested awhile opposite the outer door; and +Gudrid accompanied her; and they looked back towards the outer door, +and Sigrid screamed out aloud. Gudrid said, "We have come forth +unwarily, and thou canst in no wise withstand the cold; let us even go +home as quickly as possible." "It is not safe as matters are," +answered Sigrid. "There is all that crowd of dead people before the +door; Thorstein, thy husband, also, and myself, I recognise among +them, and it is a grief thus to behold." And when this passed away, +she said, "Let us now go, Gudrid; I see the crowd no longer." +Thorstein, Eirik's son, had also disappeared from her sight; he had +seemed to have a whip in his hand, and to wish to smite the ghostly +troop. Afterwards they went in, and before morning came she was dead, +and a coffin was prepared for the body. Now, the same day, the men +purposed to go out fishing, and Thorstein led them to the landing +places, and in the early morning he went to see what they had caught. +Then Thorstein, Eirik's son, sent word to his namesake to come to him, +saying that matters at home were hardly quiet; that the housewife was +endeavouring to rise to her feet and to get under the clothes beside +him. And when he was come in she had risen upon the edge of the bed. +Then took he her by the hands and laid a pole-axe upon her breast. +Thorstein, Eirik's son, died near nightfall. Thorstein, the franklin, +begged Gudrid to lie down and sleep, saying that he would watch over +the body during the night. So she did, and when a little of the night +was past, Thorstein, Eirik's son, sat up and spake, saying he wished +Gudrid to be called to him, and that he wished to speak with her. "God +wills," he said, "that this hour be given to me for my own, and the +further completion of my plan." Thorstein, the franklin, went to find +Gudrid, and waked her; begged her to cross herself, and to ask God for +help, and told her what Thorstein, Eirik's son, had spoken with him; +"and he wishes," said he, "to meet with thee. Thou art obliged to +consider what plan thou wilt adopt, because I can in this issue advise +thee in nowise." She answered, "It may be that this, this wonderful +thing, has regard to certain matters, which are afterwards to be had +in memory; and I hope that God's keeping will test upon me, and I +will, with God's grace, undertake the risk and go to him, and know +what he will say, for I shall not be able to escape if harm must +happen to me. I am far from wishing that he should go elsewhere; I +suspect, moreover, that the matter will be a pressing one." Then went +Gudrid and saw Thorstein. He appeared to her as if shedding tears. He +spake in her ear, in a low voice, certain words which she alone might +know; but this he said so that all heard, "That those men would be +blessed who held the true faith, and that all salvation and mercy +accompanied it; and that many, nevertheless, held it lightly." "It +is," said he, "no good custom which has prevailed here in Greenland +since Christianity came, to bury men in unconsecrated ground with few +religious rites over them. I wish for myself, and for those other men +who have died, to be taken to the church; but for Garth, I wish him to +be burned on a funeral pile as soon as may be, for he is the cause of +all those ghosts which have been among us this winter." He spake to +Gudrid also about her own state, saying that her destiny would be a +great one, and begged her to beware of marrying Greenland men. He +begged her also to pay over their property to the Church and some to +the poor; and then he sank down for the second time.] It had been a +custom in Greenland, after Christianity was brought there, to bury men +in unconsecrated ground on the farms where they died. An upright stake +was placed over a body, and when the priests came afterwards to the +place, then was the stake pulled out, consecrated water poured +therein, and a funeral service held, though it might be long after the +burial. The bodies were removed to the church in Eiriksfjordr, and +funeral services held by the priests. After that died Thorbjorn. The +whole property then went to Gudrid. Eirik received her into his +household, and looked well after her stores. + +6. There was a man named Thorfinn Karlsefni, son of Thord Horsehead, +who dwelt in the north (of Iceland), at Reynines in Skagafjordr, as it +is now called. Karlsefni was a man of good family, and very rich. His +mother's name was Thorun. He engaged in trading journeys, and seemed a +goodly, bold, and gallant traveller. One summer Karlsefni prepared his +ship, intending to go to Greenland. Snorri, Thorbrand's son, from +Alptafjordr, resolved to travel with him, and there were thirty men in +the company. There was a man named Bjarni, Grimolf's son, a man of +Breidafjordr (Broadfirth); another called Thorhall, son of Gamli, a +man from the east of Iceland. They prepared their ship the very same +summer as Karlsefni, with intent also to go to Greenland. They had in +the ship forty men. The two ships launched out into the open sea as +soon as they were ready. It is not recorded how long a voyage they +had. But, after this, I have to tell you that both these ships came to +Eiriksfjordr about autumn. Eirik rode down to the ships with other men +of the land, and a market-fair was promptly instituted. The captains +invited Gudrid to take such of the merchandise as she wished, and +Eirik displayed on his part much magnificence in return, inasmuch as +he invited both these ships' companies home with him to pass the +winter in Brattahlid. The merchants accepted the invitation, and went +home with Eirik. Afterwards their merchandise was removed to +Brattahlid, where a good and large outhouse was not lacking in which +to store the goods. The merchants were well pleased to stay with Eirik +during the winter. When now Yule was drawing nigh, Eirik began to look +more gloomy than he was wont to be. Presently Karlsefni entered into +conversation with him, and said, "Art thou in trouble, Eirik? it +appears to me that thou art somewhat more taciturn than thou hast +been; still thou helpest us with much liberality, and we are bound to +reward thee according as we have means thereto. Say now what causes +thy cheerlessness." Eirik answered, "You receive hospitality well, and +like worthy men. Now, I have no mind that our intercourse together +should be expensive to you; but so it is, that it will seem to me an +ill thing if it is heard that you never spent a worse Yule than this, +just now beginning, when Eirik the Red entertained you at Brattahlid, +in Greenland." Karlsefni answered, "It must not come to such a pass; +we have in our ships malt, meal, and corn, and you have right and +title to take therefrom whatever you wish, and to make your +entertainment such as consorts with your munificence." And Eirik +accepted the offer. Then was preparation made for the Yule-feast, and +so magnificent was it that the men thought they had scarcely ever seen +so grand a feast. And after Yule, Karlsefni broached to Eirik the +subject of a marriage with Gudrid, which he thought might be under +Eirik's control, and the woman appeared to him to be both beautiful +and of excellent understanding. Eirik answered and said, that for his +part he would willingly undertake his suit, and said, moreover, that +she was worthy of a good match. It is also likely, he thought, that +she will be following out her destiny, should she be given to him; +and, moreover, the report which comes to me of him is good. The +proposals were now laid before her, and she allowed the marriage with +her to be arranged which Eirik wished to promote. However, I will not +now speak at length how this marriage took place; the Yule festival +was prolonged and made into a marriage-feast. Great joy was there in +Brattahlid during the winter. Much playing at backgammon and telling +of stories went on, and many things were done that ministered to the +comfort of the household. + +7. During this time much talk took place in Brattahlid about making +ready to go to Vinland the Good, and it was asserted that they would +there find good choice lands. The discourse came to such conclusion +that Karlsefni and Snorri prepared their ship, with the intention of +seeking Vinland during the summer. Bjarni and Thorhall ventured on the +same expedition, with their ship and the retinue which had accompanied +them. [There was a man named Thorvard; he married Freydis, natural +daughter of Eirik the Red; he set out with them likewise, as also +Thorvald, a son of Eirik.] There was a man named Thorvald; he was a +son-in-law[B] of Eirik the Red. Thorhall was called the Sportsman; he +had for a long time been Eirik's companion in hunting and fishing +expeditions during the summers, and many things had been committed to +his keeping. Thorhall was a big man, dark, and of gaunt appearance; +rather advanced in years, overbearing in temper, of melancholy mood, +silent at all times, underhand in his dealings, and withal given to +abuse, and always inclined towards the worst. He had kept himself +aloof from the true faith when it came to Greenland. He was but little +encompassed with the love of friends, but yet Eirik had long held +conversation with him. He went in the ship with Thorvald and his man, +because he was widely acquainted with the unpeopled districts. They +had the ship which Thorbjorn had brought to Greenland, and they +ventured on the expedition with Karlsefni and the others; and most of +them in this ship were Greenlanders. There were one hundred and sixty +men in their ships. They sailed away from land; then to the Vestribygd +and to Bjarneyjar (the Bear Islands). Thence they sailed away from +Bjarneyjar with northerly winds. They were out at sea two half-days. +Then they came to land, and rowed along it in boats, and explored it, +and found there flat stones, many and so great that two men might well +lie on them stretched on their backs with heel to heel. Polar-foxes +were there in abundance. This land they gave name to, and called it +Helluland (stone-land). Then they sailed with northerly winds two +half-days, and there was then land before them, and on it a great +forest and many wild beasts. An island lay in the south-east off the +land, and they found bears thereon, and called the island Bjarney +(Bear Island); but the mainland, where the forest was, they called +Markland (forest-land). Then, when two half-days were passed, they saw +land, and sailed under it. There was a cape to which they came. They +cruised along the land, leaving it on the starboard side. There was a +harbourless coast-land, and long sandy strands. They went to the land +in boats, and found the keel of a ship, and called the place +Kjalar-nes (Keelness). They gave also name to the strands, calling +them Furdustrandir (wonder-shore), because it was tedious to sail by +them. Then the coast became indented with creeks, and they directed +their ships along the creeks. Now, before this, when Leif was with +King Olaf Tryggvason, and the king had requested him to preach +Christianity in Greenland, he gave him two Scotch people, the man +called Haki, and the woman called Hkja. The king requested Leif to +have recourse to these people if ever he should want fleetness, +because they were swifter than wild beasts. Eirik and Leif had got +these people to go with Karlsefni. Now, when they had sailed by +Furdustrandir, they put the Scotch people on land, and requested them +to run into the southern regions, seek for choice land, and come back +after three half-days[C] were passed. They were dressed in such wise +that they had on the garment which they called _biafal_. It was made +with a hood at the top, open at the sides, without sleeves, and was +fastened between the legs. A button and a loop held it together there; +and elsewhere they were without clothing. Then did they cast anchors +from the ships, and lay there to wait for them. And when three days +were expired the Scotch people leapt down from the land, and one of +them had in his hand a bunch of grapes, and the other an ear of wild +wheat. + +[Footnote B: Later on in the Saga he is called a son of Eirik. The +text would appear to be somewhat corrupt here, as the passage in +square brackets from Hauks-bok seems to show.] + +[Footnote C: The word "doegr," both here and above, is translated +"half-day," though it may possibly mean a period of twenty-four +hours. It is to be noticed, however, that these Scotch people return +after three "dagar," which can only mean periods of twenty-four +hours.] + +They said to Karlsefni that they considered they had found good and +choice land. Then they received them into their ship, and proceeded on +their journey to where the shore was cut into by a firth. They +directed the ships within the firth. There was an island lying out in +front of the firth, and there were great currents around the island, +which they called Straums-ey (Stream-island). There were so many birds +on it that scarcely was it possible to put one's feet down for the +eggs. They continued their course up the firth, which they called +Straumsfjordr, and carried their cargo ashore from the ships, and +there they prepared to stay. They had with them cattle of all kinds, +and for themselves they sought out the produce of the land thereabout. +There were mountains, and the place was fair to look upon. They gave +no heed to anything except to explore the land, and they found large +pastures. They remained there during the winter, which happened to be +a hard one, with no work doing; and they were badly off for food, and +the fishing failed. Then they went out to the island, hoping that +something might be got there from fishing or from what was drifted +ashore. In that spot there was little, however, to be got for food, +but their cattle found good sustenance. After that they called upon +God, praying that He would send them some little store of meat, but +their prayer was not so soon granted as they were eager that it should +be. Thorhall disappeared from sight, and they went to seek him, and +sought for three half-days continuously. On the fourth half-day +Karlsefni and Bjarni found him on the peak of a crag. He lay with his +face to the sky, with both eyes and mouth and nostrils wide open, +clawing and pinching himself, and reciting something. They asked why +he had come there. He replied that it was of no importance; begged +them not to wonder thereat; as for himself, he had lived so long, they +needed not to take any account of him. They begged him to go home with +them, and he did so. A little while after a whale was driven ashore, +and the men crowded round it, and cut it up, and still they knew not +what kind of whale it was. Even Karlsefni recognised it not, though he +had great knowledge of whales. It was cooked by the cook-boys, and +they ate thereof; though bad effects came upon all from it afterwards. +Then began Thorhall, and said, "Has it not been that the Redbeard has +proved a better friend than your Christ? this was my gift for the +poetry which I composed about Thor, my patron; seldom has he failed +me." Now, when the men knew that, none of them would eat of it, and +they threw it down from the rocks, and turned with their supplications +to God's mercy. Then was granted to them opportunity of fishing, and +after that there was no lack of food that spring. They went back again +from the island, within Straumsfjordr, and obtained food from both +sides; from hunting on the mainland, and from gathering eggs and from +fishing on the side of the sea. + +8. When summer was at hand they discussed about their journey, and +made an arrangement. Thorhall the Sportsman wished to proceed +northwards along Furdustrandir, and off Kjalarnes, and so seek +Vinland; but Karlsefni desired to proceed southwards along the land +and away from the east, because the land appeared to him the better +the further south he went, and he thought it also more advisable to +explore in both directions. Then did Thorhall make ready for his +journey out by the islands, and there volunteered for the expedition +with him not more than nine men; but with Karlsefni there went the +remainder of the company. And one day, when Thorhall was carrying +water to his ship, he drank, and recited this verse:-- + +"The clashers of weapons did say when I came here that I should have +the best of drink (though it becomes me not to complain before the +common people). Eager God of the war-helmet! I am made to raise the +bucket; wine has not moistened my beard, rather do I kneel at the +fountain." + +Afterwards they put to sea, and Karlsefni accompanied them by the +island. Before they hoisted sail Thorhall recited a verse:-- + +"Go we back where our countrymen are. Let us make the skilled hawk of +the sand-heaven explore the broad ship-courses; while the dauntless +rousers of the sword-storm, who praise the land, and cook whale, dwell +on Furdustrandir." + +Then they left, and sailed northwards along Furdustrandir and +Kjalarnes, and attempted there to sail against a wind from the west. A +gale came upon them, however, and drove them onwards against Ireland, +and there were they severely treated, enthralled, and beaten. Then +Thorhall lost his life. + +9. Karlsefni proceeded southwards along the land, with Snorri and +Bjarni and the rest of the company. They journeyed a long while, and +until they arrived at a river, which came down from the land and fell +into a lake, and so on to the sea. There were large islands off the +mouth of the river, and they could not come into the river except at +high flood-tide. Karlsefni and his people sailed to the mouth of the +river, and called the land Hop. There they found fields of wild wheat +wherever there were low grounds; and the vine in all places were there +was rough rising ground. Every rivulet there was full of fish. They +made holes where the land and water joined and where the tide went +highest; and when it ebbed they found halibut in the holes. There was +great plenty of wild animals of every form in the wood. They were +there half a month, amusing themselves, and not becoming aware of +anything. Their cattle they had with them. And early one morning, as +they looked around, they beheld nine canoes made of hides, and +snout-like staves were being brandished from the boats, and they made +a noise like flails, and twisted round in the direction of the sun's +motion. Then Karlsefni said, "What will this betoken?" Snorri answered +him, "It may be that it is a token of peace; let us take a white +shield and go to meet them." And so they did. Then did they in the +canoes row forwards, and showed surprise at them, and came to land. +They were short men, ill-looking, with their hair in disorderly +fashion on their heads; they were large-eyed, and had broad cheeks. +And they stayed there awhile in astonishment. Afterwards they rowed +away to the south, off the headland. + +10. They had built their settlements up above the lake. And some of +the dwellings were well within the land, but some were near the lake. +Now they remained there that winter. They had no snow whatever, and +all their cattle went out to graze without keepers. Now when spring +began, they beheld one morning early, that a fleet of hide-canoes was +rowing from the south off the headland; so many were they as if the +sea were strewn with pieces of charcoal, and there was also the +brandishing of staves as before from each boat. Then they held shields +up, and a market was formed between them; and this people in their +purchases preferred red cloth; in exchange they had furs to give, and +skins quite grey. They wished also to buy swords and lances, but +Karlsefni and Snorri forbad it. They offered for the cloth dark hides, +and took in exchange a span long of cloth, and bound it round their +heads; and so matters went on for a while. But when the stock of cloth +began to grow small, then they split it asunder, so that it was not +more than a finger's breadth. The Skroelingar (Esquimaux) gave for it +still quite as much, or more than before. + +11. Now it came to pass that a bull, which belonged to Karlsefni's +people, rushed out of the wood and bellowed loudly at the same time. +The Skroelingar, frightened thereat, rushed away to their canoes, and +rowed south along the coast. There was then nothing seen of them for +three weeks together. When that time was gone by, there was seen +approaching from the south a great crowd of Skroelingar boats, coming +down upon them like a stream, the staves this time being all +brandished in the direction opposite to the sun's motion, and the +Skroelingar were all howling loudly. Then took they and bare red +shields to meet them. They encountered one another and fought, and +there was a great shower of missiles. The Skroelingar had also +war-slings, or catapults. Then Karlsefni and Snorri see that the +Skroelingar are bringing up poles, with a very large ball attached to +each, to be compared in size to a sheep's stomach, dark in colour; and +these flew over Karlsefni's company towards the land, and when they +came down they struck the ground with a hideous noise. This produced +great terror in Karlsefni and his company, so that their only impulse +was to retreat up the country along the river, because it seemed as if +crowds of Skroelingar were driving at them from all sides. And they +stopped not until they came to certain crags. There they offered them +stern resistance. Freydis came out and saw how they were retreating. +She called out, "Why run you away from such worthless creatures, stout +men that ye are, when, as seems to me likely, you might slaughter them +like so many cattle? Let me but have a weapon, I think I could fight +better than any of you." They gave no heed to what she said. Freydis +endeavoured to accompany them, still she soon lagged behind, because +she was not well; she went after them into the wood, and the +Skroelingar directed their pursuit after her. She came upon a dead man; +Thorbrand, Snorri's son, with a flat stone fixed in his head; his +sword lay beside him, so she took it up and prepared to defend herself +therewith. Then came the Skroelingar upon her. She let down her sark +and struck her breast with the naked sword. At this they were +frightened, rushed off to their boats, and fled away. Karlsefni and +the rest came up to her and praised her zeal. Two of Karlsefni's men +fell, and four of the Skroelingar, notwithstanding they had overpowered +them by superior numbers. After that, they proceeded to their booths, +and began to reflect about the crowd of men which attacked them upon +the land; it appeared to them now that the one troop will have been +that which came in the boats, and the other troop will have been a +delusion of sight. The Skroelingar also found a dead man, and his axe +lay beside him. One of them struck a stone with it, and broke the axe. +It seemed to them good for nothing, as it did not withstand the stone, +and they threw it down. + +12. [Karlsefni and his company] were now of opinion that though the +land might be choice and good, there would be always war and terror +overhanging them, from those who dwelt there before them. They made +ready, therefore, to move away, with intent to go to their own land. +They sailed forth northwards, and found five Skroelingar in jackets of +skin, sleeping [near the sea], and they had with them a chest, and in +it was marrow of animals mixed with blood; and they considered that +these must have been outlawed. They slew them. Afterwards they came to +a headland and a multitude of wild animals; and this headland appeared +as if it might be a cake of cow-dung, because the animals passed the +winter there. Now they came to Straumsfjordr, where also they had +abundance of all kinds. It is said by some that Bjarni and Freydis +remained there, and a hundred men with them, and went not further +away. But Karlsefni and Snorri journeyed southwards, and forty men +with them, and after staying no longer than scarcely two months at +Hop, had come back the same summer. Karlsefni set out with a single +ship to seek Thorhall, but the (rest of the) company remained behind. +He and his people went northwards off Kjalarnes, and were then borne +onwards towards the west, and the land lay on their larboard-side, and +was nothing but wilderness. And when they had proceeded for a long +time, there was a river which came down from the land, flowing from +the east towards the west. They directed their course within the +river's mouth, and lay opposite the southern bank. + +13. One morning Karlsefni's people beheld as it were a glittering +speak above the open space in front of them, and they shouted at it. +It stirred itself, and it was a being of the race of men that have +only one foot, and he came down quickly to where they lay. Thorvald, +son of Eirik the Red, sat at the tiller, and the One-footer shot him +with an arrow in the lower abdomen. He drew out the arrow. Then said +Thorvald, "Good land have we reached, and fat is it about the paunch." +Then the One-footer leapt away again northwards. They chased after +him, and saw him occasionally, but it seemed as if he would escape +them. He disappeared at a certain creek. Then they turned back, and +one man spake this ditty:-- + +"Our men chased (all true it is) a One-footer down to the shore; but +the wonderful man strove hard in the race....[D] Hearken, Karlsefni." + +Then they journeyed away back again northwards, and saw, as they +thought, the land of the One-footers. They wished, however, no longer +to risk their company. They conjectured the mountains to be all one +range; those, that is, which were at Hop, and those which they now +discovered; almost answering to one another; and it was the same +distance to them on both sides from Straumsfjordr. They journeyed +back, and were in Straumsfjordr the third winter. Then fell the men +greatly into backsliding. They who were wifeless pressed their claims +at the hands of those who were married. Snorri, Karlsefni's son, was +born the first autumn, and he was three winters old when they began +their journey home. Now, when they sailed from Vinland, they had a +southern wind, and reached Markland, and found five Skroelingar; one +was a bearded man, two were women, two children. Karlsefni's people +caught the children, but the others escaped and sunk down into the +earth. And they took the children with them, and taught them their +speech, and they were baptized. The children called their mother +Voetilldi, and their father Uvoegi. They said that kings ruled over the +land of the Skroelingar, one of whom was called Avalldamon, and the +other Valldidida. They said also that there were no houses, and the +people lived in caves or holes. They said, moreover, that there was a +land on the other side over against their land, and the people there +were dressed in white garments, uttered loud cries, bare long poles, +and wore fringes. This was supposed to be Hvitramannaland (whiteman's +land). Then came they to Greenland, and remained with Eirik the Red +during the winter. + +[Footnote D: in this _lacuna_ occur the words "af stopi," which Dr. +Vigfusson translates, in his notes, "over the stubbles."] + +14. Bjarni, Grimolf's son, and his men were carried into the Irish +Ocean, and came into a part where the sea was infested by ship-worms. +They did not find it out before the ship was eaten through under them; +then they debated what plan they should follow. They had a ship's boat +which was smeared with tar made of seal-fat. It is said that the +ship-worm will not bore into the wood which has been smeared with the +seal-tar. The counsel and advice of most of the men was to ship into +the boat as many men as it would hold. Now, when that was tried, the +boat held not more than half the men. Then Bjarni advised that it +should be decided by the casting of lots, and not by the rank of the +men, which of them should go into the boat; and inasmuch as every man +there wished to go into the boat, though it could not hold all of +them; therefore, they accepted the plan to cast lots who should leave +the ship for the boat. And the lot so fell that Bjarni, and nearly +half the men with him, were chosen for the boat. So then those left +the ship and went into the boat who had been chosen by lot so to do. +And when the men were come into the boat, a young man, an Icelander, +who had been a fellow-traveller of Bjarni, said, "Dost thou intend, +Bjarni, to separate thyself here from me." "It must needs be so now," +Bjarni answered. He replied, "Because, in such case, thou didst not so +promise me when I set out from Iceland with thee from the homestead of +my father." Bjarni answered, "I do not, however, see here any other +plan; but what plan dost thou suggest?" He replied, "I propose this +plan, that we two make a change in our places, and thou come here and +I will go there." Bjarni answered, "So shall it be; and this I see, +that thou labourest willingly for life, and that it seems to thee a +grievous thing to face death." Then they changed places. The man went +into the boat, and Bjarni back into the ship; and it is said that +Bjarni perished there in the Worm-sea, and they who were with him in +the ship; but the boat and those who were in it went on their journey +until they reached land, and told this story afterwards. + +15. The next summer Karlsefni set out for Iceland, and Snorri with +him, and went home to his house in Reynines. His mother considered +that he had made a shabby match, and she was not at home the first +winter. But when she found that Gudrid was a lady without peer, she +went home, and their intercourse was happy. The daughter of Snorri, +Karlsefni's son, was Hallfrid, mother of Bishop Thorlak, the son of +Runolf. (Hallfrid and Runolf) had a son, whose name was Thorbjorn; his +daughter was Thorun, mother of Bishop Bjarn. Thorgeir was the name of +a son of Snorri, Karlsefni's son; he was father of Yngvild, the mother +of the first Bishop Brand. And here ends this story. + +(This translation is made from the version of the Saga printed in Dr. +Gudbrand Vigfusson's _Icelandic Prose Reader_. The passages in square +brackets are taken from the Hauks-bok version given in _Antiquitates +American_. It may be mentioned here that Carl Christian Rafn and the +other Danish scholars who edited this elaborate work have concluded +that Kjalarnes is the modern Cape Cod, Straumsfjordr is Buzzard's Bay, +Straumsey is Martha's Vineyard, and Hop is on the shores of Mount Haup +Bay, into which the river Taunton flows. + +English readers of Icelandic owe a large debt to Dr. Vigfusson for his +labours in the cause of Icelandic literature. The great _Dictionary_, +the _Sturlunga Saga_, and the _Prose Reader_, together make an undying +claim on our gratitude; and yet they only show how very much more is +still to be done. May we hope that Dr. Vigfusson will not cease from +his labours until he has put forth a large instalment of the series +which he has sketched in the able introduction to the _Sturlunga_, p. +ccix.; and that the Delegates of the Clarendon Press will continue +generously to appreciate his eager, scholarly, and laborious +enthusiasm.) + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Eirik the Red's Saga, by Anonymous + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EIRIK THE RED'S SAGA *** + +***** This file should be named 17946-8.txt or 17946-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/7/9/4/17946/ + +Produced by National Library of Iceland and Cornell +University Library via www.sagnanet.is, Jhannes Birgir +Jensson, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team of Distributed Proofreaders Europe at +http://dp.rastko.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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J. Sephton. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- + p { margin-top: .75em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; + } + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { + text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ + clear: both; + } + hr { width: 33%; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + clear: both; + } + +a[name] {position:absolute;} + + a:link {color:#0000ff; text-decoration:none} + link {color:#0000ff; + text-decoration:none} + a:visited {color:#0000ff; + text-decoration:none} + a:hover {color:#ff0000} + + table { width:80%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;} +.tr {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; margin-top: 5%; margin-bottom: 5%; padding: 2em; background-color: #f6f2f2; color: black; border: solid black 1px;} + .tocch { text-align: right; vertical-align: top;} + .tocpg {text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;} + + body{margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; + } + + .pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ + /* visibility: hidden; */ + position: absolute; + left: 92%; + font-size: smaller; + text-align: right; + } /* page numbers */ + + + .center {text-align: center;} + .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + + + .footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} + .footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} + .footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} + .fnanchor {vertical-align: text-bottom; font-size: .8em; text-decoration: none;} + + + + // --> + /* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Eirik the Red's Saga, by Anonymous + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Eirik the Red's Saga + +Author: Anonymous + +Translator: John Sephton + +Release Date: March 8, 2006 [EBook #17946] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EIRIK THE RED'S SAGA *** + + + + +Produced by National Library of Iceland and Cornell +University Library via www.sagnanet.is, Jhannes Birgir +Jensson, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team of Distributed Proofreaders Europe at +http://dp.rastko.net + + + + + + +</pre> + + + + + + +<h1>EIRIK THE RED'S SAGA:</h1> +<p> </p> +<h4 >A TRANSLATION</h4> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<h5 >READ BEFORE THE</h5> +<p> </p> +<h3>LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY</h3> +<h3>OF LIVERPOOL,</h3> +<p> </p> +<h4 >JANUARY 12<span class="smcap">th</span>, 1880,</h4> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<h3>BY</h3> +<h2>THE REV. J. SEPHTON.</h2> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + +<h3 >LIVERPOOL:<br /> + +D. MARPLES & CO., LIMITED, MELVILL CHAMBERS.</h3> +<h3 >1880.</h3> + + +<hr style="width:65%;" /> + +<h2><span class="smcap">Contents</span>.</h2> + + + +<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >1.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_1">How Vifil, Gudrid's grandfather, came to Iceland.</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >2.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_2">Of Eirik the Red, and his discovery of Greenland.</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >3.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_3">Gudrid's parentage, and the emigration of her father, Thorbjorn, and his family to Greenland.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >4.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_4">Eirik's family, and his son Leif's discovery of Vinland.</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >5.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_5">Gudrid marries Thorstein, son of Eirik the Red. [Sickness and death of Thorstein.]</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >6.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_6">Gudrid marries Karlsefni.</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >7.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_7">Karlsefni's expedition to Vinland. The first winter is passed at Straumsfjordr.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >8.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_8">Fate of Thorhall the Sportsman.</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >9.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_9">The second winter is passed at Hop.</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >10.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_10">Dealings with the Skrœlingar.</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >11.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_11">Fight with the Skrœlingar.</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >12.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_12">Return to Straumsfjordr.</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >13.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_13">The slaying of Thorvald by a One-footer. The colonists return to Greenland after passing the third winter at Straumsfjordr.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >14.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_14">Heroic magnanimity and fate of Bjarni.</a></td> +</tr> +<tr> + <td class="tocch" >15.</td> + <td > </td> + <td > <a href="#chap_15">Gudrid's descendants.</a></td> +</tr> +</table> + +<hr style="width:65%;" /> +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p> + +<p><a name="chap_1" id="chap_1"></a>[Olaf, who was called Olaf the White, was styled a warrior king. He +was the son of King Ingjald, the son of Helgi, the son of Olaf, the +son of Gudred, the son of Halfdan Whiteleg, king of the Uplands (in +Norway). He led a harrying expedition of sea-rovers into the west, and +conquered Dublin, in Ireland, and Dublinshire, over which he made +himself king. He married Aud the Deep-minded, daughter of Ketil +Flatnose, son of Bjorn the Ungartered, a noble man from Norway. Their +son was named Thorstein the Red. Olaf fell in battle in Ireland, and +then Aud and Thorstein went into the Sudreyjar (the Hebrides). There +Thorstein married Thorid, daughter of Eyvind the Easterling, sister of +Helgi the Lean; and they had many children. Thorstein became a warrior +king, and formed an alliance with Earl Sigurd the Great, son of +Eystein the Rattler. They conquered Caithness, Sutherland, Ross, and +Moray, and more than half Scotland. Over these Thorstein was king +until the Scots plotted against him, and he fell there in battle. Aud +was in Caithness when she heard of Thorstein's death. Then she caused +a merchant-ship to be secretly built in the wood, and when she was +ready, directed her course out into the Orkneys. There she gave in +marriage Thorstein the Red's daughter, Gro, who became mother of +Grelad, whom Earl Thorfinn, the Skullcleaver, married. Afterwards Aud +set out to seek Iceland, having twenty free men in her ship. Aud came +to Iceland, and passed the first winter in Bjarnarhofn (Bjornshaven) +with her brother Bjorn. Afterwards she occupied all the Dale country +between the Dogurdara (day-meal river) and the Skraumuhlaupsa (river<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> +of the giantess's leap), and dwelt at Hvamm. She had prayer meetings +at Krossholar (Crosshills), where she caused crosses to be erected, +for she was baptised and deeply devoted to the faith. There came with +her to Iceland many men worthy of honour, who had been taken captive +in sea-roving expeditions to the west, and who were called bondmen. +One of these was named Vifil; he was a man of high family, and had +been taken captive beyond the western main, and was also called a +bondman before Aud set him free. And when Aud granted dwellings to her +ship's company, Vifil asked why she gave no abode to him like unto the +others. Aud replied, “That it was of no moment to him, for,” she said, +“he would be esteemed in whatever place he was, as one worthy of +honour.” She gave him Vifilsdalr (Vifilsdale), and he dwelt there and +married. His sons were Thorbjorn and Thorgeir, promising men, and they +grew up in their father's house.</p> + +<p><a name="chap_2" id="chap_2"></a>2. There was a man named Thorvald, the son of Asvald, the son of Ulf, +the son of Yxna-Thoris. His son was named Eirik. Father and son +removed from Jadar (in Norway) to Iceland, because of manslaughters, +and occupied land in Hornstrandir, and dwelt at Drangar. There +Thorvald died, and Eirik then married Thjodhild, daughter of Jorund, +the son of Atli, and of Thorbjorg the Ship-breasted, whom afterwards +Thorbjorn, of the Haukadalr (Hawkdale) family, married; he it was who +dwelt at Eiriksstadr after Eirik removed from the north. It is near +Vatzhorn. Then did Eirik's thralls cause a landslip on the estate of +Valthjof, at Valthjofsstadr. Eyjolf the Foul, his kinsman, slew the +thralls beside Skeidsbrekkur (slopes of the race-course), above +Vatzhorn. In return Eirik slew Eyjolf the Foul; he slew also Hrafn the +Dueller, at Leikskalar (playbooths). Gerstein, and Odd of Jorfi, +kinsman of Eyjolf, were found willing to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span> follow up his death by a +legal prosecution; and then was Eirik banished from Haukadalr. He +occupied then Brokey and Eyxney, and dwelt at Tradir, in Sudrey, the +first winter. At this time did he lend to Thorgest pillars for +seat-stocks, Afterwards Eirik removed into Eyxney, and dwelt at +Eiriksstadr. He then claimed his pillars, and got them not. Then went +Eirik and fetched the pillars from Breidabolstadr, and Thorgest went +after him. They fought at a short distance from the hay-yard at +Drangar, and there fell two sons of Thorgest, and some other men. +After that they both kept a large body of men together. Styr gave +assistance to Eirik, as also did Eyjolf, of Sviney, Thorbjorn +Vifilsson, and the sons of Thorbrand, of Alptafjordr (Swanfirth). But +the sons of Thord Gellir, as also Thorgeir, of Hitardalr (Hotdale), +Aslak, of Langadalr (Longdale), and Illugi, his son, gave assistance +to Thorgest. Eirik and his people were outlawed at Thorsnes Thing. He +prepared a ship in Eiriksvagr (creek), and Eyjolf concealed him in +Dimunarvagr while Thorgest and his people sought him among the +islands. Eirik said to his people that he purposed to seek for the +land which Gunnbjorn, the son of Ulf the Crow, saw when he was driven +westwards over the ocean, and discovered Gunnbjarnarsker (Gunnbjorn's +rock or skerry). He promised that he would return to visit his friends +if he found the land. Thorbjorn, and Eyjolf, and Styr accompanied +Eirik beyond the islands. They separated in the most friendly manner, +Eirik saying that he would be of the like assistance to them, if he +should be able so to be, and they should happen to need him. Then he +sailed oceanwards under Snœfellsjokull (snow mountain glacier), and +arrived at the glacier called Blaserkr (Blue-shirt); thence he +journeyed south to see if there were any inhabitants of the country. +He passed the first winter at Eiriksey, near the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> middle, of the +Vestribygd (western settlement). The following spring he proceeded to +Eiriksfjordr, and fixed his abode there. During the summer he +proceeded into the unpeopled districts in the west, and was there a +long time, giving names to the places far and wide. The second winter +he passed in Eiriksholmar (isles), off Hvarfsgnupr (peak of +disappearance, Cape Farewell); and the third summer he went altogether +northwards, to Snœfell and into Hrafnsfjordr (Ravensfirth); +considering then that he had come to the head of Eiriksfjordr, he +turned back, and passed the third winter in Eiriksey, before the mouth +of Eiriksfjordr. Now, afterwards, during the summer, he proceeded to +Iceland, and came to Breidafjordr (Broadfirth). This winter he was +with Ingolf, at Holmlatr (Island-litter). During the spring, Thorgest +and he fought, and Eirik met with defeat. After that they were +reconciled. In the summer Eirik went to live in the land which he had +discovered, and which he called Greenland, “Because,” said he, “men +will desire much the more to go there if the land has a good name.”]</p> + +<p><a name="chap_3" id="chap_3"></a>3. Thorgeir Vifilsson married, and took to wife Arnora, daughter of +Einar, from Laugarbrekka (the slope of the hot spring), the son of +Sigmund, the eon of Ketil-Thistil, who had occupied Thistilsfjordr. +The second daughter of Einar was named Hallveig. Thorbjorn Vifilsson +took her to wife, and received with her the land of Laugarbrekka, at +Hellisvollr (the cave-hill). To that spot Thorbjorn removed his abode, +and became great and worshipful. He was the temple-priest, and had a +magnificent estate. Thorbjorn's daughter was Gudrid, the fairest of +women, and of peerless nobility in all her conduct. There was a man +named Orm, who dwelt at Arnarstapi (eagle-rock), and he had a wife who +was named Halldis. He was a well-to-do franklin, a great friend of +Thorbjorn, and Gudrid lived at his house as his foster<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span>-child for a +long time. There was a man named Thorgeir, who dwelt at Thorgeirsfjall +(fell). He was mighty rich in cattle, and had been made a freedman. He +had a son, whose name was Einar, a handsome man, well mannered, and a +great dandy. Einar, at this time, was a travelling merchant, sailing +from land to land with great success; and he always passed his winter +either in Iceland or in Norway. Now after this, I have to tell how +that one autumn, when Einar was in Iceland, he proceeded with his +wares along Snœfellsnes, with the object of selling; he came to +Arnarstapi; Orm invited him to stay there, and Einar accepted his +invitation, because there was friendship between him and Orm's people, +and his wares were earned into a certain outhouse. There he unpacked +his merchandise, showed it to Orm and the housemen, and bade Orm take +therefrom such things as he would. Orm accepted the offer, and +pronounced Einar to be a goodly gallant traveller, and a great +favourite of fortune. When now they were busy with the wares, a woman +passed before the door of the outhouse; and Einar inquired of Orm who +that fair woman might be, passing before the door. “I have not seen +her here before,” said he. “That is Gudrid, my foster-child,” said +Orm, “daughter of Thorbjorn the franklin, from Laugarbrekka.” “She +must be a good match,” said Einar; “surely she has not been without +suitors who have made proposals for her, has she?” Orm answered, +“Proposals have certainly been made, friend, but this treasure is not +to be had for the picking up; it is found that she will be particular +in her choice, as well as also her father.” “Well, in spite of that,” +quoth Einar, “she is the woman whom I have it in my mind to propose +for, and I wish that in this suit of mine you approach her father on +my part, and apply yourself to plead diligently<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a> for me, for <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span>which +I shall pay you in return a perfect friendship. The franklin, +Thorbjorn, may reflect that our families would be suitably joined in +the bonds of affinity; for he is a man in a position of great honour, +and owns a fine abode, but his personal property, I am told, is +greatly on the decrease; neither I nor my father lack lands or +personal property; and if this alliance should be brought about, the +greatest assistance would accrue to Thorbjorn.” Then answered Orm, “Of +a surety I consider myself to be thy friend, and yet am I not willing +to bring forward this suit, for Thorbjorn is of a proud mind, and +withal a very ambitious man.” Einar replied that he desired no other +thing than that his offer of marriage should be made known. Orm then +consented to undertake his suit, and Einar journeyed south again until +he came home. A while after, Thorbjorn had a harvest-feast, as he was +bound to have because of his great rank. There were present Orm, from +Arnarstapi, and many other friends of Thorbjorn. Orm entered into +conversation with Thorbjorn, and told him how that Einar had lately +been to see him from Thorgeirsfjall, and was become a promising man. +He now began the wooing on behalf of Einar, and said that an alliance +between the families would be very suitable on account of certain +interests. “There may arise to thee, franklin,” he said, “great +assistance in thy means from this alliance.” But Thorbjorn answered, +“I did not expect the like proposal from thee, that I should give my +daughter in marriage to the son of a thrall. And so thou perceivest +that my substance is decreasing; well, then, my daughter shall not go +home with thee, since thou considerest her worthy of so poor a match.” +Then went Orm home again, and each of the other guests to his own +household, and Gudrid remained with her father, and stayed at home +that winter.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> The word “alendu” is a difficulty. Perhaps we ought to +read “allidnu,” or “allidinu.”</p></div> + +<p>Now, in the spring, Thorbjorn made a feast to his friends, and a +goodly banquet was prepared. There came many guests, and the banquet +was of the best. Now, at the banquet, Thorbjorn called for a hearing, +and thus spake:—“Here have I dwelt a long time. I have experienced +the goodwill of men and their affection towards me, and I consider +that our dealings with one another have been mutually agreeable. But +now do my money matters begin to bring me uneasiness, although to this +time my condition has not been reckoned contemptible. I wish, +therefore, to break up my household before I lose my honour; to remove +from the country before I disgrace my family. So now I purpose to look +after the promises of Eirik the Red, my friend, which he made when we +separated at Breidafjordr. I purpose to depart for Greenland in the +summer, if events proceed as I could wish.” These tidings about this +design appeared to the guests to be important, for Thorbjorn had long +been beloved by his friends. They felt that he would only have made so +public a declaration that it might be held of no avail to attempt to +dissuade him from his purpose. Thorbjorn distributed gifts among the +guests, and then the feast was brought to an end, and they departed to +their own homesteads. Thorbjorn sold his lands, and bought a ship +which had been laid up on shore at the mouth of the Hraunhofn (harbour +of the lava field). Thirty men ventured on the expedition with him. +There was Orm, from Arnarstapi, and his wife, and those friends of +Thorbjorn who did not wish to be separated from him. Then they +launched the ship, and set sail with a favourable wind. But when they +came out into the open sea the favourable wind ceased, and they +experienced great gales, and made but an ill-sped voyage throughout +the summer. In addition to that trouble, there came fever upon the +expedition, and Orm died, a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span>nd Halldis, his wife, and half the +company. Then the sea waxed rougher, and they endured much toil and +misery in many ways, and only reached Herjolfsnes, in Greenland, at +the very beginning of winter. There dwelt at Herjolfsnes the man who +was called Thorkell. He was a useful man and most worthy franklin. He +received Thorbjorn and all his ship's company for the winter, +assisting them in right noble fashion. This pleased Thorbjorn well and +his companions in the voyage.</p> + +<p>At that time there was a great dearth in Greenland; those who had been +out on fishing expeditions had caught little, and some had not +returned. There was in the settlement the woman whose name was +Thorbjorg. She was a prophetess (spae-queen), and was called +Litilvolva (little sybil). She had had nine sisters, and they were all +spae-queens, and she was the only one now living. It was a custom of +Thorbjorg, in the winter time, to make a circuit, and people invited +her to their houses, especially those who had any curiosity about the +season, or desired to know their fate; and inasmuch as Thorkell was +chief franklin thereabouts, he considered that it concerned him to +know when the scarcity which overhung the settlement should cease. He +invited, therefore, the spae-queen to his house, and prepared for her +a hearty welcome, as was the custom whereever a reception was accorded +a woman of this kind. A high seat was prepared for her, and a cushion +laid thereon in which were poultry-feathers. Now, when she came in the +evening, accompanied by the man who had been sent to meet her, she was +dressed in such wise that she had a blue mantle over her, with strings +for the neck, and it was inlaid with gems quite down to the skirt. On +her neck she had glass beads. On her head she had a black hood of +lambskin, lined with ermine. A staff she had in her hand, with a knob<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> +thereon; it was ornamented with brass, and inlaid with gems round +about the knob. Around her she wore a girdle of soft hair, and therein +was a large skin-bag, in which she kept the talismans needful to her +in her wisdom. She wore hairy calf-skin shoes on her feet, with long +and strong-looking thongs to them, and great knobs of latten at the +ends. On her hands she had gloves of ermine-skin, and they were white +and hairy within. Now, when she entered, all men thought it their +bounden duty to offer her becoming greetings, and these she received +according as the men were agreeable to her. The franklin Thorkell took +the wise-woman by the hand, and led her to the seat prepared for her. +He requested her to cast her eyes over his herd, his household, and +his homestead. She remained silent altogether. During the evening the +tables were set; and now I must tell you what food was made ready for +the spae-queen. There was prepared for her porridge of kid's milk, and +hearts of all kinds of living creatures there found were cooked for +her. She had a brazen spoon, and a knife with a handle of walrus-tusk, +which was mounted with two rings of brass, and the point of it was +broken off. When the tables were removed, the franklin Thorkell +advanced to Thorbjorg and asked her how she liked his homestead, or +the appearance of the men; or how soon she would ascertain that which +he had asked, and which the men desired to know. She replied that she +would not give answer before the morning, after she had slept there +for the night. And when the (next) day was far spent, the preparations +were made for her which she required for the exercise of her +enchantments. She begged them to bring to her those women who were +acquainted with the lore needed for the exercise of the enchantments, +and which is known by the name of Weird-songs, but no such women came +forward. Then was search made throughout the homestead if any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> woman +were so learned. Then answered Gudrid, “I am not skilled in deep +learning, nor am I a wise-woman, although Halldis, my foster-mother, +taught me, in Iceland, the lore which she called Weird-songs.” “Then +art thou wise in good season,” answered Thorbjorg; but Gudrid replied, +“That lore and the ceremony are of such a kind, that I purpose to be +of no assistance therein, because I am a Christian woman.” Then +answered Thorbjorg, “Thou mightest perchance afford thy help to the +men in this company, and yet be none the worse woman than thou wast +before; but to Thorkell give I charge to provide here the things that +are needful.” Thorkell thereupon urged Gudrid to consent, and she +yielded to his wishes. The women formed a ring round about, and +Thorbjorg ascended the scaffold and the seat prepared for her +enchantments. Then sang Gudrid the weird-song in so beautiful and +excellent a manner, that to no one there did it seem that he had ever +before heard the song in voice so beautiful as now. The spae-queen +thanked her for the song. “Many spirits,” said she, “have been present +under its charm, and were pleased to listen to the song, who before +would turn away from us, and grant us no such homage. And now are many +things clear to me which before were hidden both from me and others. +And I am able this to say, that the dearth will last no longer—the +season improving as spring advances. The epidemic of fever which has +long oppressed us will disappear quicker than we could have hoped. And +thee, Gudrid, will I recompense straightway, for that aid of thine +which has stood us in good stead; because thy destiny is now clear to +me, and foreseen. Thou shalt make a match here in Greenland, a most +honourable one, though it will not be a long-lived one for thee, +because thy way lies out to Iceland; and there, shall arise from thee +a line o<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span>f descendants both numerous and goodly, and over the branches +of thy family shall shine a bright ray. And so fare thee now well and +happily, my daughter.” Afterwards the men went to the wise-woman, and +each enquired after what he was most curious to know. She was also +liberal of her replies, and what she said proved true. After this came +one from another homestead after her, and she then went there. +Thorbjorn was invited, because he did not wish to remain at home while +such heathen worship was performing. The weather soon improved when +once spring began, as Thorbjorg had said, Thorbjorn made ready his +ship, and went on until he came to Brattahlid (the steep slope). Eirik +received him with the utmost cordiality, saying he had done well to +come there. Thorbjorn and his family were with him during the winter. +And in the following spring Eirik gave to Thorbjorn land at Stokknes, +and handsome farm buildings were there built for him, and he dwelt +there afterwards.</p> + +<p><a name="chap_4" id="chap_4"></a>4. Eirik had a wife who was named Thjodhild, and two sons; the one was +named Thorstein, and the other Leif. These sons of Eirik were both +promising men. Thorstein was then at home with his father; and there +was at that time no man in Greenland who was thought so highly of as +he. Leif had sailed to Norway, and was there with King Olaf +Tryggvason. Now, when Leif sailed from Greenland during the summer, he +and his men were driven out of their course to the Sudreyjar. They +were slow in getting a favourable wind from this place, and they +stayed there a long time during the summer ... reaching Norway about +harvest-tide. He joined the body-guard of King Olaf Tryggvason, and +the king formed an excellent opinion of him, and it appeared to him +that Leif was a well-bred man. Once upon a time the king entered into +conversation with Leif, and asked him, “Dost thou purpose sailing to +Greenland in summer?” Leif answered, “I should wish so<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> to do, if it +is your will.” The king replied, “I think it may well be so; thou +shalt go my errand, and preach Christianity in Greenland.” Leif said +that he was willing to undertake it, but that, for himself, he +considered that message a difficult one to proclaim in Greenland. But +the king said that he knew no man who was better fitted for the work +than he. “And thou shalt carry,” said he, “good luck with thee in it.” +“That can only be,” said Leif, “if I carry yours with me.” Leif set +sail as soon as he was ready. He was tossed about a long time out at +sea, and lighted upon lands of which before he had no expectation. +There were fields of wild wheat, and the vine-tree in full growth. +There were also the trees which were called maples; and they gathered +of all this certain tokens; some trunks so large that they were used +in house-building. Leif came upon men who had been shipwrecked, and +took them home with him, and gave them sustenance during the winter. +Thus did he show his great munificence and his graciousness when he +brought Christianity to the land, and saved the shipwrecked crew. He +was called Leif the Lucky. Leif reached land in Eiriksfjordr, and +proceeded home to Brattahlid. The people received him gladly. He soon +after preached Christianity and catholic truth throughout the land, +making known to the people the message of King Olaf Tryggvason; and +declaring how many renowned deeds and what great glory accompanied +this faith. Eirik took coldly to the proposal to forsake his religion, +but his wife, Thjodhild, promptly yielded, and caused a church to be +built not very near the houses. The building was called Thjodhild's +Church; in that spot she offered her prayers, and so did those men who +received Christ, and they were many. After she accepted the faith, +Thjodhild would have no intercourse with Eirik, and this was a great +trial to his temper.</p> + +<p>After this there was much talk about making ready to go<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> to the land +which Leif had discovered. Thorstein, Eirik's son, was chief mover in +this, a worthy man, wise and much liked. Eirik was also asked to go, +and they believed that his luck and foresight would be of the highest +use. He was [for a long time against it, but did not say nay], when +his friends exhorted him to go. They made ready the ship which +Thorbjorn had brought there, and there were twenty men who undertook +to start in her. They had little property, but chiefly weapons and +food. On the morning when Eirik left home he took a little box, which +had in it gold and silver; he hid the money, and then went forth on +his journey. He had proceeded, however, but a little way, when he fell +from his horse, and broke his ribs and injured his shoulder, and cried +out, “Aiai!” At this accident he sent word to his wife that she should +take away the money that he had hidden, declaring his misfortune to be +a penalty paid on account of having hid the money. Afterwards they +sailed away out of Eiriksfjordr with gladness, as their plan seemed to +promise success. They were driven about for a long time on the open +sea, and came not into the track which they desired. They came in +sight of Iceland, and also met with birds from the coast of Ireland. +Then was their ship tossed to and fro on the sea. They returned about +harvest-tide, worn out by toil and much exhausted, and reached +Eiriksfjordr at the beginning of winter. Then spake Eirik, “You were +in better spirits in the summer, when you went forth out of the firth, +than you are in now, and yet for all that there is much to be thankful +for.” Thorstein replied, “It is a chieftain's duty now to look after +some arrangement for these men who are without shelter, and to find +them food.” Eirik answered, “That is an ever-true saying, 'You know +not until you have got your answer.' I will now take thy counsel about +this.” All those who had no other abodes were to go with the father<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> +and the son. Then came they to land, and went forth home.</p> + +<p><a name="chap_5" id="chap_5"></a>5. Now, after this, I have to tell you how Thorstein, Eirik's son, +began wooing Gudrid, Thorbjorn's daughter. To his proposals a +favourable answer was given, both by the maid herself, and also by her +father. The marriage was also arranged, so that Thorstein went to take +possession of his bride, and the bridal feast was held at Brattahlid +in the autumn. The banquet went off well, and was numerously attended. +Thorstein owned a homestead in the Vestribygd on the estate known as +Lysufjordr (shining firth). The man who was called Thorstein owned the +other half of the homestead. His wife was called Sigrid. Thorstein +went, during the autumn, to Lysufjordr, to his namesake, both he and +Gudrid. Their reception was a welcome one. They were there during the +winter. When little of the winter was past, the event happened there +that fever broke out on their estate. The overseer of the work was +named Garth. He was an unpopular man. He took the fever first and +died. Afterwards, and with but little intermission, one took the fever +after another and died. Then Thorstein, Eirik's son, fell ill, and +also Sigrid, the wife of his namesake Thorstein. [And one evening +Sigrid left the house, and rested awhile opposite the outer door; and +Gudrid accompanied her; and they looked back towards the outer door, +and Sigrid screamed out aloud. Gudrid said, “We have come forth +unwarily, and thou canst in no wise withstand the cold; let us even go +home as quickly as possible.” “It is not safe as matters are,” +answered Sigrid. “There is all that crowd of dead people before the +door; Thorstein, thy husband, also, and myself, I recognise among +them, and it is a grief thus to behold.” And when this passed away, +she said, “Let us now go, Gudrid; I see the crowd no longer.” +Thorstein, Eirik's son, had also disappeared from her sight; he had +seemed to have a whip in his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> hand, and to wish to smite the ghostly +troop. Afterwards they went in, and before morning came she was dead, +and a coffin was prepared for the body. Now, the same day, the men +purposed to go out fishing, and Thorstein led them to the landing +places, and in the early morning he went to see what they had caught. +Then Thorstein, Eirik's son, sent word to his namesake to come to him, +saying that matters at home were hardly quiet; that the housewife was +endeavouring to rise to her feet and to get under the clothes beside +him. And when he was come in she had risen upon the edge of the bed. +Then took he her by the hands and laid a pole-axe upon her breast. +Thorstein, Eirik's son, died near nightfall. Thorstein, the franklin, +begged Gudrid to lie down and sleep, saying that he would watch over +the body during the night. So she did, and when a little of the night +was past, Thorstein, Eirik's son, sat up and spake, saying he wished +Gudrid to be called to him, and that he wished to speak with her. “God +wills,” he said, “that this hour be given to me for my own, and the +further completion of my plan.” Thorstein, the franklin, went to find +Gudrid, and waked her; begged her to cross herself, and to ask God for +help, and told her what Thorstein, Eirik's son, had spoken with him; +“and he wishes,” said he, “to meet with thee. Thou art obliged to +consider what plan thou wilt adopt, because I can in this issue advise +thee in nowise.” She answered, “It may be that this, this wonderful +thing, has regard to certain matters, which are afterwards to be had +in memory; and I hope that God's keeping will test upon me, and I +will, with God's grace, undertake the risk and go to him, and know +what he will say, for I shall not be able to escape if harm must +happen to me. I am far from wishing that he should go elsewhere; I +suspect, moreover, that the matter will be a pressing one.” Then went +Gudrid and saw Thorstein. He appeared to her as if shedding tears.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> He +spake in her ear, in a low voice, certain words which she alone might +know; but this he said so that all heard, “That those men would be +blessed who held the true faith, and that all salvation and mercy +accompanied it; and that many, nevertheless, held it lightly.” “It +is,” said he, “no good custom which has prevailed here in Greenland +since Christianity came, to bury men in unconsecrated ground with few +religious rites over them. I wish for myself, and for those other men +who have died, to be taken to the church; but for Garth, I wish him to +be burned on a funeral pile as soon as may be, for he is the cause of +all those ghosts which have been among us this winter.” He spake to +Gudrid also about her own state, saying that her destiny would be a +great one, and begged her to beware of marrying Greenland men. He +begged her also to pay over their property to the Church and some to +the poor; and then he sank down for the second time.] It had been a +custom in Greenland, after Christianity was brought there, to bury men +in unconsecrated ground on the farms where they died. An upright stake +was placed over a body, and when the priests came afterwards to the +place, then was the stake pulled out, consecrated water poured +therein, and a funeral service held, though it might be long after the +burial. The bodies were removed to the church in Eiriksfjordr, and +funeral services held by the priests. After that died Thorbjorn. The +whole property then went to Gudrid. Eirik received her into his +household, and looked well after her stores.</p> + +<p><a name="chap_6" id="chap_6"></a>6. There was a man named Thorfinn Karlsefni, son of Thord Horsehead, +who dwelt in the north (of Iceland), at Reynines in Skagafjordr, as it +is now called. Karlsefni was a man of good family, and very rich. His +mother's name was Thorun. He engaged in trading journeys, and seemed a +goodly, bold, and gallant traveller. One summer Karlsefni prepared his +ship, intending to go to Greenland. Snorri,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> Thorbrand's son, from +Alptafjordr, resolved to travel with him, and there were thirty men in +the company. There was a man named Bjarni, Grimolf's son, a man of +Breidafjordr (Broadfirth); another called Thorhall, son of Gamli, a +man from the east of Iceland. They prepared their ship the very same +summer as Karlsefni, with intent also to go to Greenland. They had in +the ship forty men. The two ships launched out into the open sea as +soon as they were ready. It is not recorded how long a voyage they +had. But, after this, I have to tell you that both these ships came to +Eiriksfjordr about autumn. Eirik rode down to the ships with other men +of the land, and a market-fair was promptly instituted. The captains +invited Gudrid to take such of the merchandise as she wished, and +Eirik displayed on his part much magnificence in return, inasmuch as +he invited both these ships' companies home with him to pass the +winter in Brattahlid. The merchants accepted the invitation, and went +home with Eirik. Afterwards their merchandise was removed to +Brattahlid, where a good and large outhouse was not lacking in which +to store the goods. The merchants were well pleased to stay with Eirik +during the winter. When now Yule was drawing nigh, Eirik began to look +more gloomy than he was wont to be. Presently Karlsefni entered into +conversation with him, and said, “Art thou in trouble, Eirik? it +appears to me that thou art somewhat more taciturn than thou hast +been; still thou helpest us with much liberality, and we are bound to +reward thee according as we have means thereto. Say now what causes +thy cheerlessness.” Eirik answered, “You receive hospitality well, and +like worthy men. Now, I have no mind that our intercourse together +should be expensive to you; but so it is, that it will seem to me an +ill thing if it is heard that you never spent a worse Yule than this, +just now beginning, when Eirik the Red entertained you at Brattahlid, +in Greenland.” Karls<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span>efni answered, “It must not come to such a pass; +we have in our ships malt, meal, and corn, and you have right and +title to take therefrom whatever you wish, and to make your +entertainment such as consorts with your munificence.” And Eirik +accepted the offer. Then was preparation made for the Yule-feast, and +so magnificent was it that the men thought they had scarcely ever seen +so grand a feast. And after Yule, Karlsefni broached to Eirik the +subject of a marriage with Gudrid, which he thought might be under +Eirik's control, and the woman appeared to him to be both beautiful +and of excellent understanding. Eirik answered and said, that for his +part he would willingly undertake his suit, and said, moreover, that +she was worthy of a good match. It is also likely, he thought, that +she will be following out her destiny, should she be given to him; +and, moreover, the report which comes to me of him is good. The +proposals were now laid before her, and she allowed the marriage with +her to be arranged which Eirik wished to promote. However, I will not +now speak at length how this marriage took place; the Yule festival +was prolonged and made into a marriage-feast. Great joy was there in +Brattahlid during the winter. Much playing at backgammon and telling +of stories went on, and many things were done that ministered to the +comfort of the household.</p> + +<p><a name="chap_7" id="chap_7"></a>7. During this time much talk took place in Brattahlid about making +ready to go to Vinland the Good, and it was asserted that they would +there find good choice lands. The discourse came to such conclusion +that Karlsefni and Snorri prepared their ship, with the intention of +seeking Vinland during the summer. Bjarni and Thorhall ventured on the +same expedition, with their ship and the retinue which had accompanied +them. [There was a man named Thorvard; he married Freydis, natural +daughter of Eirik the Red; he set<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> out with them likewise, as also +Thorvald, a son of Eirik.] There was a man named Thorvald; he was a +son-in-law<a name="FNanchor_B_2" id="FNanchor_B_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_B_2" class="fnanchor">[B]</a> of Eirik the Red. Thorhall was called the Sportsman; he +had for a long time been Eirik's companion in hunting and fishing +expeditions during the summers, and many things had been committed to +his keeping. Thorhall was a big man, dark, and of gaunt appearance; +rather advanced in years, overbearing in temper, of melancholy mood, +silent at all times, underhand in his dealings, and withal given to +abuse, and always inclined towards the worst. He had kept himself +aloof from the true faith when it came to Greenland. He was but little +encompassed with the love of friends, but yet Eirik had long held +conversation with him. He went in the ship with Thorvald and his man, +because he was widely acquainted with the unpeopled districts. They +had the ship which Thorbjorn had brought to Greenland, and they +ventured on the expedition with Karlsefni and the others; and most of +them in this ship were Greenlanders. There were one hundred and sixty +men in their ships. They sailed away from land; then to the Vestribygd +and to Bjarneyjar (the Bear Islands). Thence they sailed away from +Bjarneyjar with northerly winds. They were out at sea two half-days. +Then they came to land, and rowed along it in boats, and explored it, +and found there flat stones, many and so great that two men might well +lie on them stretched on their backs with heel to heel. Polar-foxes +were there in abundance. This land they gave name to, and called it +Helluland (stone-land). Then they sailed with northerly winds two +half-days, and there was then land before them, and on it a great +forest and many wild beasts. An island lay in the south-east off the +land, and they found bears thereon, and called the island Bjarney +(Bear Island); <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span>but the mainland, where the forest was, they called +Markland (forest-land). Then, when two half-days were passed, they saw +land, and sailed under it. There was a cape to which they came. They +cruised along the land, leaving it on the starboard side. There was a +harbourless coast-land, and long sandy strands. They went to the land +in boats, and found the keel of a ship, and called the place +Kjalar-nes (Keelness). They gave also name to the strands, calling +them Furdustrandir (wonder-shore), because it was tedious to sail by +them. Then the coast became indented with creeks, and they directed +their ships along the creeks. Now, before this, when Leif was with +King Olaf Tryggvason, and the king had requested him to preach +Christianity in Greenland, he gave him two Scotch people, the man +called Haki, and the woman called Hækja. The king requested Leif to +have recourse to these people if ever he should want fleetness, +because they were swifter than wild beasts. Eirik and Leif had got +these people to go with Karlsefni. Now, when they had sailed by +Furdustrandir, they put the Scotch people on land, and requested them +to run into the southern regions, seek for choice land, and come back +after three half-days<a name="FNanchor_C_3" id="FNanchor_C_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_C_3" class="fnanchor">[C]</a> were passed. They were dressed in such wise +that they had on the garment which they called <i>biafal</i>. It was made +with a hood at the top, open at the sides, without sleeves, and was +fastened between the legs. A button and a loop held it together there; +and elsewhere they were without clothing. Then did they cast anchors +from the ships, and lay there to wait for them. And when three days +were expired the Scotch people leapt down from the land, and one of +them had in his hand a bunch of grapes, and the other an ear of wild +wheat.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_B_2" id="Footnote_B_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_B_2"><span class="label">[B]</span></a> Later on in the Saga he is called a son of Eirik. The +text would appear to be somewhat corrupt here, as the passage in +square brackets from Hauks-bok seems to show.</p></div> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_C_3" id="Footnote_C_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_C_3"><span class="label">[C]</span></a> The word “dœgr,” both here and above, is translated +“half-day,” though it may possibly mean a period of twenty-fou<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>r +hours. It is to be noticed, however, that these Scotch people return +after three “dagar,” which can only mean periods of twenty-four +hours.</p></div> + +<p>They said to Karlsefni that they considered they had found good and +choice land. Then they received them into their ship, and proceeded on +their journey to where the shore was cut into by a firth. They +directed the ships within the firth. There was an island lying out in +front of the firth, and there were great currents around the island, +which they called Straums-ey (Stream-island). There were so many birds +on it that scarcely was it possible to put one's feet down for the +eggs. They continued their course up the firth, which they called +Straumsfjordr, and carried their cargo ashore from the ships, and +there they prepared to stay. They had with them cattle of all kinds, +and for themselves they sought out the produce of the land thereabout. +There were mountains, and the place was fair to look upon. They gave +no heed to anything except to explore the land, and they found large +pastures. They remained there during the winter, which happened to be +a hard one, with no work doing; and they were badly off for food, and +the fishing failed. Then they went out to the island, hoping that +something might be got there from fishing or from what was drifted +ashore. In that spot there was little, however, to be got for food, +but their cattle found good sustenance. After that they called upon +God, praying that He would send them some little store of meat, but +their prayer was not so soon granted as they were eager that it should +be. Thorhall disappeared from sight, and they went to seek him, and +sought for three half-days continuously. On the fourth half-day +Karlsefni and Bjarni found him on the peak of a crag. He lay with his +face to the sky, with both eyes and mouth and nostrils wide open, +clawing and pinching himself, and reciting something. They asked why<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> +he had come there. He replied that it was of no importance; begged +them not to wonder thereat; as for himself, he had lived so long, they +needed not to take any account of him. They begged him to go home with +them, and he did so. A little while after a whale was driven ashore, +and the men crowded round it, and cut it up, and still they knew not +what kind of whale it was. Even Karlsefni recognised it not, though he +had great knowledge of whales. It was cooked by the cook-boys, and +they ate thereof; though bad effects came upon all from it afterwards. +Then began Thorhall, and said, “Has it not been that the Redbeard has +proved a better friend than your Christ? this was my gift for the +poetry which I composed about Thor, my patron; seldom has he failed +me.” Now, when the men knew that, none of them would eat of it, and +they threw it down from the rocks, and turned with their supplications +to God's mercy. Then was granted to them opportunity of fishing, and +after that there was no lack of food that spring. They went back again +from the island, within Straumsfjordr, and obtained food from both +sides; from hunting on the mainland, and from gathering eggs and from +fishing on the side of the sea.</p> + +<p><a name="chap_8" id="chap_8"></a>8. When summer was at hand they discussed about their journey, and +made an arrangement. Thorhall the Sportsman wished to proceed +northwards along Furdustrandir, and off Kjalarnes, and so seek +Vinland; but Karlsefni desired to proceed southwards along the land +and away from the east, because the land appeared to him the better +the further south he went, and he thought it also more advisable to +explore in both directions. Then did Thorhall make ready for his +journey out by the islands, and there volunteered for the expedition +with him not more than nine men; but with Karlsefni there went the +remainder of the company. And one day, when Thorhall was carrying +water to his ship, he drank, and recited this verse:—<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span></p> + +<p>“The clashers of weapons did say when I came here that I should have +the best of drink (though it becomes me not to complain before the +common people). Eager God of the war-helmet! I am made to raise the +bucket; wine has not moistened my beard, rather do I kneel at the +fountain.”</p> + +<p>Afterwards they put to sea, and Karlsefni accompanied them by the +island. Before they hoisted sail Thorhall recited a verse:—</p> + +<p>“Go we back where our countrymen are. Let us make the skilled hawk of +the sand-heaven explore the broad ship-courses; while the dauntless +rousers of the sword-storm, who praise the land, and cook whale, dwell +on Furdustrandir.”</p> + +<p>Then they left, and sailed northwards along Furdustrandir and +Kjalarnes, and attempted there to sail against a wind from the west. A +gale came upon them, however, and drove them onwards against Ireland, +and there were they severely treated, enthralled, and beaten. Then +Thorhall lost his life.</p> + +<p><a name="chap_9" id="chap_9"></a>9. Karlsefni proceeded southwards along the land, with Snorri and +Bjarni and the rest of the company. They journeyed a long while, and +until they arrived at a river, which came down from the land and fell +into a lake, and so on to the sea. There were large islands off the +mouth of the river, and they could not come into the river except at +high flood-tide. Karlsefni and his people sailed to the mouth of the +river, and called the land Hop. There they found fields of wild wheat +wherever there were low grounds; and the vine in all places were there +was rough rising ground. Every rivulet there was full of fish. They +made holes where the land and water joined and where the tide went +highest; and when it ebbed they found halibut in the holes. There was +great plenty of wild animals of every form in the wood. They were +there half a month, amusing themselves, and not becoming aware of +anything. Their cattle they had with them. And early one morning, as +they looked around, they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> beheld nine canoes made of hides, and +snout-like staves were being brandished from the boats, and they made +a noise like flails, and twisted round in the direction of the sun's +motion. Then Karlsefni said, “What will this betoken?” Snorri answered +him, “It may be that it is a token of peace; let us take a white +shield and go to meet them.” And so they did. Then did they in the +canoes row forwards, and showed surprise at them, and came to land. +They were short men, ill-looking, with their hair in disorderly +fashion on their heads; they were large-eyed, and had broad cheeks. +And they stayed there awhile in astonishment. Afterwards they rowed +away to the south, off the headland.</p> + +<p><a name="chap_10" id="chap_10"></a>10. They had built their settlements up above the lake. And some of +the dwellings were well within the land, but some were near the lake. +Now they remained there that winter. They had no snow whatever, and +all their cattle went out to graze without keepers. Now when spring +began, they beheld one morning early, that a fleet of hide-canoes was +rowing from the south off the headland; so many were they as if the +sea were strewn with pieces of charcoal, and there was also the +brandishing of staves as before from each boat. Then they held shields +up, and a market was formed between them; and this people in their +purchases preferred red cloth; in exchange they had furs to give, and +skins quite grey. They wished also to buy swords and lances, but +Karlsefni and Snorri forbad it. They offered for the cloth dark hides, +and took in exchange a span long of cloth, and bound it round their +heads; and so matters went on for a while. But when the stock of cloth +began to grow small, then they split it asunder, so that it was not +more than a finger's breadth. The Skrœlingar (Esquimaux) gave for it +still quite as much, or more than before.</p> + +<p><a name="chap_11" id="chap_11"></a>11. Now it came to pass that a bull, which belonged to Karlsefni's +people, rushed out of the wood and bellowed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> loudly at the same time. +The Skrœlingar, frightened thereat, rushed away to their canoes, and +rowed south along the coast. There was then nothing seen of them for +three weeks together. When that time was gone by, there was seen +approaching from the south a great crowd of Skrœlingar boats, coming +down upon them like a stream, the staves this time being all +brandished in the direction opposite to the sun's motion, and the +Skrœlingar were all howling loudly. Then took they and bare red +shields to meet them. They encountered one another and fought, and +there was a great shower of missiles. The Skrœlingar had also +war-slings, or catapults. Then Karlsefni and Snorri see that the +Skrœlingar are bringing up poles, with a very large ball attached to +each, to be compared in size to a sheep's stomach, dark in colour; and +these flew over Karlsefni's company towards the land, and when they +came down they struck the ground with a hideous noise. This produced +great terror in Karlsefni and his company, so that their only impulse +was to retreat up the country along the river, because it seemed as if +crowds of Skrœlingar were driving at them from all sides. And they +stopped not until they came to certain crags. There they offered them +stern resistance. Freydis came out and saw how they were retreating. +She called out, “Why run you away from such worthless creatures, stout +men that ye are, when, as seems to me likely, you might slaughter them +like so many cattle? Let me but have a weapon, I think I could fight +better than any of you.” They gave no heed to what she said. Freydis +endeavoured to accompany them, still she soon lagged behind, because +she was not well; she went after them into the wood, and the +Skrœlingar directed their pursuit after her. She came upon a dead man; +Thorbrand, Snorri's son, with a flat stone fixed in his head; his +sword lay beside him, so she took it up and prepared to defend herself +therewith.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> Then came the Skrœlingar upon her. She let down her sark +and struck her breast with the naked sword. At this they were +frightened, rushed off to their boats, and fled away. Karlsefni and +the rest came up to her and praised her zeal. Two of Karlsefni's men +fell, and four of the Skrœlingar, notwithstanding they had overpowered +them by superior numbers. After that, they proceeded to their booths, +and began to reflect about the crowd of men which attacked them upon +the land; it appeared to them now that the one troop will have been +that which came in the boats, and the other troop will have been a +delusion of sight. The Skrœlingar also found a dead man, and his axe +lay beside him. One of them struck a stone with it, and broke the axe. +It seemed to them good for nothing, as it did not withstand the stone, +and they threw it down.</p> + +<p><a name="chap_12" id="chap_12"></a>12. [Karlsefni and his company] were now of opinion that though the +land might be choice and good, there would be always war and terror +overhanging them, from those who dwelt there before them. They made +ready, therefore, to move away, with intent to go to their own land. +They sailed forth northwards, and found five Skrœlingar in jackets of +skin, sleeping [near the sea], and they had with them a chest, and in +it was marrow of animals mixed with blood; and they considered that +these must have been outlawed. They slew them. Afterwards they came to +a headland and a multitude of wild animals; and this headland appeared +as if it might be a cake of cow-dung, because the animals passed the +winter there. Now they came to Straumsfjordr, where also they had +abundance of all kinds. It is said by some that Bjarni and Freydis +remained there, and a hundred men with them, and went not further +away. But Karlsefni and Snorri journeyed southwards, and forty men +with them, and after staying no longer than scarcely two months at +Hop, had come back the same summer. Karlsefni set out with a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> single +ship to seek Thorhall, but the (rest of the) company remained behind. +He and his people went northwards off Kjalarnes, and were then borne +onwards towards the west, and the land lay on their larboard-side, and +was nothing but wilderness. And when they had proceeded for a long +time, there was a river which came down from the land, flowing from +the east towards the west. They directed their course within the +river's mouth, and lay opposite the southern bank.</p> + +<p><a name="chap_13" id="chap_13"></a>13. One morning Karlsefni's people beheld as it were a glittering +speak above the open space in front of them, and they shouted at it. +It stirred itself, and it was a being of the race of men that have +only one foot, and he came down quickly to where they lay. Thorvald, +son of Eirik the Red, sat at the tiller, and the One-footer shot him +with an arrow in the lower abdomen. He drew out the arrow. Then said +Thorvald, “Good land have we reached, and fat is it about the paunch.” +Then the One-footer leapt away again northwards. They chased after +him, and saw him occasionally, but it seemed as if he would escape +them. He disappeared at a certain creek. Then they turned back, and +one man spake this ditty:—</p> + +<p>“Our men chased (all true it is) a One-footer down to the shore; but +the wonderful man strove hard in the race....<a name="FNanchor_D_4" id="FNanchor_D_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_D_4" class="fnanchor">[D]</a> Hearken, Karlsefni.”</p> + +<p>Then they journeyed away back again northwards, and saw, as they +thought, the land of the One-footers. They wished, however, no longer +to risk their company. They conjectured the mountains to be all one +range; those, that is, which were at Hop, and those which they now +discovered; almost answering to one another; and it was the same +distance to them on both sides from Straumsfjordr. They journeyed +back, and were in Straumsfjordr the third winter. Then fell the men +greatly into backsliding. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span>y who were wifeless pressed their claims +at the hands of those who were married. Snorri, Karlsefni's son, was +born the first autumn, and he was three winters old when they began +their journey home. Now, when they sailed from Vinland, they had a +southern wind, and reached Markland, and found five Skrœlingar; one +was a bearded man, two were women, two children. Karlsefni's people +caught the children, but the others escaped and sunk down into the +earth. And they took the children with them, and taught them their +speech, and they were baptized. The children called their mother +Vœtilldi, and their father Uvœgi. They said that kings ruled over the +land of the Skrœlingar, one of whom was called Avalldamon, and the +other Valldidida. They said also that there were no houses, and the +people lived in caves or holes. They said, moreover, that there was a +land on the other side over against their land, and the people there +were dressed in white garments, uttered loud cries, bare long poles, +and wore fringes. This was supposed to be Hvitramannaland (whiteman's +land). Then came they to Greenland, and remained with Eirik the Red +during the winter.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_D_4" id="Footnote_D_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_D_4"><span class="label">[D]</span></a> in this <i>lacuna</i> occur the words “af stopi,” which Dr. +Vigfusson translates, in his notes, “over the stubbles.”</p></div> + +<p><a name="chap_14" id="chap_14"></a>14. Bjarni, Grimolf's son, and his men were carried into the Irish +Ocean, and came into a part where the sea was infested by ship-worms. +They did not find it out before the ship was eaten through under them; +then they debated what plan they should follow. They had a ship's boat +which was smeared with tar made of seal-fat. It is said that the +ship-worm will not bore into the wood which has been smeared with the +seal-tar. The counsel and advice of most of the men was to ship into +the boat as many men as it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> would hold. Now, when that was tried, the +boat held not more than half the men. Then Bjarni advised that it +should be decided by the casting of lots, and not by the rank of the +men, which of them should go into the boat; and inasmuch as every man +there wished to go into the boat, though it could not hold all of +them; therefore, they accepted the plan to cast lots who should leave +the ship for the boat. And the lot so fell that Bjarni, and nearly +half the men with him, were chosen for the boat. So then those left +the ship and went into the boat who had been chosen by lot so to do. +And when the men were come into the boat, a young man, an Icelander, +who had been a fellow-traveller of Bjarni, said, “Dost thou intend, +Bjarni, to separate thyself here from me.” “It must needs be so now,” +Bjarni answered. He replied, “Because, in such case, thou didst not so +promise me when I set out from Iceland with thee from the homestead of +my father.” Bjarni answered, “I do not, however, see here any other +plan; but what plan dost thou suggest?” He replied, “I propose this +plan, that we two make a change in our places, and thou come here and +I will go there.” Bjarni answered, “So shall it be; and this I see, +that thou labourest willingly for life, and that it seems to thee a +grievous thing to face death.” Then they changed places. The man went +into the boat, and Bjarni back into the ship; and it is said that +Bjarni perished there in the Worm-sea, and they who were with him in +the ship; but the boat and those who were in it went on their journey +until they reached land, and told this story afterwards.</p> + +<p><a name="chap_15" id="chap_15"></a>15. The next summer Karlsefni set out for Iceland, and Snorri with +him, and went home to his house in Reynines. His mother considered +that he had made a shabby match, and she was not at home the first +winter. But when she found that Gudrid was a lady without peer, she +went home, and their intercourse was happy. The daughter of Snorri<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>, +Karlsefni's son, was Hallfrid, mother of Bishop Thorlak, the son of +Runolf. (Hallfrid and Runolf) had a son, whose name was Thorbjorn; his +daughter was Thorun, mother of Bishop Bjarn. Thorgeir was the name of +a son of Snorri, Karlsefni's son; he was father of Yngvild, the mother +of the first Bishop Brand. And here ends this story.</p> + +<p>(This translation is made from the version of the Saga printed in Dr. +Gudbrand Vigfusson's <i>Icelandic Prose Reader</i>. The passages in square +brackets are taken from the Hauks-bok version given in <i>Antiquitates +Americanæ</i>. It may be mentioned here that Carl Christian Rafn and the +other Danish scholars who edited this elaborate work have concluded +that Kjalarnes is the modern Cape Cod, Straumsfjordr is Buzzard's Bay, +Straumsey is Martha's Vineyard, and Hop is on the shores of Mount Haup +Bay, into which the river Taunton flows.</p> + +<p>English readers of Icelandic owe a large debt to Dr. Vigfusson for his +labours in the cause of Icelandic literature. The great <i>Dictionary</i>, +the <i>Sturlunga Saga</i>, and the <i>Prose Reader</i>, together make an undying +claim on our gratitude; and yet they only show how very much more is +still to be done. May we hope that Dr. Vigfusson will not cease from +his labours until he has put forth a large instalment of the series +which he has sketched in the able introduction to the <i>Sturlunga</i>, p. +ccix.; and that the Delegates of the Clarendon Press will continue +generously to appreciate his eager, scholarly, and laborious +enthusiasm.)</p> + +<hr style="width:65%;" /> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Eirik the Red's Saga, by Anonymous + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EIRIK THE RED'S SAGA *** + +***** This file should be named 17946-h.htm or 17946-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/7/9/4/17946/ + +Produced by National Library of Iceland and Cornell +University Library via www.sagnanet.is, Jhannes Birgir +Jensson, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team of Distributed Proofreaders Europe at +http://dp.rastko.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Eirik the Red's Saga + +Author: Anonymous + +Translator: John Sephton + +Release Date: March 8, 2006 [EBook #17946] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EIRIK THE RED'S SAGA *** + + + + +Produced by National Library of Iceland and Cornell +University Library via www.sagnanet.is, Johannes Birgir +Jensson, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team of Distributed Proofreaders Europe at +http://dp.rastko.net + + + + + + + + + + EIRIK THE RED'S SAGA: + + A TRANSLATION + + + + READ BEFORE THE + LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY + OF LIVERPOOL, + + JANUARY 12TH, 1880, + + + + BY + THE REV. J. SEPHTON. + + + + + LIVERPOOL: + D. MARPLES & CO., LIMITED, MELVILL CHAMBERS. + + 1880. + + + + +CONTENTS. + + +1. How Vifil, Gudrid's grandfather, came to Iceland. + +2. Of Eirik the Red, and his discovery of Greenland. + +3. Gudrid's parentage, and the emigration of her father, Thorbjorn, +and his family to Greenland. + +4. Eirik's family, and his son Leif's discovery of Vinland. + +5. Gudrid marries Thorstein, son of Eirik the Red. [Sickness and +death of Thorstein.] + +6. Gudrid marries Karlsefni. + +7. Karlsefni's expedition to Vinland. The first winter is passed at +Straumsfjordr. + +8. Fate of Thorhall the Sportsman. + +9. The second winter is passed at Hop. + +10. Dealings with the Skroelingar. + +11. Fight with the Skroelingar. + +12. Return to Straumsfjordr. + +13. The slaying of Thorvald by a One-footer. The colonists return +to Greenland after passing the third winter at Straumsfjordr. + +14. Heroic magnanimity and fate of Bjarni. + +15. Gudrid's descendants. + + + + +[Olaf, who was called Olaf the White, was styled a warrior king. He +was the son of King Ingjald, the son of Helgi, the son of Olaf, the +son of Gudred, the son of Halfdan Whiteleg, king of the Uplands (in +Norway). He led a harrying expedition of sea-rovers into the west, and +conquered Dublin, in Ireland, and Dublinshire, over which he made +himself king. He married Aud the Deep-minded, daughter of Ketil +Flatnose, son of Bjorn the Ungartered, a noble man from Norway. Their +son was named Thorstein the Red. Olaf fell in battle in Ireland, and +then Aud and Thorstein went into the Sudreyjar (the Hebrides). There +Thorstein married Thorid, daughter of Eyvind the Easterling, sister of +Helgi the Lean; and they had many children. Thorstein became a warrior +king, and formed an alliance with Earl Sigurd the Great, son of +Eystein the Rattler. They conquered Caithness, Sutherland, Ross, and +Moray, and more than half Scotland. Over these Thorstein was king +until the Scots plotted against him, and he fell there in battle. Aud +was in Caithness when she heard of Thorstein's death. Then she caused +a merchant-ship to be secretly built in the wood, and when she was +ready, directed her course out into the Orkneys. There she gave in +marriage Thorstein the Red's daughter, Gro, who became mother of +Grelad, whom Earl Thorfinn, the Skullcleaver, married. Afterwards Aud +set out to seek Iceland, having twenty free men in her ship. Aud came +to Iceland, and passed the first winter in Bjarnarhofn (Bjornshaven) +with her brother Bjorn. Afterwards she occupied all the Dale country +between the Dogurdara (day-meal river) and the Skraumuhlaupsa (river +of the giantess's leap), and dwelt at Hvamm. She had prayer meetings +at Krossholar (Crosshills), where she caused crosses to be erected, +for she was baptised and deeply devoted to the faith. There came with +her to Iceland many men worthy of honour, who had been taken captive +in sea-roving expeditions to the west, and who were called bondmen. +One of these was named Vifil; he was a man of high family, and had +been taken captive beyond the western main, and was also called a +bondman before Aud set him free. And when Aud granted dwellings to her +ship's company, Vifil asked why she gave no abode to him like unto the +others. Aud replied, "That it was of no moment to him, for," she said, +"he would be esteemed in whatever place he was, as one worthy of +honour." She gave him Vifilsdalr (Vifilsdale), and he dwelt there and +married. His sons were Thorbjorn and Thorgeir, promising men, and they +grew up in their father's house. + +2. There was a man named Thorvald, the son of Asvald, the son of Ulf, +the son of Yxna-Thoris. His son was named Eirik. Father and son +removed from Jadar (in Norway) to Iceland, because of manslaughters, +and occupied land in Hornstrandir, and dwelt at Drangar. There +Thorvald died, and Eirik then married Thjodhild, daughter of Jorund, +the son of Atli, and of Thorbjorg the Ship-breasted, whom afterwards +Thorbjorn, of the Haukadalr (Hawkdale) family, married; he it was who +dwelt at Eiriksstadr after Eirik removed from the north. It is near +Vatzhorn. Then did Eirik's thralls cause a landslip on the estate of +Valthjof, at Valthjofsstadr. Eyjolf the Foul, his kinsman, slew the +thralls beside Skeidsbrekkur (slopes of the race-course), above +Vatzhorn. In return Eirik slew Eyjolf the Foul; he slew also Hrafn the +Dueller, at Leikskalar (playbooths). Gerstein, and Odd of Jorfi, +kinsman of Eyjolf, were found willing to follow up his death by a +legal prosecution; and then was Eirik banished from Haukadalr. He +occupied then Brokey and Eyxney, and dwelt at Tradir, in Sudrey, the +first winter. At this time did he lend to Thorgest pillars for +seat-stocks, Afterwards Eirik removed into Eyxney, and dwelt at +Eiriksstadr. He then claimed his pillars, and got them not. Then went +Eirik and fetched the pillars from Breidabolstadr, and Thorgest went +after him. They fought at a short distance from the hay-yard at +Drangar, and there fell two sons of Thorgest, and some other men. +After that they both kept a large body of men together. Styr gave +assistance to Eirik, as also did Eyjolf, of Sviney, Thorbjorn +Vifilsson, and the sons of Thorbrand, of Alptafjordr (Swanfirth). But +the sons of Thord Gellir, as also Thorgeir, of Hitardalr (Hotdale), +Aslak, of Langadalr (Longdale), and Illugi, his son, gave assistance +to Thorgest. Eirik and his people were outlawed at Thorsnes Thing. He +prepared a ship in Eiriksvagr (creek), and Eyjolf concealed him in +Dimunarvagr while Thorgest and his people sought him among the +islands. Eirik said to his people that he purposed to seek for the +land which Gunnbjorn, the son of Ulf the Crow, saw when he was driven +westwards over the ocean, and discovered Gunnbjarnarsker (Gunnbjorn's +rock or skerry). He promised that he would return to visit his friends +if he found the land. Thorbjorn, and Eyjolf, and Styr accompanied +Eirik beyond the islands. They separated in the most friendly manner, +Eirik saying that he would be of the like assistance to them, if he +should be able so to be, and they should happen to need him. Then he +sailed oceanwards under Snoefellsjokull (snow mountain glacier), and +arrived at the glacier called Blaserkr (Blue-shirt); thence he +journeyed south to see if there were any inhabitants of the country. +He passed the first winter at Eiriksey, near the middle, of the +Vestribygd (western settlement). The following spring he proceeded to +Eiriksfjordr, and fixed his abode there. During the summer he +proceeded into the unpeopled districts in the west, and was there a +long time, giving names to the places far and wide. The second winter +he passed in Eiriksholmar (isles), off Hvarfsgnupr (peak of +disappearance, Cape Farewell); and the third summer he went altogether +northwards, to Snoefell and into Hrafnsfjordr (Ravensfirth); +considering then that he had come to the head of Eiriksfjordr, he +turned back, and passed the third winter in Eiriksey, before the mouth +of Eiriksfjordr. Now, afterwards, during the summer, he proceeded to +Iceland, and came to Breidafjordr (Broadfirth). This winter he was +with Ingolf, at Holmlatr (Island-litter). During the spring, Thorgest +and he fought, and Eirik met with defeat. After that they were +reconciled. In the summer Eirik went to live in the land which he had +discovered, and which he called Greenland, "Because," said he, "men +will desire much the more to go there if the land has a good name."] + +3. Thorgeir Vifilsson married, and took to wife Arnora, daughter of +Einar, from Laugarbrekka (the slope of the hot spring), the son of +Sigmund, the eon of Ketil-Thistil, who had occupied Thistilsfjordr. +The second daughter of Einar was named Hallveig. Thorbjorn Vifilsson +took her to wife, and received with her the land of Laugarbrekka, at +Hellisvollr (the cave-hill). To that spot Thorbjorn removed his abode, +and became great and worshipful. He was the temple-priest, and had a +magnificent estate. Thorbjorn's daughter was Gudrid, the fairest of +women, and of peerless nobility in all her conduct. There was a man +named Orm, who dwelt at Arnarstapi (eagle-rock), and he had a wife who +was named Halldis. He was a well-to-do franklin, a great friend of +Thorbjorn, and Gudrid lived at his house as his foster-child for a +long time. There was a man named Thorgeir, who dwelt at Thorgeirsfjall +(fell). He was mighty rich in cattle, and had been made a freedman. He +had a son, whose name was Einar, a handsome man, well mannered, and a +great dandy. Einar, at this time, was a travelling merchant, sailing +from land to land with great success; and he always passed his winter +either in Iceland or in Norway. Now after this, I have to tell how +that one autumn, when Einar was in Iceland, he proceeded with his +wares along Snoefellsnes, with the object of selling; he came to +Arnarstapi; Orm invited him to stay there, and Einar accepted his +invitation, because there was friendship between him and Orm's people, +and his wares were earned into a certain outhouse. There he unpacked +his merchandise, showed it to Orm and the housemen, and bade Orm take +therefrom such things as he would. Orm accepted the offer, and +pronounced Einar to be a goodly gallant traveller, and a great +favourite of fortune. When now they were busy with the wares, a woman +passed before the door of the outhouse; and Einar inquired of Orm who +that fair woman might be, passing before the door. "I have not seen +her here before," said he. "That is Gudrid, my foster-child," said +Orm, "daughter of Thorbjorn the franklin, from Laugarbrekka." "She +must be a good match," said Einar; "surely she has not been without +suitors who have made proposals for her, has she?" Orm answered, +"Proposals have certainly been made, friend, but this treasure is not +to be had for the picking up; it is found that she will be particular +in her choice, as well as also her father." "Well, in spite of that," +quoth Einar, "she is the woman whom I have it in my mind to propose +for, and I wish that in this suit of mine you approach her father on +my part, and apply yourself to plead diligently[A] for me, for which +I shall pay you in return a perfect friendship. The franklin, +Thorbjorn, may reflect that our families would be suitably joined in +the bonds of affinity; for he is a man in a position of great honour, +and owns a fine abode, but his personal property, I am told, is +greatly on the decrease; neither I nor my father lack lands or +personal property; and if this alliance should be brought about, the +greatest assistance would accrue to Thorbjorn." Then answered Orm, "Of +a surety I consider myself to be thy friend, and yet am I not willing +to bring forward this suit, for Thorbjorn is of a proud mind, and +withal a very ambitious man." Einar replied that he desired no other +thing than that his offer of marriage should be made known. Orm then +consented to undertake his suit, and Einar journeyed south again until +he came home. A while after, Thorbjorn had a harvest-feast, as he was +bound to have because of his great rank. There were present Orm, from +Arnarstapi, and many other friends of Thorbjorn. Orm entered into +conversation with Thorbjorn, and told him how that Einar had lately +been to see him from Thorgeirsfjall, and was become a promising man. +He now began the wooing on behalf of Einar, and said that an alliance +between the families would be very suitable on account of certain +interests. "There may arise to thee, franklin," he said, "great +assistance in thy means from this alliance." But Thorbjorn answered, +"I did not expect the like proposal from thee, that I should give my +daughter in marriage to the son of a thrall. And so thou perceivest +that my substance is decreasing; well, then, my daughter shall not go +home with thee, since thou considerest her worthy of so poor a match." +Then went Orm home again, and each of the other guests to his own +household, and Gudrid remained with her father, and stayed at home +that winter. + +[Footnote A: The word "alendu" is a difficulty. Perhaps we ought to +read "allidnu," or "allidinu."] + +Now, in the spring, Thorbjorn made a feast to his friends, and a +goodly banquet was prepared. There came many guests, and the banquet +was of the best. Now, at the banquet, Thorbjorn called for a hearing, +and thus spake:--"Here have I dwelt a long time. I have experienced +the goodwill of men and their affection towards me, and I consider +that our dealings with one another have been mutually agreeable. But +now do my money matters begin to bring me uneasiness, although to this +time my condition has not been reckoned contemptible. I wish, +therefore, to break up my household before I lose my honour; to remove +from the country before I disgrace my family. So now I purpose to look +after the promises of Eirik the Red, my friend, which he made when we +separated at Breidafjordr. I purpose to depart for Greenland in the +summer, if events proceed as I could wish." These tidings about this +design appeared to the guests to be important, for Thorbjorn had long +been beloved by his friends. They felt that he would only have made so +public a declaration that it might be held of no avail to attempt to +dissuade him from his purpose. Thorbjorn distributed gifts among the +guests, and then the feast was brought to an end, and they departed to +their own homesteads. Thorbjorn sold his lands, and bought a ship +which had been laid up on shore at the mouth of the Hraunhofn (harbour +of the lava field). Thirty men ventured on the expedition with him. +There was Orm, from Arnarstapi, and his wife, and those friends of +Thorbjorn who did not wish to be separated from him. Then they +launched the ship, and set sail with a favourable wind. But when they +came out into the open sea the favourable wind ceased, and they +experienced great gales, and made but an ill-sped voyage throughout +the summer. In addition to that trouble, there came fever upon the +expedition, and Orm died, and Halldis, his wife, and half the +company. Then the sea waxed rougher, and they endured much toil and +misery in many ways, and only reached Herjolfsnes, in Greenland, at +the very beginning of winter. There dwelt at Herjolfsnes the man who +was called Thorkell. He was a useful man and most worthy franklin. He +received Thorbjorn and all his ship's company for the winter, +assisting them in right noble fashion. This pleased Thorbjorn well and +his companions in the voyage. + +At that time there was a great dearth in Greenland; those who had been +out on fishing expeditions had caught little, and some had not +returned. There was in the settlement the woman whose name was +Thorbjorg. She was a prophetess (spae-queen), and was called +Litilvolva (little sybil). She had had nine sisters, and they were all +spae-queens, and she was the only one now living. It was a custom of +Thorbjorg, in the winter time, to make a circuit, and people invited +her to their houses, especially those who had any curiosity about the +season, or desired to know their fate; and inasmuch as Thorkell was +chief franklin thereabouts, he considered that it concerned him to +know when the scarcity which overhung the settlement should cease. He +invited, therefore, the spae-queen to his house, and prepared for her +a hearty welcome, as was the custom whereever a reception was accorded +a woman of this kind. A high seat was prepared for her, and a cushion +laid thereon in which were poultry-feathers. Now, when she came in the +evening, accompanied by the man who had been sent to meet her, she was +dressed in such wise that she had a blue mantle over her, with strings +for the neck, and it was inlaid with gems quite down to the skirt. On +her neck she had glass beads. On her head she had a black hood of +lambskin, lined with ermine. A staff she had in her hand, with a knob +thereon; it was ornamented with brass, and inlaid with gems round +about the knob. Around her she wore a girdle of soft hair, and therein +was a large skin-bag, in which she kept the talismans needful to her +in her wisdom. She wore hairy calf-skin shoes on her feet, with long +and strong-looking thongs to them, and great knobs of latten at the +ends. On her hands she had gloves of ermine-skin, and they were white +and hairy within. Now, when she entered, all men thought it their +bounden duty to offer her becoming greetings, and these she received +according as the men were agreeable to her. The franklin Thorkell took +the wise-woman by the hand, and led her to the seat prepared for her. +He requested her to cast her eyes over his herd, his household, and +his homestead. She remained silent altogether. During the evening the +tables were set; and now I must tell you what food was made ready for +the spae-queen. There was prepared for her porridge of kid's milk, and +hearts of all kinds of living creatures there found were cooked for +her. She had a brazen spoon, and a knife with a handle of walrus-tusk, +which was mounted with two rings of brass, and the point of it was +broken off. When the tables were removed, the franklin Thorkell +advanced to Thorbjorg and asked her how she liked his homestead, or +the appearance of the men; or how soon she would ascertain that which +he had asked, and which the men desired to know. She replied that she +would not give answer before the morning, after she had slept there +for the night. And when the (next) day was far spent, the preparations +were made for her which she required for the exercise of her +enchantments. She begged them to bring to her those women who were +acquainted with the lore needed for the exercise of the enchantments, +and which is known by the name of Weird-songs, but no such women came +forward. Then was search made throughout the homestead if any woman +were so learned. Then answered Gudrid, "I am not skilled in deep +learning, nor am I a wise-woman, although Halldis, my foster-mother, +taught me, in Iceland, the lore which she called Weird-songs." "Then +art thou wise in good season," answered Thorbjorg; but Gudrid replied, +"That lore and the ceremony are of such a kind, that I purpose to be +of no assistance therein, because I am a Christian woman." Then +answered Thorbjorg, "Thou mightest perchance afford thy help to the +men in this company, and yet be none the worse woman than thou wast +before; but to Thorkell give I charge to provide here the things that +are needful." Thorkell thereupon urged Gudrid to consent, and she +yielded to his wishes. The women formed a ring round about, and +Thorbjorg ascended the scaffold and the seat prepared for her +enchantments. Then sang Gudrid the weird-song in so beautiful and +excellent a manner, that to no one there did it seem that he had ever +before heard the song in voice so beautiful as now. The spae-queen +thanked her for the song. "Many spirits," said she, "have been present +under its charm, and were pleased to listen to the song, who before +would turn away from us, and grant us no such homage. And now are many +things clear to me which before were hidden both from me and others. +And I am able this to say, that the dearth will last no longer--the +season improving as spring advances. The epidemic of fever which has +long oppressed us will disappear quicker than we could have hoped. And +thee, Gudrid, will I recompense straightway, for that aid of thine +which has stood us in good stead; because thy destiny is now clear to +me, and foreseen. Thou shalt make a match here in Greenland, a most +honourable one, though it will not be a long-lived one for thee, +because thy way lies out to Iceland; and there, shall arise from thee +a line of descendants both numerous and goodly, and over the branches +of thy family shall shine a bright ray. And so fare thee now well and +happily, my daughter." Afterwards the men went to the wise-woman, and +each enquired after what he was most curious to know. She was also +liberal of her replies, and what she said proved true. After this came +one from another homestead after her, and she then went there. +Thorbjorn was invited, because he did not wish to remain at home while +such heathen worship was performing. The weather soon improved when +once spring began, as Thorbjorg had said, Thorbjorn made ready his +ship, and went on until he came to Brattahlid (the steep slope). Eirik +received him with the utmost cordiality, saying he had done well to +come there. Thorbjorn and his family were with him during the winter. +And in the following spring Eirik gave to Thorbjorn land at Stokknes, +and handsome farm buildings were there built for him, and he dwelt +there afterwards. + +4. Eirik had a wife who was named Thjodhild, and two sons; the one was +named Thorstein, and the other Leif. These sons of Eirik were both +promising men. Thorstein was then at home with his father; and there +was at that time no man in Greenland who was thought so highly of as +he. Leif had sailed to Norway, and was there with King Olaf +Tryggvason. Now, when Leif sailed from Greenland during the summer, he +and his men were driven out of their course to the Sudreyjar. They +were slow in getting a favourable wind from this place, and they +stayed there a long time during the summer ... reaching Norway about +harvest-tide. He joined the body-guard of King Olaf Tryggvason, and +the king formed an excellent opinion of him, and it appeared to him +that Leif was a well-bred man. Once upon a time the king entered into +conversation with Leif, and asked him, "Dost thou purpose sailing to +Greenland in summer?" Leif answered, "I should wish so to do, if it +is your will." The king replied, "I think it may well be so; thou +shalt go my errand, and preach Christianity in Greenland." Leif said +that he was willing to undertake it, but that, for himself, he +considered that message a difficult one to proclaim in Greenland. But +the king said that he knew no man who was better fitted for the work +than he. "And thou shalt carry," said he, "good luck with thee in it." +"That can only be," said Leif, "if I carry yours with me." Leif set +sail as soon as he was ready. He was tossed about a long time out at +sea, and lighted upon lands of which before he had no expectation. +There were fields of wild wheat, and the vine-tree in full growth. +There were also the trees which were called maples; and they gathered +of all this certain tokens; some trunks so large that they were used +in house-building. Leif came upon men who had been shipwrecked, and +took them home with him, and gave them sustenance during the winter. +Thus did he show his great munificence and his graciousness when he +brought Christianity to the land, and saved the shipwrecked crew. He +was called Leif the Lucky. Leif reached land in Eiriksfjordr, and +proceeded home to Brattahlid. The people received him gladly. He soon +after preached Christianity and catholic truth throughout the land, +making known to the people the message of King Olaf Tryggvason; and +declaring how many renowned deeds and what great glory accompanied +this faith. Eirik took coldly to the proposal to forsake his religion, +but his wife, Thjodhild, promptly yielded, and caused a church to be +built not very near the houses. The building was called Thjodhild's +Church; in that spot she offered her prayers, and so did those men who +received Christ, and they were many. After she accepted the faith, +Thjodhild would have no intercourse with Eirik, and this was a great +trial to his temper. + +After this there was much talk about making ready to go to the land +which Leif had discovered. Thorstein, Eirik's son, was chief mover in +this, a worthy man, wise and much liked. Eirik was also asked to go, +and they believed that his luck and foresight would be of the highest +use. He was [for a long time against it, but did not say nay], when +his friends exhorted him to go. They made ready the ship which +Thorbjorn had brought there, and there were twenty men who undertook +to start in her. They had little property, but chiefly weapons and +food. On the morning when Eirik left home he took a little box, which +had in it gold and silver; he hid the money, and then went forth on +his journey. He had proceeded, however, but a little way, when he fell +from his horse, and broke his ribs and injured his shoulder, and cried +out, "Aiai!" At this accident he sent word to his wife that she should +take away the money that he had hidden, declaring his misfortune to be +a penalty paid on account of having hid the money. Afterwards they +sailed away out of Eiriksfjordr with gladness, as their plan seemed to +promise success. They were driven about for a long time on the open +sea, and came not into the track which they desired. They came in +sight of Iceland, and also met with birds from the coast of Ireland. +Then was their ship tossed to and fro on the sea. They returned about +harvest-tide, worn out by toil and much exhausted, and reached +Eiriksfjordr at the beginning of winter. Then spake Eirik, "You were +in better spirits in the summer, when you went forth out of the firth, +than you are in now, and yet for all that there is much to be thankful +for." Thorstein replied, "It is a chieftain's duty now to look after +some arrangement for these men who are without shelter, and to find +them food." Eirik answered, "That is an ever-true saying, 'You know +not until you have got your answer.' I will now take thy counsel about +this." All those who had no other abodes were to go with the father +and the son. Then came they to land, and went forth home. + +5. Now, after this, I have to tell you how Thorstein, Eirik's son, +began wooing Gudrid, Thorbjorn's daughter. To his proposals a +favourable answer was given, both by the maid herself, and also by her +father. The marriage was also arranged, so that Thorstein went to take +possession of his bride, and the bridal feast was held at Brattahlid +in the autumn. The banquet went off well, and was numerously attended. +Thorstein owned a homestead in the Vestribygd on the estate known as +Lysufjordr (shining firth). The man who was called Thorstein owned the +other half of the homestead. His wife was called Sigrid. Thorstein +went, during the autumn, to Lysufjordr, to his namesake, both he and +Gudrid. Their reception was a welcome one. They were there during the +winter. When little of the winter was past, the event happened there +that fever broke out on their estate. The overseer of the work was +named Garth. He was an unpopular man. He took the fever first and +died. Afterwards, and with but little intermission, one took the fever +after another and died. Then Thorstein, Eirik's son, fell ill, and +also Sigrid, the wife of his namesake Thorstein. [And one evening +Sigrid left the house, and rested awhile opposite the outer door; and +Gudrid accompanied her; and they looked back towards the outer door, +and Sigrid screamed out aloud. Gudrid said, "We have come forth +unwarily, and thou canst in no wise withstand the cold; let us even go +home as quickly as possible." "It is not safe as matters are," +answered Sigrid. "There is all that crowd of dead people before the +door; Thorstein, thy husband, also, and myself, I recognise among +them, and it is a grief thus to behold." And when this passed away, +she said, "Let us now go, Gudrid; I see the crowd no longer." +Thorstein, Eirik's son, had also disappeared from her sight; he had +seemed to have a whip in his hand, and to wish to smite the ghostly +troop. Afterwards they went in, and before morning came she was dead, +and a coffin was prepared for the body. Now, the same day, the men +purposed to go out fishing, and Thorstein led them to the landing +places, and in the early morning he went to see what they had caught. +Then Thorstein, Eirik's son, sent word to his namesake to come to him, +saying that matters at home were hardly quiet; that the housewife was +endeavouring to rise to her feet and to get under the clothes beside +him. And when he was come in she had risen upon the edge of the bed. +Then took he her by the hands and laid a pole-axe upon her breast. +Thorstein, Eirik's son, died near nightfall. Thorstein, the franklin, +begged Gudrid to lie down and sleep, saying that he would watch over +the body during the night. So she did, and when a little of the night +was past, Thorstein, Eirik's son, sat up and spake, saying he wished +Gudrid to be called to him, and that he wished to speak with her. "God +wills," he said, "that this hour be given to me for my own, and the +further completion of my plan." Thorstein, the franklin, went to find +Gudrid, and waked her; begged her to cross herself, and to ask God for +help, and told her what Thorstein, Eirik's son, had spoken with him; +"and he wishes," said he, "to meet with thee. Thou art obliged to +consider what plan thou wilt adopt, because I can in this issue advise +thee in nowise." She answered, "It may be that this, this wonderful +thing, has regard to certain matters, which are afterwards to be had +in memory; and I hope that God's keeping will test upon me, and I +will, with God's grace, undertake the risk and go to him, and know +what he will say, for I shall not be able to escape if harm must +happen to me. I am far from wishing that he should go elsewhere; I +suspect, moreover, that the matter will be a pressing one." Then went +Gudrid and saw Thorstein. He appeared to her as if shedding tears. He +spake in her ear, in a low voice, certain words which she alone might +know; but this he said so that all heard, "That those men would be +blessed who held the true faith, and that all salvation and mercy +accompanied it; and that many, nevertheless, held it lightly." "It +is," said he, "no good custom which has prevailed here in Greenland +since Christianity came, to bury men in unconsecrated ground with few +religious rites over them. I wish for myself, and for those other men +who have died, to be taken to the church; but for Garth, I wish him to +be burned on a funeral pile as soon as may be, for he is the cause of +all those ghosts which have been among us this winter." He spake to +Gudrid also about her own state, saying that her destiny would be a +great one, and begged her to beware of marrying Greenland men. He +begged her also to pay over their property to the Church and some to +the poor; and then he sank down for the second time.] It had been a +custom in Greenland, after Christianity was brought there, to bury men +in unconsecrated ground on the farms where they died. An upright stake +was placed over a body, and when the priests came afterwards to the +place, then was the stake pulled out, consecrated water poured +therein, and a funeral service held, though it might be long after the +burial. The bodies were removed to the church in Eiriksfjordr, and +funeral services held by the priests. After that died Thorbjorn. The +whole property then went to Gudrid. Eirik received her into his +household, and looked well after her stores. + +6. There was a man named Thorfinn Karlsefni, son of Thord Horsehead, +who dwelt in the north (of Iceland), at Reynines in Skagafjordr, as it +is now called. Karlsefni was a man of good family, and very rich. His +mother's name was Thorun. He engaged in trading journeys, and seemed a +goodly, bold, and gallant traveller. One summer Karlsefni prepared his +ship, intending to go to Greenland. Snorri, Thorbrand's son, from +Alptafjordr, resolved to travel with him, and there were thirty men in +the company. There was a man named Bjarni, Grimolf's son, a man of +Breidafjordr (Broadfirth); another called Thorhall, son of Gamli, a +man from the east of Iceland. They prepared their ship the very same +summer as Karlsefni, with intent also to go to Greenland. They had in +the ship forty men. The two ships launched out into the open sea as +soon as they were ready. It is not recorded how long a voyage they +had. But, after this, I have to tell you that both these ships came to +Eiriksfjordr about autumn. Eirik rode down to the ships with other men +of the land, and a market-fair was promptly instituted. The captains +invited Gudrid to take such of the merchandise as she wished, and +Eirik displayed on his part much magnificence in return, inasmuch as +he invited both these ships' companies home with him to pass the +winter in Brattahlid. The merchants accepted the invitation, and went +home with Eirik. Afterwards their merchandise was removed to +Brattahlid, where a good and large outhouse was not lacking in which +to store the goods. The merchants were well pleased to stay with Eirik +during the winter. When now Yule was drawing nigh, Eirik began to look +more gloomy than he was wont to be. Presently Karlsefni entered into +conversation with him, and said, "Art thou in trouble, Eirik? it +appears to me that thou art somewhat more taciturn than thou hast +been; still thou helpest us with much liberality, and we are bound to +reward thee according as we have means thereto. Say now what causes +thy cheerlessness." Eirik answered, "You receive hospitality well, and +like worthy men. Now, I have no mind that our intercourse together +should be expensive to you; but so it is, that it will seem to me an +ill thing if it is heard that you never spent a worse Yule than this, +just now beginning, when Eirik the Red entertained you at Brattahlid, +in Greenland." Karlsefni answered, "It must not come to such a pass; +we have in our ships malt, meal, and corn, and you have right and +title to take therefrom whatever you wish, and to make your +entertainment such as consorts with your munificence." And Eirik +accepted the offer. Then was preparation made for the Yule-feast, and +so magnificent was it that the men thought they had scarcely ever seen +so grand a feast. And after Yule, Karlsefni broached to Eirik the +subject of a marriage with Gudrid, which he thought might be under +Eirik's control, and the woman appeared to him to be both beautiful +and of excellent understanding. Eirik answered and said, that for his +part he would willingly undertake his suit, and said, moreover, that +she was worthy of a good match. It is also likely, he thought, that +she will be following out her destiny, should she be given to him; +and, moreover, the report which comes to me of him is good. The +proposals were now laid before her, and she allowed the marriage with +her to be arranged which Eirik wished to promote. However, I will not +now speak at length how this marriage took place; the Yule festival +was prolonged and made into a marriage-feast. Great joy was there in +Brattahlid during the winter. Much playing at backgammon and telling +of stories went on, and many things were done that ministered to the +comfort of the household. + +7. During this time much talk took place in Brattahlid about making +ready to go to Vinland the Good, and it was asserted that they would +there find good choice lands. The discourse came to such conclusion +that Karlsefni and Snorri prepared their ship, with the intention of +seeking Vinland during the summer. Bjarni and Thorhall ventured on the +same expedition, with their ship and the retinue which had accompanied +them. [There was a man named Thorvard; he married Freydis, natural +daughter of Eirik the Red; he set out with them likewise, as also +Thorvald, a son of Eirik.] There was a man named Thorvald; he was a +son-in-law[B] of Eirik the Red. Thorhall was called the Sportsman; he +had for a long time been Eirik's companion in hunting and fishing +expeditions during the summers, and many things had been committed to +his keeping. Thorhall was a big man, dark, and of gaunt appearance; +rather advanced in years, overbearing in temper, of melancholy mood, +silent at all times, underhand in his dealings, and withal given to +abuse, and always inclined towards the worst. He had kept himself +aloof from the true faith when it came to Greenland. He was but little +encompassed with the love of friends, but yet Eirik had long held +conversation with him. He went in the ship with Thorvald and his man, +because he was widely acquainted with the unpeopled districts. They +had the ship which Thorbjorn had brought to Greenland, and they +ventured on the expedition with Karlsefni and the others; and most of +them in this ship were Greenlanders. There were one hundred and sixty +men in their ships. They sailed away from land; then to the Vestribygd +and to Bjarneyjar (the Bear Islands). Thence they sailed away from +Bjarneyjar with northerly winds. They were out at sea two half-days. +Then they came to land, and rowed along it in boats, and explored it, +and found there flat stones, many and so great that two men might well +lie on them stretched on their backs with heel to heel. Polar-foxes +were there in abundance. This land they gave name to, and called it +Helluland (stone-land). Then they sailed with northerly winds two +half-days, and there was then land before them, and on it a great +forest and many wild beasts. An island lay in the south-east off the +land, and they found bears thereon, and called the island Bjarney +(Bear Island); but the mainland, where the forest was, they called +Markland (forest-land). Then, when two half-days were passed, they saw +land, and sailed under it. There was a cape to which they came. They +cruised along the land, leaving it on the starboard side. There was a +harbourless coast-land, and long sandy strands. They went to the land +in boats, and found the keel of a ship, and called the place +Kjalar-nes (Keelness). They gave also name to the strands, calling +them Furdustrandir (wonder-shore), because it was tedious to sail by +them. Then the coast became indented with creeks, and they directed +their ships along the creeks. Now, before this, when Leif was with +King Olaf Tryggvason, and the king had requested him to preach +Christianity in Greenland, he gave him two Scotch people, the man +called Haki, and the woman called Haekja. The king requested Leif to +have recourse to these people if ever he should want fleetness, +because they were swifter than wild beasts. Eirik and Leif had got +these people to go with Karlsefni. Now, when they had sailed by +Furdustrandir, they put the Scotch people on land, and requested them +to run into the southern regions, seek for choice land, and come back +after three half-days[C] were passed. They were dressed in such wise +that they had on the garment which they called _biafal_. It was made +with a hood at the top, open at the sides, without sleeves, and was +fastened between the legs. A button and a loop held it together there; +and elsewhere they were without clothing. Then did they cast anchors +from the ships, and lay there to wait for them. And when three days +were expired the Scotch people leapt down from the land, and one of +them had in his hand a bunch of grapes, and the other an ear of wild +wheat. + +[Footnote B: Later on in the Saga he is called a son of Eirik. The +text would appear to be somewhat corrupt here, as the passage in +square brackets from Hauks-bok seems to show.] + +[Footnote C: The word "doegr," both here and above, is translated +"half-day," though it may possibly mean a period of twenty-four +hours. It is to be noticed, however, that these Scotch people return +after three "dagar," which can only mean periods of twenty-four +hours.] + +They said to Karlsefni that they considered they had found good and +choice land. Then they received them into their ship, and proceeded on +their journey to where the shore was cut into by a firth. They +directed the ships within the firth. There was an island lying out in +front of the firth, and there were great currents around the island, +which they called Straums-ey (Stream-island). There were so many birds +on it that scarcely was it possible to put one's feet down for the +eggs. They continued their course up the firth, which they called +Straumsfjordr, and carried their cargo ashore from the ships, and +there they prepared to stay. They had with them cattle of all kinds, +and for themselves they sought out the produce of the land thereabout. +There were mountains, and the place was fair to look upon. They gave +no heed to anything except to explore the land, and they found large +pastures. They remained there during the winter, which happened to be +a hard one, with no work doing; and they were badly off for food, and +the fishing failed. Then they went out to the island, hoping that +something might be got there from fishing or from what was drifted +ashore. In that spot there was little, however, to be got for food, +but their cattle found good sustenance. After that they called upon +God, praying that He would send them some little store of meat, but +their prayer was not so soon granted as they were eager that it should +be. Thorhall disappeared from sight, and they went to seek him, and +sought for three half-days continuously. On the fourth half-day +Karlsefni and Bjarni found him on the peak of a crag. He lay with his +face to the sky, with both eyes and mouth and nostrils wide open, +clawing and pinching himself, and reciting something. They asked why +he had come there. He replied that it was of no importance; begged +them not to wonder thereat; as for himself, he had lived so long, they +needed not to take any account of him. They begged him to go home with +them, and he did so. A little while after a whale was driven ashore, +and the men crowded round it, and cut it up, and still they knew not +what kind of whale it was. Even Karlsefni recognised it not, though he +had great knowledge of whales. It was cooked by the cook-boys, and +they ate thereof; though bad effects came upon all from it afterwards. +Then began Thorhall, and said, "Has it not been that the Redbeard has +proved a better friend than your Christ? this was my gift for the +poetry which I composed about Thor, my patron; seldom has he failed +me." Now, when the men knew that, none of them would eat of it, and +they threw it down from the rocks, and turned with their supplications +to God's mercy. Then was granted to them opportunity of fishing, and +after that there was no lack of food that spring. They went back again +from the island, within Straumsfjordr, and obtained food from both +sides; from hunting on the mainland, and from gathering eggs and from +fishing on the side of the sea. + +8. When summer was at hand they discussed about their journey, and +made an arrangement. Thorhall the Sportsman wished to proceed +northwards along Furdustrandir, and off Kjalarnes, and so seek +Vinland; but Karlsefni desired to proceed southwards along the land +and away from the east, because the land appeared to him the better +the further south he went, and he thought it also more advisable to +explore in both directions. Then did Thorhall make ready for his +journey out by the islands, and there volunteered for the expedition +with him not more than nine men; but with Karlsefni there went the +remainder of the company. And one day, when Thorhall was carrying +water to his ship, he drank, and recited this verse:-- + +"The clashers of weapons did say when I came here that I should have +the best of drink (though it becomes me not to complain before the +common people). Eager God of the war-helmet! I am made to raise the +bucket; wine has not moistened my beard, rather do I kneel at the +fountain." + +Afterwards they put to sea, and Karlsefni accompanied them by the +island. Before they hoisted sail Thorhall recited a verse:-- + +"Go we back where our countrymen are. Let us make the skilled hawk of +the sand-heaven explore the broad ship-courses; while the dauntless +rousers of the sword-storm, who praise the land, and cook whale, dwell +on Furdustrandir." + +Then they left, and sailed northwards along Furdustrandir and +Kjalarnes, and attempted there to sail against a wind from the west. A +gale came upon them, however, and drove them onwards against Ireland, +and there were they severely treated, enthralled, and beaten. Then +Thorhall lost his life. + +9. Karlsefni proceeded southwards along the land, with Snorri and +Bjarni and the rest of the company. They journeyed a long while, and +until they arrived at a river, which came down from the land and fell +into a lake, and so on to the sea. There were large islands off the +mouth of the river, and they could not come into the river except at +high flood-tide. Karlsefni and his people sailed to the mouth of the +river, and called the land Hop. There they found fields of wild wheat +wherever there were low grounds; and the vine in all places were there +was rough rising ground. Every rivulet there was full of fish. They +made holes where the land and water joined and where the tide went +highest; and when it ebbed they found halibut in the holes. There was +great plenty of wild animals of every form in the wood. They were +there half a month, amusing themselves, and not becoming aware of +anything. Their cattle they had with them. And early one morning, as +they looked around, they beheld nine canoes made of hides, and +snout-like staves were being brandished from the boats, and they made +a noise like flails, and twisted round in the direction of the sun's +motion. Then Karlsefni said, "What will this betoken?" Snorri answered +him, "It may be that it is a token of peace; let us take a white +shield and go to meet them." And so they did. Then did they in the +canoes row forwards, and showed surprise at them, and came to land. +They were short men, ill-looking, with their hair in disorderly +fashion on their heads; they were large-eyed, and had broad cheeks. +And they stayed there awhile in astonishment. Afterwards they rowed +away to the south, off the headland. + +10. They had built their settlements up above the lake. And some of +the dwellings were well within the land, but some were near the lake. +Now they remained there that winter. They had no snow whatever, and +all their cattle went out to graze without keepers. Now when spring +began, they beheld one morning early, that a fleet of hide-canoes was +rowing from the south off the headland; so many were they as if the +sea were strewn with pieces of charcoal, and there was also the +brandishing of staves as before from each boat. Then they held shields +up, and a market was formed between them; and this people in their +purchases preferred red cloth; in exchange they had furs to give, and +skins quite grey. They wished also to buy swords and lances, but +Karlsefni and Snorri forbad it. They offered for the cloth dark hides, +and took in exchange a span long of cloth, and bound it round their +heads; and so matters went on for a while. But when the stock of cloth +began to grow small, then they split it asunder, so that it was not +more than a finger's breadth. The Skroelingar (Esquimaux) gave for it +still quite as much, or more than before. + +11. Now it came to pass that a bull, which belonged to Karlsefni's +people, rushed out of the wood and bellowed loudly at the same time. +The Skroelingar, frightened thereat, rushed away to their canoes, and +rowed south along the coast. There was then nothing seen of them for +three weeks together. When that time was gone by, there was seen +approaching from the south a great crowd of Skroelingar boats, coming +down upon them like a stream, the staves this time being all +brandished in the direction opposite to the sun's motion, and the +Skroelingar were all howling loudly. Then took they and bare red +shields to meet them. They encountered one another and fought, and +there was a great shower of missiles. The Skroelingar had also +war-slings, or catapults. Then Karlsefni and Snorri see that the +Skroelingar are bringing up poles, with a very large ball attached to +each, to be compared in size to a sheep's stomach, dark in colour; and +these flew over Karlsefni's company towards the land, and when they +came down they struck the ground with a hideous noise. This produced +great terror in Karlsefni and his company, so that their only impulse +was to retreat up the country along the river, because it seemed as if +crowds of Skroelingar were driving at them from all sides. And they +stopped not until they came to certain crags. There they offered them +stern resistance. Freydis came out and saw how they were retreating. +She called out, "Why run you away from such worthless creatures, stout +men that ye are, when, as seems to me likely, you might slaughter them +like so many cattle? Let me but have a weapon, I think I could fight +better than any of you." They gave no heed to what she said. Freydis +endeavoured to accompany them, still she soon lagged behind, because +she was not well; she went after them into the wood, and the +Skroelingar directed their pursuit after her. She came upon a dead man; +Thorbrand, Snorri's son, with a flat stone fixed in his head; his +sword lay beside him, so she took it up and prepared to defend herself +therewith. Then came the Skroelingar upon her. She let down her sark +and struck her breast with the naked sword. At this they were +frightened, rushed off to their boats, and fled away. Karlsefni and +the rest came up to her and praised her zeal. Two of Karlsefni's men +fell, and four of the Skroelingar, notwithstanding they had overpowered +them by superior numbers. After that, they proceeded to their booths, +and began to reflect about the crowd of men which attacked them upon +the land; it appeared to them now that the one troop will have been +that which came in the boats, and the other troop will have been a +delusion of sight. The Skroelingar also found a dead man, and his axe +lay beside him. One of them struck a stone with it, and broke the axe. +It seemed to them good for nothing, as it did not withstand the stone, +and they threw it down. + +12. [Karlsefni and his company] were now of opinion that though the +land might be choice and good, there would be always war and terror +overhanging them, from those who dwelt there before them. They made +ready, therefore, to move away, with intent to go to their own land. +They sailed forth northwards, and found five Skroelingar in jackets of +skin, sleeping [near the sea], and they had with them a chest, and in +it was marrow of animals mixed with blood; and they considered that +these must have been outlawed. They slew them. Afterwards they came to +a headland and a multitude of wild animals; and this headland appeared +as if it might be a cake of cow-dung, because the animals passed the +winter there. Now they came to Straumsfjordr, where also they had +abundance of all kinds. It is said by some that Bjarni and Freydis +remained there, and a hundred men with them, and went not further +away. But Karlsefni and Snorri journeyed southwards, and forty men +with them, and after staying no longer than scarcely two months at +Hop, had come back the same summer. Karlsefni set out with a single +ship to seek Thorhall, but the (rest of the) company remained behind. +He and his people went northwards off Kjalarnes, and were then borne +onwards towards the west, and the land lay on their larboard-side, and +was nothing but wilderness. And when they had proceeded for a long +time, there was a river which came down from the land, flowing from +the east towards the west. They directed their course within the +river's mouth, and lay opposite the southern bank. + +13. One morning Karlsefni's people beheld as it were a glittering +speak above the open space in front of them, and they shouted at it. +It stirred itself, and it was a being of the race of men that have +only one foot, and he came down quickly to where they lay. Thorvald, +son of Eirik the Red, sat at the tiller, and the One-footer shot him +with an arrow in the lower abdomen. He drew out the arrow. Then said +Thorvald, "Good land have we reached, and fat is it about the paunch." +Then the One-footer leapt away again northwards. They chased after +him, and saw him occasionally, but it seemed as if he would escape +them. He disappeared at a certain creek. Then they turned back, and +one man spake this ditty:-- + +"Our men chased (all true it is) a One-footer down to the shore; but +the wonderful man strove hard in the race....[D] Hearken, Karlsefni." + +Then they journeyed away back again northwards, and saw, as they +thought, the land of the One-footers. They wished, however, no longer +to risk their company. They conjectured the mountains to be all one +range; those, that is, which were at Hop, and those which they now +discovered; almost answering to one another; and it was the same +distance to them on both sides from Straumsfjordr. They journeyed +back, and were in Straumsfjordr the third winter. Then fell the men +greatly into backsliding. They who were wifeless pressed their claims +at the hands of those who were married. Snorri, Karlsefni's son, was +born the first autumn, and he was three winters old when they began +their journey home. Now, when they sailed from Vinland, they had a +southern wind, and reached Markland, and found five Skroelingar; one +was a bearded man, two were women, two children. Karlsefni's people +caught the children, but the others escaped and sunk down into the +earth. And they took the children with them, and taught them their +speech, and they were baptized. The children called their mother +Voetilldi, and their father Uvoegi. They said that kings ruled over the +land of the Skroelingar, one of whom was called Avalldamon, and the +other Valldidida. They said also that there were no houses, and the +people lived in caves or holes. They said, moreover, that there was a +land on the other side over against their land, and the people there +were dressed in white garments, uttered loud cries, bare long poles, +and wore fringes. This was supposed to be Hvitramannaland (whiteman's +land). Then came they to Greenland, and remained with Eirik the Red +during the winter. + +[Footnote D: in this _lacuna_ occur the words "af stopi," which Dr. +Vigfusson translates, in his notes, "over the stubbles."] + +14. Bjarni, Grimolf's son, and his men were carried into the Irish +Ocean, and came into a part where the sea was infested by ship-worms. +They did not find it out before the ship was eaten through under them; +then they debated what plan they should follow. They had a ship's boat +which was smeared with tar made of seal-fat. It is said that the +ship-worm will not bore into the wood which has been smeared with the +seal-tar. The counsel and advice of most of the men was to ship into +the boat as many men as it would hold. Now, when that was tried, the +boat held not more than half the men. Then Bjarni advised that it +should be decided by the casting of lots, and not by the rank of the +men, which of them should go into the boat; and inasmuch as every man +there wished to go into the boat, though it could not hold all of +them; therefore, they accepted the plan to cast lots who should leave +the ship for the boat. And the lot so fell that Bjarni, and nearly +half the men with him, were chosen for the boat. So then those left +the ship and went into the boat who had been chosen by lot so to do. +And when the men were come into the boat, a young man, an Icelander, +who had been a fellow-traveller of Bjarni, said, "Dost thou intend, +Bjarni, to separate thyself here from me." "It must needs be so now," +Bjarni answered. He replied, "Because, in such case, thou didst not so +promise me when I set out from Iceland with thee from the homestead of +my father." Bjarni answered, "I do not, however, see here any other +plan; but what plan dost thou suggest?" He replied, "I propose this +plan, that we two make a change in our places, and thou come here and +I will go there." Bjarni answered, "So shall it be; and this I see, +that thou labourest willingly for life, and that it seems to thee a +grievous thing to face death." Then they changed places. The man went +into the boat, and Bjarni back into the ship; and it is said that +Bjarni perished there in the Worm-sea, and they who were with him in +the ship; but the boat and those who were in it went on their journey +until they reached land, and told this story afterwards. + +15. The next summer Karlsefni set out for Iceland, and Snorri with +him, and went home to his house in Reynines. His mother considered +that he had made a shabby match, and she was not at home the first +winter. But when she found that Gudrid was a lady without peer, she +went home, and their intercourse was happy. The daughter of Snorri, +Karlsefni's son, was Hallfrid, mother of Bishop Thorlak, the son of +Runolf. (Hallfrid and Runolf) had a son, whose name was Thorbjorn; his +daughter was Thorun, mother of Bishop Bjarn. Thorgeir was the name of +a son of Snorri, Karlsefni's son; he was father of Yngvild, the mother +of the first Bishop Brand. And here ends this story. + +(This translation is made from the version of the Saga printed in Dr. +Gudbrand Vigfusson's _Icelandic Prose Reader_. The passages in square +brackets are taken from the Hauks-bok version given in _Antiquitates +Americanae_. It may be mentioned here that Carl Christian Rafn and the +other Danish scholars who edited this elaborate work have concluded +that Kjalarnes is the modern Cape Cod, Straumsfjordr is Buzzard's Bay, +Straumsey is Martha's Vineyard, and Hop is on the shores of Mount Haup +Bay, into which the river Taunton flows. + +English readers of Icelandic owe a large debt to Dr. Vigfusson for his +labours in the cause of Icelandic literature. The great _Dictionary_, +the _Sturlunga Saga_, and the _Prose Reader_, together make an undying +claim on our gratitude; and yet they only show how very much more is +still to be done. May we hope that Dr. Vigfusson will not cease from +his labours until he has put forth a large instalment of the series +which he has sketched in the able introduction to the _Sturlunga_, p. +ccix.; and that the Delegates of the Clarendon Press will continue +generously to appreciate his eager, scholarly, and laborious +enthusiasm.) + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Eirik the Red's Saga, by Anonymous + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EIRIK THE RED'S SAGA *** + +***** This file should be named 17946.txt or 17946.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/7/9/4/17946/ + +Produced by National Library of Iceland and Cornell +University Library via www.sagnanet.is, Johannes Birgir +Jensson, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team of Distributed Proofreaders Europe at +http://dp.rastko.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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