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The Norse Discovery of America

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THE NORSE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA A Compilation in Extenso of all the Sagas, Manuscripts, and Inscriptive Memorials Relating to the Finding and Settlement of the New World in the Eleventh Century. With Presentations of Freshly Discovered Proofs, in the form of Church Records Supplied by the Vatican of Rome, Never Before Published. TRANSLATIONS AND DEDUCTIONS BY ARTHUR MIDDLETON REEVES, NORTH LUDLOW BEAMISH, HON. RASMUS B. ANDERSON. ______________ HON. RASMUS B. ANDERSON, LL.D., EDITOR IN CHIEF. J. W. BUEL, Ph.D., MANAGING EDITOR. ______________ PUBLISHED BY THE NORRŒNA SOCIETY, LONDON STOCKHOLM COPENHAGEN BERLIN NEW YORK [1906] Scanned at sacred-texts.com, February, 2004. John Bruno Hare, redactor. This text is in the public domain. These files may be used for any non-commercial purpose, provided this notice of attribution is left intact. p. v CONTENTS. (NORSE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.) Page Preface by J. W. Buel ix Introduction by Arthur M. Reeves xiii CHAPTER I. Early Fragmentary References to Wineland 1 Wineland the Good Found 10 CHAPTER II. The Saga of Eric the Red 16 Eric the Red finds Greenland 29 Saga of Karselfni 30 Concerning Thorbion 32 Christianity is Introduced into Greenland 40 Thorstein Weds Gudrid, Apparitions Appear 44 Funeral Rites Among the Greenlanders 47 Beginning of the Wineland Voyages 50 Karlsefni Explores the Coast South of Vinland 53 The First Settlement in America 55 How a Woman Vanquished the Natives 57 Thorvald Killed by the Skrellings 59 Ireland the Great, or White Man's Land 61 Birth of the First White Child in America 62 CHAPTER III. Wineland History of the Flatey Book 63 History of the Flatey Book 64 CHAPTER IV. Translations from the Flatey Book Story of Eric the Red and other Voyagers 75 Eric Founds a Settlement in America 81 A Country Abounding with Grapes 83 Thorvald goes to Wineland 85 An Engagement with the Natives 87 Thorstein Dies in the Western Settlement 88 A Plague Visits Greenland 89 Voyages of Thorfinn and His Companions 92 Karlsefni Visits Leif's Booths in America 93 p. vi Freydis Murders two Men and five Women 96 Death of Gudrid, Father of Snorre (Snorri) 101 CHAPTER V. Wineland in the Icelandic Annals 102 Bishop of Greenland goes to Wineland 103 The Church Fathers in the New World 105 Last Historic Reference to Wineland 107 CHAPTER VI. Notices of Doubtful Value 108 The Wonderful Story of Biorn 109 Evidences of Irish Occupation of America 113 Difficulty in Locating "Newland" 115 Sagas that Puzzle Historians 117 CHAPTER VII. Publication of the Wineland Discovery 119 Adam of Bremen Writes of Wineland 121 First Printed Theory Concerning Wineland 123 Arni Magnusson's Collection of Manuscripts 124 Sagas of which their Accuracy is Confirmed 125 Prof. Storm's Treatise upon the Wineland Discovery 126 Notes Explanatory of Prof. Reeves' Text 128 ________ BOOK II. Arguments and Evidences Respecting the Wineland Discovery 148 Introduction to a Study of Icelandic Records 149 Scalds and Sagamen in Icelandic Literature 150 Establishment of Law in Iceland 153 Origin of the Saga 155 Records of Great Deeds Preserved by Skalds 157 Important Position Held by the Skalds 159 Preservation of Ancient Traditions 161 Second Period of Icelandic Literature 162 Purpose served by Skaldic Verse 163 Subjects Treated by the Sagamen 165 Passion for Travel among Icelanders 169 Arne Magnussen (Arni Magnusson) the Learned 171 Third Period in Icelandic Literature 174 Effect of Christianity's Introduction 175 Importance of the Islendingabok 177 Link that Connects the Written and Oral Annals 179 First of Icelandic Historians 191 Chronology of the Historical Sagas 193 Last Period of Icelandic Literature 184 p. vii Decline of Literary Ambition 185 Rise of Romance and Chivalry 187 The Genealogist Succeeds the Skald 189 Saga of Eric the Red. Discovery and Colonization of Greenland 191 Bjarne Seeks out Greenland 194 Bjarne is Driven upon Strange Shores 195 Results of Bjarne's Voyage 197 Columbus and the Norse Navigators 198 Voyage of Leif Erikson. Leif Discovers America 201 Leif's Description of the New World 202 He builds (booths) houses in the New Country 203 Lief Rescues a Shipwrecked Crew 205 Thorvald Repairs to Vinland 206 His Fatal Encounter with the Natives 207 Voyage of Thorstein Erikson 209 Death of Grimhild 211 The Heimskringla Record of the Vineland Discovery 213 The Saga of Thorfin Karlsefni. His Voyage to Greenland 216 Leif Erikson Entertains Karlsefni 217 Settlement in Vinland by Karlsefni 218 Description of the New Country 220 Karlsefni Explores the Country South 222 The First Year Spent in America 224 A Battle with the Skrellings 225 Another Settlement Founded in America 227 In the Land of the Mysterious Unipeds 228 The Posterity of Karlsefni 230 Voyage of Freydis, Erik's Daughter (translation). Frequency of Voyages between Iceland and Vinland 231 Discord among the Vinland Colonists 232 Murderous Frenzy of Freydis 234 The Mansur Wood of Vinland 236 Geographical Notices and Comments on the Saga Records 237 Inscriptive Evidences of the Discovery 239 The Dighton Writing Rock 240 Analogy between Dighton and other Inscriptions 243 Runic Stone at Kingikvrsaak 244 Voyages in the Thirteenth Century 245 Norse Discoveries in the Arctic Regions 247 Navigation as a Science among Norsemen 249 Extensive Commerce with many Nations 251 Cause of the Hegira from Norway 252 p. viii Minor Narratives of the Vinland Discovery 254 Translations from the Saga of Tryggvason 255 Colonization of Great Ireland 257 Translation of the Bjorn (Bjarne) Legend 258 Remarkable Story of Thorvald 259 A Plot laid to kill Bjorn 267 Critical Examination of the Testimony 271 Voyage of Gudleif to New Ireland 272 The White Chief sends a Message 275 Great Ireland a part of America 277 Indian Traditions of White Men 278 Evidence Presented by Ancient Charts 279 Traces of Irish Origin among Indians 280 Language Affinities between Indian and Celtic 282 Cortez writes of a Strange White People 285 Kind of Vessels used by the Irish 287 Druids and Gauls of Caesar's Time 289 How the Celtic Settlers Reached America 291 Similarity between Mexican and Egyptian Monuments 293 ________________ NORUMBEGA IN AMERICA. By HON. R. B. ANDERSON. CHAPTER I. Recapitulation of early Voyages and Discoveries 295 Locating the Norse Settlement in America 297 A Boston Monument to Leif Erikson 299 Remarkable Find made by Prof. Horsford 301 Remains of Canals Dug by Norse Settlers 303 Inscription on Horsford's Commemorative Tower 305 Finding the Foundations of a Norse House 307 Prof. Anderson's Opinion of Norumbega 311 CHAPTER II. Norse Voyages in the Tenth and following Centuries 312 Inducements to Settle Vinland 321 The Catholic Church in Vinland 323 CHAPTER III. Columbus and the Norsemen 326 Credibility of Authorities Quoted 328 Columbus heard the Story of the Discovery 331 A Leif Erikson Commemorative National Festival 335 CHAPTER IV. Discovery of America by the Irish 317 Authorities Respecting the Irish Discovery 339 A Mystery that may not be Revealed 341 Geography of Pre-Columbian America 343 p. ix PREFACE. In this work is brought together for the first time the interpretation of the best authorities respecting the evidences, historical, archaeologic, inscriptive and deductive, of Norse discovery, occupation, and colonization of America five centuries before the time of Columbus. The subject, though it has engaged in a general way the attention of historians for a long time, has only within recent years been brought into great prominence by a serious study of the Saga writers of Iceland and Scandinavia. The beginning of this interest dates from 1837 in which year was published, by the Royal Danish Society of Northern Antiquaries, a large quarto volume of old Icelandic documents, in which the proofs were set forth that the discovery credited to Columbus was anticipated by sea-roving Norsemen five hundred years earlier. This great work was edited by Prof. C. C. Rafn, founder of the Royal Danish Society, and was the result of painstaking labor and expensive research by that very distinguished antiquarian. Interest in the subject thus aroused by Prof. Rafn was further promoted by Dr. R. B. Anderson's "America not First Discovered by Columbus," published in 1874, which ran through several editions and was translated into French, German and probably other languages. Inspired by Dr. Anderson's work, Prof. Arthur entered most earnestly into a study of the question, for which he prepared himself by becoming a master of the Danish tongue, p. x with a view to investigating all the original documents in possession of the Antiquarian Society. Not being fully satisfied with what he was able to find in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Trondhjem, and other Scandinavian centers, in 1879, he set sail for Iceland and there continued his examination of records and his enquiries, results of which were published in London in 1895, which with a work by Prof. Beamish, are reproduced in this volume. While Prof. Reeves does not in all matters pertaining thereto agree perfectly with Professor Rafn, there is sufficient concurrence in their arguments to establish corroboration of conclusions; this is most important because Professor Rafn's work was not freely translated into English, and thus escaped the notice of American historians, while Professor Reeves, a master of the Danish tongue, took up the work of investigating, in the original, the documents submitted by the Antiquarian Society in 1879. It may truly be said that thirty years ago only a very cultured few professed even the least familiarity with the literature of the Gothic people, notwithstanding our descent from that sturdy race. The Vatican exhibit at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 1904, intensified the interest aroused by Professor Reeves' investigations among the libraries of Copenhagen, Christiana, Stockholm and Reykjavik, Iceland's capital.
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