V O Y A G E S OF THE N O R T H M E N T O A ME R I CA . INCLUDING EXTR ACTS F RO! ICELANDIC SAGAS RELATING TO WESTERN VOYAGES BY NO RTH MEN IN THE TENTH AND ELEVENTH CENTURIES IN AN ENGLISH TRANSLATI ON BY NORTH LUDLOW BEAMISH WITH A SYNOPSIS OF THE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE AND TH E OPINION OF PROFESSOR RAFN AS TO THE PLACES VISITED BY TH E SCANDINAVIA NS ON THE M R COAST OF A E ICA . EDITED WITH A N I N T R O D U C T I O N BY THE EV DMU D F L R . E N S A TE . F R, A. M. B o sto n PR I NTE D F OR TH E P R I NCE SOCI ETY . 1 877 . Enm d m din to Ac t d n in s g Co m the ya n n . by ' I n th fi r e O c e o fthe h b afim o fCo nm a t hinc to o . Evita: -‘ A M. Tux R EV MU F . L I TER . ED ND S A . P R E F A C E . HE hifto ric a l inte reft whic h a tta c hesto the vo ya geso fthe Northmen to A m e ric a in the tenth and eleventh centuries has led the Coun cil o fthe Prince Society to believe that the a t o fthefe fet f char c er voyages, as orth and ia a s delineated in the original Icelandic g , or ancient Scan ina via n m a nu fc ri tsfho u ld r a c c effible d p , be rende ed to the f E n lifh tra nfla tio n mem bers o the Society in an g . The verfio n o f Bea m ifh finc e o f excellent Mr. , long out print , u f fo r u r o f T o has been e d this p p e . this has been added ' ’ Pro fefio r Ra fn sfynOpfiso fthe hifio ric al evidence conta ined fa as f in the g , and his attempt to identi y the places on our r c o afl: vifited by the No thmen . The introduction contains an account o fthe firft publica tion o fthe fa ga sby the Royal Society o fNorthern Anti ua ries o f o f q , and the views the editor as to the credibility heie m a nu fc ri ts hifto ric al t p as documents . Asthe text o fthis volume conta ins all that may be con fidered as tru ftwo rthy evidence relating to the vifitso fthe N r it orthmen to this count y, it is confidently hoped that ’ will prove to be no t the lea fl: valuable o fthe Society s n publicatio s. T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S . PAGE MAP OF V INLAND PREFACE I NTRODUCTION GEN ERAL MAP OF NORTHERN EUROPE AND AMERICA TH E SAGA OF ERI K TH E R ED ExTRACTsFROM TH E H EI MSKRI NGLA O F SNORRO STUR LESON THE SAGA Ol ' THOR FINN KA R LSEF N E GEOGRAPHICAL NOTICES MINOR NARRATIV ES ’ PROFESSOR RAF N S SYNOPSIS OF H ISTOR ICAL EV IDENCE N o I OPINION OF PROFESSO R RAF AS T DENTITY OF PLACES . D L THE A NT N THM BY MAGNUSEN IA OF NCIE OR EN, PROFESSOR NAMES GIV EN TO THE PARTS OF THE DAY BY TH E NORTHMEN BIBLIOGRAPHICAL OFFICERS OF THE PRINCE SOC IETY THE PRINCE SOCIETY PUBLICATI ONS OF THE PRINCE SOCIETY I NDEx I NT R O D U C T I O N . BO UT f f orty years ago , the attention o hif to ric a l fc ho la rson both fideso fthe Atlantic was direéted to the voyages alleged to have been made by the Icelanders , or Scandinavians, o f to the continent America , in the tenth and h . t efe eleventh centuries Anterior to this, voyages had ftu died few hifto ric a l been known and by a writers, and e neve rthelefs allud d to by others ; but, , up to that time C t hifto r their harac er and y were , to the general reader, m r o f involved in yfte y. The Royal Society Northern C r invefti a tio n Antiquaries , at openhagen , ente ed upon the g o f fu b e ét e nthu fia fm c o m rehe nfive the j with , energy, and p v Their fc he m e iews . involved a much wider field than the n vifitso fthe Northmen to America . It comprehe ded a thorough inveftiga tio n Ofthe whole fu bje ét o fScandinavian r ro o fe d li hifto y and literature . The Socie ty p p to p ub fh from time to time fu c h Old Northern m a nu fc riptsas might u fefu l o fhifto r be in the elucidation y, antiquities , and lan ’ feé cio ns t guage . The field was divided into ; and ac ive worke rs I ntrodu é?ion. r feleéted r fr to worke s were appointed to each , with e e ence fec ia l ta fte f o fthefe their p sand learning . The ruits labors were prolific ; and in the pro grefso fa few years more ' f iflued b e fides than orty volumes were , gazettes and annual w f r reports, dealing ith early Scandinavian li e , manne s , and c u fto m s f ha f es. , in their multi orm conditions and p 1 8 Pro fe ffo r C Chriftia n a f had In 37 , harles R n , who been o f feétio n placed at the head the on the voyages to America, u blifhed a u fic e so f r p , under the p the Society, an elabo ate “ ” a l A nti u ita tesA m e ric a nae report, in volume entit ed q , an o f 2 6 em bellifhed imperial quarto 5 pages , richly with illu ftra tio ns c o m rifin fa C -fim iles f numerous and maps, p g o m o ft a the import nt parchment codices, which had been b a fiso f u taken as the the work . In this vol me, the treat m o f fub eét fc ho la rl ent the whole j is thorough and y. ' While it is never fafe to a flu m e that the treatm ent o fany hifto ric al u eftio n a bfo lu tel exha u ftive q is y complete and , we apprehend that little or nothing more will ever be added to our knowledge o fthe voyages made to this country by the No rthm e n in the tenth century . ' The evidence relied upon by Pro fe flo r Rafn is derived iz f f f v . rom two ources ; , rom ancient writings, known as fa a s f hifto ric a l Icelandic g , and rom monuments and remains illu ftra ting and confirming the narratives contained in the fa ga s. The hifto ric a l monuments were o fc o u rfe to be fought in a c o rrefo nde nc e Americ . A p was accordingly opened with the Hifto ric a l Society o fRhode Ifla nd ; and a ve ry careful fea rc h was made fo r fu c h remains as might in a ny way u eftio n point to the Scandinavian voyages in q . The atten tion I tr du fli n n o o . ' ir ed fevera l Ob eétso fintere ft tion wa snatura lly d e ét to j , f a nd who fe which had long been amiliar to antiquaries , origin was at that time involved in doubt. Prominent among thefe were the celebrated {tone ftru étu re o farched m a n— r u nintel fo work in Newpo t, and the notorious but C f ligible writing upon the Dighton rock . are ul and elab orate defc riptio nsand drawings Of thefe were forwarded t C o f to the Commit ee at openhagen . The credulity the Da nifh [ m um sled them to exprefsthe opinion that both r o f thefe were the work o f the Sca ndinavian voyage s. Whatever confidence may at firft have been felt or ex r e frt r finc e p e d in this opinion , the o y yea s that have ela fed f o ffu c h ffo fa r a s a re p have le t no trace a belie , we w o fdiftin u ifhed i hif a are , in the minds g ant quaries and ri r fnt ha s f to a nso fthe p e e day. The ground been care ully fu rve ed c o nc lu fio n y , and the has been reached that no f c o a ftso f remains are to be ound on the America , that can be traced to the vifitso fthe Northmen in the tenth cen o f f Ofthefe tury. The whole the evidence , there ore , alleged difc o ve ries f voyages and , is documentary, and is to be ought a o fli ble fr a lone in the Icelandic fgas.