Thorvald hight
(name) a man, a son of Osvald, a son of Ulf-Oxne-Thorersson.
Thorvald and his son Erik the Red removed from Jæder to
Iceland, in consequence of murder. At that time was Iceland
colonized wide around. They lived at Drange on Hornstand;
there died Thorvald. Erik then married Thorhild, the daughter
of Jærunda and Thorbjorg Knarrarbringa, who afterwards married
Thorbjorn of Haukadal.
Then went Erik
northwards and lived at Erikstad near Vatshorn. The son of
Erik and Thorhild hight Leif. But after Eyulf Soers and Rafn
the duellists' murder, was Erik banished from Haukadal, and he
removed westwards to Breidafjord, and lived at Oexney at
Erikstad. He lent Thorgest his seat-posts, and could not get
them back again; he then demanded them; upon this arose
disputes and frays between him and Thorgest, as is told in
Erik's saga. Styr Thorgrimson, Eyulf of Svinoe, and the sons
of Brand of Alptafjord, and Thorbjorn Vifilson assisted Erik
in this matter, but the sons of Thorgeller and Thorgeir of
Hitardal stood by the Thorgestlingers. Erik was declared
outlawed by the Thornesthing, and he then made ready his ship
in Erik's creek, and when he was ready, Styr and the others
followed him out past the islands. Erik told them that he
intended to go in search of the land, which Ulf Krages son
Gunnbjorn saw, when he was driven out to the westward in the
sea, the time when he found the rocks of Gunnbjorn. He said he
would come back to his friends if he found the land. Erik
sailed out from Snæfellsjokul; he found land, and came in from
the sea to the place which he called Midjokul; it is now hight
Blaserkr. He then went southwards to see whether it was there
habitable land. The first winter he was at Eriksey, nearly in
the middle of the eastern settlement; the spring after
repaired he to Eriksfjord, and took up there his abode. He
removed in summer to the western settlement, and gave to many
places names. He was the second winter at Holm in Hrafnsgnipa,
but the third summer went he to Iceland, and came with his
ship into Breidafjord. He called the land which he had found
Greenland, because, quoth he, "people will be attracted
thither, if the land has a good name." Erik was in Iceland for
the winter, but the summer after, went he to colonize the
land; he dwelt at Brattahlid in Eriksfjord. Informed people
say that the same summer Erik the Red went to colonize
Greenland, thirty-five ships sailed from Breidafjord and
Borgafjord, but only fourteen arrived; some were driven back,
and others were lost. This was fifteen winters before
Christianity was established by law in Iceland. The following
men who went out with Eirik took land in Greenland: Herjulf
took Herjulfsfjord (he lived at Herjulfsness), Ketil
Ketilsfjord, Rafn Rafnsfjord, Sœlve Sœlvedal, Helge
Thorbrandsson Alptefjord, Thorbjornglora Siglefjord, Einar
Einarsfjord, Hafgrim Hafgrimsfjord and Vatnahverf, Arnlaug
Arnlaugsfjord, but some went to the western settlement.
Chapter 2 - Bjarne Seeks Out
Greenland (A. D. 986)
Herjulf was the
son of Bard Herjulfson; he was kinsman to the colonist Ingolf.
To Herjulf gave Ingolf land between Vog and Reykjaness.
Herjulf lived first at Drepstock; Thorgerd hight his wife, and
Bjarne was their son, a very hopeful man. He conceived, when
yet young, a desire to travel abroad, and soon earned for
himself both riches and respect, and he was every second
winter abroad, every other at home with his father. Soon
possessed Bjarne his own ship, and the last winter be was in
Norway, Herjulf prepared for a voyage to Greenland with Erik.
In the ship with Herjulf was a Christian from the Hebrides,
who made a hymn respecting the whirlpool, in which was the
following verse:--
O thou who triest
holy men!
Now guide me on my way,
Lord of the earth's wide vault, extend
Thy gracious hand to me!
Herjulf lived at
Herjulfsness; he was a very respectable man. Erik the Red
lived at Brattahlid; he was the most looked up to, and every
one regulated themselves by him. These were Erik's children:
Leif, Thorvald and Thorstein, but Freydis hight his daughter;
she was married to a man who Thorvard hight; they lived in
Garde, where is now the Bishop's seat; she was very haughty,
but Thorvard was narrow-minded; she was married to him chiefly
on account of his money. Heathen were the people in Greenland
at this time. Bjarne carne to Eyrar with his ship the summer
of the same year in which his father had sailed away in
spring. These tidings appeared serious to Bjarne, and he was
unwilling to unload his ship. Then his seamen asked him what
he would do; he answered that he intended to continue his
custom, and pass the winter with his father; "and I will,"
said he, "bear for Greenland if ye will give me your company."
All said that they would follow his counsel. Then said Bjarne:
"Imprudent will appear our voyage since none of us has been in
the Greenland ocean." However, they put to sea so soon as they
were ready and sailed for three days, until the land was out
of sight under the water; but then the fair wind fell, and
there arose north winds and fogs, and they knew not where they
were, and thus it continued for many days. After that saw they
the sun again, and could discover the sky; they now made sail,
and sailed for that day, before they saw land, and counselled
with each other about what land that could be, and Bjarne said
that he thought it could not be Greenland. They asked whether
he wished to sail to this land or not. "My advice is," said
he, "to sail close to the land;" and so they did, and soon saw
that the land was without mountains, and covered with wood,
and had small heights. Then left they the land or their
larboard side, and let the stern turn from the land.
Afterwards they sailed two days before they saw another land.
They asked if Bjarne thought that this was Greenland, but he
said that he as little believed this to be Greenland as the
other; "because in Greenland are said to be very high ice
hills." They soon approached the land, and saw that it was a
flat land covered with wood. Then the fair wind fell, and the
sailors said that it seemed to them most advisable to land
there; but Bjarne was unwilling to do so. They pretended that
they were in want of both wood and water. "Ye have no want of
either of the two," said Bjarne; for this, however, he met
with some reproaches from the sailors. He bade them make sail,
and so was done; they turned the prow from the land, and,
sailing out into the open sea for three days, with a southwest
wind, saw then the third land; and this land was high, and
covered with mountains and ice-hills. Then asked they whether
Bjarne would land there, but he said that he would not: "for
to me this land appears little inviting." Therefore did they
not lower the sails, but held on along this land, and saw that
it was an island; again turned they the stern from the land,
and sailed out into the sea with the same fair wind; but the
breeze freshened, and Bjarne then told them to shorten sail,
and not sail faster than their ship and ship's gear could hold
out. They sailed now four days, when they saw the fourth land.
Then asked they Bjarne whether he though that this was
Greenland or not. Bjarne answered: "This is the most like
Greenland, according to what I have been told about it, and
here will we steer for land." So did they, and landed in the
evening under a ness; and there was a boat by the ness, and
just here lived Bjarne's father, and from him has the ness
taken its name, and is since called Herjulfsness. Bjarne now
repaired to his father's, and gave up seafaring, and was with
his father so long as Herjulf lived, and afterwards he dwelt
there after his father.
Chapter 3 - Voyage of Leif Erikson
(A. D. 1008)
THE next thing
now to be related is that Bjarne Herjulfson went out from
Greenland and visited Erik Jarl, and the Jarl received him
well. Bjarne told about his voyages, that he had seen unknown
lands, and people thought he had shown no curiosity, when he
had nothing to relate about these countries, and this became
somewhat a matter of reproach to him. Bjarne became one of the
Jarl's courtiers, and came back to Greenland the summer after.
There was now much talk about voyages of discovery. Leif, the
son of Erik the Red, of Brattahlid, went to Bjarne Herjulfson,
and bought the ship of him, and engaged men for it, so that
there were thirty-five men in all. Leif asked his father Erik
to be the leader on the voyage, but Erik excused himself,
saying that he was now pretty well stricken in years, and
could not now, as formerly, hold out all the hardships of the
sea. Leif said that still he was the one of the family whom
good fortune would soonest attend; and Erik gave in to Leif's
request, and rode from home so soon as they were ready; and it
was but a short way to the ship. The horse stumbled that Erik
rode, and he fell off, and bruised his foot. Then said Erik,
"It is not ordained that I should discover more countries than
that which we now inhabit, and we should make no further
attempt in company." Erik went home to Brattahlid, but Leif
repaired to the ship, and his comrades with him, thirty-five
men. There was a southern 1 on the voyage, who Tyrker hight
(named). Now prepared they their ship, and sailed out into the
sea when they were ready, and then found that land first which
Bjarne had found last. There sailed they to the land, and cast
anchor, and put off boats, and went ashore, and saw there no
grass. Great icebergs were over all up the country, but like a
plain of flat stones was all from the sea to the mountains,
and it appeared to them that this land had no good qualities.
Then said Leif, "We have not done like Bjarne about this land,
that we have not been upon it; now will I give the land a
name, and call it Helluland." Then went they on board, and
after that sailed out to sea, and found another land; they
sailed again to the land, and cast anchor, then put off boats
and went on shore. This land was flat, and covered with wood,
and white sands were far around where they went, and the shore
was low. Then said Leif, "This land shall be named after its
qualities, and called Markland 2 (woodland.)" They then
immediately returned to the ship. Now sailed they thence into
the open sea, with a northeast wind, and were two days at sea
before they saw land, and they sailed thither and came to an
island (Nantucket?) which lay to the eastward of the land, 1
and went up there, and looked round them in good weather, and
observed that there was dew upon the grass; and it so happened
that they touched the dew with their hands, and raised the
fingers to the mouth, and they thought that they had never
before tasted anything so sweet.
After that they
went to the ship, and sailed into a sound, which lay between
the island and a ness (promontory), which ran out to the
eastward of the land; and then steered westwards past the
ness. It was very shallow at ebb tide, and their ship stood
up, so that it was far to see from the ship to the water.
But so much did
they desire to land, that they did not give themselves time to
wait until the water again rose under their ship, but ran at
once on shore, at a place where a river flows out of a lake;
but so, soon as the waters rose up under the ship, then took
they boats, and rowed to the ship, and floated it up to the
river, and thence into the lake, and there cast anchor, and
brought up from the ship their skin cots, 2 and made their
booths.
After this took
they counsel, and formed the resolution of remaining there for
the winter, and built there large houses. There was no want of
salmon either in the river or in the lake, and larger salmon
than they had before seen. The nature of the country was, as
they thought, so good that cattle would not require house
feeding in winter, for there came no frost in winter, and
little did the grass wither there. Day and night were more
equal than in Greenland or Iceland, for on the shortest day
was the sun above the horizon from half-past seven in the
forenoon till half-past four in the afternoon.
But when they had
done with the house building, Leif said to his comrades:--"Now
will I divide our men into two parts, and have the land
explored, and the half of the men shall remain at home at the
house, while the other half explore the land; but however, not
go further than that they can come home in the evening, and
they should not separate." Now they did so for a time, and
Leif changed about, so that the one day he went with them, and
the other remained at home in the house. Leif was a great and
strong man, grave and well favoured, therewith sensible and
moderate in all things.
Chapter 4 - Leif Finds Shipwrecked
Men
It happened one
evening that a man of the party was missing, and this was
Tyrker the German. This took Leif much to heart, for Tyrker
had been long with his father and him, and loved Leif much in
his childhood. Leif now took his people severely to task, and
prepared to seek for Tyrker, and took twelve men with him. But
when they had gotten a short way from the house, then came
Tyrker towards them, and was joyfully received. Leif soon saw
that his foster-father was not in his right senses. Tyrker had
a high forehead, and unsteady eyes, was freckled in the face,
small and mean in stature, but excellent in all kinds of
artifice. Then said Leif to him: "Why wert thou so late my
fosterer, and separated from the party?" He now spoke first,
for a long time, in German, and rolled his eyes about to
different sides, and twisted his mouth, but they did not
understand what he said. After a time he spoke Norse. "I have
not been much further off, but still have I something new to
tell of; I found vines and grapes." "But is that true, my
fosterer?" quoth Leif. "Surely is it true," replied he, "for I
was bred up in a land where there is no want of either vines
or grapes." They slept now for the night, but in the morning,
Leif said to his sailors: "We will now set about two things,
in that the one day we gather grapes, and the other day cut
vines and fell trees, so from thence will be a loading for my
ship," and that was the counsel taken, and it is said their
long boat was filled with grapes. Now was a cargo cut down for
the ship, and when the spring came they got ready and sailed
away, and Leif gave the land a name after its qualities, and
called it Vinland, or Wineland.
They sailed now
into the open sea, and had a fair wind until they saw
Greenland, and the mountains below the joklers. Then a man put
in his word and said to Leif: "Why do you steer so close to
the wind?" Leif answered: "I attend to my steering, and
something more, and can ye not see anything?" They answered
that they could not observe anything extraordinary. "I know
not," said Leif, "whether I see a ship or a rock." Now looked
they, and said it was a rock. But he saw so much sharper than
they that he perceived there were men upon the rock. "Now let
us," said Leif, "hold our wind so that we come up to them, if
they should want our assistance, and the necessity demands
that we should help them; and if they should not be kindly
disposed, the power is in our hands, and not in theirs." Now
sailed they under the rock, and lowered their sails, and cast
anchor, and put out another little boat, which they had with
them. Then asked Tyrker who their leader was? He called
himself Thorer, and said he was a Northman; "but what is thy
name?" said he. Leif told his name. "Art thou a son of Erik
the Red, of Brattahlid?" quoth he. Leif answered that so it
was. "Now will I," said Leif, "take ye all on board my ship,
and as much of the goods as the ship can hold." They accepted
this offer, and sailed thereupon to Eriksfjord with the cargo,
and thence to Brattahlid, where they unloaded the ship. After
that, Leif invited Thorer and his wife Gudrid, and three other
men to stop with him, and got berths for the other seamen, as
well Thorer's as his own, elsewhere. Leif took fifteen men
from the rock; he was, after that, called Leif the Lucky. Leif
had now earned both riches and respect. The same winter came a
heavy sickness among Thorer's people, and carried off as well
Thorer himself as many of his men. This winter died also Erik
the Red. Now was there much talk about Leif's voyage to
Vinland, and Thorvald, his brother, thought that the land had
been much too little explored. Then said Leif to Thorvald:
"Thou can'st go with my ship, brother! if thou wilt, to
Vinland, but I wish first that the ship should go and fetch
the timber, which Thorer had upon the rock;" and so was done.
Chapter 5 - Thorvald Repairs to
Vinland (A. D. 1002)
Now Thorvald made
ready for this voyage with 30 men, and took counsel thereon
with Leif his brother. Then made the their ship ready, and put
to sea, and nothing is told of their voyage until they came to
Leif's booths in Vinland. There they laid up their ship, and
spent a pleasant winter, and caught fish for their support.
But in the spring, said Thorvald, that they should make ready
the ship, and that some of the men should take the ship's long
boat round the western part of the land, and explore there
during the summer. To them appeared the land fair and woody,
and but a short distance between the wood and the sea, and
white sands; there were many islands, and much shallow water.
They found neither dwellings of men nor beasts, except upon an
island, to the westward, where they found a corn-shed of wood,
but many works of men they found not; and they then went back
and came to Leif's booths in the autumn. But the next summer,
went Thorvald eastward with the ship, and round the land to
the northward. Here came a heavy storm upon them when off a
ness, so that they were driven on shore, and the keel broke
off from the ship, and they remained here a long time, and
repaired their ship. Then said Thorvald to his companions:
"Now will I that we fix up the keel here upon the ness, and
call it Keelness (Kjalarness), and so did they. After that
they sailed away round the eastern shores of the land, and
into the mouths of the firths, which lay nearest thereto, and
to a point of land which stretched out, and was covered all
over with wood. There they came to, with the ship, and shoved
out a plank to the land, and Thorvald went up the country with
all his companions. He then said: "Here it is beautiful, and
here would I like to raise my dwelling." Then went they to the
ship, and saw upon the sands within the promontory three
elevations, and went thither, and saw there three skin boats
(canoes), and three men under each. Then divided they their
people, and caught them all, except one, who got away with his
boat. They killed the other eight, and then went back to the
cape, and looked round them, and saw some heights inside of
the frith, and supposed that these were dwellings. After that,
so great a drousiness came upon them that they could not keep
awake, and they all fell asleep. Then came a shout over them,
so that they all awoke. Thus said the shout: "Wake thou!
Thorvald! and all thy companions, if thou wilt preserve life,
and return thou to thy ship, with all thy men, and leave the
land without delay." Then rushed out from the interior of the
frith an innumerable crowd of skin boats, and made towards
them. Thorvald said then: "We will put out the battle-skreen,
and defend ourselves as well as we can, but fight little
against them." So did they, and the Skrælings shot at them for
a time, but afterwards ran away, each as fast as he could.
Then asked Thorvald his men if they had. gotten any wounds;
they answered that no one was wounded. "I have gotten a wound
under the arm," said he, "for an arrow fled between the edge
of the ship and the shield, in under my arm, and here is the
arrow, and it will prove a mortal wound to me. Now counsel I
ye, that ye get ready instantly to depart, but ye shall bear
me to that cape, where I thought it best to dwell; it may be
that a true word fell from my mouth, that I should dwell there
for a time; there shall ye bury me, and set up crosses at my
head and feet, and call the place Krossaness for ever in all
time to come." Greenland was then Christianized, but Erik the
Red died before Christianity was introduced. Now Thorvald
died, but they did all things according to his directions, and
then went away, and returned to their companions, and told to
each other the tidings which they knew, and dwelt there for
the winter, and gathered grapes and vines to load the ship.
But in the spring they made ready to sail to Greenland, and
came with their ship in Eriksfjord, and could now tell great
tidings to Leif.
Chapter 6 - Unsuccessful Voyage of
Thorstein Erikson (A. D. 1005)
MEANTIME it had
happened in Greenland that Thorstein in Eriksfjord married
Gudrid, Thorbjorn's daughter, who had been formerly married to
Thorer the Eastman, as is before related. Now Thorstein
Erikson conceived a desire to go to Vinland after the body of
Thorvald his brother, and he made ready the same ship, and
chose great and strong men for the crew, and had with him 25
men, and Gudrid his wife. They sailed away so soon as they
were ready, and came out of sight of the land. They drove
about in the sea the whole summer, and knew not where they
were; and when the first week of winter was past, then landed
they in Lysefjord in Greenland, in the western settlement.
Thorstein sought shelter for them and procured lodging for all
his crew; but he himself and his wife were without lodging,
and they, therefore, remained some two nights in the ship.
Then was Christianity yet new in Greenland. Now it came to
pass one day that some people repaired, early in the morning,
to their tent, and the leader of the party asked who was in
the tent. Thorstein answered: "Here are two persons, but who
asks the question?" "Thorstein is my name," said the other,
"and I am called Thorstein the Black, but my business here is
to bid ye both, thou and thy wife, to come and stop at my
house." Thorstein said that he would talk the matter over with
his wife, but she told him to decide, and he accepted the
bidding. "Then will I come after ye in the morning with
horses, for I want nothing to entertain ye both; but it is
very wearisome at my house, for we are there but two, I and my
wife, and I am very morose; I have also a different religion
from yours, and yet hold I that for the better which ye have."
Now came he after them in the morning with horses, and they
went to lodge with Thorstein the Black, who shewed them every
hospitality. Gudrid was a grave and dignified woman, and
therewith sensible, and knew well how to carry herself among
strangers. Early that winter came sickness amongst Thorstein
Erikson's men, and there died many of his people. Thorstein
had coffins made for the bodies of those who died, and caused
them to be taken out to the ship, and there laid; "for I
will," said he, "have all the bodies taken to Eriksfjord in
the summer." Now it was not long before the sickness came also
into Thorstein's house, and his wife, who hight Grimhild took
the sickness first; she was very large, and strong as a man,
but still did the sickness master her. And soon after that,
the disease attacked Thorstein Erikson, and they both lay ill
at the same time, and Grimhild, the wife of Thorstein the
Black, died. But when she was dead, then went Thorstein out of
the room, after a plank to lay the body upon. Then said
Gudrid: "Stay not long away, my Thorstein!" he answered that
so it should be. Then said Thorstein Erikson: "Strangely now
is our house-mother 1 going on, for she pushes herself up on
her elbows, and stretches her feet out of bed, and feels for
her shoes." At that moment came in the husband Thorstein, and
Grimhild then lay down, and every beam in the room creaked.
Now Thorstein made a coffin for Grimhild's body, and took it
out, and buried it; but although he was a large and powerful
man, it took all his strength to bring it out of the place.
Now the sickness attacked Thorstein Erikson and be died, which
his wife Gudrid took much to heart. They were then all in the
room; Gudrid had taken her seat upon a chair beyond the bench
upon which Thorstein her husband, had lain; then Thorstein the
host took Gudrid from the chair upon his knees, and sat down
with her upon another bench, just opposite Thorstein's body.
He comforted her in many ways, and cheered her up, and
promised to go with her to Eriksfjord, with her husband's
body, and those of his companions; "and I will also," added
he, "bring many servants to comfort and amuse thee." She
thanked him. Then Thorstein Erikson sat himself up on the
bench, and said: "Where is Gudrid?" Three times said he that,
but she answered not. Then said she to Thorstein the host:
"Shall I answer his questions or not?" He counselled her not
to answer. After this, went Thorstein the host across the
floor, and sat himself on a chair, but Gudrid sat upon his
knees, and he said: "What wilt thou, Namesake?" After a little
he answered: "I wish much to tell Gudrid her fortune, in order
that she may be the better reconciled to my death, for I have
now come to a good resting place; but this can I tell thee,
Gudrid! that thou wilt be married to an Icelander, and ye
shall live long together, and have a numerous posterity,
powerful, distinguished, and excellent, sweet and well
favoured; ye shall remove from Greenland to Norway, and from
thence to Iceland; there shall ye live long, and thou shalt
outlive him. Then wilt thou go abroad, and travel to Rome, and
come back again to Iceland, to thy house; and then will a
church be built, and thou wilt reside there, and become a nun,
and there wilt thou die." And when he had said these words,
Thorstein fell back, and his corpse was set in order, and
taken to the ship. Now Thorstein the host kept well all the
promises which he had made to Gudrid; in the spring (1006) he
sold his farm, and his cattle, and betook himself to the ship,
with Gudrid, and all that he possessed; he made ready the
ship, and procured men therefor, and then sailed to
Eriksfjord. The bodies were now buried by the Church. Gudrid
repaired to Leif in Brattahlid, but Thorstein the Black made
himself a dwelling at Eriksfjord, and dwelt there so long as
he lived, and was looked upon as a very able man.
Chapter 7
Not in the translation!
Chapter 8 - Voyage of Freydis,
Helgi and Finnbogi (A. D. 1011)
Now began people
again to talk about expeditions to Vinland, for voyages
thereto appeared both profitable and honourable. The same
summer that Karlsefni came from Vinland, came also a ship from
Norway to Greenland; this ship steered two brothers, Helgi and
Finnbogi, and they remained for the winter in Greenland. These
brothers were Icelanders by descent, and from Austfjord. It is
now to be told that Freydis, Erik's daughter, went from her
home at Garde to the brothers Helgi and Finnbogi, and bade
them that they should sail to Vinland with their vessels, and
go halves with her in all the profits which might be there
made. To this [232] they agreed. Then went she to Leif her
brother, and begged him to give her the houses, which he had
caused to be built in Vinland; but he answered the same as
before, that he would lend the houses, but not give them. So
was it settled between the brothers and Freydis, that each
should have thirty fighting men in the ship, besides women.
But Freydis broke this agreement, and had five men more, and
hid them; so that the brothers knew not of it before they came
to Vinland. Now sailed they into the sea, and had before
arranged that they should keep together, if it could so be,
and there was little difference, but still came the brothers
somewhat before, and had taken up their effects to Leif's
houses. But when Freydis came to land, then cleared they out
their ships, and bore up their goods to the house. Then said
Freydis: "Why bring ye in your things here?" "Because we
believed," said they, "that the whole agreement should stand
good between us." "To me lent Leif the houses," quoth she,
"and not to you." Then said Helgi: "In malice are we brothers
easily excelled by thee." Now took they out their goods, and
made a separate building, and set that building further from
the strand, on the edge of a lake, and put all around in good
order; but Freydis had trees cut down for her ship's loading.
Now began winter, and the brothers proposed to set up sports,
and have some amusement. So was done for a time, until evil
reports and discord sprung up amongst them, and there was an
end of the sports, and nobody came from the one house to the
other, and so it went on for a long time during the winter. It
happened one morning early that Freydis [233] got up from her
bed, and dressed herself, but took no shoes or stockings, and
the weather was such that much dew had fallen. She took her
husband's cloak, and put it on, and then went to the brothers'
house, and to the door; but a man had gone out a little
before, and left the door half open. She opened the door, and
stood a little time in the opening, and was silent; but
Finnbogi lay inside the house, and was awake, and said: "What
wilt thou here, Freydis?" She said: "I wish that thou wouldest
get up, and go out with me, for I will speak with thee." He
did so; they went to a tree that lay near the dwellings, and
sat down there. "How art thou satisfied here?" said she; he
answered: "Well think I of the land's fruitfulness, but ill do
I think of the discord that has sprung up betwixt us, for it
appears to me that no cause has been given." "Thou sayest as
it is," said she, "and so think I; but my business here with
thee, is that I wish to change ships with thy brother, ye have
a larger ship than I, and it is my wish to go from hence."
"That must I agree to," said he, "if such is thy wish." Now
with that they separated; she went home, and Finnbogi to his
bed. She got into the bed with cold feet, and thereby woke
Thorvard, and he asked why she was so cold and wet. She
answered, with much vehemence: "I was gone," said she, "to the
brothers, to make a bargain with them about their ship, for I
wished to buy the large ship; but they took it so ill that
they beat me, and used me shamefully; but thou! miserable man!
wilt surely, neither avenge my disgrace nor thine own, and it
is easy to see that I am no longer in Greenland, and [234] I
will separate from thee if thou avengest not this." And now
could he no longer withstand her reproaches, and bade his men
to get up, with all speed, and take their arms; and so did
they, and went straightway to the brothers' house, and went
in, and fell upon them sleeping, and then took and bound them,
and thus led out one after the other; but Freydis had each of
them killed as he came out. Now were all the men there killed,
and only women remained, and them would no one kill. Then said
Freydis: "Give me an axe!" So was done; upon which she killed
the five women that were there, and did not stop until they
were all dead. Now they went back to their house after this
evil work, and Freydis did not appear otherwise than as if she
had done well, and spoke thus to her people: "If it be
permitted us to come again to Greenland," said she, "I will
take the life of that man who tells of this business; now
should we say this, that they remained behind when we went
away." Now early in the spring made they ready the ship that
had belonged to the brothers, and loaded it with all the best
things they could get, and the ship could carry. After that
they put to sea, and had a quick voyage, and came to
Eriksfjord with the ship early in the summer. Now Karlsefni
was there, and had his ship quite ready for sea, and waited
for a fair wind; and it is generally said, that no richer ship
has ever gone from Greenland than that which he steered.
Chapter 9 - Thorfinn goes to
Iceland
Freydis repaired
now to her dwelling, which, in the meantime, had stood
uninjured; she gave great gifts to all her companions, that
they should conceal her misdeeds and sat down now in her
house. All were not, however, so mindful of their promises to
conceal their crimes and wickedness but that it came out at
last. Now finally it reached the ears of Leif, her brother,
and he thought very ill of the business. Then took Leif three
men of Freydis's band. and tortured them to confess the whole
occurrence, and all their statements agreed. "I like not,"
said Leif, "to do that to Freydis, my sister, which she has
deserved, but this I will predict, that thy posterity will
never thrive." Now the consequence was, that no one, from that
time thought otherwise than ill of them.
Now
must we begin from the time when Karlsefni got ready his
ship, and put to sea; he had a prosperous voyage, and came
safe and sound to Norway, and remained there for the winter
and sold his goods, and both he and his wife were held in
great honor by the most respectable men in Norway. But the
spring after, fitted he out his ship for Iceland; and when
he was all ready, and his ship lay at the bridge waiting for
a fair wind, then came there a southern to him, who was from
Bremen in Saxony, and wanted to buy from Karlsefni his house
broom. "I will not sell it," said he. "I will give thee a
half mark gold for it," said the German. Karlsefni thought
this was a good offer, and they closed the bargain. The
southern went off with the house [236] broom, but Karlsefni
knew not what wood it was; but that was mausur, brought from
Vinland. Now Karlsefni put to sea, and came with his ship to
Skagafjord, on the northern coast, and there was the ship
laid up for the winter. But in spring bought he Glaumbæland,
and fixed his dwelling there, and lived there, and was a
highly respected man, and from him and Gudrid his wife has
sprung a numerous and distinguished race. And when Karlsefni
was dead, took Gudrid the management of the house with her
son Snorri, who was born in Vinland. But when Snorri was
married, then went Gudrid abroad, and travelled southwards,
and came back again to the house of Snorri her son, and then
had he caused a church to be built at Glaumbæ. After this,
became Gudrid a nun and recluse, and remained so whilst she
lived. Snorri had a son who Thorgeir hight; he was father to
Ingveld, mother of Bishop Brand. The daughter of Snorri
Karlsefnesson hight Hallfrid; she was mother to Runolf,
father to Bishop Thorlak. Bjorn hight a son of Karlsefni and
Gudrid; he was father to Thorunn, mother of Bishop Bjarn. A
numerous race are descended from Karlsefni, and
distinguished men; and Karlsefni has accurately related to
all men the occurrences on all these voyages, of which
somewhat is now recited here.