ELLIGR SIGVATHS SON: ROK BJANNE: TORTARSON: OK: ENRITHI ODDSSON: LAUKARDAK IN FYRIR GAKNDAG HLOTHV VARDATE OK RYDU: MCXXXV. which, in correct Norse, would be "Erlingr Sighvatssonr, ok Bjarni Thórðarson, ok Eindriði Oddsson, laugardaginn fyrir gagndag, hlóðu varða thessa (vel thenna,) ok ruddu; MCXXXV. In English: Erling Sighvatsson, and Bjarni Thordasson, and Eindrid Oddsson, on Saturday before Gangday, raised these marks and cleared the ground, 1135. We subjoin a woodcut of the Kingiktorsoak stone, copied from the Antiquitates Americana. Professor Rafn derives gagndagr, from gagn, victory, and dagr a day-the day of victory; and observes that the Icelanders gave this appellation to two festivals of the church, one falling on the 14th of May, the other on the 25th of April, or Ascension Day, which was popularly termed gagndagrinn eini, and hinn mikli; the unique and the great day of (spiritual) victory. Ascension week was celebrated in Catholic times with peculiar solemnity; the priests, accompanied by the people, going in procession with lighted torches, and sprinkling holy water round the churches. It was no doubt from this going, or ganging, in procession, that the three days before Ascension Day were called, in Anglo Saxon, gang dagas, and in old Scotch, gang dayis. Björn Haldorson in his Icelandic dictionary, renders them by gagndagar, vel gángdagar, the latter being, no doubt, the more popular appellation. Be this as it may, the meaning of the inscription is, that in the twelfth century-and if we admit Professor Rask's interpretation of the last six Runic characters— in 1135, on the Saturday, either before April 25th or May 14th-in all probability the former-three Northmen cleared the ground, and set up marks or mounds, some vestiges of which were observed on the spot where the stone was found, to show that they had taken possession of the landprobably of the whole island. This would indicate an intention of settling there, and they must at all events have passed the winter in this high latitude, Baffin's Bay being unnavigable at so early a season. The discovery of this Runic stone has thus made us acquainted with the singular fact that Northmen explored the Polar Seas, and wintered in these icebound regions, seven centuries previous to the expeditions of Captains Parry and Ross, and that, too, without being furnished with any of the numerous comforts and conveniences of a modern outfit. 66 Other Runic stones have been discovered in the district of Julianeshaab, but they offer nothing of interest. One of these, a tombstone, with the epitaph Vigdis rests here, God glad her soul"-was found on the shores of a creek called Igaliko, supposed to be Einarsfjörd, near the foundations of a church 96 feet in length, and 48 in breadth. Some dilapidated walls at the bottom of the same creek, inclosing an area of 120 feet by 100, are supposed to be the remains of the cathedral of Garda; but the most remarkable ruin yet discovered is at Kakortok, situated on a branch of this creek. It is an edifice, evidently a church, 51 feet in length, and 25 in breadth, having a round-headed window at each gable, and four square windows in each of the lateral walls, which are from 4 to 8 feet thick, and of massive stone *. We have thus seen that the old Icelandic Sagas state explicitly that colonies of Northmen existed on the shores of • Two views of this ruin are given in the Antiq. Amer. Plate IX. Greenland from the close of the tenth to the beginning of the fifteenth century. From that period, to the middle of the last century, nothing more was heard of them, and those who had not read the original documents, and been convinced from the internal evidence afforded by the simplicity and truthfulness of the narrative that they dealt with facts, and not with fiction, might reasonably doubt their testimony, and, by analogical reasoning, that of the Sagas in general. The Runic inscriptions, and the numerous vestiges of the former colonies, scattered along the east coast of Baffin's Bay, are therefore doubly interesting and important; for they not only confirm, in the most striking manner, the authenticity of the Sagas relating to Greenland, but warrant the conclusion that those which tell us, in the same artless manner, of the discovery of the American continent are equally trustworthy, though their statements have not as yet been confirmed by the same kind of palpable evidence. The Sagas, relating to America, were made use of by Torfæus for his 66 Historia Vinlandia Antique," published in 1705, which contains a correct account of the discoveries of the Northmen in the western hemisphere. More or less ample information on the subject was also furnished by several: eminent writers of the last century; notwithstanding which, the literary world seemed unwilling to admit the startling fact, that a people, who were erroneously supposed to have been without the pale of European civilization, should have crossed the wild waves of the Atlantic, and trod the shores of a mighty continent ages before its name became associated with that of Columbus. In order to remove any further doubts on this point, Professor Rafn undertook the laborious task of publishing the original narratives of the voyages, and we believe that no impartial person who has examined the documentary evidence given in the "Antiquitates Americana" will any longer hesitate to acknowledge the claims of the Scandinavians to priority of discovery, though he may differ, as we do, very * Antiquitates Americana; sive Scriptores Septentrionales rerum ante Columbianarum in Americâ, 1 vol. fol. Copenh. 1837, published by the Royal Society of Northern Antiquarians. Mr. Rafn, who was assisted in his task by Finn Magnusen, has given the Icelandic (Old Norse) text, with the various readings of the MSS., accompanied by translations in Danish and Latin. materially from the learned antiquarians of Copenhagen respecting the light in which such a discovery ought to be regarded. The two most important documents published by Mr. Rafn are the Sagas of Eirek the Red, and of Thorfinn Karlsefni, which were probably first committed to writing in the twelfth century, or about four generations after the events recorded took place. The manuscript of the latter Saga, made use of by Mr. Rafn as the basis of his text, is on vellum, and bears internal evidence of having been written at the close of the thirteenth, or beginning of the fourteenth century. The Saga of Eirek the Red forms a part of the beautiful vellum manuscript called the "Codex Flatoiensis," which is a collection of Sagas transcribed from older manuscripts between the years 1387, and 1395; that is to say, a century before the discovery of America by Columbus. Begging the reader to bear in mind this significant fact, we shall proceed, without entering into further details, to give an abstract of these Sagas, with such explanations as may be called for in the course of the narrative, especially on points that have furnished matter for discussion, or further investigation. Among those who accompanied Eirek the Red to Greenland was Herjúlf, whose son Bjarni was at that time on a trading voyage to Norway. Returning to Iceland in the course of the summer*, and finding that his family had left the island, Bjarni resolved to follow them, and pass the winter, as he had been used to do, at his father's fireside. He accordingly set sail, though neither he nor any of his men had ever navigated the Greenland seas, and for many days was driven by tempestuous north winds, accompanied by dense fogs, he knew not whither. When the weather cleared up, he descried land, which, on approaching, he found to be moderately elevated and overgrown with wood. Being convinced that it could not be Greenland, which had been represented to him as distinguishable at a distance by its snow-capped mountains, he left it to larboard, and, standing out to sea, after sailing two days again descried land, lower than the former, but also overgrown with wood. Continuing his course with a south-west wind, he came in three days to a lofty island, the shore of which * This must have been in the year 986. See page 244. presented numerous icebergs and glaciers. The country not appearing to Bjarni very attractive, he again stood out to sea, and after sailing four days, with fresh gales, reached Herjúlfnes*, in Greenland, where his father was settled. Some years after this Bjarni, being again in Norway, visited Eirek, one of the principal jarls of the country, and was much blamed, when he related his adventures, for not having examined the land he had discovered more accurately. On his return to Greenland, the chief topic of conversation during the long winter evenings was the newly discovered country to the south-west, and the spirit of enterprise being thus kept awake, Leif, son of Eirek the Red, purchased Bjarni's vessel, which he fitted out, about the year 1000, with every requisite for a long voyage, and prevailed on his father to accompany him. Old Eirek happening, however, to fall from his horse, on his way to the place of embarkation, regarded it as a sign that he was not destined to make any further discoveries, and therefore returned home, leaving Leif, with a crew of thirtyfive men, to set sail without him. The first land they made was that which Bjarni had seen last. Going on shore they found no herbage of any kind, but a bare rugged plain of broad flat rocks, extending from the foot of a chain of ice and snow-clad mountains to the sea-side. Having given the name of Helluland (1) †, Shistland, or the land of large flat broad stones, to this country, Leif continued his voyage, and arrived at a low level coast, with numerous white sandy cliffs, and thickly covered with wood, from which circumstance he called it Markland, Woodland (2). After sailing two days more, with a north-east wind, they came to an island, and entered a channel between it and a point projecting northwards from the mainland. Holding their course westwards, along the shores of the latter, they remarked that a great extent of ground was left dry at ebb-tide. They afterwards went on shore where a river, issuing from a lake, fell into the sea, and being pleased with the appearance of the country, brought their vessel up the river with the flood-tide, and moored her in the lake. Having made up their minds to winter in this place, they constructed some large and commodious dwellings ** Supposed to be the modern Ikigeit, near Cape Farewell. The figures refer to the Explanatory Remarks at the end of the chapter. From mörk, a wood, or thicket. |