1. Saga of a Wineland Baby[1]
BY HAUK ERLENDSSON (ABOUT 1000)
ONE summer a ship came from Norway to Greenland.
The skipper's name was Thorning Karlsefni, and he was the
son of Thord called "Horsehead," and a grandson of Snorri.
Thorning Karlsefni, who was a very wealthy man, passed
the winter there in Greenland, with Lief Ericsson. He very
soon set his heart upon a maiden called Gudrid, and sought
her hand in marriage.
That same winter a new discussion arose concerning a Wineland
voyage.[2] The people urged Karlsefni to make
the bold venture, so he determined to undertake the voyage, and gathered
a company of sixty men and five women. He entered into an agreement with
his shipmates that they should each share equally in all the spoils.
They took with them all kinds of cattle, as they intended to settle the
country if they could. Karlsefni asked Lief for his house in
Wineland.[3] Lief replied that he would lend it
but not give it.
They sailed out to sea with the ship and arrived safe and sound
at Lief's booths,[4] and carried their hammocks
ashore there. They were soon provided with an abundant supply of food,
for a whale of good size and quality was driven ashore and they secured
it. Their cattle were turned out upon the land. Karlsefni ordered trees
to be felled; for he needed timber wherewith to load his ships. They
gathered some of all the products of the land, grapes, all kinds of
game, fish, and other good things.[5]
In the summer after the first winter the Skrellings were
discovered.[6] A great throng of men came forth
from the woods; the cattle were close by and the bull began to bellow
and roar with a great noise. At this the Skrellings were frightened and
ran away with their packs, wherein were gray furs, sables, and all kinds
of skins. They fled towards Karlsefni's dwelling and tried to get into
the house, but Karlsefni caused the doors to be defended. Neither people
could understand the other's language. The Skrellings put down their
packs, then opened them and offered their wares, in exchange for
weapons, but Karlsefni forbade his men to sell their weapons. He bade
the women to carry out milk to the Skrellings; as soon as these people
had tasted the milk, they wanted to buy it and nothing
else.
[7]
Now it is to be told that Karlsefni caused a strong wooden
palisade to be constructed and set up around the house. It was at this
time that a baby boy was born to Gudrid and Karlsefni and he was called
Snorri.[8] In the early part of the second
winter the Skrellings came to them again in greater numbers than before,
and brought with them the same kind of wares to exchange. Then said
Karlsefni to the women, "Do ye carry out now the same thing which
proved so profitable before and nothing else." The Skrellings seemed
contented at first, but soon after, while Gudrid was sitting in the
doorway beside the cradle of her infant son, Snorri, she heard a great
crash made by one of the Skrellings who had tried to seize a man's
weapons. One of Karlsefni's followers killed him for it. "Now we must
needs take counsel together," said Karlsefni, "for I believe they will
visit us a third time in greater numbers. Let us now adopt this plan:
when the tribe approaches from the forest, ten of our number shall go
out upon the cape in front of our houses and show themselves there,
while the remainder of our company shall go into the woods back of our
houses and hew a clearing for our cattle. Then we will take our bull
and let him go in advance of us to meet the enemy." The next time the
Skrellings came they found Karlsefni's men ready and fled helter-skelter
into the woods. Karlsefni and his party remained there throughout the
winter, but in the spring Karlsefni announced that he did not intend to
remain there longer, for he wished to return with his wife and son to
Greenland. They now made ready for the voyage and carried away with them
much in vines and grapes and skins.[9]
[[1]]
This story was handed down by tradition for many
centuries; but it describes a real settlement, the first by Europeans in
America nine centuries ago.
[[2]]
I.e. to a place called Wineland.
[[3]]
Lief had already made a voyage to Wineland and built a
house there.
[[4]]
The name of Lief's place.
[[5]]
The ships which had brought out the colonists were
sent back with a cargo from Wineland.
[[6]]
The Skrellings were natives, probably Esquimaux or
other northern tribes.
[[7]]
The Skrellings had neither cows nor goats, so that
milk was a novel luxury for them.
[[8]]
The first child of European race born in
America.
[[9]]
We do not know what became of these people.
