Page 58 - All About History - Issue 70-18

Groenlendinga saga

The north Atlantic was a hazardous
route. The Grœnlendinga saga tells
of many ships lost in the crossing
that never returned home

safely to their new home. While his father Erik was that had eased them across the waves fell and a mocked him, but others took up the challenge of
colonising Greenland, Leif sailed back to Norway. terrible north wind started to blow. A fog descended following his course through. Leif, son of Erik the
He visited King Olaf and this Christian monarch that hid the sky from them. For many days and Red, travelled to visit Bjarni to hear of his travels, and
preached the new faith to Leif. Leif was taken with nights they had no notion of where they were going. bought a ship from him.
Christianity and, along with his crew, was baptised When the Sun once again showed its face, they could Leif tried to persuade his father to join him on this
before returning west in search of his father. navigate and hoisted their sails. On the first sight of new great exploration. At first Erik refused, feeling
land, they sailed straight for it. himself too old for the rigours of the long voyage. Salt
Bjarni’s voyage west “Is this Greenland?” the crew asked Bjarni. He did spray and foaming ocean swells were thought more

While still a young man, Bjarni, a relative of one of not believe so, so they sailed on. The next land they suitable for the young. Leif told him they could use
the first settlers in Iceland, was filled with a desire to found was green and pleasant with his good luck on such a daring
travel. Bjarni grew rich by plying his trading vessel hills and woods. “Is this Greenland?” “The eight mission and succeeded in luring
between Norse settlements. Every other year he No, replied Bjarni again for there his father to the ship with praise
would set his sails for home, however, and spend a were no great and ice-bound that they of his skills. On the way, the
winter with his father, Herjólf. One winter, Herjólf mountains. The third land they horse Erik was riding stumbled
decided to follow Erik to Greenland and the old discovered was covered with trees had seized and threw the old man. Erik took
man sold his farm. Among his crew was a Christian in a flat expanse. Once again Bjarni they killed this for a divine sign that he had
from the Hebrides who had composed a famous did not think it was Greenland and gone too far. No more lands were
song about the dangers of the stormy sea and rolling denied his crew the chance to land on the spot, to be his for the taking and Erik
waves that would face them. His song called on the there to take on food and supplies. At returned to his home. Leif set sail
but the ninth
Christian God to watch over the ship. Perhaps his this his shipmates grumbled but they for the lands beyond the west
song was heeded by the new god for despite the sailed on anyway. without him.
dangers of the voyage, the ship reached Greenland The next land was a mass of rock escaped” First the ship came to the
safely, and Herjólf settled there. and ice, which raised the crew’s island Bjarni had discovered that
After a trading voyage that winter, Bjarni returned hopes of an end of their voyages but proved to be was nothing but a flat and rocky outcrop dominated
to Iceland to hear the news that his father had left only an island in the great sea. Through gales, Bjarni by mountains of ice. No grass grew and all the
Norway for Greenland. Perplexed, he decided to keep commanded his ship onwards. Finally they found necessities of life seemed absent. Leif called this
to his custom of spending the season with his father a land that seemed to match the descriptions of Helluland, for it seemed to be nothing but flat rocks
and turned his ship towards the west. Bjarni asked Greenland that had come to them. The ship made (‘Hella’ in Old Norse). They could not settle here and
if his crew would follow him and not a man left his for land. On the spit of land above their landing spot so Leif set out on his ship again.
service despite Bjarni warning, “Our voyage must be they discovered the home of Bjarni’s father. Bjarni The next land they found was flat and wooded,
regarded as foolhardy, seeing that not one of us has decided to give up voyaging and lived there with his with broad and safe beaches of sand. Leif declared
ever been in the Greenland Sea.” father for the rest of the old man’s days. this land too would have a fitting name and called it
They soon discovered how foolhardy they had Markland (‘Forest Land’). They set out from this more
been when all of the dangers listed in the Christian’s Leif sets forth promising land in hopes of greater discoveries.
song were visited on them. Word of Bjarni’s haphazard voyages into the further For two days and nights they travelled with a
For three days they sailed until the land they had west spread. Hearing of the lack of spirit Bjarni had northeasterly wind in their sails. They landed on an
left behind was hidden by the water. The good wind shown in not exploring these new lands, people island a short distance from a greater land. In the

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