520 DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. 



both to them and to the rest of the civilised world; yet a 

 remarkable destiny has willed that their descendants, in whose 

 veins the blood of the old Norsemen still runs, should people 

 the country. 



Five distinct expeditions are related in the Sagas, the most 

 famous one being that of Thorn" nn Karlsefni, who about 1007 

 determined to settle a colony in the new land, and who on 

 his return to Norway sold some of the wood which he had 

 brought home for a large sum to a merchant from Bremen. 



First Journey. 



" Herjulf was the son of Bard, the son of Herjiilf, who was 

 a kinsman of Ingolf, the settler. Ingolf gave Herjulf land 

 between Yog and Reykjanes. Herjulf first lived at Drep- 

 stokk. His wife was Thorgerd, and their son Bjarni was a 

 most promising man. When quite young he longed to go 

 abroad. He acquired much property and honour, and alter- 

 nately spent a winter abroad and a winter with his father. 

 He soon had a trading ship, and the last winter he was in 

 Norway Herjulf determined to go to Greenland with Eirek, 

 and made ready. Herjulf had on board a man from the 

 Hebrides, a Christian, who composed the Hafgerdinga drapa. 1 

 Herjulf lived at Herjulfsnes. He was a man of high birth. 

 Eirek the Red lived in Brattahlid ; he was held in the greatest 

 honour there, and all obeyed him. His children were Leif, 

 Thorvald, Thorstein, and Freydis, who was married to Thor- 

 vard, who lived at Gardar, where now is a bishop's see. 

 She was very overbearing, and Thorvard was weak minded. 

 She was married to him chiefly for the sake of his property. 

 The people of Greenland were heathen at that time. Bjarni 

 landed with his ships at Eyrar the summer after his father had 

 sailed (in the spring). 



" Bjarni thought this important news (the departure of his 

 father), and did not wish to unload his ship. Then his sailors 

 asked what he meant to do, and he answered he wanted to con- 

 tinue his custom of staying over winter with his father. ' I will 

 sail to Greenland on my ship if you will follow me,' said he to 

 his men. All answered they would do as he liked. He said, 

 ' Our voyage will be considered unwise, as none of us have been 

 before in the Greenland Sea.' Nevertheless, when they were 

 ready, they set out to sea, and after three days' sailing land 

 was out of sight, and the fair winds ceased, and northern winds 



1 Hafgerdiug = the walls of the ocean, monster waves on the ocean. 



