^n. 865. THE SCANDINAVIANS. 3 



name of Si20W-land, Three years after his return, 

 a Swede, of the name of Gardar Suaifarson, was 

 mduced to undertake a voyage in search of this 

 newly discovered island, which he was fortunate 

 enough to find; and, having spent the winter 

 upon it, and reached home in safety the following- 

 year, he gave so lively a description of its fair 

 woods and fertile soil, that one Flocke, or Flokko^ 

 was induced to try his fortune on Snowland. The 

 mariner's compass being at that time unknown, and 

 the foggy and clouded atmosphere of the north 

 frequentl}' hiding the face of the sun for days to- 

 gether, Flokko took the precaution of providing 

 himself with a raven, or, as some say, four ravens, 

 which, like Noah, being let loose in the midst of 

 the ocean, might serve as a guide for him to follow. 

 The first is supposed to have flown back to the land 

 it had left ; but on the second directing his flight 

 to the w est ward, he followed the course taken by 

 the bird, and found the land he was in quest of. 

 He also passed the winter on the island, and, on 

 his return, gave a less inviting picture of its ap- 

 pearance than that which had been painted by 

 Gardar. From the severity of the weather, and 

 the vast quantities of drift ice which filled all the 

 bays on the northern side of the island, he changed 

 the name to that of Iceland, which it ever after 

 retained. Some of his companions, however, de- 

 scribed it as a pleasant and fertile country ; but no 

 attempts appear to have been made towards a re- 



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