IN NORTHERN MISTS 



land was not a known country, it can only apply to lands 

 about which legends or reports are current; just in the same 

 way Gardar in the Sturlubok " went to seek [for at leita] 

 Snaelandz " on the advice of his mother, who had second 

 sight (Vol. I, p. 255), or Ravna-Floki "for at leita Gardars- 

 holms" (Vol. I, p. 257), and Eric the Red " aetlaSi at leita lands 

 f>ess" which Gunnbjom had seen, etc. (Vol. I, p. 267). As soon 

 as the way was known, it was no longer necessary to " leita " 

 countries. If the voyage is historical, it may have been to 

 seek for the mythical country, the happy Wineland that 

 Bishop Eric set out, as St. Brandan in the legend sought 

 for the Promised Land, and as, 359 years later, the city of 

 Bristol actually sent men out to look for the happy isle of 

 Brazil; but as the coast of America seems to have been 

 known, it may apply to a country there, of which reports 

 had come, and to which the name of the mythical country 

 had been transferred. As Eric is called a bishop, it has been 

 thought that this was a missionary voyage, which met with 

 disaster [cf. Y. Nielsen, 1905, p. 8] ; but who was there 

 to be converted in an unknown land, for which one had 

 first to " seek " ? It would have to be the unknown 

 Skraelings; but is this really likely, when we hear of no 

 mission to the Skraelings of Greenland? There must have 

 been enough of the latter to convert for the time being, if it 

 had been thought worth the trouble. Nor do we know much 

 more about this Eric Upsi.^ Probably he was the same 

 man who is called in the Landnamabok " Eirikr Gnupssonr 

 Gronlendinga-byskup." It is possible that the see of Green- 

 land was founded as early as iiio,^ and that Eric was the 

 first bishop of Greenland, and went out there in 1112,2 but 

 he cannot have been solemnly consecrated at Lund, like 

 later bishops after 11 24. It is possible that Eric was lost, 



1 " Upsi " (or "uf si ") would mean " big coalfish " or " coalfish." 



2 It has been generally considered that it was not until 11 24, when Bishop 



Arnaldr was consecrated at Lund. In any case, this is the first ordination of 



which we have any information. 



3Cf. G. Storm, 1887, p. 26; Reeves, 1895, p. 82. 



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