IN NORTHERN MISTS 



never returned) to find the island of Raka; we may therefore 

 conclude that the Arabs had this myth from Europe. That 

 many of these islands are inhabited by demons and little 

 people, who resemble the northern brownies and the Skraslings, 

 is interesting, and shows that whether the myths came from 

 the Irish to the Arabs or vice versa, there were in this 

 mythical world various similar peoples who may have helped 

 to form the epic conceptions of the Skraelings of Wineland 

 (cf. pp. 12, 75). 



Edrisi's map of the world is to a great extent an imitation 

 of Ptolemy's, but shows much deviation, which may resemble 

 the conceptions of Mela, for instance. It might seem possible 

 that Edrisi was acquainted with some Roman map or other. 

 In his representation of the west and north coast of Europe, for 

 instance, there are also remarkable resemblances to the so- 

 called Anglo-Saxon map of the world (cf. Vol. I, p. 183; Vol. II, 

 p. 192) ; this may point to both being derived from some older 

 source, perhaps a Roman map (?). ^ 



Abu'l-Hasan *Ali Ibn Sa'id (1214 or 1218-1274 or 1286) 

 says (in his book : " The extent of the earth in its length and 

 breadth ") ^ of Denmark (the name of which he corrupts to 

 " Harmusa ") that from thence are obtained true falcons (for 

 hunting) ; 



"around it are small islands where the falcons are found. To the west lies 

 the island of white falcons, its length from west to east is about seven days 

 and its breadth about four days, and from it and from the small northern 

 islands are obtained the white falcons, which are brought from here to the 

 Sultan of Egypt, who pays from his treasury 1000 dinars for them, and if the 

 falcon arrives dead the reward is 500 dinars. And in their country is the white 

 bear, which goes out into the sea and swims and catches fish, and these falcons 

 seize what is left over by it, or what it has let alone. And on this they live, 



1 As, among others, the name " Norveci " is misplaced (in Jutland) in the 

 Cottoniana map (cf. p. 192), one might almost be tempted to suppose that the 

 cartographer had made use of Edrisi's map without understanding the Arabic 

 names; but this would assume so late a date for the Cottoniana map that it is 

 scarcely probable. 



2 Cf. Seippel, 1896, pp. 138, ff. 

 208 



