172 DANIEL BRUUN. 
We have seen that Hvarf is presumably Nunarssuit (Cape Desola- 
tion), and Hvidserk is supposed to be a mountainous part covered with 
ice, on the south point or south east point of Greenland. More to the 
north on the east coast lay the Midjökull (middle glacier), part of 
which was called Blaaserk. Here Eric the Red approached land on 
his voyage of discovery. Still further north lay Gunbiörn’s skerries, 
which perhaps are the islands beyond the coast in the vicinity of the 
present Greenland colony Angmagssalik (Ammassalik) on 65° 30' п. lat. 
The old route to the eastern settlement from Snefiældsness was 
straight to the west to Gunbiörn’s skerries, and from there further 
along the coast past the middle glacier and Blaaserk, to Hvidserk 
and from there round the south point of the country to Hvarf; but as 
Ivar says: 
“now the ice has come out of the sea bays so near to the skerries 
mentioned, [Gunbiörns skerries], that no one, without danger to life can 
зай in the old direction.” 
One therefore went further to the southwest round the ice. 
On Greenland’s east coast lay a place still further north than Gun- 
biörn’s skerries, called Svalbard (1. е. the cold, or the wind exposed 
coast), “northwards in the зеа-рау” (1. e. a bay, which cuts into the 
mainland from the sea). It took “four days and nights at sea” to get 
there from the peninsula Langeness on Iceland’s north coast. Probably 
Scoresbysound is Svalbard. In the Norse age Greenland’s inhospitable 
east coast was not inhabited by people of Norwegian origin, but perhaps 
by Eskimoes (gnomes are mentioned). This of course does not debar 
the possibility of outlaws having been able to avoid persecution there 
for a short time. We have heard in the less reliable saga of Thorgils 
Orrabeinsfostri about the outlaw Rolf. There could also be a question 
of the Norsemen staying here during the summer for a shorter time on 
account of the good hunting. А Seleyri (seal point) is mentioned 
in the above said saga, where one could capture seals (refer to page 76). 
Thorgils visited this place before he reached the outlaw Rolf’s habitation, 
after which he went south round the land to the eastern settlement. 
On 60%,” n. lat. the fiord Kangerdlugsuatsiak cuts deeply into the 
east coast with arms to the north and south. 
On the fiord’s northern side near Narssak, a Norse ruin was found 
in the year 1881 by the Moravian missionary BropBeck from Frederies- 
dal — the only one substantiated on the east coast. 
It bears, in any case, witness to the Norsemen having been there 
for a comparatively long time. 
Ivar Baardsün wrote as follows, about Greenland’s most southern 
point near the present Cape Farewell (59° 48’ п. lat.): 
“Greenland’s most easterly town [settlement] lies right to the east 
of Heriolfsness and is called “Shagafioer” |Skagafiordr]. It is a big 
town. Far east of Skagafiord lies a fiord, which is not inhabited and 
