Norsemen’s route from Greenland to Wineland. 190 
Finnur Jénsson are perfectly right. And my attitude towards the two 
sources during the following geographical investigation is exactly what 
Finnur Jonsson expresses at the end of his mentioned treatise from 
1916: “Grænlendingapàttr in the Flateyarbök is of such a nature that 
it would be perfectly hopeless with its assistance to search for the 
countries and places found. It is quite different with the saga of Eric. 
If there exists anything at all answering to its detailed description, 
one must, one should think, be able to find it.” 
My investigation will therefore rely solely on Eric the Red’s saga. 
Only occasionally will points from Greenlendingapattr be taken into 
consideration. With regard to the saga text itself, it is transmitted in 
two Icelandic manuscripts, one of which the socalled Hauksbök (A.M. 544) 
was written about 1320, whilst the other was written a century later. 
Both of them are copied from a common original; which, according to 
Finnur Jénsson, was probably written about 1200, but is now lost. 
The text which is most followed is the first mentioned, but mostly one 
takes the variants out of the other one into consideration. The trans- 
lation which is here chiefly used originates from “Gronlands historiske 
Mindesmærker” and is the same as the one which later was used by 
DANIEL BRUUN, in his interesting book “Erik den Rode og Nordbo- 
kolonierne i Grønland” [Copenhagen 191577. 
Hereafter, our investigations will tend to follow the track, which 
is described in the saga, from Greenland to Wineland. Besides the saga- 
text we have maps and charts and our modern geographic knowledge to 
inquire into, and lastly we have to take into consideration the stand- 
point of geographical and topographical imsight of the ancient Norsemen. 
Consequently I cannot agree with Finnur Jönsson when he adds to his 
former remarks that such a trial, if it is to succeed, necessitates “one’s 
trying to take Karlsefni’s voyage once more, with a starting point 
on Greenland’s west coast. With the assistance of maps and modern 
topographical descriptions (of Labrador etc.) one never comes to a cer- 
tainty.” 
Naturally such an undertaking would be an ideal investigation of 
the problem. But I do not believe it is necessary, in order to be able 
to come to results which would cast a new light on the journeys. 
Before I begin with the investigation in question itself, I will give 
asummary of the older views of Wineland’s position. Or more correctly 
I will give an account of how far the discussion of this problem has 
reached; because, if opinions are divided about the purely textual 
value of the sources, they are so, in a much higher degree, about the 
position of Wineland. 
With regard to the question of the number of Wineland voyages, 
this is so far answered by the recognition of the value of Eric’s saga 
1 An English translation of this book is just about to be issued as Vol. 57 of 
"Meddelelser om Grønland”, 
