1846.] 



THE NATIOxVAL liVSTlTUTE. 509 



VIEW OF THE ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY OF THE ARCTIC RLUIONS 

 OF AMERICA,* BY CHARLES C. RAFN, PERPETUAL SECRETARY 

 OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ANTIQUARIES, COPEN- 

 HAGEN, MARCH 18, 1846: COMMUNICATED FOR THE BULLETIN 

 OF THE NATIONAL INSl ITUTE, BY MR, RAFN . 



The east coast of Greenland was, in ancient limes, uninhabited by Europeans, 

 although from the account of Are Frode, the earliest Icelandic historian, it would 

 appear that on the discovery of the country and survey of its coast, there were found, 

 both on the east coast and on the west coast, remains indicative of their having 

 been resorted to at an earlier period by the Skroelingar or Esquimaux of America. 

 Tlie SVOLBARDE of the ancient Scandinavians, discovered in 1194, appears to 

 be the tract of coast surveyed in 1761 by Volkert Bohn of the island of Foehr in 

 IVnmark, and rediscovered by Scoresby, by whom it is called Liverpool coast. 

 The GUNNBIARNARSEER or Gunnbiarnareyiar, discovered in 877 by Gunn- 

 biorn Ulfson, will be the islands seen off the coast by Captain W. A. Graah, R. N., 

 in latitude 65' 20" N. HVITSERK, the southernmost promontory, Cape Far- 

 well ; the chief seat of the colony EYSTRIBYGD, the present district of Juliante- 

 haab. The most important of the colonized firths are named in order from South 

 to North in four original written sources, of which the latest and most circumsUntial 

 is a chorography by War Bardson, who in 1341 was sent by Hakon, bishop of 

 Bergen, to Greenland, and who for many years was superintendent of the episco. 

 pal see of Gardar. HERIULFSNES with HERIULFSFIRTH, where Heriulf 

 Bardson settled in 986, and wliero his son Biarne Heriulfson arrived in the autumn 

 of the same year, after having seen the more southern American coast, ia the Iki- 

 pat of the present day. Of the church mentioned in Bishop Gudmund Arason's 

 Saga, some of the ruins are still left, and several inscriptions have here been found. 

 Ketiisfirth, with its two churclies, is the modern Tessermuit, where Mr. J. J. A. Aroo 

 found aquantity of ruins. RAFNSFIRTH, which, in the first year of the land- 

 nam, or colonization, 986, was colonized by the landnamsmann Rafn, ia now Ou- 

 nartok. According to the ancient description of War Bardson, of the 14th cen- 

 tury, there weie in this firth islets with springs of hot water. There are in the 

 island of Ounartok three warm springs, which have given to the island and firth 

 their Esquimaux name, signifying in that language the boiling. Captain Graah, 

 who visited the place in July, 1828, found the temperature of the water in these 

 springs ranging from 26 to 33J R. SIGLUFIRTH is now Agluitsok; here the 

 rudera of Vogu church were discovered by the Rev. Valentine Muller, who visited 

 this firth in the 3'ear8 1832 and 1833, on behalf of the Society. He saw, moreover, 

 the ruins of a mansion belonging to the king, by War Bardson, called Foss, or 

 waterfall, situated near a large stream forming a waterfall of two hundred feet in 

 height. EINARSFIRTH is Igalikko, the ruins of the cathedral and episcopal 

 nee of GARDAR, (which was founded in 1126, and stood for upwards of three cen- 

 turies,) were rediscovered at Kaksiarsuk, on the eastern arm of this firth. ERICS- 

 FIRTH, where the the cliief leader of the landnamsmenn or colonists, Eric the Red, 

 settled in 986, is now Tunnudluarbik, together with the northern arm of Igalikko 

 firth, at which the ruins of the principal settlementof BRATTAHLID, with Leidar 

 Kirkia, (the church of the district,) have been found, and especially among the nu- 

 merous buildings there, rudera of the house of Brattahlid itself, so denominated 

 from its having been built up against the side of a steep precipice — from bratti 

 and hlid. The Rev. Mr. George F. Joergenson, who has furnished a description 

 and ground plan of (he whole settlement, which may be compared to an entire 

 town, observes that a steep rock forms one of the walls of this house, the building 

 of which was accomplished with incredible labor. This house was built by Eric 

 the Red, who, in the year 986, made it his residence. It was subsequently occu- 

 pied at the commencement of the eleventh century by his celebrated son, Leif the 

 Happy, and by his grandson, Thorkel Leifson, and it continued down to the latest 

 times of the colony to be the abode of the sheriffs, (logmenn.) Here in this 

 bouse the far-fan)ed couple Thorfin Karlsefne and Gudrid Thorbiornsdotter cele. 

 brated, in 1007, their nuptials, and determined on their remarkable voyage of dis- 

 covery to that more southern land which, seven years before, had been discovered 

 and visited by Leif Ericson, viz : Vinland (the present Massachusetts and Rhode 

 Island.) ISAFIRTH, which was the most western firth in the Eystribygd, will b« 



* Ficm account* contained in old oortbero manuscripta. 



