12 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. IO7 



than Nova Scotia, that means a voyage of about 3,000 miles out of 

 sight of land, close to Columbus' record, and what a difference in the 

 size of vessels and in the weather ! As sometimes charted, this would 

 have been against the flow of the Gulf Stream and in the teeth of the 

 prevailing winds. To make his voyage at all credible we must suppose 

 that he kept well to the north, taking advantage of the counter current 

 past Iceland and around the southern point of Greenland and the 

 easterly winds in that latitude, and was caught by a north wind off 

 Greenland. From Iceland on, this is the course that must be assumed 

 for Biarni. The sailing directions from Norway to Greenland are 

 thus given by Brunn (1918, legend, pi. 6) : 



Leaving Hernum (islands near Bergen) going towards the west to Hvarf 

 in Greenland [identified by him with Nunarssuit (Cape Desolation)] . , . . ; 

 as one goes north round Hjatland ([SJHetland), one could just see the land, 

 thereafter south round the Faeroe islands, so that one saw half the height of 

 the mountains, to the south round Iceland, so that the sea birds and whales 

 could be seen (in one place the distance is given as 48 miles), after which one 

 came to the high land in Greenland, which is called Hvarf. The day before, 

 another high mountain is seen, which is called Hvidserk (in the vicinity of 

 Greenland's southernmost point), and below (between?) these two mountains 



Heriolfsness lies, and near to it is a harbour, which is called Sand, which 



was a universal harbour for Norwegians and merchants. 



The sailing directions from Iceland to the Eastern Settlement of 

 Greenland, indicating the course which Biarni should have taken, were 

 as follows (ibid.) : 



a) The ancient course: From Snsefellsness, two days and two nights sailing 

 straight to the west to Gunbijzfrns skerries, midway between Greenland and Ice- 

 land (i.e., one had traversed half the way to the eastern settlement. Gunbi^rns 

 skerries most likely lay in the present Angmagssalik on Greenland's east coast 

 beneath 66° n. lat.). b) The later course, after ice having come "out of the 

 sea bays" so near to the skerries, that no one could sail the ancient direction 

 without danger of life: From Snsefellsness straight to the west for one day 

 and one night, just slightly to south west so as to escape the above mentioned 

 ice, which lies near Gunbi^rns skerries, and then on for one day and one night 

 to the north west, then one comes under Hvarf. From Snsefellsness, the shortest 

 way to Greenland is "four days sailing" (Landnama). 



If we accept the story of Leif's voyage as given in the Saga, we 

 must suppose that he was carried along this northern route, without 

 seeing Iceland or Greenland apparently, and was then caught in a 

 north wind and carried to America. An amazing trip at that. Biarni's 

 adventure is less incredible, especially if we assume that he was not 

 carried farther south than Newfoundland, and when we compare the 

 two, we are led to the suspicion that the story of Leif's voyage in the 



