THORFINN KARLSEFNI ii 



had been made. Thorstein and his wife set up a home 

 at Lysufjord in the Western Settlement of Green- 

 land. During the latter part of the winter Thorstein 

 became ill and died. Shortly afterward Gudrid's fa- 

 ther, Thorbjorn, succumbed to disease, and thereafter 

 Gudrid moved to Brattahlid and made her home with 

 her father-in-law, Eric the Red. 



No attempt was made at a Vinland voyage during 

 the summer of 1002. In the fall two ships came from 

 Iceland. One belonged to Thorfinn Thordarson, 

 called Karlsefni, a member of a distinguished family 

 in Skagaf jord in the north of Iceland. One of Thor- 

 finn's passengers was Snorri Thorbrandsson from 

 Alptafjord, on the west coast of Iceland, otherwise 

 known from the Saga of the Ere-Dwellers Eyr- 

 byggja Saga). The other ship was commanded by 

 Bjarni Grimulfsson from Breidafjord and Thorhall 

 Gamlason from eastern Iceland. Eric invited the own- 

 ers of these ships and their crews to spend the winter 

 with him in Brattahlid. Just after Christmas, Thorfinn 

 and Eric's daughter-in-law, Gudrid, were married. 

 Thereafter the Saga concerns itself chiefly with Thor- 

 finn (Chapters 7-14)5 hence it has sometimes been 

 called the Saga of Thorfinn Karlsefni. In fact, the 

 major part of the Saga deals with him and Gudrid, 

 rather than with Eric and his sons. Chapters i, 3, 4, 

 and 6 relate Gudrid's story, and Chapters 7 to 14 con- 



