2 THE VINLAND VOYAGES 



destined never to see Norway again. He met his fate 

 at the battle of the Island of Svold, an event of 

 marked importance in Norse history. There the kings 

 of Sweden and Denmark attacked him, and Norway's 

 warrior-missionary lost his life. His Icelandic friends 

 made history that summer also, Hjalti and Gissur 

 succeeding in persuading the Althing of Iceland to 

 adopt Christianity as the religion of the country, while 

 Leif Ericsson had, before the end of the summer, 

 discovered a New World. 



In the following pages an analysis is attempted of 

 Leif Ericsson's discovery and related events and ad- 

 ventures. The story of his discovery and that of his 

 countrymen in America is especially known from a col- 

 lection of various sagas made some six centuries ago by 

 Hauk Erlendsson, an Icelandic lawman. This work is 

 known as "Hauksbok" (Hauk's Book) ; one of the im- 

 portant portions of it is the "Saga of Eric the Red." It 

 derives its name from Eric, Leif's father, and there 

 one finds the clearest and most reliable accounts of Vin- 

 land. The original manuscript of Hauk's Book is in the 

 Arna-Magnaean Collection in Copenhagen, Number 

 544, 4toj and there is another vellum manuscript of 

 the Eric Saga in the same collection. Number 557, 4to. 

 The latter is written at least a century later than the 

 former, and the scribe's name is unknown. Arni Mag- 

 nusson acquired the second manuscript from Bishop 



