THORFINN KARLSEFNI 63 



The Saga does not say much about the return voy- 

 age of Thoriinn and Snorri from Markland to Green- 

 land j but, judging from the story of Bjarni Grimulfs- 

 son and Thorhall Gamlason, who commanded the 

 other boat and who found themselves in the "Wormy 

 Sea," it might be inferred that the plan was to take a 

 different course from the one followed south, that is 

 to follow a more direct route to the Eastern Settle- 

 ment. On the way back they encountered westerly 

 winds. Thorfinn and his men reached Greenland, but 

 the other ship became so damaged that it sank with 

 probably most of those on board, inasmuch as only a 

 few could find room in the lifeboat. Thorhall Gaml- 

 ason was among those who were rescued, and after 

 that he was always called "the Vinlander." He lived 

 afterwards at Melar in Hrutaf jord, Iceland 3 and his 

 sons are connected with the Saga of Grettir the Strong. 



Many have written at length about the nationality 

 of the little family that Thorfinn and his companions 

 met in Markland. One of the outstanding treatises 

 on the subject is by William Thalbitzer of the Uni- 

 versity of Copenhagen.^® He declares that the alleged 

 proper names of the natives of Markland are not 

 names of persons, but that the boys had referred to 



^^ William Thalbitzer, Skraelingerne i Markland og- Gr0nland, 

 Oversigt over det Kgl. Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Forhandl.^ 1905, No. 

 2, pp. 158-209. 



