29 



In the years 1406 and 1410 there are again accounts of 

 voyages to Greenland, but they are the last that are historically 

 certain. Yet the papal bull quoted above assumes that the 

 connection between the Norse colony and the rest of Europe 

 was still unbroken in the middle of the IS*"" Century, and 

 that the colony had not yet at that time been exterminated. 

 — From about the year 1450 we also have an account of a 

 certain Björn Thorleifson, Avho was wrecked on the coast of 

 Greenland and was rescued by two troUs*), and just as mythical 

 are the accounts of the expeditions of the "pirates", Pining 

 and Pothorst, to Greenland about the year 1490**). — Finally 

 must be mentioned the document brought to light by Jelic, 

 which was written by Pope Alexander Vi (1492 or 1493)***), 

 and according to which there had come no ship to the Green- 

 landic colony in 80 years ; as a result, the colony had fallen 

 into misery ; now a bishop was to be appointed to go over there 

 and bring them help. But there is no indication that this plan 

 was carried out. 



his way and came to Greenland: "T/ie Greenlanders made Björn Bonde 

 a grant of Eriks fjord' s district while he stayed there [and helped him 

 in several other ways]. At last he was benefited by the chance that 

 he had ha^ypened to rescue two trolls, a young boy and his sister, from 

 a rock which was washed over by the sea at high tide. They took an 

 oath of allegiance to him and from that time he did not lack i^'ovi- 

 sions, for they were exjierienced in all kinds of hunting and fishing, 

 no matter what he needed or desired. The girl-troll considered it the 

 greatest favour when she was allotved to carry and x)et the little boy 

 baby which her mistress had just given birth to. She also wanted to 

 wear a head-dress tohich resembled that of her mistress, but she made 

 it of whale's gut. This brother and sister killed themselves and threw 

 themselves dotvn from the cliffs into the sea, when they were jjrohibited 

 from following along with. Björn Bonde, their beloved master, to 

 Iceland." No one who knows the Eskimo will doubt that the trolls here 

 mentioned were Eskimo. 

 •) Gr. hist Mindesm. HI, 468 1Г. 



'*) Gr. hist. Mindesm. Ill, 47.5—481. (Olaus Magnus.) 



•*) Quoted ])> Fischer u. s. pp. 49 1Г. 



