IN AUDUBON'S LABRADOR 



nation after the manner of his father in nam- 

 ing Greenland. 



Nansen contends that "Wineland the Good 

 was originally a mythical country, closely con- 

 nected with the happy lands of Irish myth 

 and legends — which had their first source in 

 the Greek Elysium and Isles of the Blest, in 

 Oriental sailors' myths, and an admixture of 

 Biblical conceptions." He believes, however, 

 that the Norsemen discovered a part of North 

 America and that the tales of wine and wheat 

 are later inventions. 



By way of summary of the facts and fan- 

 cies regarding the voyages of the Norsemen, 

 the following seem to be reasonable: — 



I. The Norsemen discovered America about 

 . the year looo and landed at Baffin Land, 

 Labrador, and probably Newfoundland- 

 The more northern of these regions they 

 called Helluland, the more southern, 

 Markland. 

 II. South of Markland was a country they 

 called Vinland the Good. This was: — 

 (i) A mythical region with the famil- 

 iar attributes of grapes and wheat, 

 wine and bread like those of many 



220 



