CH. Vlj 
The Norsemen in Greenland 
47 
Karlsefni and Gudrid, with their little son, arrived 
safely in Greenland, and remained at Brattahlid during 
the following winter, with Erik and his son Leif. Then 
they sailed to Iceland and lived to a good old age at 
Reynistadr in the north, a little south of Skaga-fjord. 
Their son Snorri succeeded them, and, as has been already 
said, was the ancestor of many great people in Iceland 
and Denmark 1 . 
In the fulness of time old Erik the Red died at 
Brattahlid, and was succeeded by his son Leif. He died 
in 1021 a.d. Then Thorgils, Leifs son by Thorgunna 
of the Hebrides, took his place as owner of Brattahlid 
and chief of the Greenland settlers. Later, in the same 
century, we hear of Skald Helga being Lagmand of 
Greenland. The colony throve and was prosperous. 
Settlements, called the West Bygd, were formed to the 
northward as far as the island of Disco. Several churches 
were built of stone at the settlements on the deep fjords 
of the East Bygd. There was an Augustinian monastery 
of St Olaus at the head of Ketil-fjord, and churches of 
St Nicholas and of Hoalsey in Hoalseyfjord. Ruins of 
the latter are still standing at a place now called Kakortak, 
near Julianshaab. The walls are of large and partly- 
hewn stones, with four rectangular window openings and 
two doorways. The chief entrance was at the west end, 
with a large window above it. There are small niches in 
the interior walls. The church is 51 feet long by 25, 
the walls 4 feet thick, and their height 22 feet 2 . Opposite 
to Brattahlid, up Einarsfjord, was the cathedral church 
of Gardar, the see of a bishopric. The first bishop of 
Greenland, named Adalbert, was consecrated in 1055 A.D. 
The nth century was a period of activity for the 
Greenland colony. There was communication between 
1 The different events which, according to the Hauk book, occurred 
in Karlsefni's voyage, are scattered over several voyages in the Flatey 
book, the companions of Karlsefni being made the leaders of separate 
expeditions at different times. There is a voyage of Thorstein which 
failed, a voyage of Thorwald who was killed by Sknellings, a voyage 
of Karlsefni, and a voyage of Fredis in company with two brothers whom 
he murdered. The two accounts are contradictory as regards some of 
the details. 
2 The Kakortak ruin was discovered by Hans Egede in 1723. It was 
visited by Lieut. Graah in 1827 who first described it, with careful 
measurements. It was again visited by Sir Leopold M'Clintock in i860. 
