20 Gustav Houm. 
from Icelandic is to be found, I have generally used Reeves’ translation ; 
but in other places I have benefited by the translation of “Gronl. hist. 
Mindesm.” and by Hovgaard’s and Gathorne-Hardy’s books, already 
mentioned. I have taken the translation of Thorhall the Hunter’s two 
verses (p. 23) from Daniel Bruun’s book: “The Icelandic Colonisation 
of Greenland”). The Icelandic translation is here undertaken by 
Finnur Jonsson from Hauksbok but the difference in text of the verses 
between Hauksbök and АМ. 557 is very shght. According to Reeves 
and Storm the verses are older than the saga text. 
The ethnographic and botanic material has been so often discussed, 
and in such a thorough and well-informed manner that I cannot add 
anything new to it and therefore will completely omit touching on this 
subject. 
There, where there in my opinion was reason to do so, I have in 
notes below the text, given the deviating text in Hauksbok, and as 
already mentioned, in a couple of places in the paper-manuscript M. 
FRAGMENTS OF THE SAGA OF ERIC THE RED. AM. 557. 
“.... Leif put to sea (from Norway) when his ship was ready for 
the voyage. For a long time he was tossed about upon the ocean, and 
came upon lands of which he had previously no knowledge. There 
were self-sown wheat-fields and vines growing there. There were also 
those trees which are called “moésur’’, and of all these they took spe- 
CMAN) 6 6 a0 0 
“.... At this time there began to be much talk about a voyage 
of exploration to that country which Life had discovered. The leader 
of this expedition was Thorstein Ericsson, who was a good man and 
an intelligent, and blessed with many friends. Eric was likewise invited 
to join them, for the men believed that his luck and foresight would 
be of great furtherance. [He was slow in deciding, but did not say nay, 
when his friends besought him to go’). They thereupon equipped that 
ship in which Thorbiörn had come out, and twenty men were selected 
for the expedition. They took little cargo with them, mostly weapons 
and provisions. On that morning when Eric set out from his home.... 
he fell from his horse and broke his ribs and discolated his shoulder.... 
Thereafter they sailed cheerily out of Ericsfjord in high spirits 
over their plan. They were long tossed about upon the ocean, and could 
not lay the course they wished. They came in sight of Iceland, and 
1) Medd. om Grenl. vol. LVII. 
2?) Hauksbok adds: “Some of the timbers were so large, that they were used 
in building. Leif found men upon a wreck, and took them home with him”. 
3) From [ the text is supplied from Hauksbok. 
