Small additions to the Vinland Problem. 35 
KARLSEFNI DID NOT REACH LEIF’S VINLAND. — Steensby 
did not enter closer into the second point, namely that the Northmen’s 
Vinland should be the surroundings of the St. Lawrence valley. It is my 
opinion, nevertheless, that it requires further explanation, and I will 
state my opinions about it. 
Nothing is said in Eric the Red’s Saga about Karlsefni having 
found Vinland, whilst there is much that implies that the country 
he reached being quite a different country to Leif’s Vinland. After 
Leif’s short stay in Vinland and the return voyage across the ocean 
one would naturally have diffieulties in finding the land again. When, 
after Karlsefni’s expedition’s first winter at Straumsfjord, there was 
a question of travelling further, Thorhall the Hunter!) would go north- 
wards in order to find Vinland, but Karlsefnı would go southwards 
along the coast and east of the land, as his opinion was that it would 
be “more advisable to explore in both directions” (p. 23). 
If, as Steensby supposes, it was the St. Lawrence River’s estuary 
they had come into, Karlsefni must, I suppose, have taken the St. 
Lawrence River for a Sound, otherwise he would not have sailed into 
it. He certainly came quickly to the apprehension that the direction 
he had taken could not lead to the east of the mainland and therefore 
could not lead to Leif’s Vinland which ought to lie at the outer coast, 
and that the pilot Thorhall surely was right, when he said they had 
to go northwards, and out of the estuary again so as to find Vinland. 
When Karlsefni returned from Hop to Straumsfjord, most likely during 
the same summer, after having only been away two months he sailed 
in search of Thorhall the Hunter (p. 25) whom he did not find, after 
that all further travelling was given up. 
In AM. 557, Eric the Red’s Saga, there is no mention of Karlsefni’s 
reaching Viner In Hauksbok there are two faint hints, namely in 
the heading of the chapter which is called “Beginning of the Vinland 
voyage” (р. 21), and towards the end it is written, as they sailed away 
“from Vinland”’ (р. 25) southerly winds rose. The first hint is not to be 
found in AM. 557, I suppose it has been purposely omitted, as there 
is only written that Karlsefni and Snorre decided to “leita Vinlands’’, 
neither the last one is there, and must be due to a mistake in Hauksbok, 
the fact is that they sailed away from Straumsfjord, which they them- 
1) The long talk about Thorhall the Hunter (see p. 21) evinces us, that he 
has been a trustee of Eric the Red, and therefore was onboard ship with Eric’s 
son Thorvald as а sort of pilot “pvi at honum var vida kunnigt i 6bygdum”. Fossum 
(op. cit.) has remarked, that it is very likely, that he had taken part in Eric the Red’s 
voyage the second summer to “vestri obygdar” (Baffin Land?) and therefore partly 
was acquainted with the route for Vinland. 
3* 
