The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-07-06
The VikingS-The Discovery OF
Iceland and Greenland.

THE Mortimer, in the seventh, !
eighth and ninth centuries after the !
birth of Our Lord, inhabited the great !
peninsula Of Norway and Sweden, with
branches established in Denmark, Fin
land, the Farce Islands, and all about
the coasts of Northern Europe. They
were a wild, rough aud tumultuous
race, so given to rowing and adventure
that they made their appearance, at
one time OF another in their history, in
every part of Europe which could be
reached by sea. They certainly visit
ed the shores of the Mediterranean.
and they once held such complete pos
session of part of France that their
name is still preserved in the title of
the province Of Normandy. Before the
time of King Alfred, they ravaged En-
gland continually.
These people, who have left their
names all over Europe, were never
welcome anywhere. Even at home,
they quarTeled among themselves. And
it would seem that when things grew
uncomfortable for them in their own
country, they took ship and sailed the
sea, carrying destruction and terror
wherever they went. The chiefs were
called Jmls, or Earls, and the sons of
chiefs to whom We're given maritime
command were called Vikings. These
were usually the younger sons, who
were driven out by contentious at
home, as well as by their own fierce
desires, to find plumber and occupation
in ravaging the coasts of the rich
Southlands. IN course of time, these
Wild sea royers We're masters of the
seas OF Europe. Their Captains came
TO be known generally as Vikings In
these days weshould call them pirates.
Such a man was Flokko, who, in the
ninth century, discovered Iceland. Pr
rate he may have been, but he took
with him families, cattle and tools, as
if intending to live Like an honest man.
Warned by the trials which other
Voyagers had had when trying to find
new lands, Flokko carried in his ship
three ravens which had previously
been consecrated by the pagan priests
of Norway. Two ravens were sup
posed to bring to Odin. or Wooden, the
chief deity Of the Mortimer, news of
all that happens in the world. And
Flokko relied on the ravens to tell him
when land was in sight. The first
raven, when set free, returned to the
land whence the ship had sailed; there
fore this was yet the nearest shore.
The second was let loose some DAYS
afterWard, and, after wandering in the
air, came back to the ship, showing
thereby that there was no land in
sight. But this and the third. when
set at liberty after two days, mounted
up into the sky, circled about as if to
take view of the horizon, and then
took Il straight flight into the West.
Flokko followed in that direction, and
so reached the island for which he
searched.
The colony did not thrive. 1t was
broken up, and the coloniStS returned
to Norway, bringing an evil report of
the land, which they called Iceland.
But in SIS, ten years after Flokko's
failure, one Earl Ingolf, who had
quarreled with one of his neighbors
and had killed some of his thrallS. or
bondmen, found it necessary for him
to flee from the wrath of the King
Harold ILaarfager GIarold the Fair
haired, and he accordingly took his
ships and went to Iceland. Here he
founded a colony which has lasted
through all the ccnturics-a remarka-
bic community.
Though Iceland was thus settled by
the Vikings, and although these sea-
roVerS still followed their WaYe-wan-
derIng life, we must believe that they
were no longer like "flratcs" of the
mainland. One of these sailors was
Gunnbion, who. driven westward bv a
storm, soon after the settlement of
Iceland, fell upon the shores of Green .
land, to which region he gave the name |
OF Gunnblorn'S Rocks. He made his
way home again, for the strait between !
Greenland and Iceland is not so wide !
but one may see the shores of each. |
when midway between them. of a clear
day. lie gave, like all discoveries,
very glowing account of his new land, |
but none went thither until the next
century.
In 9S5, Eric the Red, who, like In /
golf, had been obliged to quit his own
country on account Of his violence and |
crimes, went to the new land in the /
West. He established a home for HIM |
self, and, three years later, he was back /
i'll Iceland with a wonderful tale. In
the quaint language of the chronicle:
In order to entice people to 90 to his
new country, he called it Greenland, |
and painted it out as such an excellent
place for pasture, wood and fish, that |
the next year he was followed thither /
by twenty-five ships full of colonists.
who had furnished themselves richly |
with household goods and cattle of all |
sorts; but only fourteen of these ships /
The other eleven, we are
left to surmiSe, were wrecked on the |
way.-St Nicholas for July.