Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-02-07
AMERICAS DISCOVERY.
ACCOUNTS OF PRE-coLUMelAN VoY-
AGES AND SHORT STAYS.

IceIand's Ancient Lore Records an Expe-
dItion Which Took Place In osG-EIpe-
riences Which Lead to the Belief That
America Was the Place Visited.
The ancient lore of the Icelandic sagas
furnishes proof Of the early colonization
of the American continent in the Tenth
century by the Scandinavians. The sagas
and songs upon which ancient Scandi-
navian history is founded, and those con-
tanning the history of America by the
Northmen, were originally intrusted to
the memory, and these verbal traditions
formed historical narratives.
In the early part of the Twelfth CEN
tury, when the Icelanders had become
familiar with the Latin chirography,
they were committed to writing. Manu-
scripts found in Iceland during the year
1850 make record of an expedition to
Greenland led in 9S6 by Eric Red, of Ice
land. His son Lief, who accompanied
him, enlisted crew of thirty-five men,
and set sail from Greenland on another
voyage of exploration. In due time they
came to q well wooded land to the south
west of Greenland, where day and night
seemed moro equal than In Greenland
and Iceland.
GIVING THE LAND A NAME.
After q short soiourn in this newly
found country. Lief, in company with
his followers, returned to Greenland,
and the fame acquired by this expedition
encouraged his brother Thorwald to en-
bark in the same vessel in 1909 for the
recently discovered territory, to which
was given the name of Wineland Wine
landl Thorwald and his crew, having
safely reached their destination, spent
the winter in the booths which Lief had
erected In the spring he explored the
western coast and found the land not
only attractive, but rich in vines and
forest.
No evidences of human habitation were
visible, nor did he find the lairs of ami
mails. Afterwards sailing eastward they
came to cape upon whose sandy beach
they landed. Having crossed this pro-
lection, to their surprise they saw three
boats made of skins, partially buried in
the sand, beneath which nine men lag
hidden, eight of whom were caught and
killed, one managing to escape. Later
these Mortimer were attacked by the
Esquimaux, to whom the eight so re-
Gently killed probably belonged. Thor
wald, fatally wounded in the encounter,
was buried on the promontory where he
fell. His crew returned to Greenland
with rich cargo of timber.
THE SECOND EXPEDITION.
The sagas make mention of another
expedition, undertaken by Thorfin Karls-
fue, who enlisted as his associates sixty
men and five women. Sailing from Ice
land in southerly direction, they ar
rived at the place where Lief had built
his huts. After landing the cows and a
bull to Craze, which they had brought
with them, Karlsfue ordered his men to
fell trees and prepare timber for the
ships cargo; and while thus engaged
they saw emerging from the woods many
Skraelings. Happening toappear where
the bull was feeding, and being rather
of ferocious spirit, he beloved loudly,
and made an attack upon them, which
led them Immediately to retreat.
After securing re-enforcemcnts they
returned. and although they were not
able to make themselves understood to
the Northmen, by means of signs, how
ever, they were enabled to barter furs
for such other commodities as the North
men were willing to sell. When the ma
tives had withdrawn, Karlsfue caused
strong wooden fence to lie placed
around his booths, which proved to be
wise precaution, as u short time after
wards the Skraelings returned, when
fierce fight ensued, in which many of the
Esquimaux fell. The Northmen soon be-
coming weary of their abode in SO strange
country, and exposed to the frequent
attacks of the natives, in the spring re-
turned to Greenland.
THE THEORY OF IRISH CoLoNISTS.
The third expedition was undertaken
in 1911 by Freydissa a daughter of Eric
Red, in company with 200 Icelandic
traders, but as no further exploration of
this country was entered upon no new
facts were obtained.
The theory of the population of Amer
lea by Irish colonists has been founded
on the mention of O saga writer who
observes that Wineland must have been
"Flvittramannaland," or the Great Ire
land. tits not improbable that similarity
in the sound of the language of the people
| caused the name of smaller body of
land in the eastern hemisphere to be
given to part of the country by its first
discoverers Be this as it may it is GER
tain that the theory has never been au-
thenticated.
Thus we became acquainted with the
Icelandic history Of certain portions of
the western hemisphere, as given by the
sagas of the Icelanders.
The discovery by Christopher Column
bus of West Indies in 1902 was perhaps
the result of a trip made by him to Ice
land in 1477, at which time the discovery
of unknown lands to the southwest Of
Greenland and Iceland was made known
to him by the sagas of the people of Ice
land.-Gen. c. W. Darling in Home
Journal.