The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-02

OF the tales OF the sSalds when writing
first came to the Norsemen In the form
called runes, coincident with the In
PRODUCTION of Christianity into the north
about the year 1000. At first the people
feared any man who could write a
rune. In the southern countries runrs
were used by the Goths many centuries
before. and as they were carved on wood
and stone and underwent a slow tran
stion in the forms " characters 10
make the carving easier. any reader of
runes to-day can tell the date Of an in
scription by the form of the characters.
Being concerned with Ic.landlc lltcrs-
ture. however, Il IL safe TO assume there
was nothing set down at first hand be-
fore 1000 A. ID. and at present the good
priest Are Thorgllsson the Learned
G067-114s) is acclaimed as the Herod-
otus OF the North. the real founder OF
Iceland'c history and literature. Ms
"Islendingabok." or "Icelanders' Book"
is a monumental work. "A great historic
achievement, the eldest hoax in the
Morse language. He prepared a great
work that assembled all the histcr!ea
sagas Fortunately Snorre Sturlasson's
"Heimskringla." or Home Circle Tales"
Jomsvlklnga Saga and Kuythings saga
are drawn from the priests greater
work, for It has been lost. 1t is from
there and the "Landnamabok" or record
Of the families Of the kings and lords
that the story Of the discovery ..
America by the Norsemen has been alb
stracted.
! Eric the Red of Iceland had three
sens, one OF whom We know az .,
Ericsson, His older brother was Ir' :,
/ 10y adverse winds till In sight OF n greai
land, but was afraid to land and after
sailing along the coast for some time
returned TO Iceland. The next season
4 the intrepid Lief In a ship commanded
| by Thorwald and with a brave company
uf mighty adventures aboard set raj
in the indicated direction. He LANDED
! first in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland
then continued south and landed on the
New England coast. Journeying furthe,
south to n sunny, fruitful land rich n
wild grapes, which they called NinlanG
the Good. There they passed a IA
winter, returning to Iceland the mex
year.
Speculative historians have assigned
| theI. winters home to Rhode Island an,
gagged the other landings accordingly
Lilicnthal'S excellent novel The Thr,,l
of Lief the Lucky" gives the tale it,
most optimistic treatment and gives n,
iaircst flesh to the somewhat recon
struCted skeleton of the tale.
There the thread of the tale comes t,
end. No logical reason can he al
Nanced as To why the Norscmen VIII,
considered Iceland "A find and Colonizc,
IT and who We're willing to undertake
amy adventure however daring shoul,
not have followed up their advantage
II was not difficult to find the count..
tho first Viking saw; Eric proved thai
Why did they not take possession .
the goodly and? II they had done =
there might be "A great scandinavian
speaking nation here in our place l.,
day.
As to the stone tower of NeWpor
while 1t undoubtedly antedates Colum
bus. IL may even aniedatc Eric. In tn,
first place the byres and dcfensv
structures of the Norsemen We're not o
stone when wood was available. Tn,
best of wood was at hand on the site q
the tower Why should Lief have bull
such "A structure save as a part of {
settlement far older than a mere sea
sons camp? In the third quarter q