The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-08-03
THE VIKINGS IN AMERICA
A. D. 984

A reverent study of heroes in novels,
also in operas and melodramas, where
one may see them for a small sum,
has convinced me that they must be
very trying to live with. They get on
peoples nerves. Hence the villains.
Now Harold of the Fair Hair was
hero, and he fell in love with lady,
but she would not marry him unless
he made himself king of Norway. So
he made himself the first king of all
Norway, and she had to marry him,
which served her right.
But then there were the gentlemen
of his majesty's opposition who did not
want him to be king who felt that
there was altogether too much Harold
in Norway They left, and went to
Iceland to get away from the hero.
Iceland had been shown on the map
since the year A. d. 115, and when
the vikings arrived they found colo
nv of Irish monks who said they had
come there because they desired for
the love of God to be in a state of
pilgrimage, they rocked not where
Perhaps the vikings sent them to
Heaven. Later on it seems they found
a little Irish settlement on the New
England coast, and heard of great Ire
land. q colony farther south. That is
the first rumor we have about Ameri-
ca.
The Norsemen settled down, pagans
I'm Christian Iceland. They earned a
living with fish and cattle, and made
an honest penny raiding the Mediter-
ranean They had internecine sports
of their own, and on the whole were
reasonably happy. Then in course of
trade Captain GunbjOrn sighted an
unknown land two hundred fifty miles
TO the westward That made the Ice
landers restless, for there is always
something which calls TO Northern
blood from beyond the sea line.
Most restless of all was Red Eric,
hysterical because he hated hum
drum respectable life; indeed, he conf
mitted so many murders that he had
to be deported as a public nuisance.
He set off exultant TO find Gunbjorn's
unknown land. So any natural born
adventurer commits little errors of
taste unless he can find an outlet. 1t
is too much dog-chain that makes bit
ing dogs.
When he found the new land it was
all green, with SwathS Of wild flowers.
l know that land and its bright low
lands, backed by sheer walled noun
tains, with splintered pinnacles robed
in the splendOrs of the inland ice. The
trees were knee high, no crops could
possibly ripen. but Eric was so pleased
that after two winters he went back to
Iceland advertising for settlers to fill
his colony. Greenland he called the
place, because "many will go there If
the place has fair name" They did
and when the sea had wiped out most
of the twenty-five ships, the surviving
coIonists found Greenland commodious
and residential as the heart could
wish
They were not long gone from the
port of SkalhOlt when young Captain
Bjarni came i'm from the sea and
asked for his father. But father Hell
julf had sailed for Greenland, so TIT
youngster set off in pursuit, although
nobody knew the way. Bjarni always
spent alternate Yuletides at hi.
fathers hearth, so If the hearth-stOnt
moved he had to find it somehow
These vikings are so human and nat
ural that one can follow their thought
quite easily. When, for instance
Bjarni, instead of coming to Green
land, found low. well timbered coun
try. he knew he had made a mistake
so il was no use landing. RediscOver
ing the American mainland was {
habit which persisted until the tim,
of Columbus, and not a feat to make {
fuss about A nOrtherly course and {
pure stroke of luck carried Bjarni t
Greenland and his fathers house.
Because they had no timber, ano
driftwood was scarce, the cOlonist!
were much excited when they hear,
of forests, and cursed Bjarni 70
not having landed. Anyway, here wa:
a fine excuse for an expedition il
search of fire-woOd, so Left, the sol
of Red Eric, bought Bjarni's ship
Being tall and of. commanding pres
ence he rallied thirty-five of crew
and, being young, expected that hi!
father would take command Eric in
deed rode a distance Of four hundre,
feet from his house against the rock
which was called Brattelid to the
shore of the inlet, but his pony fel
and threw him, such a bad omen tina
he rode home again. Left Ericsen
therefore, with winged helmet an
glittering breastplate, mounted tn,
steerboard, laid hands on the steer-oa
and babe his men shove off.
The colonists on rugged dun ponie:
lined the shore to cheer the adyentur
ers. and the ladies waved their ker
chiefs from the rock behind the hous,
while the dragon ship, shield-lines
ablaze in the sun, oars thrashing blu
water, and painted square-sail set
took the fair wind on that famous
voyage She discovered Stoneland
which is the Observation-Disclosures
coast. and Woodland. which is Nov;
Scotia. Then came the Furthe