Natural Resources Mentioned in “Eirik the Red’s Saga”

[Halibut at Hóp]

Chapter 10

- 669 -

[Although the Icelandic term helgir fiskar (literally 'holy fishes') means 'halibut' in English, these could possibly be any type of flatfish.]

[...] Every stream was teeming with fish. They dug trenches along the high-water mark and when the tide ebbed there were halibut in them. [...]

[Furs at Hóp]

Chapter 11

- 670 -

[...] They traded dark pelts for cloth, and for each pelt they took a cloth a hand in length, which they bound about their heads. [...]

[Foxes at Helluland

Chapter 8

- 666 -

[…] There were many foxes there (melrakkar, white or Arctic foxes]. They gave the land the name Helluland[…]

[Fish, birds and eggs at Straumsfjord]

Chapter 8

- 667 -

[...] There were so many birds [Hauk’s Book says ‘eider’] there that they could hardly walk without stepping on eggs. [...]

[...] The weather improved so they could go fishing, and from then on they had supplies in plenty. [...]

- 668 -

[...] In the spring they moved further into Straumsfjord and lived on the produce of both shores of the fjord: hunting game inland, gathering eggs on the island and fishing at sea. [...]

[Whale at Straumsfjord]

[...] Shortly afterwards they found a beached whale and flocked to the site to carve it up, although they failed to recognize what type it was. Karlsefni had great knowledge of whales, but even he did not know recognize it. The cooks boiled the meat and they ate it, but it made everyone ill.

Thorhall then came up and spoke: ‘Didn’t Old Redbard [the pagan god Thor] prove to be more help than your Christ? This was my payment for the poem I composed about Thor, my guardian, who’s seldom disappointed me.’

Once they heard this no one wanted to eat whale meat, they cast it off a cliff and threw themselves on God’ mercy. [...]

[Self-sown wheat at unknown location and Hóp]

Chapter 5

- 661 -

[...] Once he made ready, Leif set sail. After being tossed about at sea for a long time he chanced upon land where he had not expected any to be found. Fields of self-sown wheat and vines were growing there, [...]

Chapter 8

- 667 -

[...] they put the two Scots ashore and told them to run southwards to explore the country and return before three days’ time had elapsed. [...]

After three days had passed the two returned to the shore, one of them with grapes in hand and the other with self-sown wheat. Karlsefni said that they had found a good land. [...]

Chapter 10

- 669 -

[...] Karlsefni headed south [...] Karlsefni and his company sailed into the lagoon and called the land Hop (Tidal pool). They found fields of self-sown wheat in the low-lying areas and vines growing on the hills [holtar - could possibly also mean ‘groves]. [...]

[Mösurrat Unknown location ]

Chapter 5

- 661 -

[...] Once he made ready, Leif set sail. After being tossed about at sea for a long time he chanced upon land where he had not expected any to be found. Fields of self-sown wheat and vines were growing there, also there were trees known as maple [mösurr]

[Grapes at Unknown location, Straumsfjord and Hóp]

Chapter 5

- 661 -

[...] Once he made ready, Leif set sail. After being tossed about at sea for a long time he chanced upon land where he had not expected any to be found. Fields of self-sown wheat and vines were growing there, [...]

Chapter 8

- 667 -

[...] they put the two Scots ashore and told them to run southwards to explore the country and return before three days’ time had elapsed. [...]

After three days had passed the two returned to the shore, one of them with grapes in hand and the other with self-sown wheat. Karlsefni said that they had found a good land. [...]

Chapter 9

- 668 -

[...] One day as Thorhall was carrying water aboard his ship he drank of it and spoke this verse:

With promises of fine drinks
the war-trees wheedled,
spurring me to journey to these scanty shores.
War-oak of the helmet god,
I now wield but a bucket,
no sweet wine do I sup
stooping at the spring.

Chapter 10

- 669 -

[...] Karlsefni headed south [...] Karlsefni and his company sailed into the lagoon and called the land Hóp (Tidal pool). There they found fields of self-sown wheat in the low-lying areas and vines growing on the hills [holtar, which can also mean ‘groves’] [...]

Source: Keneva Kunz, trans., "[Natural Resources Mentioned in] Eirik the Red’s Saga" in The Sagas of Icelanders: A Selection, preface by Jane Smiley, introduction by Robert Kellogg, (New York, London, Victoria (Australia), Toronto, Auckland: The Penguin Group, 2000), 653-674. Notes: Translations first published in "The Complete Sagas of Icelanders," volumes I-V (forty-nine tales), Leifur Eiriksson Publishing, Ltd., Iceland, 1997.

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