But, whatever may be the value of the preceding extract, it is clear
that Greenland was never wholly forgotten. The first person who proposed
to reopen communication was Eric Walkendorf, Archbishop of Drontheim,
who familiarized himself with the subject, and made every preparation
necessary in order to reestablish the colony; but, having fallen under
the displeasure of King Christian II, he left the country and went to
Rome, where he died in the year 1521. Thus his plans came to
nothing.[45] Christian III abrogated the decree of Queen Margaret,
prohibiting trade with Greenland without the royal permission, and
encouraged voyages by fitting out a vessel to search for Greenland,
which, however, was not found. In 1578, Frederic II sent out Magnus
Henningsen. He came in sight of the land, but does not appear to have
had the courage to proceed further. Crantz, in his work on Greenland,
gives an account of a number of voyages undertaken to the coast, but
says that "at last Greenland was so buried in oblivion that one hardly
would believe that such a land as Greenland was inhabited by Christian
Norwegians."[46]
It remained, therefore, for Hans Egede,[47] in 1721, to reopen
communication, and demonstrate the reality of the previous occupation.
Columbus himself did not meet with greater trials and mortification than
did this good man for the space of eleven years, during which period he
labored to persuade the authorities to undertake the rediscovery. But
his faith and zeal finally overcame all hostility and ridicule, and on
the second day of May, 1721, he went on board the Hope, with his wife
and four young children, and landed at Ball's river in Greenland on the
third of the following month. Here he spent the best portion of his life
in teaching the natives Christianity, which had been first introduced
seven centuries before, and in making those explorations the results of
which filled the mind of Europe with surprise, and afforded a
confirmation of the truthfulness of the Icelandic Sagas.