That same summer came a ship from Norway to Greenland. The man was
called Thorfinn Karlsefne, who steered the ship. He was a son of Thord
Hesthöfde, a son of Snorre Thordarson, from Höfda. Thorfinn Karlsefne
was a man of great wealth, and was in Brattahlid with Leif Ericsson.
Soon he fell in love with Gudrid, and courted her, and she referred to
Leif to answer for her. Afterwards she was betrothed to him, and their
wedding was held the same winter. At this time, as before, much was
spoken about a Vinland voyage; and both Gudrid and others persuaded
Karlsefne much to that expedition. Now this expedition was resolved
upon, and they got ready a crew of sixty men, and five women;[197] and
then they made the agreement, Karlsefne and his people, that each of
them should have equal share in what they made of gain. They had with
them all kinds of cattle,[198] having the intention to settle in the
land, if they could. Karlsefne asked Leif for his houses in Vinland, but
he said he would lend them, but not give them. Then they put to sea with
the ship, and came to Leif's houses[199] safe, and carried up their
goods, They soon had in hand a great and good prize, for a whale had
been driven on shore, both large and excellent.[200] They went to it and
cut it up, and had no want of food. Their cattle went up into the land;
but soon they were unruly, and gave trouble to them, They had one bull
with them. Karlsefne let wood be felled and hewed for shipping it, and
had it laid on a rock to dry. They had all the good of the products of
the land, which were these: both grapes and wood, and other products.
After that first winter, and when summer came, [A. D. 1008.] they were
aware of Skrællings being there; and a great troop of men came out of
the woods. The cattle were near to them, and the bull began to bellow
and roar very loud, and with that the Skrællings were frightened, and
made off with their bundles--and these were of furs and sables and all
sorts of skins; and they turned and wanted to go into the houses, but
Karlsefne defended the doors. Neither party understood the language of
the other. Then the Skrællings took their bundles and opened them, and
wanted to have weapons in exchange for them, but Karlsefne forbade his
men to sell weapons. Then he adopted this plan with them, that he told
the women to bear out milk and dairy products to them; and when they saw
these things, they would buy them and nothing else. And now the trade
for the Skrællings was such, that they carried away their winnings in
their stomachs; and Karlsefne and his comrades got both their bags and
skin goods, and so they went away. And now it is to be told, that
Karlsefne let a good strong fence be made around the habitation, and
strengthened it for defense. At this time, Gudrid,[201] Karlsefne's
wife, lay in of a male child, and the child was called Snorre. In the
beginning of the next winter, came the Skrællings again to them, and in
much greater numbers than before, and with the same kind of wares. Then
said Karlsefne to the women, "Now ye shall carry out the same kind of
food as was best liked the last time, and nothing else." And when they
saw that they threw their bundles in over the fence: and Gudrid sat in
the door within, by the cradle of Snorre, her son. Then came a shadow to
the door, and a woman went in with a black kirtle on, rather short, with
a snood around her head; clear, yellow hair; pale; with large eyes, so
large that none ever saw such eyes in a human head. She went to where
Gudrid was sitting, and said: "What art thou called?" "I am called
Gudrid; and what art thou called?" "I am called Gudrid, said she." Then
the goodwife, Gudrid, put out her hand to her, that she might sit down
beside her. And at the same time Gudrid heard a great noise, and the
woman had vanished;[202] and at the same time one of the Skrællings was
killed by one of Karlsefne's house men, because he was about to take one
of their weapons; and they made off as soon as possible, leaving behind
them goods and clothes. No one had seen this woman but Gudrid. "Now,"
says Karlsefne, "we must be cautious, and take counsel; for I think
they will come the third time with hostility and many people. We shall
now take the plan, that ten men go out to the ness and show themselves
there, and the rest of our men shall go into the woods and make a
clearance for our cattle against the time the enemy comes out of the
forest; and we shall take the bull before us, and let him go in front."
And it happened so that at the place where they were to meet, there was
a lake on the one side, and the forest on the other. The plan which
Karlsefne had laid down, was adopted. The Skrællings came to the place
where Karlsefne proposed to fight; and there was a battle there, and
many of the Skrællings fell. There was one stout, handsome man among the
Skrællings people, and Karlsefne thought that he must be their chief.
One of the Skrællings had taken up an axe and looked at it awhile, and
wielded it against one of his comrades and cut him down, so that he fell
dead instantly. Then the stout man took the axe,[203] looked at it
awhile, and threw it into the sea as far as he could. They then fled to
the woods as fast as they could, and so ended the fight. Karlsefne
stayed there with his men the whole winter; but towards spring he made
known that he would not stay there any longer, and would return to
Greenland.[204] Now they prepared for their voyage and took much goods
from thence--vines, grapes and skin wares. They put to sea, and their
ship came to Ericsfiord, and they there passed the winter.
The following summer,[205] [A. D. 1011.] Karlsefne went to Iceland and
Gudrid with him, and he went home to Reikianess. His mother felt that he
had made a poor match, and for this reason Gudrid was not at home the
first winter. But when she saw that Gudrid was a noble woman, she went
home, and they got on well together. Halfrid was the daughter of Snorre
Karlsefnesson, mother to Bishop Thorlak Runolfson. Their son was named
Thorbiorn, and his daughter, Thoruna, mother to Bishop Biorne. Thorgeir
was the son of Snorre Karlsefnesson, father to Ingveld, mother of the
first Bishop Brand. Snorre Karlsefnesson had a daughter, Steinun, who
married Einar, son of Grundarketil, son of Thorvald Krok, the son of
Thorer, of Espihol; their son was Thorstein Rauglatr. He was father to
Gudrun, who married Jorund of Keldum. Halla was their daughter, and she
was mother to Flose, father of Valgerda, who was mother of Herr Erland
Sterka, father of Herr Hauk, the Lagman.[206] Another daughter of Flose
was Thordis, mother of Fru Ingigerd the Rich; her daughter was Fru
Hallbera, Abbess of Stad, in Reikianess. Many other distinguished men in
Iceland are the descendants of Karlsefne and Thurid, who are not here
mentioned. God be with us. Amen.