Chapter IV: Allusions to Voyages Found in Ancient Manuscripts

Professor Rafn, in _Antiquitates Americanæ_, gives brief notices of numerous Icelandic voyages to America, and other lands at the west, of which there is now no record. The works in which they are found are of the highest respectability. It is only necessary here to give the facts, which have been collected with much care. They show that the pre-Columbian discovery of America has tinged nearly the whole body of Icelandic history, in which the subject is referred to, not as a matter of doubt, but as something perfectly well known. All these revelations combine to furnish indisputable proof of the positions maintained in this work, showing as they do, beyond all reasonable question, that the impression which so generally prevailed in regard to the discovery of this land, was not the result of a literary fraud. Some of the facts are given below:

1121. Eric, Bishop of Greenland,[245] went to search out Vinland.

Bishop Eric Upse sought Vinland.

1285. A new land is discovered west from Iceland.

New land is found....[246]

Adalbrand and Thorvald, the sons of Helge, found the new land.

Adalbrand and Thorvald found new land west of Iceland.

The Feather[247] Islands are discovered.

1288. Rolf is sent by King Eric to search out the new land, and
called on people of Iceland to go with him.

1289. King Eric sends Rolf to Iceland to seek out the new land.

1290. Rolf traveled through Iceland, and called out men for a
voyage to the new land.[248]

1295. Landa-Rolf died.

1357. There came thirteen large ships to Iceland. Eindridesuden was
wrecked in East Borgafiord, near Langeness. The crew and the
greater part of the cargo was saved. Bessalangen was wrecked
outside of Sida. Of its crew, Haldor Magre and Gunthorm Stale,
and nineteen men altogether, were drowned. The cargo suffered
also. There were also six ships driven back. There came
likewise a ship from Greenland,[249] smaller than the smallest
of Iceland ships, that came in the outer bay. It had lost its
anchor. There were seventeen men on board, who had gone to
Markland,[250] and on their return were drifted here. But here
altogether that winter, were eighteen large ships, besides the
two that were wrecked in the summer.

There came a ship from Greenland that had sailed to Markland,
and there were eight men on board.