The Northmen themselves have left no room for doubt; they plainly state that the Papas who were in Iceland at their arrival were Irish and Christians who refused to dwell any longer among the heathen new-comers. It seems that even the laic Irish settlers of the northern islands were designated by the Scandinavians with the same appellation as their priests, because they were of the same nationality and religion, and, like them, wore garments of a white color. And if the evidence seems misty, we quote a literal translation of an ancient Icelandic document from De Roo:10

And ere Iceland was settled from Norway, there were the men whom the Northmen called Papa; they were men Christians, and men think that they landed from the West across the sea, for there were found after them books Irish, bells and staffs, and some other goods, so it is easily known that they were Westmen, that were found in Papa Island eastwards and in Papa Estate; and it is told in books English, that in that time there was faring between the lands.

There were here men, Christians, them the Northmen call Papa, and they fared afterwards abroad, for that they would not be here with heathen men, and left behind books Irish and bells and staffs; from that we easily know that they were men Irish.

In strong terms Beauvois" bears out the Irish "papas" of long ago.

One of the most progressive of medieval peoples were the inhabitants of little Iceland. For this hardy folk who sent their ships over many seas, the Sea of Darkness held no terrors. There are records of at least six12 authentic voyages to our shores, made in the space of one hundred and fifty years. Beauvois13 adds his testimony, and like Prof. Rafn, translates a convincing passage from the Saga of St. Olaf.“

driven by a tempest to Whiteman's Land, which some have called Ireland the Great, and lies toward the west in the ocean, near Vinland the Good.is

25

Also quoted by De Roo, Vol. 11, p. 38, who adds the words "on the American Continent."

10 See Document XX.

"La Découverte, p. 29.

"De Roo, Vol. 11, p. 40.

"La Découverte, p. 339, and Antiq. Amer., p. 210.

"The above passage has been translated rather too freely. It is the writer's duty to quote it, as the author is an approved authority.

GLIMPSES INTO ANCIENT AMERICAN DISCOVERIES

This voyage probably was made between the years 983 and 1000.

Space will not permit us to record all these voyages. We quote three or four of the more noted:

He

Eric the Red was banished from Ireland in 983. set sail with a few companions in a westerly direction and happened to strike the mildest, the only inhabitable shore of Greenland.16

Bjorn Asbrandson had been exiled from Iceland and had lived for ten years with the Vikings of Jomsburg in Denmark. He returned in the year 996, but did not amend his wicked life. To avoid the dangers caused by his crimes, he resolved to expatriate himself again. We would suppose that he should take refuge once more among the brigands who had honored him for his audacity; but this time he chose a different course in a direction in which no land was known to exist! He set out with a wind which, that fall, was steadily blowing from the Northeast, and for a long time his ship was not heard of. He had, however, the best luck in the world, not only finding land, but also being made a chief in a fine country of Irish-speaking people.

Gudleif, another Scandinavian mariner was also swept by a tempest from the coast of Ireland, in a southwestern direction, to a great country of which he had no idea; where for his own safety, he found Bjorn, his countryman, in all his glory and power, as he was happy to relate afterwards in Iceland.

In a similar manner was Bjorne Herjulfson, who, in the fall of the year 986, was sailing from Iceland to Greenland, overtaken by dense fogs and violent, northwestern winds, thrown out of his course and hurled into sight of Labrador, if not of more southern portions of the American continent. This sad accident still upholds his claim to the immortal glory bestowed upon Leif Ericsson. who, fourteen years later, likewise, lost his route between Norway and Greenland, but was happily driven away far enough to take a view of the spot where afterwards his statue would rise."

We may be sure that these recorded voyages are but few, compared to the many which undoubtedly took place. Authorities like Beauvois1 and De Roo1 seem to agree that they were of such "everyday occurrence" that the sagas only took notice of the most important.

10 Beauvois-La Découverte, p. 39.

17

Beauvois-“La Découverte," pp. 9, 10, and Rafn, “Antiq. Amer.,” p. 246.

15 "La Découverte," p. 39, Aa passim.

19 Vol. 11, p. 40.

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The Northmen were not the only ones interested in the results of these voyages. That the Catholic Church was deeply alive to its responsibilities in missionary work is borne out by a bull of Pope Gregory IV in which His Holiness appoints a papal legate to newlydiscovery lands in the year 835. The following is an excerpt:20

We appoint our son himself, the above-named Ansgar, and his successors as our delegates to all the surrounding nations: to the Danes, the Swedes, the Norwegians, the Finlanders, the Greenlanders, the Helsingers, the Icelanders, and to all the

northern and eastern nations, by whatever name they may be called.

We have refrained from inserting the entire bull" as not having an immediate bearing on our inquiry. These few lines, however, insignificant as they-may appear, are of the highest importance. Iceland and Greenland, we note, are expressly mentioned as being subject to the Church of Rome. This shows that Europe was in contact with the eastern part of the Western Hemisphere and was endeavoring to Christianize it. The most significant part of the quoted matter is found in the last sentence where the Pontiff refers to all the northern and eastern nations by whatever name they may be called.22

It would be impossible, and for our purpose useless, to quote the extensive writings of authorities on the bulls of the early popes. We have merely given the above illustrations to show that the Church was active on our shores at an early day.

We have been coming closer and closer to 1492. As we leave the dim centuries behind, and the facts multiply and evidence becomes more plentiful, the task of keeping our story coherent becomes increasingly difficult. For some of the tales related in the old sagas (which are an invaluable source of information, and, assuming that no interpolations have been added, the most reliable

" Document XXIII.

"The evidence contained in the papal bull of 835 is of so astounding a nature that its authenticity has been seriously questioned by many authorities. Some, like Leppenberg, Klempin and Dummler consider the document as forged; others reserve decision; while Simson, Kappman and the critic Pagi regard it as genuine. De Roo believes the document absolutely authentic and quotes copius extracts from documents by Pope Nicholas I, Adrian II, Anastasius III and Innocent II in which Greenland and Iceland are definitely mentioned. In our opinion the validity of his proof is hardly to be questioned. [De Roo, Vol. 11, pp. 48-50.]

In 1045 Pope Benedict IX, in determining the extent of the province of Hamburg, mentions Sweden, Norway and Iceland and adds "and all the islands adjoining these countries." [De Roo, Vol. II, p. 53.]

testimony of American history) stand out brilliantly in the light of history, while others are clouded and obscure.

In 1007 the renowned Thorfinn Karlsefne prepared to form a permanent settlement in America. With a few hardy companions he coasted southward along the eastern shores of our continent, and finally, Thorhall, one of his companions, suggested a search for Vinland (New England), a country which had been discovered some years ago. The "Account of Thorfinn '23 in the saga of Eric the Red, gives the following description of their landing:

They came to a land in which there were great woods and many animals. Here they found a bear, and called the island Bear Island. This land where there were woods, they called Markland. After a voyage of a day and a night they discovered (or saw) land, and they sailed near the land, and saw that it was a cape. They kept close to the shore with the wind on the right (starboard) side, and left (or had) the land upon the right side of the ship.

According to the saga, 24 Thorhall failed in his undertaking, and was driven by contrary winds to Ireland. Thorfinn Karlsefne, on the other hand, settled in a "warm country." They soon made the acquaintance of the Skraelings,25 and for time carried on a lively trade. Enmity soon arose, however, and they were obliged to abandon the settlement. Thorfinn and his men then returned to Greenland, not without first sailing past Vinland.

The saga at this point is of such importance that we cannot do better than quote De Roo's literal translation:26

As they then sailed away from Vinland southern weather took them, and they then hit Markland (Nova Scotia"), and found there five Skraelings, and one was bearded; there were two women and

23

24

De Costa, "Northmen in Maine," p. 19.

Saga of Thorfinn Karlsefne ap. Rafn, "Antiq. Amer.," pp. 161, 182. Beauvois"La Découverte du Nouveau monde par les Islandais," p. 61.

De Roo, Document XXXIII.

"In Icelandic literature the word Skraelings is applied to Eskimo tribes. It seems, however, that the name was also given to the American Indians in the voyages of the Northmen. Fiske agrees with Dr. Storm that the word Skraeling merely meant a puny or insignificant person, or "a bad lot." Although the term is used in the Saga of Thorfinn we must not assume that the latter found Eskimos either in Vinland or in more southerly portions of our continent, as Prof. Rafn seems to think. Fiske and others agree with De Roo in believing that the Northmen, of the superior Caucasian race, called the red race by the lowly name of Skraelings. (See Fiske "Discovery of Amer.," Vol. 1, pp. 188, 189, 190.)

20 De Roo, Vol. 11, p. 87.

27

De Costa, "Northmen in Maine," p. 12; see also pp. 8-17.

GLIMPSES INTO ANCIENT AMERICAN DISCOVERIES

two children. The companions of Karlsefne took these, but the others got away, and the Skraelings were absorbed down in the earth. They (the Northmen) had with them these two boys, who learned their language and were baptized. They called their mother Vethilda and their father Uvaege. They said that kings governed the Skraelings, and one of them had name Avaldania, but one, Valdidia. They told that there was no house there; the men lay there in caves and holes. They said, there lay another great land opposite their land, where the men had settled, who were (walked) in white clothes, and bore poles after themselves, to which were fastened pieces of cloth, and who screamed hard; and they think that has been White-man's Land or Ireland the Great.

The saga convincingly demonstrates that the American continent as Ireland the Great (Irlandah-al-Kabirah) was well-known in Christian Europe. The Irish, Icelanders, Greenlanders, Norwegians and other peoples were well acquainted with the western world. The Landnamabok,28 or register of the land grants in Iceland, distinctly states that the White-man's Land was six days' journey west of Ireland. According to De Roo,20 Rafn and Torfæus, the error is in the number six, which has probably been copied incorrectly from the original to read six instead of 20 or 21 "as meant by the author, who further declares that Great Ireland was situated near Good Wineland,-that is, the present New England States.

As to the locality of the White-man's Land, Von Humboldt designates it to be in a southern clime. His view seems to be in accord with the account of Thorfinn Karlsefne, for in the saga occurs the phrase "where no snow falls." Says the great geographer:

In the older sagas, the Landnamabok and the narrative of Thorfinn Karlsefne, the southern coasts between Virginia and Florida are designated under the name of Land of the White-Men.

says:

Rafn is even more explicit in his statements. He somewhere

"The Landnámabók is a record, according to De Costa "the most complete ever made by any nation." It somewhat resembles the English Doomsday book, but is far more valuable. It contains three thousand names and fourteen hundred places, besides giving a correct account of the genealogy of the earliest settlers. (De Costa, "PreColumbian Discovery," p. 11.)

"De Roo, Vol. 11, p. 89. Kosmos, Bd. ii, S. 272.

27