Straumsfjordr
Straumfjörð is Erik Saga According to a bay or fjord or fjord on the north east coast of North America , which in the year 1000 of a Greenlandic-Icelandic expedition in search of Vinland was entered. According to the saga, the Norsemen first came to Straumsfjordr after leaving the Furdus beaches ; the expedition wintered in this place at least twice. The actual position of the place is uncertain.
Description of the place
According to the Eiríks saga rauða , this place was originally not discovered from the sea, but over land by two runners from the group around Thorfinn Karlsefni ; there it says in the 5th paragraph of the 8th chapter:
“Before [ie before this voyage], when Leif was staying with King Olaf Tryggvason, and the king then asked him to spread Christianity in Greenland, he gave him two Scottish people; the man called Haki, and the woman called Haekja. The king advised Leif to use these people whenever he needed agility, for these people would be faster than wild animals. Erik and Leif had given up on these people to travel with Karlsefni. Well, after sailing past the Furdus beaches, they put the Scots ashore and told them to run to the southern regions, look for land of choice, and come back when three half-days had passed. They were dressed in such a way that they each wore a piece of clothing they called biafal. It had a hood at the top, the sides were open - no sleeves, and was fastened between the legs. A button and loop held it together there; and otherwise they were without clothes. Then they dropped anchor from the ships and lay there to wait for them. And after three days the Scots came leaping out of the country, and one of them had a vine in his hand and the other an ear of wild wheat "
From the sea side, the location is described in the 6th paragraph of the 8th chapter as follows:
“They said to Karlsefni that they agreed that they had found good settlement land. Then they took her on their ship and continued their journey to a place where the beach was cut by a fjord. They steered the ships into the fjord. There was also an island there, which was outside across the fjord. And there were strong currents around this island, which is why they called this Straums-ey [ie current or current island ]. There were so many birds on her that it was hardly possible to step on her to get to the eggs. They continued their course up the fjord they called Straumsfjordr, and took their cargo to the beach, and settled there to stay. They had all kinds of farm animals with them, and they looked for fruit in the vicinity for themselves. There were mountains and the place was beautiful to look at. "
In the interior of the country there was apparently enough pasture land for the cattle that were brought along:
“They paid no attention to anything other than exploring the land, and they found large areas of pasture. They stayed there through the winter, which became a tough one, with no work to be done. "
Assumed position of the place
It is not impossible that this place is identical to L'Anse aux Meadows . This would be supported by the fact that when this settlement was excavated, no evidence suggests the presence of other peoples in the same period around the year 1000. This agrees with the representation in the Erik saga. On the other hand, the runners are said to have found vines and ears of wild wheat; the cattle are said to have found enough food even in winter. This suggests that this place must have been further south. The area around New Brunswick is regarded as the northern limit for the growth of vines or similar plants .
On the other hand, the fact that the winter is said to have been very hard speaks for a more northern location. It cannot be ruled out that this was inserted in order to make the course of events on Straums-ey more plausible. In addition, this seems to contradict the supply situation for livestock.
It is unclear whether the Northmen imagined it was part of the Marklands or Vinlands . Although Straumsfjordr is referred to as part of Vinland elsewhere, the question then arises why the settlement project is not implemented at this point. The stated travel times to Hóp also speak against an assignment of Straumsfjordr to Vinland , although the return journey is said to have been even longer.
It could also be the Miramichi Inner Bay in the Gulf of St. Lawrence . The island of Straums-ey would then correspond to Portage Island in the middle of the bay. This island is still a bird sanctuary with breeding water birds and resting migratory birds. Water currents in the bay are constantly changing the sand / gravel island. Beach grass is said to grow in the sandy bay, alluding to the ears of corn mentioned. The bank grapevine is also widespread there. There is even a Vin Island (wine island) in the bay. The Appalachians end there at the Gulf of St. Lawrence , so there are mountains as mentioned in the Erik saga above. And the winters on the Gulf of St. Lawrence are not exactly mild.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Own translation after [1] , Chapter 8, 5th paragraph of the Erik saga in the English translation by J. Sephton, 1880
- ↑ Own translation after [2] , Chapter 8, 6th paragraph of the Erik saga in the English translation by J. Sephton, 1880
- ↑ Own translation after [3] , Chapter 8, beginning of the 7th paragraph of the Erik saga in the English translation by J. Sephton, 1880
- ↑ http://parkscanada.pch.gc.ca/parks/newfoundland/anse_meadows/english/natives_e.htm ( Memento from February 23, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ http://parkscanada.pch.gc.ca/parks/newfoundland/anse_meadows/english/vinland_e.htm ( Memento from February 23, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Environment and Climate Change Canada: Portage Island National Wildlife Area - Canada, approx. Retrieved January 24, 2018 .