Eiríks saga rauða
SS 476 Discussion
8 February 2005
Agenda
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Background
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The texts
The places
The people
Things to look for
Recap of the saga
Questions for group discussion
Background: The texts
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Two Vinland Sagas
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Timeframe
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Eiríks saga rauða
Grœnlendiga Saga
Action: c. 970 – 1030
Writing: c. 1220 – 1280
Some overlap, some divergence between the two texts
Historical roots are quite noticeable in these two sagas
We will focus only on The Saga of Eirik the Red
Background: The places
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Iceland
Greenland
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Eastern Settlement, Eiriksfjord
Western Settlement
Helluland
Markland
Vinland
Background: Regional map
Background: Places in Greenland
Present-day Eiriksfjord
(Eastern Settlement)
Background: Getting from place to
place
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“From Stad in Norway it is 7 doegr sailing to
Horn, on Iceland’s east coast; but from
Snaefelsnes, in Iceland, it takes 4 doegr to sail
to Kvarv in Greenland. From Herdla [nr. Bergen]
in Norway one is to sail directly westward to
reach Kvarv in Greenland…[sail] south of
Iceland, but only so far away that one can see
the birds and whales common in Icelandic
waters…”
-Hauksbok c. 1334
Background: The people
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Note: The Viking era robe and axe at
right were found in Greenland
Eirik and his sons: Leif, Thorstein,
Thorvald
Thorfinn Karlsefni and Gudrid
Thorbjornardottir and their son Snorri
Others to watch for: Aud, Freydis,
Thorhall the Huntsman, Bjarni
Grimolfsson
Things to look for
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Six sections of a typical saga
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Introduction, Conflict, Climax, Revenge,
Reconciliation, Aftermath
Honor
Role and portrayal of women
Conflict between old, new religions
Recap of the saga (1 of 14)
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Section 1
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Gudrid’s ancestry traced back to Vifil, a slave
of Aud the Deep-minded and King Olaf the
White of Dublin
Olaf dies, Aud takes charge, moves self and
son, Thorstein, to Hebrides
Thorstein dies, Aud takes charge again,
moves to Iceland, claims land, builds a church
Aud sets Vifil free
Recap of the saga (2 of 14)
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Section 2
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Eirik the Red and father flee from Norway to
Iceland because of “some killings.”
Eirik gets involved in more killings and is
outlawed
Full outlawry: Banished for life, property forfeit,
can be killed without redress, etc…
 Lesser outlawry: Banished for three years,
property not forfeit, “enclosure”, can return later
and continue a normal life
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Recap of the saga (3 of 14)
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Section 2 ctd…
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Eirik explores Greenland, claims land and
settles there
Eirik returns after sentence is up and recruits
people to move to Greenland
Section 3
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Thorbjorn moves to Greenland – daughter
Gudrid comes along
Recap of the saga (4 of 14)
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Section 3 ctd…
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Great famine in Greenland
Gudrid compelled to help seeress Thorbjorg in
pagan rite against her will
Thorbjorg prophesies end of famine, Gudrid’s
marriage to Thorstein, Gudrid’s future in
Iceland, success of Gudrid’s offspring
Recap of the saga (5 of 14)
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Section 4
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Leif sails to Norway to stay with King Olaf
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Blown off course to Hebrides
Father’s child with Thorgunna
King Olaf charges Leif with Christianization of
Greenland
Leif sails back to Greenland
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Blown off course to unknown lands, brings back samples of
wild rice, grapes, timber, maple, etc…
Rescues shipwrecked men, earns moniker “The Lucky”
Recap of the saga (6 of 14)
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Section 4 ctd…
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Leif preaches Christianity in Greenland
Eirik does not accept Christianity
 Eirik’s wife, Thjodhild, converts, builds church
(ruins discovered in 1960’s), moves out
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Greenlanders decide to find lands Leif
described
Eirik to come along, hides chest of gold, silver
 Eirik falls off horse, tells wife where chest is
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Recap of the saga (7 of 14)
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Section 4 ctd…
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Voyage is storm-tossed all summer, they see
Iceland, birds from Ireland, return to
Greenland
Thorstein marries Gudrid
Thorstein dies, comes back from dead, tells
Gudrid to be a good Christian, change burial
practices, give money to poor, not marry a
Greenlander, dies again
Recap of the saga (8 of 14)
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Section 4 ctd…
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Thorbjorn (Gudrid’s father) dies, Gudrid
inherits his property
Gudrid taken in, protected by Eirik
Section 5
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Thorfinn comes to Greenland, stays with Eirik
Thorfinn finances Eirik’s Christmas festivities
Throfinn marries Gudrid, they winter with Eirik
Recap of the saga (9 of 14)
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Section 5 ctd…
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Large voyage, led by Throfinn, to seek out
Vinland - 160 people, including:
Thorhall – described as a “bad Christian”
 Eirik the Red’s (illegitimate?) daughter Freydis
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Sail to Western Settlement, then to Bear Isles,
then two days to Helluland
Sail two days to heavily forested Markland
and Bjarney
Recap of the saga (10 of 14)
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Section 5 ctd…
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Sail south along land to Kjalarnes,
Furdustrands
Send two (possibly fictional) Scots on 3 day
running trek – they return with wild grain and
grapes
Unload at Straumsfjord to make winter camp
Bad food situation, pray, but no answer,
Thorhall disappears
Recap of the saga (11 of 14)
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Section 5 ctd…
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Thorhall found chanting mysteriously
Beached whale turns up, Thorhall credits
Thor, disparages Christ
Crew disposes of whale and weather improves
Thorhall and nine others decide to “search for
Vinland” on own, blown off course to Ireland,
where they die as slaves
Recap of the saga (12 of 14)
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Section 6
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Thorfinn and crew sail to Hop
Skrælings come for the first time
Thorfinn and crew winter in Hop
Skrælings return in spring to trade furs for
cloth – Thorfinn forbids trading weapons
Thorfinn’s bull gets loose, Skrælings
frightened, flee, disappear for three weeks
Recap of the saga (13 of 14)
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Section 6 ctd…
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Skrælings return for vengeance, Vikings flee
Pregnant Freydis picks up sword and slaps it
to breast, Skrælings flee
Throfinn and company decide to go back to
Straumsfjord
On quest to find Thorhall, Uniped kills
Thorvald, who, while dying, makes a joke
about the size of his belly
Recap of the saga (14 of 14)
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Section 6 ctd…
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They decide to sail back to Greenland – first mention
of 3 year old Snorri
One ship, captained by Bjarni Grimolfsson, goes off
course, starts sinking
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Draw lots for the lifeboat
Bjarni honorably trades places with crewman, mocks his
desire to live
Lifeboat washes up in Dublin, rest drown
Thorfinn and Gudrid settle in Iceland, three bishops
among descendants, prophecy fulfilled
Questions for group discussion
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Why do we still find this story interesting?
Questions for group discussion
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Who is the hero of this saga?
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Eirik?
Leif?
Thorfinn?
Gudrid?
Questions for group discussion
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Does this saga fit the structure described
in lecture?
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Introduction
Conflict
Climax
Revenge
Reconciliation
Aftermath
Questions for group discussion
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What can we say about the role that
women play in this saga?
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Aud
Freydis
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Compare to Greenlanders saga
Gudrid
Questions for group discussion
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How is religion treated in this saga?
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Does our answer about the structure of the
text change if we consider the two
combatants are Christianity and Paganism?
Gudrid’s lineage followed by Eirik’s lineage
 Thorbjorg’s prophecy
 Thorstein’s prophecy
 Thorhall and the whale
 Gudrid’s progeny – pagan prophecy fulfilled with
three bishops!
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Bibliography
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Images from the web:
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Eiriksfjord, map of Greenland:
http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/greenland/
Regional map:
http://www.mnh.si.edu/vikings/voyage/subset/markland/environ
ment.html
Garments from Greenland:
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/norse.html
Texts:
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Thorsson, Örnólfur. 2000. Sagas of Icelanders. London:
Penguin.
Tornöe, J. Kr. 1965. Norsemen Before Columbus. Oslo:
Universitetsforlaget.