SAGA OF FREYDIS ERICKSDOTTIR
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From across the time and distance to that long neglected Viking colony of Greenland, it is
rather hard to grasp that entire generations of people lived out their lives in relative
peace in a European manner on what we view as a desolate island: cold, bleak, harsh
Greenland. But we also know now its climate was in that period somewhat milder than today. A whole separate culture
existed there, somewhat remote from the parent culture of Iceland and even capable of
sending out explorations and collective expeditions. Such literature as survived from
Greenland were documents which went back to Iceland with people who returned there,
persons who removed for whatever reasons including marriage, and sometimes appeared in the
Icelandic and Norwegian sagas in indirect, as well as direct, references to the land to
the west. Leif clearly had troubles mixed with his good luck and among others was an
illegitimate half-sister named Freydis who is one of the most signal personages of the
Vinland voyages, because it is known that she made the trip to Vinland at least twice. Her
personality comes down through the ages in the epics as hardy, effective, shrewish and
venomous. However, in their youth there is evidence that Leif thought quite highly of her
- she may have been older than he; or just as likely, considerably younger. She had a
number of children, one of whom was apparently born at Leif's house in Vinland. She first
appears as a participant in a battle which took place at a place called Hop, which is a
Norse version of the English "Hope", meaning a marshy tidal inlet or haven of possibly
dangerous approach. The settlement there was sizeable and populated by as many as 165
persons. Primarily amicable contacts with natives deteriorated and terminated with some
natives being charged by a Viking bull. The visiting natives
("skraelings") depart with sullen mien and apparent
demonstrations of malice, return in several weeks' time with many reinforcements and
commence a battle in which they ultimately are successful in inducing the Vikings into an
uncharacteristic retreat. The retreat passes the house wherein Freydis resides and
she -
perhaps previously unaware of the fighting - attempts to rally the men by ridiculing them.
This does not work and she is forced to join them but is "-- much slowed, as she was
big with child ". The retreat leaves her behind and she is about to be caught up by
the natives when she comes upon a dead Norseman. He is named and described as being felled
by a flat stone, which protrudes from his skull. His sword is beside him and Freydis
snatches this up, brandishes it, exposes her breasts and strokes the sword on them. The
dismayed natives then retreat in turn, or simply break off the battle - the sagas do not
evidence haste - and they depart in their boats. Formidable woman!
Hop is later apparently abandoned because of the precarious position of proximity to the
disturbed natives, and the band removes back to the island Straumney. Freydis and others
reappear back in Greenland some few - at least three - years later. Freydis decides to
found an expedition of her own to Vinland and forms a partnership with two brothers named
Helgi and Finnboggi. They travel in two ships which make the remarkable and noteworthy
accomplishment of arriving at Leif's houses a fortnight apart, not having sailed in - or
at least early parting - company. The brothers have arrived first and ensconced themselves
in Leif's house and when Freydis arrives she takes affront and evicts them with
considerable asperity. They go off and take up residence in a single large structure.
Their numbers are stated as being twenty men and five women. At departure they had agreed
to maintain equal crews, but Freydis surreptitiously secreted five extra men who were
discovered by the others only at arrival. The complement here at this time is, therefore,
55 persons, of whom 6, likely more, were female.
The two parties become enemies because of this episode and the seasons and winter proceed
with growing bad feeling between them. Earlier, the two crews had engaged in
"games" but this soon ceased and then occured an incident which in horror and
deceit lives in the annals of the north and contributes to the ultimate abandonment and
disfavor of Leif's "budir", and indeed, disturbs Scandinavians to this day. Most
of the story must have come from the lips of Freydis herself. One night she arises while
all are sleeping and goes over to the other house of the brothers. She does not enter but
stands quietly in the doorway and is eventually seen there by the half-wakened Finnboggi.
He asks her what she wants and she replies that she wants to talk to him and desires him
to come outside for this. He arises and goes out with her and they sit on a log just
outside and talk, apparently a low, subdued conversation although we have only Freydis'
word for it, for Finnboggi did not survive the sunrise. Freydis begins by asking him how
he likes the place and he replies that he likes it well enough but is disturbed by the
dissension between them. She claims to be as disturbed as he and then goes on to say that
her purpose in coming was to propose a trade in boats as hers is smaller than the
brothers'. She later claims that he agrees to this trade and after a few more remarks they
part, she returning home - remember that this is Leif's own house - and Finnboggi back to
bed.
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When she is home and re-entering her own bed she awakens her husband, Thorvard, with her
cold feet. Perhaps he was not asleep after all for he questions her on where she has been.
Rather than tell him the above she says she has gone to the brothers to trade boats and
they have insulted and abused her and that she expects Thorvard to do something about it. She berates
him unmercifully - it must have been a long night for him - and she eventually threatens
to divorce him on their return to Greenland. Goaded thus, he takes his crew and removes to
the other dwelling and surrounds it with its sleeping crew. A party enters and binds the
men - twenty in number - and then they are brought out one by one and killed. The five
women are then brought out but there is universal refusal to kill them, at which Freydis
"takes an ax" and "-- leaves them dead."
She swears the crew to secrecy under pain of death and eventually the party returns to
Greenland - some say in the brothers' larger ship. The saga called "Flateybok" is explicit
that this homeward trip commenced, "-in early Spring, and they arrived in Greenland
after a happy trip in early Summer" (This key statement has been completely
overlooked by most as to its significance. It means a journey of at least two months at
the very least, and if we consider that the seasons are later at northern latitudes it
could well represent four months travel time. It certainly places
Leifsbudir at a very long remove from Greenland.)
Soon rumors abound as to the fate of the missing crew. Dark suspicions arise as to events
at Vinland. Leif, who had inherited leadership on the death of Erick the same year as his
return, has two or three of the crew seized and put to torture. They separately tell
identical stories which are accepted as thus being true.
Freydis is brought to trial and convicted but rather than mete out severe punishment Leif
simply makes the anguished statement, "I have not a mind to do unto Freydis what
justice demands. I only say that her and her clan and children will amount to but
little." This explicit and probably most effective curse is the final direct
reference to Leifsbudir in the famous Vinland sagas. There is no further remark or mention
in the Greenland epics of any interest in the place. It is possible that these devout
Christians felt that the settlement to which they had traveled for over twenty years was
now unfit for further habitation.
On the whole it is a dramatic and effective tale, as are many others surrounding the
Vinland voyages. One can almost feel the wry, dry menace of Freydis' madness. The scene
where the two antagonists meet and sit on the log for talk can almost be brought to the
mind's eye.
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CONCLUSION
The story has endured for over 960 years through Interpretations from folklore, memory,
runic script, Latin, and Icelandic to English. 'Through all that time, from all that
distance, over so many peoples' tongues from that fey settlement of human daring, the
actual vision of happenings has been transmitted to us. When the lost ruins of the old
Viking settlements on Greenland came to light and awakened, sometime in the 16th century,
interest in the old explorations of many years ago, a host of individuals and some
companies - perhaps even the great Admiral Columbus - upon hearing and attempting
decipherment of these even then ancient sagas, have made strenuous efforts at finding the
precise locale of Leifsbudir - that river, lake and terrain whereon the son of Erick the
Red had built his houses. The literature on the subject is voluminous, filing whole cases
in libraries, the theories abounding, 'replica' voyages made, seminars, college courses,
theses', theories, articles, books, pamphlets, speeches, talks, arguments - all have filled
the void of mystery felt by generations of historians and Scandinavians for whom the old
tales of the hero and the voyages thrill the hearts and resonate in the intellects of men.
So far, none of these studies has born the fruit of acceptance by all persons, or even a
substantial portion of them. The site of L'Anse Aux Meadows in Newfoundland has so far
come the closest to acceptance by being demonstrably Norse, but as time goes on and
comparisons are made against the sagas, it too, becomes embroiled by doubts that it is
Leifsbudir. Certainly that Canadian locale will not bear attempted duplication of
navigational detail for it is in a straight line to and from Bratahlid in Greenland and
would entail only days' travel thereto, not the long and elaborate voyages we can
particularize from these epics. So the search has lasted for over four hundred years. I
have reason to believe at this time that the search may be successfully concluded. A site
which matches in all specifics and in all respects concerning the terrain and the traverse
has been found and thereon exists evidence that at one time a people very like the Norse
resided there. Perhaps, just perhaps, we have found the place where Leif Erickson and his
hardy band of thirty-five made their epic landfall a thousand years ago.
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