Identifier: voyagesofnorseme1914hovg (find matches)
Title: The voyages of the Norsemen to America
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Hovgaard, William, b. 1857
Subjects:
Publisher: New York : American-Scandinavian Foundation
Contributing Library: Northeastern University, Snell Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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een that there are at least twodistinct chapters in the history of the Vinland voyages. Thefirst, related chiefly in Grsenlendinga pdttr^ tells of the acci-dental discovery of America, followed by exploring expedi-tions penetrating far to the south, probably as far as the coastof Massachusetts. The second chapter, related chiefly in theSaga of Eric the Red^ tells of a large expedition, fitted out forthe purpose of settling in America, but which did not reachfarther south than Newfoundland, and which failed in itsmain purpose, partly due to attacks by the natives, partlyowing to internal strife. It is possible that a third, unrecordedchapter exists, which would tell of occasional expeditions tothe coasts of Labrador for the purpose of obtaining timberand for trading with the natives, with whom perhaps an in-timate intercourse took place. The fact that such intercoursewas prohibited by the Church may account for the suppres-sion of the reports of these expeditions. Finally, a fourth and
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VII. North Atlantic THE NORSEMEN TO AMERICA 255 unwritten chapter may exist, comprising the story of theultimate fusion of the Norse colony with the Eskimos inGreenland and the migration of the resulting mixed tribesto the Arctic continent of America. It remains for futurestudents of this problem to unveil the facts of the last twochapters. APPENDIX & BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDIX KNATTLEIKR AND LACROSSE The Norsemen were very fond of athletics in the widest sense of this word,and ball games were among their favorite pastimes. The most popu-lar game was knattleikr, to which we find numerous references in thesagas. In Iceland this g^me seems to have been played from the time ofthe settlement of the country, and was no doubt brought there from Nor-way, where many geographical names bear witness to the antiquity ofball games. Professor EbbeHertzberg has written an essay on the Old Ball Gamesof the Norsemen, * in which he compares knattleikr with the ,game oflacrosse, which has come to us thr

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