CANADA HISTORY

Freydi in Vinland

Now there was renewed talk of voyaging to Vinland, for these expeditions were considered a good source of fame and fortune. In the summer that Karlsefni returned from Vinland a ship arrived in Greenland, from Norway, commanded by two brothers called Helgi and Finnbogi. They spent the winter in Greenland. They were Icelanders by birth and came from the Eastfjords.One day, Freydis Eirik's-daughter travelled from her home at Gardar to visit the brothers Heigi and Finnbogi. She asked them if they would join her with their ship on an expedition to Vinland, sharing equally with her all the profits that might be made from it. They agreed to this. Then she went to see her brother Leif and asked him to give her the houses he had built in Vinland; but Leif gave the same answer as before - that he was willing to lend them but not to give them away. The two brothers and Freydis had an agreement that each party should have thirty able-bodied men on board, besides women. But Freydis broke the agreement at once by taking five more men, whom she concealed; and the brothers were unaware of this until they reached Vinland. So they put to sea, and before they left they agreed to sail in convoy if possible. There was not much distance between them, but the brothers arrived in Vinland shortly before Freydis and had moved their cargo up to Leif's Houses by the time Freydis landed. Her crew unloaded her ship and carried the cargo up to the houses. 'Why have you put your stuff in here ?' asked Freydis. 'Because,' the brothers replied, 'we had thought that the whole of our agreement would be honoured.' 'Leif lent these houses to me, not to you,' she said.Then Helgi said, 'We brothers could never be a match for you in wickedness. 'They moved their possessions out and built themselves a house farther inland on the bank of a lake, and made themselves comfortable there. Meanwhile Freydis was having timber felled for her cargo. When winter set in, the brothers suggested that they should start holding games and other entertainments. This was done for a while until trouble broke out and ill-feeling arose between the two parties. The games were abandoned and all visiting between the houses ceased; and this state of affairs continued for most of the winter. Early one morning Freydis got up and dressed, but did not put on her shoes. There was heavy dew outside. She put on her husband's cloak and then walked to the door of the brothers' house. Someone had just gone outside, leaving the door ajar. She opened it and stood in the doorway for a while without a word. Finnbogi was lying in the bed farthest from the doorway; he was awake, and now he said, 'What do you want here, Freydis?' 'I want you to get up and come outside with me: she replied. 'I want to talk to you.' He did so, and they walked over to a tree-trunk that lay beside the wall of the house, and sat down on it. 'How are you getting on ?' she asked. 'I like this good country,' he replied, 'but I dislike the ill feeling that has arisen between us, for I can see no reason for it.' 'You are quite right: she said, 'and I feel the same about it as you do. But the reason I came to see you is that I want to exchange ships with you and your brother, for your ship is larger than mine and I want to go away from here.' 'I shall agree to that,' he said, 'if that will make you happy.' With that they parted. Finnbogi went back to his bed and Freydis walked home. When she climbed into bed her feet were cold and her husband Thorvard woke up and asked why she was so cold and wet. She answered with great indignation, 'I went over to see the brothers to offer to buy their ship, because I want a larger one; and this made them so angry that they struck me and handled me very roughly. But you, you wretch, would never avenge either my humiliation or your own. I realize now how far I am away from my home in Greenland I And unless you avenge this, I am going to divorce you.' He could bear her taunts no longer and told his men to get up at once and take their weapons. They did so, and went straight over to the brothers' house; they broke in while all the men were asleep, seized them and tied them up, and dragged them outside one by one. Freydis had each of them put to death as soon as he came out. All the men were killed in this way, and soon only the women were left; but no one was willing to kill them. Freydis said, 'Give me an axe.' This was done, and she herself killed the women, all five of them. After this monstrous deed they went back to their house, and it was obvious that Freydis thought she had been very clever about it. She said to her companions, 'If we ever manage to get back to Greenland I shall have anyone killed who breathes a word about what has just happened. Our story will be that these people stayed on here when we left.’ Early in the spring they prepared the ship that had belonged to the brothers and loaded it with all the produce they could get and the ship could carry. Then they put to sea. They had a good voyage and reached Eiriksfjord early in the summer. Karlsefni was still there when they arrived. His ship was all ready to sail and he was only waiting for a favourable wind. It is said that no ship has ever sailed from Greenland more richly laden than the one Karlsefni commanded...