| Revision as of 10:09, 2 August 2007 editHaukurth (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators26,987 edits I'm afraid you can't copy passages from another website like that. And Freydís wasn't Karlsefni's wife.← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:50, 2 August 2007 edit undoInternetHero (talk | contribs)2,457 editsm I'm afraid that's the point of Misplaced Pages. Did you check proclaimer on the website? I keep sensing this hidden agenda you have. As I said, I'm putting the external link.Next edit → | ||
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| ==Eiríks saga rauða== | ==Eiríks saga rauða== | ||
| Freydís joins an expedition to ] led by ]. Her major part in the story is intervening in a battle between the Norse and the native ], who are mounting an attack. | Freydís joins an expedition to ] led by ]. Her major part in the story is intervening in a battle between the Norse and the native ], who are mounting an attack. At first, there was friendly relations bewtween the to, but it quickly turned sour when a native was killed for trying to steal weapons. A battle ensued, and according to the ], the Skraelings came armed this time with ] as well as bows and arrows. The natives used a curious spherical object, blue-black in colour, which they threw into the enemy camp with the help of a thin pole. As it fell from the sky, the object spun, making a hideous noise. As the settlers fled, the Vikings believed themselves surrounded and thought only of fleeing for their lives. Seeing the Viking rout, Karlsefni's wife, Freydis, seized the sword of one of the men who had been killed by a flat stone to the head, and turned to face the natives. Her courage rallied the Viking forces, who succeeded in turning the tide. | ||
| :Freydis came out and saw how they were retreating. She called out, "Why run you away from such worthless creatures, stout men that ye are, when, as seems to me likely, you might slaughter them like so many cattle? Let me but have a weapon, I think I could fight better than any of you." They gave no heed to what she said. Freydis endeavoured to accompany them, still she soon lagged behind, because she was not well; she went after them into the wood, and the Skrælingar directed their pursuit after her. She came upon a dead man; Thorbrand, Snorri's son, with a flat stone fixed in his head; his sword lay beside him, so she took it up and prepared to defend herself therewith. | :Freydis came out and saw how they were retreating. She called out, "Why run you away from such worthless creatures, stout men that ye are, when, as seems to me likely, you might slaughter them like so many cattle? Let me but have a weapon, I think I could fight better than any of you." They gave no heed to what she said. Freydis endeavoured to accompany them, still she soon lagged behind, because she was not well; she went after them into the wood, and the Skrælingar directed their pursuit after her. She came upon a dead man; Thorbrand, Snorri's son, with a flat stone fixed in his head; his sword lay beside him, so she took it up and prepared to defend herself therewith. | ||
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| * Örnólfur Thorsson (ed.) (2001). ''The Sagas of Icelanders''. Penguin Books. ISBN 0141000031 | * Örnólfur Thorsson (ed.) (2001). ''The Sagas of Icelanders''. Penguin Books. ISBN 0141000031 | ||
| * - 1880 translation by J. Sephton | * - 1880 translation by J. Sephton | ||
| ==External Links== | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 17:50, 2 August 2007
Freydís Eiríksdóttir was a daughter of Eric the Red. She was associated with the Norse exploration of North America. The only medieval sources which mention Freydís are the Vinland sagas, believed to be composed in the 13th century but purporting to describe events around 1000. They offer widely different accounts, though in both Freydís appears as a strong-willed woman. Eiríks saga rauða describes her as a half-sister of Leifr Eiríksson but according to Grœnlendinga saga she was a full sister.
Eiríks saga rauða
Freydís joins an expedition to Vinland led by Þorfinnr Karlsefni. Her major part in the story is intervening in a battle between the Norse and the native Skrælingjar, who are mounting an attack. At first, there was friendly relations bewtween the to, but it quickly turned sour when a native was killed for trying to steal weapons. A battle ensued, and according to the Saga of Eric the Red, the Skraelings came armed this time with slings as well as bows and arrows. The natives used a curious spherical object, blue-black in colour, which they threw into the enemy camp with the help of a thin pole. As it fell from the sky, the object spun, making a hideous noise. As the settlers fled, the Vikings believed themselves surrounded and thought only of fleeing for their lives. Seeing the Viking rout, Karlsefni's wife, Freydis, seized the sword of one of the men who had been killed by a flat stone to the head, and turned to face the natives. Her courage rallied the Viking forces, who succeeded in turning the tide.
- Freydis came out and saw how they were retreating. She called out, "Why run you away from such worthless creatures, stout men that ye are, when, as seems to me likely, you might slaughter them like so many cattle? Let me but have a weapon, I think I could fight better than any of you." They gave no heed to what she said. Freydis endeavoured to accompany them, still she soon lagged behind, because she was not well; she went after them into the wood, and the Skrælingar directed their pursuit after her. She came upon a dead man; Thorbrand, Snorri's son, with a flat stone fixed in his head; his sword lay beside him, so she took it up and prepared to defend herself therewith.
- Then came the Skrælingar upon her. She let down her sark and struck her breast with the naked sword. At this they were frightened, rushed off to their boats, and fled away. Karlsefni and the rest came up to her and praised her zeal. - Sephton's translation
Grœnlendinga saga
After expeditions to Vinland led by Leifr Eiríksson, Þorvaldr Eiríksson and Þorfinnr Karlsefni have met with some success Freydís wants the prestige and wealth associated with a Vinland journey. She makes a deal with two Icelandic men, Helgi and Finnbogi, that they should go together to Vinland and share all profits half and half. They agree to bring the same amount of men but Freydís secretly takes more.
In Vinland, Freydís betrays her partners, has them and their men attacked when sleeping and killed. She personally executes the five women in their group since no-one else would do the deed. Freydís wants to conceal her treachery and threatens death to anyone who tells of the killings. She goes back to Greenland after a year's stay and tells the story that Helgi and Finnbogi had chosen to remain in Vinland.
But not everyone is silent and word of the killings eventually reaches the ears of Leifr. He has three men from Freydís's expedition tortured until they confess the whole occurrence. Thinking ill of the deeds he still does not want "to do that to Freydis, my sister, which she has deserved".
References
- Gunnar Karlsson (2000). Iceland's 1100 Years: History of a Marginal Society. London: Hurst. ISBN 1850654204.
- Magnusson, Magnus and Hermann Pálsson (translators) (2004). Vinland Sagas. Penguin Books. ISBN 0140441549. First ed. 1965.
- Reeves, Arthur M. et al. (1906). The Norse Discovery of America. New York: Norrœna Society. Available online
- Örnólfur Thorsson (ed.) (2001). The Sagas of Icelanders. Penguin Books. ISBN 0141000031
- The Saga of Erik the Red - 1880 translation by J. Sephton