Thorfinn Karlsefni

Ok einn morgin snemma, er þeir lituðuz um, sáu þeir níu húðkeipa, ok var veift trjánum af skipunum, ok lét því líkast í, sem í halmþustum, ok fer sólarsinnis. Þá mælti Karlsefni: Hvat mun þetta tákna? Snorri svarar honum: Vera kann, at þetta sé friðartákn, ok tǫkum skjǫld hvítan, ok berum í mót. Ok svá gerðu þeir.

Early one morning, as they looked around, they saw nine skin boats. The people in them were waving sticks, which made a sound like flails threshing grain, and they waved them sunwise. Then Karlsefni said, “What can this mean?” Snorri answered him, “It may be a sign of peace. Let’s take a white shield and hold it out toward them.” And so they did.

Enn er vára tók, geta þeir at líta einn morgin snemma, at fjǫlði húðkeipa reri sunnan fyrir nesit, sva margir, sem kolum væri sáit, ok var þó veift á hverju skipi trjánum. Þeir brugðu þá skjǫldum upp. ok tóku kaupstefnu sín á millum, ok vildi þat fólk helzt kaupa rautt klæði; þeir vildu ok kaupa sverð ok spjót, enn þat bǫnnuðu þeir Karlsefni ok Snorri.

When spring came, early one morning they saw a great crowd of skin boats rowing up from the south around the headland. There were so many that the bay looked as if it had been sown with charcoal, and on every boat sticks were waved. Then Karlsefni’s people held up their shields, and the two sides began to trade. Those people wanted most of all to buy red cloth. They also wanted to buy swords and spears, but Karlsefni and Snorri forbade it.

Þat sama sumar kom skip af Noregi til Grenlandz. sa madr het Þorfinnr kallz efnni er þui skipe styrde. hann var son Þordar hesthofda Snorra sonar Þordar sonar fra Hofda. Þorfinnr kallz efni var storaudigr at fe ok var vm uetrin j Bratta hlid med Leifui Æireks syne. bratt fellde hann hug til Gudridar ok bad hennar en hon ueik til Læifs suðrum firir sig. sidan var hon honum fostnut ok gert brudhlaup þeirra a þeim uetri.

That same summer a ship came from Norway to Greenland. Its captain was a man named Thorfinn Karlsefni. He was the son of Thord Horsehead, the son of Snorri, the son of Thord of Hofdi. Thorfinn Karlsefni was very rich, and he spent the winter at Brattahlid with Leif Eiriksson. He soon fell in love with Gudrid and asked to marry her, but she left it to Leif to answer for her. Then she was promised to him, and their wedding was held that winter.

Hin sama var vmræda a Uinlandz fôr sem fyrr. ok fystu menn Kallzefni miog þeirrar ferdar bæde Gudridr ok adrir menn. nu var radin ferd hans ok red hann ser skipveria .lx. kalla ok konur .v. Þann maldaga gerdu þeir Kallzefni ok hasetar hans at iofnum hondum skylldi þeir hafa allt þat er þeir fengi til gæda. þeir hǫfdu med ser allz skonar fenat þuiat þeir ætlodu at byggia landit ef þeir mętti þat. Kallzefni bat Leif husa a Uinlande en hann kuetzst lia mundu husin en gefa æigi.

People were talking about a voyage to Vinland, just as before, and they pressed Karlsefni hard to go, Gudrid as well as others. So his voyage was settled, and he took on a crew of sixty men and five women. Karlsefni and his crew agreed to share equally in all the valuable goods they got. They took all kinds of livestock with them, because they meant to settle the land if they could. Karlsefni asked Leif to give him his houses in Vinland. Leif said he would lend the houses but not give them.