Page:The Finding of Wineland the Good.djvu/35

 death, for it is there stated that Fru Ingigerd's daughter 'ztws' Fru Hallbera, the Abbess. But Hallbera lived until 1330, and the strict construction of Hauk's language might point to the conclusion that the reference to Hallbera was made after her death, and therefore after 1330. Hauk was in Iceland in the years 1330 and 1331, doubtless for the last time. One of the scribes who aided him in writing the codex was probably an Icelander, as may be gleaned from his orthograph)', and as it is highly probable that the contents of the codex were for the most part copied from originals owned in Iceland, it may be that the transcript of this saga, as well as the book itself, was completed during this last visit. It has been claimed that a portion of Hauk's book, preceding the Saga of Thorfinn, was written prior to Hauk's acquirement of his title, a 'iew founded upon the fact that his name is there cited without the addition of his title, and this view is supported by the corresponding usage of the Annals . If this be true, then, upon the above hypothesis, a period of more than twenty-five years must have elapsed between the inception of the work and the completion of the ' Thorfinn's Saga.' Doubtless a considerable time was consumed in the compilation and transcription of the contents of this manuscript; but it seems scarcely probable that so long a time should have intervened between the preparation of the different portions of the work. Wherefore, if the reference to the Abbess Hallbera be accepted literally, the conjecture that the earlier portion of the codex was written prior to 1299 would appear to be doubtful, and it may be necessary either to advance the date of this portion of the manuscript or place the date of the Saga of Thorfinn anterior to that suggested. However this may be, two facts seem to be clearly established, first, that this saga was not written before 1299, and second, that this eldest surviving detailed narrative of the discovery of Wineland was written not later than the year 1334.

In the vellum codex, known as Number 557, 4to, of the Arna-Magnæan Collection, is an account of the Wineland discovery, so strikingly similar to that of Hauk's Book, that there can be no doubt that both histories were derived from the same source. The history of the discovery contained in the above codex is called the 'Saga of Eric the Red' [Saga Eireks rauSa]. This may well have been the primitive title of the saga of Hauk's Book, which, as has been noted, obtains its modern name, 'Thorfinns Saga Karlsefnis,' from the entry made by