the bishop, who taxed them in behalf of the erection of his cathedral in Kirkjuboe, the Frisland pirates gave them assistance by sending two ships against the northern islets and fighting by their side at Mannafelsdal, where the bishop's party was completely defeated.1 The daring, lawless robbers thus being the masters of the Faroe Islands, it should be no wonder if their stronghold was soon known by the name of their original country among their numerous competitors and victimized neighbors. 2 3 This may suffice in regard to the appellation of Frisland. Forster and Buache have found among the names of the numerous Faroe islets and havens several of those mentioned in the Zeno narrative, "Sudero" being evidently identical with Sudheroe, and "Streme" with Stromoe. The first remarks made upon the name of Frisland are quite applicable to that of "Estlanda," applied by the Zeni to the modern Shetland group. If there are undoubtedly in the Venetian report and accompanying map several names that cannot be identified, we should not wonder that the publisher of the torn correspondence may have misread these names on his shreds of paper and on the old dilapidated chart; nor even that the original authors have misunderstood them from the lips of their strange companions, when we remember that Columbus confounded the names of places mentioned by the natives of Haiti, Cuba, and Veragua with those of the Asiatic cities described by Marco Polo. That Nicolò Zeno mentions islands on the eastern coasts of Iceland where there are none of any impor 1 Pastor Schroeter, Antiq. Tidsskrift, S. 171. Compare with Document LIV., c. Voyages faits dans le Nord; Transl., t. i. pp. 286, 325. 3 Vol. of 1787, p. 447; both ap. 2 Histoire des Découvertes et des Gravier, p. 191. tance is easily understood when we observe that he had neither facilities nor time to verify the true conformation of the headlands protruding between the numerous firths by which the coast is deeply indented. Thus was Newfoundland represented on several ancient maps as a group of islands; while, on the contrary, former geographers, less correctly informed, set down archipelagos as greater islands, by noticing only the outer lines of the various islets and neglecting the small intervening channels. In this latter fashion did the Zeni represent the Shetland and the Faroe groups.1 Torfæus objects to the credibility of the Zeno relation not only on geographical but also on historical grounds.2 This second class of difficulties would, however, be effectually removed if the hero of the story, "Prince Zichmni," were reduced to his actual proportions. Literary enterprise and, above all, the vanity of the Zeni actors and historian required that the leader, under whom the former served, be represented as a powerful and legitimate" Principe," whose every undertaking was an act deserving of praise and everlasting glory, whose every cruise in perfectly well-known waters was a voyage of first discovery. A few authors have been misled by the publisher's inflated style. 3 Gravier displays a vast amount of learning and research in his efforts to prove that Zichmni was none other than Henry Sinclair, count of the Orkneys and of other islands. But he meets with no ordinary difficulties. He establishes, indeed, that Sinclair was at peace and in perfect accord with the king of Norway; and, as further proof of this, he might have added that, in the year 1389, Henry "Senckler," count of the Orkneys, 1 Cf. Gravier, p. 193. 2 Herbermann, p. 12, seq. 3 P. 183, seq. 3 signed, together with the bishops and grandees of Norway, the act of succession in favor of Eric, son of Duke Wartislav and of the niece of Queen Margaret.1 But he is at a loss to understand how the name Sinclair is an equivalent of Zichmni, his only attempt at conciliation being to say that we are ignorant of the pronunciation of Sinclair (historically," Senckler") by the Northmen.' We read that Zichmni set out on a warlike expedition against the Estland or Shetland Isles, but was beaten back by a large fleet of the king of Norway. This is certainly very strange, for, says Gravier, history does not mention any war between the king of Norway and the count of the Orkneys. The same author wonders also that no record was kept in the Icelandic sagas of the further invasion of Iceland by Prince Zichmni; " but the puzzle is easily solved as soon as we notice that there was no question here of regular war or princely invasion, but only of one of the thousand piratical assaults that desolated all the northern coasts at that time, and of which all histories are full. 4 5 Peschel considers Zichmni, whose real name undoubtedly was Segrmun in the Norse, or Siegmund in the Teutonic language, as a common sea-rover. Although mistaking Zichmni still for the count of the Orkneys, Gravier is better informed when, farther on," he acknowledges that his Henry "Sinclair" was an archpirate. He may have been more daring and successful, and have thus become more of a "Principe" than many others; but his exploits, even as told in the Zeno narrative, are those of a viking, of a robber on the high seas. When the vessel of Nicolò Zeno was dashed 8 against the Faroe island, Siegmund saved him from the thieving people, only to rob him not only of his goods but also of his liberty. During the previous year he had obtained the advantage over ships of the Norwegian king, and was running through the Faroes now after spoils, among which are mentioned a few vessels laden with fish. After some time, Siegmund made a fiendish descent upon the Shetland group, where, it is stated, he caused much damage; but was prevented from doing more harm by a powerful fleet of Norway, whose kings were busily engaged during that period in fighting piracy all over their dominions. Repulsed from the Shetlands, Siegmund, with a few vessels poorly manned, invaded the coasts of Iceland; but, meeting with courageous resistance here also, was obliged to content himself with plundering the adjoining islets, and to return, laden with booty, to his nest of Akraberg. Siegmund or Zichmni is a truthful illustration of the history of his day.* 3 From his captains, the Zeni brothers, we receive further information regarding the countries and the times which in this study claim our attention. We might wish our informants to be of a more honorable character, but they had no motives for deceiving us by false reports about persons or facts that had no relation to their aims or manner of life. We may, therefore, reasonably grant them our credence, more particularly attach to the word "viking" the idea of royalty or kingship. Yet the word is not "konungr," nor even "cynig," but only "víking," from "vík" or wík, originally an inlet or small bay, now also a hamlet, and "ing," a Norse termination meaning inhabitant of . . . the bay. The ancient inhabitants of the Scandinavian bays were fish ermen for a season of the year and pirates the rest of the time; hence the 66 vikings" of old stories are simply common sea-rovers, like 'Principe Zichmni." 66 1 See Document LIV., b. whenever their statements agree with, or fittingly complete, intelligence derived from other historical sources. Such is the case in regard to the closing history of the Scandinavian colonies on the shores of our continent. Antonio Zeno wrote to his brother Carlo that he had been sent out with a small fleet by Prince Zichmni towards the West, because some of his Faroese fishermen had discovered rich and populous islands in that direction. Of this discovery he gave some particulars, as follows: "Twenty-six years ago there set out four fishing-boats, which, assailed by a great tempest, were tossed for many days, in imminent danger, on the waves of the ocean. But finally the weather became fair, and the mariners got sight of an island called "Estotiland," situated in the West, at a distance of more than a thousand miles from Frisland." Taking into consideration this direction and distance, as also the further statement that the island was little less than Iceland and much more fertile, the learned are generally of the opinion that Newfoundland was meant;1 while a few, with less probability, it seems, understand by the Estotiland of the Zeni the whole of ancient Vinland, including the New England States, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The name, it is said, is an old Scandinavian appellation slightly modified, "Estutland," signifying the uttermost land to the East,-which is correct in relation to our northern continent. 1 Maltebrun, t. i. p. 372; Forster, t. i. p. 322, ap. Gravier, p. 210; Beauvois, La Découverte, p. 47; Aa. passim. As late as the year 1610 the learned Arngrim Jonson considered Estotiland as identical with the New Land looked for by Landa 2 Rolf (supra, p. 248) and with Vinland: "Terram vero Landa Rolfoni quæsitam existimarem esse Vinlandiam olim Islandis sic dictam ; de qua alibi, insulam nempe Americæ e regione Gronlandiæ, quæ forte hodie Estotilandia, etc." (Crymogoa, p. 120.) |