[65] Cf. Björnbo and Petersen, 1904, pp. 179, 236.
[66] Jacob Ziegler (circa 1532), who probably made use of statements from Walkendorf, confuses the Norsemen and Eskimo in Greenland together into one people, who breed cattle, have two episcopal churches, etc.; but “on account of the distance and the difficulty of the voyage the people have almost reverted to heathendom, and are ... especially addicted to the arts of magic, like the Lapps....” They use light boats of hides, with which they attack other ships [cf. Grönl. hist. Mind., iii. p. 499].
[67] In the account attributed to Ivar Bárdsson, first written down in Norway, the Skrælings also receive a good deal of attention.
[68] William Thalbitzer, the authority on the Eskimo, has lately [1909, p. 14] adduced the silence of the “King’s Mirror” and of the Icelandic Annals on the subject of the Skrælings of Greenland as evidence that the Norsemen had not met with them on their northern expeditions to Nordrsetur; but what has been brought forward above shows that nothing of the kind can be concluded from the silence of the “King’s Mirror” (which, moreover, says nothing about the Nordrsetur expeditions); and why in particular the Icelandic Annals should allude to the Skrælings in Greenland seems difficult to understand. This is no evidence, especially as we see that the Skrælings are mentioned in other contemporary authorities, such as the Historia Norwegiæ, Ivar Bárdsson’s description, the account of the voyages in 1266 and 1267, etc. Besides, in the last authority it is expressly stated that there were Skrælings in Nordrsetur (Kroksfjardarheidr, cf. p. 83).
[69] E. Beauvois, 1904, 1905; Y. Nielsen, 1904, 1905; W. Thalbitzer, 1904, 1905.
[70] As so much weight has been attached to single words in order to prove the similarity of culture between the Skrælings in Wineland and Markland and those in Greenland, it is strange that no notice has been taken of points of difference such as this, that the Skrælings in Markland are said to dwell in caves, while the Greenlanders must have known, at any rate from the dwelling-sites they had found, that the Skrælings in Greenland lived in houses and tents.
[71] If we might suppose (which is not probable) that the missile mentioned on [p. 7, note], from a myth of the Algonkin Indians has any connection with the Skrælings’ black ball which frightened Karlsevne’s people, this would be another feature pointing to knowledge of the Indians. Hertzberg’s demonstration that the Indian game of lacrosse is probably the Norse “knattleikr” ([pp. 38, ff.]) may point in the same direction; for it seems less probable that the transmission, if it occurred, should have been brought about by the Eskimo.
[72] That it was due to changes in the climate, as some have thought, is not the case. The ancient descriptions of the voyage thither and of the drift-ice (cf. for instance, the “King’s Mirror,” vol. i. p. 279) show exactly the same conditions as now.
[73] The driftwood that was washed ashore along the coasts could not possibly suffice for shipbuilding; but they doubtless obtained timber also from Markland (cf. pp. [25], [37]).
[74] Existing royal documents show that the prohibition of trade with these tributary countries was again strictly enforced by Magnus Smek in 1348, and by Eric of Pomerania in 1425.