SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications

66 Saga-Book of the Viking Society
Opinions as to the value of the Saga of the Greenlanders,
considered as a source, must inevitably be radically
altered if it can be shown that it dates from the latter
part of the twelfth century and not from the thirteenth
or fourteenth century. Bishop Brandr Seemundarson,
third in line of descent from Snorri, Karlsefni's son, who
was born in Vinland, could well have been the author's
authority for the material in the saga, or if not he,
someone close to him. At the end of the saga we read:
"And of all men Karlsefni has given the most complete
account of all these voyages, the account of which has to
some extent been related here." There is no reason to
doubt the truth of these words, and, indeed, the saga
itself testifies that its contents are to be traced to Karlsefni
and Gu6ri6r and have come down from them through the
family. However, the prophecy about the descendants of
Gu6rii5r indicates that the author of the saga took more
liberties than would now be acceptable in historiography.