Saga - 1960, Page 36

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BROT ÚR HEIMSMYND ISLENDINGA
SUMMARY
A geographical survey in an Icelandic manuscript from ca. 1300
can be traced partly to a guide book written in Iceland before the
year 1150, and partly to various other Norse and Icelandic sources
from the 12th and 13th centuries. The latter ones try, however
inexactly, to locate Helluland, Markland and Vinland in the ocean
south of Greenland. The survey in question mentions the hypothesis
that Vinland may be an African peninsula.
The author’s commentary makes it evident that the old survey
had its roots in the knowledge of northem seafarers. But not under-
standing the global form of the Atlantic, and dwelling at 65° north,
the Icelanders had to think in terms akin to Mercator’s projection
(as if the 65° circle of latitude were its meridian circle), and thus
they would mistakenly shorten the distances between the countries
which they believed to encircle this „inner“ ocean. Lastly the Euro-
pean theory of orbis terrarum had reached Iceland during the 12th
century and doubtlessly helped to create the idea of connecting
Vinland to Africa.
II.
GOÐMÖGN EÐA JARÐFRÆÐI í SJÁVARSTÖÐU-
KENNINGUM UM 1000
eftir Björn Sigfússon.
ÞaS eru ómælandi orð á 20. öld nema sinnisveikum ofsa-
trúmönnum, að tortíming landa og mannkyns sé væntan-
leg ráðstöfun Guðs. En sú var tíð í kristni, að þessu var
hótað í fullri alvöru og jafnframt talið guðlast að efast
um, að guðleg hönd hafi ráðið þeim náttúruhamförum,
sem tortímt höfðu lífi og byggðum seint og snemma í
sögu mannkyns.
Þetta er ekkert sérkenni kristninnar, heldur samkenni
allra einbeittra trúarbragða. í heiðni ólíkustu þjóða voru
sköpun jarðar, heimsbyltingar og syndaflóð og heims-
endirinn sjálfur einskis verk nema guðlegrar veru, sem