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23 chapters
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION.
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION.
THE regions in the neighbourhood of the North Pole have lately become the objects of increased curiosity; and among these regions Greenland has attracted a more than usual interest. This country was first peopled by a colony from Iceland, which occupied both the Western and Eastern parts of the Island. The first settlers in the West appear to have been destroyed by the natives, who are denominated Skrellings; and though a communication was preserved for several centuries between the Eastern coas
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SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF HANS EGEDE.
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF HANS EGEDE.
THE Author of the present Volume was born in Denmark, on the 31st of January, in the year 1686. He was educated for the Christian ministry, and became pastor to a congregation at Vogen, in Norway, and appears for some time to have exercised the same functions at Drontheim, in that kingdom. In an early period of his ministry he was seized with a strong desire of making himself acquainted with the fate of the Norwegian families who had formerly been settled in Greenland, and of whom no intelligenc
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
A FRIEND of mine, who lived some time in Greenland, published (unknown to me) some years ago, a Description of Greenland, under the title of A New Survey of Old Greenland, which, not long after my arrival in those parts, I had sketched, to satisfy some of my friends, according to the knowledge I then had acquired; but having since that time got a fuller light in these matters, partly by my own observations and partly by those of my Son Paul Egede, who has been four years missionary in the North
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CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER I.
Of the Situation and Extent of Greenland. GREENLAND lies but forty miles to the West of Iceland, beginning from 59° 50´ North Latitude. The Eastern coast extends itself in the North as far as Spitzbergen, between 78° and 80°; which is thought to be an island, separated from the continent of Greenland. The Western shore is discovered as far as seventy odd degrees. Whether it be a large island, or borders upon countries to the North, is not yet found out; there seems great reason to believe it is
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CHAP. II.
CHAP. II.
First Settlement of Greenland, with some Thoughts on the Extinction of the Norwegian Colonies; and whether on the East Side no Remainders may be found of the old Norwegians: also, whether the same Tract of Land cannot be recovered. IT is undoubted that the ancients, not so much driven by any necessity or compulsion as led by a natural and inbred curiosity, embarked upon many strange ventures; as for instance, to discover and settle colonies in so many formerly quite unknown and uninhabited count
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CHAP III.
CHAP III.
Treats of the Nature of the Soil, Plants, and Minerals of Greenland. AS to the nature of the soil, we are informed by ancient histories, that the Greenland colonies bred a number of cattle, which afforded them milk, butter, and cheese in such abundance, that a great quantity thereof was brought over to Norway, and for its prime and particular goodness was set apart for the King’s kitchen, which was practised until the reign of Queen Margaret. We also read in these histories, that some parts of t
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CHAP. IV
CHAP. IV
Of the Nature of the Climate, and the Temperament of the Air. THE natives of Greenland have no reason to complain of rains and stormy weather, which seldom trouble them; especially in the Bay of Disco, in the 68th degree of Latitude, where they commonly have clear and settled weather during the whole summer season: but again, when foul and stormy weather falls in, it rages with an incredible fierceness and violence, chiefly when the wind comes about Southerly, or South West; and the storm is lai
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CHAP. V.
CHAP. V.
Of the Land Animals, and Land Fowls or Birds of Greenland; and how they hunt and hill them. THERE are no venomous serpents or insects, no ravenous wild beasts to be seen in Greenland, if you except the bear, which some will have to be an amphibious animal, as he lives chiefly upon the ice in the most Northern parts, and feeds upon seals and fish. He very seldom appears near the colony, in which I had taken up my quarters. He is of a very large size, and of a hideous and frightful aspect, with wh
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CHAP. VI.
CHAP. VI.
Of the Greenland Sea Animals, and Sea Fowls and Fishes. THE Greenland Sea abounds in different sorts of animals, fowls, and fishes, of which the whale bears the sway, and is of divers kinds, shapes, and sizes. Some are called the finned whales, from the fins they have upon their back near the tail; but these are not much valued, yielding but little fat or blubber, and that of the meaner sort; they consist of nothing but lean flesh, sinews, and bones. They are of a long, round, and slender shape,
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CHAP. VII.
CHAP. VII.
Treats of the ordinary Occupations, as Hunting and Fishing: of the Tools and Instruments necessary for these Employments: of the House Implements and Utensils, &c., of the Greenlanders. AS every nation has its peculiar way of living and of getting their livelihood, suiting their genius and temper to the nature and produce of the country they inhabit; so the Greenlanders likewise have theirs, peculiar to themselves and their country. And though their way and customs may seem to others mea
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CHAP. VIII.
CHAP. VIII.
Of the Inhabitants, their Houses, and House Furniture. IT is undoubted, that the modern inhabitants of Greenland are the offspring of the Schrellings, especially those that live on the Western coast; and there may be some mixture, for aught we know, of the ancient Norway colonies that formerly dwelled in the country, who in length of time were blended and naturalized among the natives, which is made probable by several Norway words found in their language. For, although the Norway colonies were
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CHAP. IX.
CHAP. IX.
The Greenlanders’ Persons, Complexion, and Temperament. THE Greenlanders, as well man as womankind, are well shaped and proportioned, rather short than tall, and strong built, inclined to be fat and corpulent; their faces broad, thick lips, and flat nosed; their hair and eyes black, their complexion a very dark tawny; though I have seen some pretty fair. Their bodies are of a vigorous constitution. There are seldom found any sick or lame, and but few distempers are known among them, besides weak
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CHAP. X.
CHAP. X.
The Customs, Virtues, and Vices, and the Manners or Way of Life of the Greenlanders. THOUGH the Greenlanders are as yet subject to no government, nor know of any magistrates, or laws, or any sort of discipline; yet they are so far from being lawless or disorderly, that they are a law to themselves; their even temper and good nature making them observe a regular and orderly behaviour towards one another. One cannot enough admire how peaceably, lovingly, and united they live together; hatred and e
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CHAP. XI.
CHAP. XI.
Of their Habits, and Way of Dressing. THEIR clothes are, for the most part, made of rein deer and seal skin, as also of bird’s skin nicely dressed and prepared. The men’s habits are a coat or jacket, with a cap or hood sewed to it, to cover the head and shoulders, in the fashion of a domino, or monk’s hood. This coat reaches down to the knees. Their breeches are very small, not coming above their loins, that they may not hinder them in getting into their small boats. And as they wear no linen, t
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CHAP. XII.
CHAP. XII.
Of their Diet, and manner of dressing their Victuals. THE Greenlanders’ provision and victuals are flesh and fish meat (for the country affords no other kind of provision) as rein deer, whales, seals, hares, and rypes, or white partridges, and all sorts of sea fowls. They eat their flesh meat sometimes raw, sometimes boiled, or dried in the sun or wind; but their fish meat is always thoroughly done, or they eat it dried in the sun or air, as salmon, roe-fish, halibut, or the small stints, which,
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CHAP. XIII.
CHAP. XIII.
Of their Marriages, and Education of their Children. THE most detestable crime of polygamy, which reigns so much among the Heathens, the Greenlanders are not so much addicted to; for commonly they are contented with one wife. There are some, but very few, that keep two, three, or four wives: but these pass for heroes or more than ordinary men, in that, by their industry, they are able to subsist so many wives and children. And what is remarkable, before our arrival, there was never heard of such
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CHAP. XIV.
CHAP. XIV.
How the Greenlanders mourn and bury their dead Friends. WHEN any person dies, they take what belongs to him, as house-furniture, utensils, and clothing, and throw it all out into the field, that by touching of them they may not become unclean, or any misfortune befal them on that account: and all that live in the same house are obliged to carry out any thing of their goods that is new and has not been used; but in the evening they bring them all back again, for then they say the stench of the de
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CHAP. XV.
CHAP. XV.
Their Pastimes and Diversions, as also their Poetry. THE Greenlanders have several kinds of sports and recreations, with which they pass their time, when they have nothing else to do, or when they visit one another: of which these are the most remarkable. When they meet together for diversion’s sake, the first step made is always banqueting and revelling, where they stuff themselves with all the dainty bits and the best cheer the country affords; as rein deer and seal flesh dried or boiled; and
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CHAP. XVI.
CHAP. XVI.
Of their Language. THOUGH the Greenland language has not affinity with other European tongues, yet it seems to have borrowed some words from the Norwegians, who formerly inhabited part of the land; for such words agree both in name and signification; as, for example, Kona , a Woman; Nerriok , to eat, from the Norway word Noerrie . The herb Angelica , which they in Norway call Quaun , the Greenlanders call Qvaunnek . A Porpoise, in Norway called Nise , they call Nise . Ashes, in Norway, Aske , in
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CHAP. XVII.
CHAP. XVII.
Of the Greenland Trade, and whether, in promoting it, there is any Advantage to be expected. THE goods and commodities Greenland affords for the entertaining of commerce, or traffic, are whale blubber or fat, and whale bones, unicorn horns, rein deer skins and hides, seal and fox skins. These wares they barter against merchandizes of our produce, as coats and shirts made of white, blue, red or striped linen or woollen cloth; as also knives, hand-saws, needles, hooks to angle with, looking-glasse
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CHAP. XVIII.
CHAP. XVIII.
The Religion, or rather Superstition, of the Greenlanders. THE Greenlanders’ ignorance of a Creator would make one believe they were atheists, or rather naturalists. For, when they have been asked from whence they thought that Heaven and Earth had their origin, they have answered nothing, but that it had always been so. But if we consider, that they have some notion of the immortality of souls [36] , and that there is another much happier life after this; moreover, as they are addicted to differ
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CHAP. XIX.
CHAP. XIX.
The Greenlanders’ Astronomy, or their Thoughts concerning the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets. THE notions the Greenlanders have of the origin of heavenly lights, as Sun, Moon, and Stars, are very nonsensical; in that they pretend that they have formerly been so many of their ancestors, who on different accounts were lifted up to Heaven and became such glorious celestial bodies. Their silly stories concerning this matter have been related in the continuation to the Greenland Memoirs, or relations,
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CHAP. XX.
CHAP. XX.
The Capacity of the Greenlanders, and their Inclination towards the Knowledge of God, and the Christian Religion; and by what Means this may easily be brought about. AS the Greenlanders are naturally very stupid and indolent; so are they likewise very little disposed to comprehend and consider the divine truths which we expound to them; and notwithstanding people in years seem to approve of the Christian doctrine, yet it is with a surprising indifference and coldness. For they can neither compre
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