ANONYMOUS

THE STORY OF AUDUNN AND THE BEAR

EARLY 13TH CENTURY

I


There was a man called Audunn; he came of a family of the Western
Firths, and was not well off. Audunn left Iceland from the Western
Firths with the assistance of Thorsteinn, a substantial farmer, and
of Thorir, a ship's captain, who had stayed with Thorsteinn during
the winter. Audunn had been on the same farm, working for Thorir,
and as his reward he got his passage to Norway under Thorir's care.

Audunn had set aside the greater part of his property, such as it
was, for his mother, before he took ship, and it was determined that
this should support her for three years.

Now they sailed to Norway and had a prosperous voyage, and Audunn
spent the following winter with the skipper Thorir, who had a farm
in Moérr. The summer after that, they sailed out to Greenland,
where they stayed for the winter.