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	'''Straumfjörð''' (]<ref>http://www.heimskringla.no/Eir%C3%ADks_saga_rau%C3%B0a</ref> and ]),<ref>http://www.snerpa.is/net/isl/eirik.htm</ref> sometimes anglisised to '''Straumsfjordr''',<ref>http://sagadb.org/eiriks_saga_rauda.en</ref> '''Straumfjordr''', '''Straumsfjord''' or '''Straumfjord''', is according to the ] a ] in ] where ] set up a temporary settlement. It is described in the '']'', but not in the '']''. Its name translates to "Current-fjord", "Stream-fjord" or "Tide-fjord".<ref>http://en.wiktionary.org/straumr#Old_Norse</ref>		'''Straumfjörð''' (]<ref>http://www.heimskringla.no/Eir%C3%ADks_saga_rau%C3%B0a</ref> and ]),<ref>http://www.snerpa.is/net/isl/eirik.htm</ref> sometimes anglisised to '''Straumsfjordr''',<ref>http://sagadb.org/eiriks_saga_rauda.en</ref> '''Straumfjordr''', '''Straumsfjord''' or '''Straumfjord''', is according to the ] a ] in ] where ] set up a temporary settlement. It is described in the '']'', but not in the '']''. Its name translates to "Current-fjord", "Stream-fjord" or "Tide-fjord".<ref>http://en.wiktionary.org/straumr#Old_Norse</ref>

	Two somewhat different versions of the travels of Karlsefni appear in the sagas; they are found in the '']'' and the '']''.<ref>The Vinland Problem through Four Centuries		Two somewhat different versions of the travels of Karlsefni appear in the sagas; they are found in the '']'' and the '']''.<ref>The Vinland Problem through Four Centuries
	William Stetson Merrill
	The Catholic Historical Review
	Vol. 21, No. 1 (Apr., 1935), pp. 21-48
	Published by: Catholic University of America Press
	Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345</ref> They tell that ''Straumsey'' (Current-isle) lies at the mouth of Straumfjörð; this is an island with an extreme density of ]s.

	The whereabouts of Straumfjörð has been, and is, subject to intense speculation.

	== Location ==
	]
	]]]
	The exact location of Straumfjörð is disputed. The only ] settlement which has been recovered in ] beyond ] is located on ].

	According to the Saga of Erik the Red the location is significantly south of ].

	=== Directions ===

	Based on Septhon's 1880 translation<ref>http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17946/17946-h/17946-h.htm#chap_4</ref> - ''notice that this is claimed to be a mix between the ''Hauksbók'' and ''Flateyjarbók'' versions.''<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/Saga_of_Erik_the_Red</ref>

	], trying to find a country seen by ] and visited by ], sails from ], ] to ''Vestribygd'' (probably the ]), both in ]. From here, they move on to "''Bjarneyjar''" (Bear Islands, possibly ]<ref>http://diskobayarcticstation.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/the-old-viking-name-of-disko-island-is-indeed-bear-island-bjorn-oya/</ref>). After two half-days or days of sail with northerly wind they arrive at ] (Country of Flat Stones). After another two half-days or days of sail with northerly winds, they arrive at ] (Forest Country).

	Off Markland to the South-East is and island that Karlsefni and his company called Bear Island. From Markland, after yet another two half-days or days of sail, they encounter a headland. This headland is possibly identical with ''Kjalarnes''. Keeping the coast on their ] side, they journey along '']'' ("Wonder-strands"). Then, the coast becomes indented with ]s. They find grapes and wild wheat, and continue until the shore is cut into by a ] with an island, ''Straumsey'' (Current-isle) at its mouth; this is ''Straumsfjord''.

	To the south of Straumsfjord is ''Hóp'', where no snow falls during winter, and on the west side of ''Kjalarnes'' is a wilderness, and a river which flows from east to west. East of ''Kjalarnes'' is the "] Ocean". Straumsfjord is estimated by Karlsefni to be equidistant from Hóp and a location north of the river that runs westwards. He also regards Hóp and this location by the river to share the same mountain .

	The "two half-days or days" , referenced three times in the saga, are important to the question of the whereabouts of Straumsfjord because they suggest the distance travelled when Karlsefni and his men, perhaps, crossed open seas. The two ''doegr'' were suggested by ] in 1841<ref>ANNALER FOR NORDISK OLDKYNDIGHED. 1840-1841. KONGELIGE NORDISKE OLDSKRIFTSELSKAB. Kjøbenhavn. Pages 15ff. Available through ].</ref> to be equivalent to about 54 to 60 ''miil''. He bases this on old Icelandic sources such as the '']''. ''Miil'' would refer to either '']'' or to ]. William A. Munn (1929) assumes the two days to correspond to ''"about 200 miles"''.<ref>W. A. Munn, "Wineland Voyages: Location of Helluland, Markland & Vinland" (St John's, NL: Dicks and Company Limited, June 31, 1992), 13.</ref> ] and colleagues, in a 2012 article, suggest that ''170 ]s'', which is the distance between Greenland and Baffin Island, or an even longer distance, could well be transversed over two ''doegr'', as modern replicas of ] have been reported to make 12 ]s and more under favourable conditions.<ref>Acta Archaeologica vol. 83, 2012, pp 145-177</ref> ] and ] estimated a day of 24 hours' sail at about 150 miles.<ref>http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345</ref>

	=== Saga of Erik the Red ===
	According to the Saga of Erik the Red, Straumfjörð is located beyond the ] (''Furðustrandir''). It describes the area thusly, according to the "fusioned" 1880 translation by J. Sephton:<ref>http://sagadb.org/eiriks_saga_rauda.en</ref>

	{{quote\|Now, when they had sailed by Furdustrandir, they put the ] on land, and requested them to run into the southern regions, seek for choice land, and come back after three half-days were passed. (...) Then did they cast anchors from the ships, and lay there to wait for them. And when three days were expired the Scotch people leapt down from the land, and one of them had in his hand a bunch of ]s, and the other an ear of wild ].

	They said to ] that they considered they had found good and choice land. Then they received them into their ship, and proceeded on their journey to where the shore was cut into by a ]. They directed the ships within the firth. There was an island lying out in front of the firth, and there were great currents around the island, which they called Straums-ey (Stream-island). There were so many birds ''] rather than birds in general]<ref>http://www.archive.org/stream/voyagestovinland013593mbp/voyagestovinland013593mbp_djvu.txt</ref>'' on it that scarcely was it possible to put one's feet down for the eggs. They continued their course up the firth, which they called Straumsfjordr, and carried their cargo ashore from the ships, and there they prepared to stay. They had with them cattle of all kinds, and for themselves they sought out the produce of the land thereabout. There were mountains, and the place was fair to look upon.

	They gave no heed to anything except to explore the land, and they found large pastures. They remained there during the winter, which happened to be a hard one, with no work doing; and they were badly off for food, and the fishing failed. Then they went out to the island, hoping that something might be got there from fishing or from what was drifted ashore. In that spot there was little, however, to be got for food, but their cattle found good sustenance.}}

	Later, after giving up settling farther south due to the presence of hostile ], Karlsefni and his men again reach Straumsfjord when retreating northwards:

	{{quote\|Afterwards they came to a headland and a multitude of wild animals; and this headland appeared as if it might be a cake of cow-dung, because the animals passed the winter there. Now they came to Straumsfjordr, where also they had abundance of all kinds.<ref>http://sagadb.org/eiriks_saga_rauda.en</ref>}}

	== Hallmarks ==
	If the saga's accounts and the translation are accurate, within Straumsfjord, there are mountains, the place was fair to look upon, with large pastures, a harsh winter, and hunting opportunities. A ] or crags are found within some distance. An unknown species of ] shored; it was inedible. On ''Straumsey'', there are so many birds that it is difficult not to step on eggs, it also has poor fishery, but gave good sustenance for their ]. Fishery failed, but later recovered.

	=== Currents ===
	A defining feature of Straumsfjord and Straumsey must have been high tides or strong currents. The settlement which was established farther south, ''Hóp'' may also have been connected to strong currents or tides, as it has been translated into "tidal pool" or "tidal lake". According to a 2008 article by Thomas Hayne in the journal ''Weather'', this may give some clues as to the whereabouts of the fjord:<ref>Thomas Hayne, What did the Viking discoverers of America know of the North Atlantic Environment? Weather, Volume 63, Issue 3, pages 60–65, March 2008. DOI: 10.1002/wea.150 Available from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wea.150/abstract</ref>

	{{quote\|It is possible that Straumfjord coincides with the ] settlement described in the Greenlander’s Saga, that is, the settlement at ]. But, interestingly, the tidal range along the ], near L’Anse aux Meadows, is only around 1m and hardly worthy of special mention in the Sagas. The non-tidal flow through the ], which separates the northern Newfoundland peninsula from Labrador, is also weak (about 6–34cm/s according to Garrett and Petrie (1981), (their Figure 15)). Remarkably large tidal ranges do exist along the ]. In particular, the two greatest ]s in the world are at ] and the ] where the ranges often exceed 10m and the associated currents would easily overwhelm a ]. Some uncertainty therefore still exists about the true locations of Hop, Straumsey and Straumfjord.}}

	=== Climate ===
	Theories on where Straumsfjord and the other places described in the saga were are to a large extent based on the saga's descriptions of ] and ]. The ] has since the saga was written, however, been through periods of regional ] and, more recently, ]. This adds an extra layer of uncertainty to every climate-dependent observation.

	=== Seamanship ===
	Common sense ] implies to avoid open and treacherous seas unless they are unavoidable. Moreover, appropriate ]s would be required for the ships. This provides possible constraints to the routes taken.

	== Suggested locations ==
	]. Where did they go?]]
	], which may have had a warmer climate at the time of the sagas. Nevertheless, is generally agreed that if the sagas are trustworthy, Karlsefni made it past this point.]]
	], from Newfoundland towards Labrador. Is the photographer standing near ''Kjalarnes'' as suggested by ], or did Karlsefni ignore Newfoundland, instead being ''en route'' for Nova Scotia or the lands closer to ]?]]
	]. Was ''Kjalarnes'' on ]?]]
	] has cold winters.]]
	], ]. Is this ''Kjalarnes''?]]
	], ], ], which is claimed to have the highest tides in the world]]
	]

	As the coastline of North America is vast and descriptions of the size of the fjord and island are lacking, they can in principle be located at a large number of locations.

	The following suggestions for the location of Straumfjörð are gathered from both scholarly and popular literature. They are sorted by increasing distance from the ], ]: they make increasingly optimistic estimates for the distance travelled by Karlsefni and his company. Evidently, the headland, promontory or cape ''Kjalarnes'' is difficult to identify; for seafarers the keel placed there would make its identification obvious, but it is now lost, and ] and Straumsfjord lay beyond this point. As will be shown in the following, ''Kjalarnes'' is sometimes, but not always, identified as ], ], ]/] and ]. Many, but not all, of the following suggestions can be placed some distance beyond these points, within four coastal regions: ]; ]; ]/]; between ] and ].

	As will become obvious, highly skilled individuals feature prominently among those who have contributed to the suggestions. Please notice that it is impossible to give proper justice to each theory within the scope of this article.

	=== "The author's invention" ===
	] and ] (the couple who found ]), in ''The Viking Discovery of America'',<ref>1991/2000, Breakwater Books Ltd.</ref> take a sceptical approach. They argue that, {{quote\|Altogether Eirik's Saga's description of the ostensible headquarters at Straumsfjord includes a number of salient points which are improbable, and several of these would seem to show that the author made use of the ]. This fact adds weight to my previous argumentation showing that Karlsefni's headquarters at Straumsfjord is the author's invention, a substitute for Groenlendinga Saga's ] in Vinland.}}

	The similarities are also described by Mats G. Larsson.<ref>http://vittfarne.com/joomla/content/view/168/73/lang,se/</ref> However, according to a 2012 article in ''Acta Archeologica'', it is "now generally accepted" that the two sagas were written independently.<ref>Acta Archaeologica, Volume 83, Issue 1, pages 148–153, December 2012. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0390.2012.00627.x</ref>

	The famous explorer ], in his ''I tåkeheimen'' (''In Northern Mists''),<ref>http://www.archive.org/stream/innorthernmistsa01nansuoft/innorthernmistsa01nansuoft_djvu.txt</ref> written before the discovery of ], conjectures that the Saga of Erik the Red was inspired by tales about the ] and, although admitting that it is indeed possible that the Norse reached America, considers the saga to not be trustworthy. Julius E. Olson of the ] strongly attacked this stance in a 1911 article (see also below), saying "If there isn't a substantial background of history to the Saga of Eric the Red, it is the most clever piece of literary deception over ]''] practiced in the name of history".<ref>Julius E. Olson
	Publications of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study , Vol. 1, No. 4 (November, 1913), pp. 147-156
	Published by: Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
	Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40914910</ref><ref>The Vinland Problem through Four Centuries
	William Stetson Merrill		William Stetson Merrill
	The Catholic Historical Review		The Catholic Historical Review
Line 89:		Line 8:
	Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345</ref>		Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345</ref>

			The whereabouts of Straumfjörð has been, and is, subject to speculation.
	=== Ungava Bay ===
	As mentioned in the above, a 2008 article<ref>Thomas Hayne, What did the Viking discoverers of America know of the North Atlantic Environment? Weather, Volume 63, Issue 3, pages 60–65, March 2008. DOI: 10.1002/wea.150 Available from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wea.150/abstract</ref> connects the extreme tides of ] to the alleged currents or tides at Straumsfjord and Hóp, without drawing any conclusions.

			==References==
	=== Sandwich Bay ===
	], a famous expert of naval design and author of ''The Voyages of the Norsemen to America'' (1914) takes into account the tales in the ]. According to ], Hovgaard places Karlsefni's first winter at ], ]. It is not made explicit whether this refers to Straumsfjord.<ref>http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345</ref>

	=== Strait of Belle Isle ===
	Paul Chapman, author and former navigator, suggests that Straumsey is ] and that Straumsfjord refers to a settlement on the ].<ref>http://www.ensignmessage.com/archives/vikings.html</ref>

	=== L'Anse aux Meadows ===
	Birgitta Linderoth Wallace, author of ''Westward Vikings: The Saga of L'anse Aux Meadows '', in the book chapter ''L’Anse aux Meadows and Vinland: An Abandoned Experiment'' in the book ''Contact, Continuity, and Collapse'', places the settlement at Straumfjörð at L'Anse aux Meadows.<ref>Wallace, B. L., L’Anse aux Meadows and Vinland: An Abandoned Experiment. In: L’Anse aux Meadows and Vinland: An Abandoned Experiment. James H. Barrett (ed.) Turnhout Brepols Publishers. 2003. ISBN 978-2-503-51291-4 (Print) 978-2-503-52641-6 (Online) Pages 207-238 DOI 10.1484/M.SEM-EB.3.3837</ref>

	=== Sop's Arm ===
	A 2012 article by ] et al. in the scientific journal ''Acta Archeologica'', which assumes that the headland of ''Kjalarnes'' referred to in the saga is at ], suggests that Straumsfjord refers to ], as no other fjord in Newfoundland was found to have an island at its mouth, and as ]s of possible Norse origin were found at this location.<ref>Jónas Kristjánsson et al. (2012) Falling into Vínland. ''Acta Archeologica'' 83, pp. 145-177</ref>

	=== St. Lawrence ===
	In an 1831 letter sent from ] to the ], published in the 1880 ''Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society'',<ref>http://www.jstor.org/stable/25079562</ref> ] gives a thorough account of the sagas and states,

	{{quote\|Straumsfjörðr, I fancy, is the Bay of Saint Lawrence}}

	This would refer, it would seem, either to the ] or to lower ], depending on naming conventions in use at the time. He refuses to propose a theory of the whereabouts of ''Straumsey'', claiming it "impossible", but hopes for future saga translations to illuminate the issue.

	] held that ''"The coast lines were guides for the ancient Norsemen and they must also be ours"''. According to Merrill,<ref>William Stetson Merrill
	The Catholic Historical Review
	Vol. 21, No. 1 (Apr., 1935), pp. 21-48
	Published by: Catholic University of America Press
	Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345</ref> Steensby's opinion was that

	{{quote\|Streamfjord was the ] of St. Lawrence River between the mouth of the ], with its Green Isle opposite, and the narrow waters about the present ].}}

	=== Baie des Sept-Îles ===
	'']'s History of Norway'' (1976) suggests a location at Baie des ].<ref>'']'' bd. 2, s. 141. 1976.</ref>

	=== Chaleur Bay ===
	An early 1920s book review by ] in ],<ref>Historisk Tidsskrift, Bind 9. række, 7 (1919 - 1925) 1</ref><ref>http://www.tidsskrift.dk/index.php/historisktidsskrift/article/view/36311/69822</ref> referring to scholarly consensus of the past decades and to the authority of ] and H. P. Steensby,<ref>H. P. Steensby's "Norsemen's Route from Greenland to Wineland"</ref> places Straumsfjord at ], which separates ] from ].

	The book reviewed by Blöndal is G. M. Gathorne-Hardy's ''The Norse Discoverers of America'', which comes to another conclusion, see below.

	Halldór Hermansson, a ] professor, also placed Straumfjord in Chaleur Bay, "where the tide rises from five to ten feet". Matthias Thordarsson, who authored ''The Vinland Voyages'' (1930), agreed with his views.<ref>http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345</ref>

	=== Mira Bay ===
	Juul Dieserud, the author of ''Norse Discoveries in America'' (1901) placed Straumsfjord at ], ].<ref>The Vinland Problem through Four Centuries
	William Stetson Merrill
	The Catholic Historical Review
	Vol. 21, No. 1 (Apr., 1935), pp. 21-48
	Published by: Catholic University of America Press
	Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345</ref>

	=== Strait of Canso ===
	Geraldine Barnes, in a 1995 article in the journal ''Parergon'', connects Straumsfjord to the ] between ] and mainland ], due to its high tides and the birdlife at nearby ].<ref>Geraldine Barnes. "Vínland the Good: Paradise Lost?" Parergon 12.2 (1995): 75-96. Project MUSE. Web. 19 Apr. 2013. <http://muse.jhu.edu/>.</ref>

	According to a 1935 article by ] in '']'', the opinon held by ] was as follows:<ref>The Vinland Problem through Four Centuries
	William Stetson Merrill
	The Catholic Historical Review
	Vol. 21, No. 1 (Apr., 1935), pp. 21-48
	Published by: Catholic University of America Press
	Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345</ref>

	{{quote\|The fjord into which the Northmen steered, when the country became "fjord-indented" (Straumsfiord) may have been one of the fjords in ], the county of Nova Scotia lying farthest to the north-east, possibly into Canso Bay or some of the bays south of it.}}

	=== Lobster Bay ===
	], a scholar who released a 1992 article on the topic in '']''<ref>The Vinland Sagas and Nova Scotia: A Reappraisal of an Old Theory
	Mats G. Larsson
	Scandinavian Studies
	Vol. 64, No. 3 (Summer 1992), pp. 305-335
	Published by: Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
	Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40919438</ref> as well as the 1999 book ''Vinland det goda'',<ref>Vinland det goda: nordbornas färder till Amerika under vikingatiden
	MG Larsson - 1999 - Atlantis</ref> summarised his views in the year 2000, on the web page of ''Föreningen Vittfarne''.<ref>http://vittfarne.com/joomla/content/view/168/73/lang,se/</ref> He also considers the Strait of Canso a candidate due to its strong currents, but notes that the currents do not extend to islands. Therefore, he considers Lobster Bay (near the southern tip of Nova Scotia) a better candidate. He notices that ] named this bay ''"Baye courante (’Stream Bay’), i.e. the same name as the Norse one"''. Larsson further observes,

	{{quote\|The currents in this bay have a rate of three knots, but the most interesting detail is maybe that there is an island off it called ], where the currents have a rate of four knots. And on this and the adjacent islands both Champlain and ] in the first part of the 17th century report such large amounts of sea-fowl that ”no one who had not seen it would believe it possible”.}}

	=== Bay of Fundy ===
	The Bay of Fundy is claimed to have the highest tides in the world.<ref>http://www.thehighesttides.com/</ref> Julius E. Olson, in a 1911 article in ''Publications of the ]'', points out that ], taking a very sceptical stance, was dismissive of the idea of Vinland being located at Nova Scotia, partly because he held that the birdlife there would not match the extreme abundance which the saga describes on ''Straumsey''. Olson points, however, to the Bay of Fundy and the isle of ], and quotes ]'s observation of birds on islands by the Nova Scotia coast (in ''Original Narratives''):

	{{quote\|At the two other there is such an abundance of different sorts of birds that one could not imagine it, if he had not seen them}}

	In more popular views, according to a Polish article on ''sztab.com'', Straumsfjord would be located between the Strait of Belle Isle and Nova Scotia, and suggest the location of ], ]. Citations are Else Roesdahl's ''Historia Wikingów'', ''Wielki Atlas Świata XXI w.'' and "internet".<ref>http://www.sztab.com/publicystyka,Wikingowie-W-Ameryce,989,3.html</ref>

	] placed Straumsfjord on the firth leading into ], referring to the tides around the Bay of Fundy, and also places ''Straumsey'' at Grand Manan Island.<ref>http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345</ref>

	Also, as noted above, the connection to the Bay of Fundy was also mentioned in a 2008 article in ''Weather'', but without any conclusions being drawn.<ref>Thomas Hayne, What did the Viking discoverers of America know of the North Atlantic Environment? Weather, Volume 63, Issue 3, pages 60–65, March 2008. DOI: 10.1002/wea.150 Available from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wea.150/abstract</ref>

	=== Environs of Mount Desert Island ===
	William L. Traxel, in his explorative 2004 book ''Footprints of the Welsh Indians: Settlers in North America Before 1492'' connects ''Straumsey'' to ] in ], ], ], and consequently Straumsfjord with one of the nearby inlets:<ref>Traxel W.L. Footprints of the Welsh Indians: Settlers in North America Before 1492. 2004</ref>

	{{quote\|Although proof is lacking, from the descriptions given I suspect that Straumsfjord is a fjord in Maine.}}

	He bases this on an identification of ] as ''Kjalarnes'' north of Straumsfjord, and on three candidate locations of ''Hóp'' to the south. Traxel refers to a number of archeological findings by ] at ],<ref>Frederick J. Pohl, The Vikings on Cape Cod: Evidence from an Archaeological Discovery (Pictou Advocate Press, 1957)</ref> and connects these to the settlement of ''Hóp''. He also reports that ] found a Norse ] near ]<ref>Cahill R.E., New England's Ancient Mysteries, 1993, Old Saltbox Publishing Company, 88 p.</ref> He also holds ], ] as a candidate for the location of ''Hóp''.

	=== Buzzards Bay ===
	According to the 1880 Sephton translation of the saga, ] and other Danish scholars placed ''Kjalarnes'' at ], Straumsfjord at ], ] and Straumsey at ].<ref>http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17946/17946-h/17946-h.htm</ref>

	Rafn suggests these views in a comprehensive treatment in the 1840-1841 '']'', observing that the interference of the ] by ] would give significant currents in this area. He further identifies Hóp as ], ], suggesting that the ] name may have survived through "the Indians' Mont-Haup". He also mentions a nearby Egg Island as a candidate for ''Straumsey''.<ref>ANNALER FOR NORDISK OLDKYNDIGHED. 1840-1841. KONGELIGE NORDISKE OLDSKRIFTSELSKAB. Kjøbenhavn. Pages 15ff. Available through ].</ref>

	The suggested connection to Buzzard's Bay is reiterated by ] in ''The Pre-Columbian Discovery of America by the Northmen'' (3rd ed., 1901)<ref>http://archive.org/details/precolumbiandisc00deco</ref>

	The methodology of the account of Edward F. Gray, author of ''Leif Eriksson: Discoverer of America'' (1930), appears to be particularly favoured in the 1935 review article by ].<ref>The Vinland Problem through Four Centuries
	William Stetson Merrill
	The Catholic Historical Review
	Vol. 21, No. 1 (Apr., 1935), pp. 21-48
	Published by: Catholic University of America Press
	Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345</ref> Considering all Vinland sagas as a whole, Gray suggested that it was not Karlsefni, but ] who reached Straumsfjord. The currents of Straumsfjord, Gray holds, relates to the currents of ], and he proceeded past ] to build his ] at ].

	=== Long Island Sound ===
	], in ''The Norse Discoverers of America'' (Oxford, 1921)<ref>http://archive.org/stream/norsediscoverers00gathrich/norsediscoverers00gathrich_djvu.txt</ref> argues that Straumfjörð is identical with ], with Straumsey "at its eastern extremity", i.e. at ]. To put this in context, he held ] to refer to Labrador and Newfoundland, ] to refer to ], ''Kjalarnes'' to be at Cape Cod.<ref>http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/cul/texts/ldpd_5800727_004/pages/ldpd_5800727_004_00000040.html</ref><ref>Stokes, I. N. Phelps The iconography of Manhattan Island 1498-1909 (v. 4)(New York : Robert H. Dodd, 1915-1928</ref><ref>http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345</ref>

	This contradicted earlier estimates. ], in a 1922 book review published in '']'' favoured this view before that of ], who placed Vinland in ].<ref>The Norse Discoverers of America, the Wineland Sagas
	Review Author: W. P. Ker. The English Historical Review, Vol. 37 (146): 267-269. (April 1922) Oxford University Press.</ref>

	=== Hudson River ===

	According to a 1963 article in ''Sunnudagsblaðið'',<ref>Sunnudagsblaðið, 8. árgangur 1963, 25. Tölublað - Timarit.is, timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=3616240</ref> Charles Michael Boland, the author of the 1961 book ''They All Discovered America'' which suggests widespread ],<ref>http://books.google.ca/books/about/They_all_discovered_America.html?id=ruVKAAAAYAAJ</ref><ref>https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-michael-boland/they-all-discovered-america/</ref> held Straumfjord to be ] and Straumsey to be ].

	A 1965/12/18 article in '']'' suggests that ] is Straumfjörð, and that ] is Straumsey.<ref>http://www.sno.no/applications/DocumentLibraryManager/upload/FL/1965_27/1965_27_11.pdf#page=1&zoom=auto,0,657</ref> Reasons provided are that the name seems apt, that there were excellent natural harbours in this area, such as in ] and ], that this location would be a good base for further exploration, that it is a land of plenty, that the winters on Manhattan Island are relatively cold, and that cliffs, described in the saga, can be found by ].

	== References ==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Straumfjord}}
	]
	]

Revision as of 14:03, 2 June 2013

Straumfjörð (Old Norse and Icelandic), sometimes anglisised to Straumsfjordr, Straumfjordr, Straumsfjord or Straumfjord, is according to the Sagas of Icelanders a fjord in Vinland where Þorfinnr "Karlsefni" Þórðarson set up a temporary settlement. It is described in the Saga of Erik the Red, but not in the Greenland saga. Its name translates to "Current-fjord", "Stream-fjord" or "Tide-fjord".

Two somewhat different versions of the travels of Karlsefni appear in the sagas; they are found in the Hauksbók and the Flateyjarbók.

The whereabouts of Straumfjörð has been, and is, subject to speculation.

References

http://www.heimskringla.no/Eir%C3%ADks_saga_rau%C3%B0a
http://www.snerpa.is/net/isl/eirik.htm
http://sagadb.org/eiriks_saga_rauda.en
http://en.wiktionary.org/straumr#Old_Norse
The Vinland Problem through Four Centuries William Stetson Merrill The Catholic Historical Review Vol. 21, No. 1 (Apr., 1935), pp. 21-48 Published by: Catholic University of America Press Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25013345