Calvin Synod Herald, 2000 (101. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2000-03-01 / 3-4. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 5 The Thyrker Saga The First Hungarian in America Last month our nation marked Columbus Day. In what has become an annual ritual, scholars and history buffs dutifully pointed out that Columbus did not “discover” America. They further noted that he was not the first European to set foot in the “New World.” That honor, it is argued, went to a group of Norwegian/Icelandic explorers led be Leif Erickson. What is not as widely known is that Italy may not have been even the second nation to have one of its sons walk the shores of the Americas. Some 500 years before Columbus’ voyage, Ericson explored the eastern seaboard with a crew that some scholars say included a Hungarian. His name was Thyrker. Little is known about this man, and what has been discovered about him is the subject of much debate. But, like the Viking sagas themselves, the story of Thyrker, even if historically inaccurate is a fascinating one. THE HOUSE OF ERIC His story begins with the saga of Eric the Red, the first European to discover Greenland and father of Leif Ericson. Eric was born and raised in Norway but moved to Iceland when his father was exiled from Norway for killing a man. Eric was an explorer and a warrior. After one of his battles he brought back to Iceland with him a man named Thyrker. Exactly where Thyrker was captured is uncertain. He could have become a prisoner of war during of Hungary’s conflicts in Byzantium, Italy, Germany, France or Spain. Historical records also tell of many contacts between Vikings and Hungarians near Kiev. Most likely, however, Thyrker was captured by Eric in Germany. This would be one reason why most researchers of the Norse sagas identify Thyrker as German. The first piece of evidence establishing Thyrker as a Hungarian was provided by the Englishman Samuel Laing. In 1844 Laing publisher an English translation of the “Heimskringla,” the famous chronicle of Norwegian and Icelandic kings and explorers written by Snorri Sturluson in 1215. Laing theorized that Thyrker’s name pointed to his Hungarian origins. In Eric’s time, Byzantines, Arabs and others called the Hungarians “Tourks”. They were labeled as such because for a short time Hungarians came under the rule of the Kök-Turks. Thus, Thyrker’s name was possibly a simple derivation of the word commonly used to refer to Hungarians. THE ‘RAISING FATHER’ Once back in Iceland, Eric did not enslave Thyrker. Apparently, Eric thought very highly of Thyrker. When it came time for Eric’s son Leif to prepare for manhood, Eric sent his son to live with a mentor. That mentor was Thyrker. Leif was said to have been 8 years old when he moved in with Thyrker. Thyrker oversaw Leif’s education. He taught the future explorer how to read and write. He taught him foreign languages, possibly Celtic and Russian. He also taught him about the ways of trade. After living with Thyrker for about four years, Leif was considered a man and returned to live with his father Eric. Unfortunately, a short time after Leif returned, it is believed Eric killed a man during a fight. Like his father before him, Eric faced exile. Since he could not return to Norway, Eric decided to explore west, hoping to find a land previous explorers had seen on their journeys. In 1082, Eric found the land he had heard about: Greenland. Several years later, he established a home there for himself, Leif and the rest of his family. Whether or not Thyrker settled there with them is unknown. As time passed, Leif developed the passion for exploration handed down to him from his father. In or near 1000 A.D., Leif heard stories from sailors who claimed to have seen - but not landed on - a great land far to the west of Greenland. Leif decided to find this land. He bought a fellow explorer’s boat and assembled a crew. Among the crew was his mentor, Thyrker. TO A NEW WORLD About 600 miles off the western coast of Greenland, the explorers came upon a land covered with glaciers and rock. They deemed the land to be unsuitable for settlement and called it “Helluland,” a name meaning “Slab Land” or “Flar Rock Land”. Some experts now believe the site of Leif’s first landing was Baffin Island. Leif, Thyrker and the crew sailed further south and soon found another land. This one featured white beaches and trees. Leif called this land “Markland,” meaning “Woodland.” Again, modern scholars do not agree on a definite location of this land, but they generally agree that it lies on the eastern coast of Canada. Unsatisfied with what he had seen so far, Leif ventured even further south. Within a few days, they saw an island with a large land mass further behind it. There they found rich forests and rivers teeming with the largest salmon they had ever seen. Leif was apparently pleased with this discovery. He had his men build temporary shelters on this land. But, according to the legend, the land was so rich that Leif decided to stay the winter. After more permanent houses were built, Leif ordered Thyrker and a few other of his crew to scout deeper into the land. One day the scouts returned. Thyrker was not with them. Leif, worried about the fate of the man he called his “raising father”, angrily blamed the others for losing him. He immediately organized a search party of a dozen men. They searched for Thyrker the rest of that day and through the nights without success. A HAPPY DISCOVERY His disappearance upset not only Leif but also the rest of the crew. The ancient sagas refer to Thyrker as “short and flat-faced”, but the explorers regarded him as a “prominent (Continued on page 6)
