1530s Iceland: Reykjahlíð vs. Saxa and Scalholdin. Vanished cities?

[welkyn]

The singular is "saxum" for stone, "saxa" is the plural "stones". Usually large stones, not small pebbles.

 

[jd755]

Maybe something in this which may help understand why or where Olaus got at least some of his information from The Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus

The similarity between saxa and saxo is remarkable.

Post automatically merged: 2/5/19

Ha Am I barking at the moon?
For a long time, the missing name of Saxo from the Munich copy of the Carta marina has been considered to be the only difference between the two known copies.

Unknown Europe: The mapping of the Northern countries by Olaus Magn...

Post automatically merged: 2/5/19

Wading through this book A briefe commentarie of Island: wherein the 0errors of such as haue written concerning this Island, are detected, an9ad the slanders, and reproches of certaine strangers, which they haue vsed ouer-boldly against the people of Island are confuted.
and with the aid of google translate this came up which suggests saxa(o) is referring to rocks
Latin
Ergo incerta ferens raptim vestigia, anhelus
Spiritus incursat, nunc huc, nunc percitus illuc,
Explorátque abitum insistens, & singula tentat,
Si qua forte queat victis erumpere claustris.
Interea tremit ingentem factura ruinam
Terra, suis quatiens latas cum moenibus vrbes:
Dissiliunt auulsa iugis immania saxa, &c.

English translation in the online book
The stirrng breath runnes on with stealing steppes,
vrged now vp, and now enforced downe:
For freedome eke tries all, it skips, it leaps,
to ridde it selfe from vncouth dungeon.
Then quakes the earth as it would burst anon,
The earth yquakes, and walled cities quiuer.
Strong quarries cracke, and stones from hilles doe shiuer.

translate.googles effort
The risks of taking rapid steps, panting
Spirit countered, now here, now there excited;
Exploratque outlet to a stop, and every test,
If by any chance the vanquished, is able to break out of the prison.
Meanwhile, fears making great fall
Earth, with its broad shaking the walls of cities;
Auulsa bursts lasting huge rocks, Sec.

 

[KorbenDallas]

Just thinking in general here. The maps, separate descriptions aside, suggest that there was no snow at the time depicted. Which is not necessarily the time “published”.

With Greenland covered by snow for “thousands of years” according to the narrative... these 2 map could be an explanation for the “Green”land portion.