Flateyjarbók: The largest Medieval Icelandic Manuscript / 1st Icelandic Edition

Description

About the item
Original title:
Flateyjarbók
Title in English:
Flateyjarbók
Title in Latin:
Codex Flateyensis
Description:
The books are first Icelandic edition of  Flateyjarbók — the largest and important medieval Icelandic manuscript, comprising 225 written and illustrated vellum leaves.
Flateyjarbók contains mostly sagas of the Norse kings as found in the Heimskringla, specifically the sagas about Olaf Tryggvason, St. Olaf, Sverre, Hákon the Old, Magnus the Good, and Harald Hardrada. But they appear here expanded with additional material not found elsewhere (some of it being very old) along with other unique differences. Most—but not all—of the additional material is placed within the royal sagas, sometimes interlaced. Additionally, the manuscript contains the only copy of the eddic poem Hyndluljóð, a unique set of annals from creation to 1394, and many short tales not otherwise preserved such as Nornagests þáttr ("the Story of Norna Gest"). Especially important is the Grœnlendinga saga ("History of the Greenlanders"), giving an account of the Vinland colony with some differences from the account contained in Eiríks saga rauða ("History of Eirík the Red"). Here also are preserved the only Icelandic versions of the Orkneyinga saga ("History of the Orkney Islanders") and Færeyinga saga ("History of the Faroe Islanders").
Flateyjarbók was being written in 1387 and was completed in 1394. The first page states that its owner is Jón Hákonarson ("Jonn Hakonar son") and that the book was scribed by two priests Jón Þórðarson ("Jon prestr Þórðar son") and Magnús Þórhallsson ("Magnús prestr Thorhallz sun"). One of them scribed the contents from the tale of Eirík the Traveller down to the end of the two Olaf sagas and the other scribed the earlier and later material and also drew the illustrations. Further material was inserted towards the end of the 15th century.
The manuscript first received special attention by the learned in 1651 when Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson of Skálholt, with the permission of King Frederick III of Denmark, requested all folk of Iceland who owned old manuscripts to turn them over to the Danish king, providing either the original or a copy, either as a gift or for a price. Jon Finnsson, who resided on Flatey ('Flat Island') in the fjord of Breiðafjörður on the northwest coast of Iceland, was then the owner of the book which was already known as the Flateyjarbók. At first Jon refused to release his precious heirloom, the biggest and best book in all of Iceland, and he continued to refuse even when Bishop Brynjólfur paid him a personal visit and offered him five hundreds of land. Jon only changed his mind and bestowed the book on the bishop just as the bishop was leaving the region.
The manuscript was given as a present from Bishop Brynjólfur to King Frederick III in 1656, and placed in the Royal Library of Copenhagen. In 1662, the bishop presented the king with a second medieval manuscript, the Codex Regius (Konungsbók eddukvæða). It and Flateyjarbók survived the Copenhagen Fire of 1728 and the Second Battle of Copenhagen in 1807 and were eventually repatriated to Iceland in 1971 as Icelandic national treasures. They are preserved and studied by the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies.
Flateyjarbók consists of the following texts:
I volume (printed 1944; 578 pages).
Geisli
Ólafs ríma Haraldssonar
Hyndluljóð
Ór Hamborgar historíu
Þáttr frá Sigurði konungi slefu
Hversu Noregr byggðist
Ættartölur
Eiríks saga víðförla
Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar:
Ættartölur konunga og keisara
Jómsvíkinga saga
Færeyinga saga
Þorleifs þáttr jarlsskáld
Orkneyinga þáttr
Albani þáttr ok Sunnifu
Landnáma þáttr
Þorsteins þáttr uxafóts
Kristni þáttr
Sörla þáttr
Rögnvalds þáttr ok Rauðs
Hallfreðar saga
Kjartans þáttr Ólafssonar
Ögmundar þáttr dytts ok Gunnars helmings
Norna-Gests þáttr
Helga þáttr Þórissonar
Þorvalds þáttr tasalda
Sveins þáttr ok Finns
Hrómundar þáttr halta
Þorsteins þáttr skelks
Þiðranda þáttr ok Þórhalls
Eireks þáttr rauða
Grœnlendinga saga
Svaða þáttr ok Arnórs kerlingarnefs
Þórhalls þáttr knapps
Eindriða þáttr ilbreiðs
Gauts þáttr
Halldórs þáttr Snorrasonar
Sigurðar þáttr biskups
II volume (printed 1945; 522 pages).
Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar:
Orms þáttr Stórólfssonar
Hallfreðar saga
Grœnlendinga þáttr
Færeyinga saga
Orkneyinga saga
Hálfdanar þáttr svarta
Haralds þáttr hárfagra
Hauks þáttr hábrókar
Ólafs saga helga:
Haralds þáttr grenska
Ólafs þáttr Geirstaðaálfs
Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa
Hróa þáttr heimska
Fóstbrœðra saga
Eymundar þáttr Hringssonar
Tóka þáttr
Þáttr Egils ok Tófa
Orkneyinga saga
Þáttr Eindriða ok Erlings
Þáttr Þormóðar Kolbrúnarskálds
Færeyinga saga
Rauðúlfs þáttr
Völsa þáttr
III volume (printed 1945; 597 pages).
Ólafs saga helga:
Orkneyinga saga
Nóregs konunga tal
Brenna Adams byskups
Sverris saga Sigurðarsonar
Hákonar saga gamla
IV volume (printed 1945; 488 pages).
Viðbætir við Ólafs saga hins helga
Saga Magnúss konungs og Haralds konungs:
Þorsteins þáttr Halldórssonar
Þorvarðar þáttr krákunefs
Stúfs þáttr blinda
Odds þáttr Ófeigssonar
Hemings þáttr Áslákssonar
Auðunar þáttr vestfirzka
Sneglu-Halla þáttr
Halldórs þáttr Snorrasonar
Þorsteins þáttr forvitna
Þorsteins þáttr Ásgímssonar
Blóð-Egils þáttr
Grœnlendinga þáttr
Helga þáttr ok Úlfs
Játvarðar saga
Annáll (Flateyjarannálar)
This publication also includes the full name index from Flateyjarbók's sagas.
Language:
Old Icelandic
Dimensions:
240 × 170 mm / 9.5 × 6.7 in
Weight:
4000 g / 141 oz
Edition:
Printed in Reykjavik in 1944-1945.
Condition:
Very good condition. Hardcover; leather spine and corners of the book and embossed paper on cover. On the spine of a book is gold titling. Edges of pages are colored/painted.
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