Everything about Codex Flatoiensis totally explained
The
Flatey Book, ('Flat-island book') is one of the most important medieval Icelandic
manuscripts. It is also known as
GkS 1005 fol. and
Codex Flatöiensis. Sometimes anglicized as
Flateyjarbok.
Description
The
Flatey Book is the largest of medieval Icelandic manuscripts, comprising 225 written and illustrated velum leaves. It contains mostly sagas of the Norse kings as found in the
Heimskringla, specifically the sagas about
Olaf Tryggvason,
St. Olaf,
Sverre,
Hakon the Old,
Magnus the Good, and
Harald Hardrada. But they appear here expanded with additional material not found elsewhere (some material being very old) and with other unique differences. Most, but not all, of the additional material is placed within the royal sagas, sometimes interlaced. Also in the manuscript is the only copy of the eddic poem
Hyndluljód, a unique set of annals from creation to 1394, and many short tales not otherwise preserved such as
Nornagests þáttr ('Tale 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
Eiríks saga rauða ("History of Eirík the Red"). Here also is preserved the only Icelandic version of the
Orkneyinga saga ("History of the Orkney Islanders") and
Færeyinga saga ("History of the Faroe Islanders").
History
From internal evidence the book was being written in 1387 and was completed in 1394 or very soon after. The first page states that its owner is "Jonn Hakonar son" and that the book was scribed by two priests. One of them, "Jon prestr Þórðar son", inscribed the contents from the tale of
Eirík the Traveller down to the end of the two Olaf sagas and the other, "Magnús prestr Thorhallz sun", inscribed 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 learnèd in 1651 when Bishop
Brynjólfur Sveinsson of
Skálholt, with permission of King
Frederick III of Denmark requested that all folk of Iceland who owned old manuscripts to turn them over to the Danish king, either providing the original or a copy, either as a gift or for a price. Jon Torfason, son of Rev. Torfi Finsson, who resided on Flatey ('Flat Island') in
Breiðafjörður on the west coast of Iceland, was then the owner of 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 Jon continued to refuse even when Bishop Brynjólfur paid him a personal visit and offered him five hundreds of land. But Jon only changed his mind and bestowed it on the Bishop just as the Bishop was leaving the region and in return Jon was exempted from all future ecclesiastical taxes.
The manuscript was given into the keeping of Thormod Torfæus, in 1662, as a present from Bishop Brynjólfur to King Frederick III and placed in the Royal Museum of Copenhagen. (The rest of Bishop Brynólfur's collection was dispersed by his heirs who had no interest in a collection of old mansucripts and most disappeared for ever, though fortunately transcripts to paper had been made from many of them.) In 1971 the
Flatey Book and the
Codex Regius were repatriated to Iceland as Icelandic national treasures and are preserved and studied by the
Árni Magnússon Institute.
Contents
Flateyjarbók consists of the following texts.
References and external links
The Árni Magnússon Institute website
- http://www.am.hi.is/WebView/VefUtgafa.aspx?ListIndex=0&RorV=R manuscript facsimile < error
Flateyjarbok: En samling af Norske Konge-saegar, 3 Vols. Ed. Guðbrandur Vigfússon and Unger, C. R. (1860–1868). Christiania [Oslo]: P. T. Mallings forlagsboghandel. http://saga.library.cornell.edu/saganet/?MIval=/ManuscriptSagasB&language=english&STitle=Flateyjarb%F3k Sagnanet: Flateyjarbók Sagnanet: Table of contents for: GKS 1005 fol
The Flatey Book and recently discovered Vatican manuscripts concerning America as early as the tenth century. Ed. and trans. by Anderson, Rasmus B. (1906). London: The Norroena Society. (Facsimiles of Icelandic text, Icelandic transcription, Danish translation, English translation of Vinland material and related material only.)
Text and English translation by Loptsson of Eireks þáttr rauða ('Tale of Eirík the Red') and Grœnlendinga þáttir ('Tale of the Greenlanders') from the Flatey Book
Note
Such as Norna-Gests þáttr ('the Story of Norna-Gest'), Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa ('Tale of Styrbjörn the Swedish Champion'), Hróa þáttr heimska ('The Tale of Roi the Fool') and Völsa þáttr ('the Tale of the Phallos').
Further Information
Get more info on 'Codex Flatoiensis'.
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