Ritmennt - 01.01.2003, Page 164

ABSTRACTS
RITMENNT
abolished in 1918. A dispute occurred in 1848
about the language of the watchmen's calling of
the hour. It seems that this was in Danish before
1848 but was then changed to Icelandic. The
singing of the watchmen in Reykjavík is com-
pared to that of their colleagues abroad. Icelandic
songs for the watchmen, translated by the Rev.
Þorsteinn Sveinbjarnarson from the Danish texts
for the watchmen of Copenhagen, were printed in
1778. The Icelandic translation is compared to
the variants of the Copenhagen tradition. One
verse translated from the Danish is not known in
print in Danish until seven years after the print-
ing of the Icelandic translation. The last two vers-
es are composed by the translator, the long winter
nights in Iceland requiring a longer watch. The
printing of the watchmen's song is dealt with in
context of other publications of official texts,
laws and rules in Iceland in the 18th century. A
survey is given of the transmission history of the
melody which probably originates in Germany.
The watchmen's song in Reykjavík was probably
sung until about 1874 though hardly after 1889.
Gísli Brynjúlfsson: Tvö bréf til móður. Aðalgeir
Kristjánsson bjó til prentunar. Ritmennt 8 (2003),
pp. 129-40.
Two letters written by Gísli Brynjúlfsson
(1827-88), the poet, to his mother in March and
July 1846 are printed with annotations. He was a
student at the time, living in Copenhagen, and
tells her among other things about his studies at
the University, the examinations, the people he
has been meeting with since his arrival, and news
of other Icelanders in Copenhagen.
Vilhjálmur Stefánsson: Grænlendingar finna
Ameríku. Ritmennt 8 (2003), pp. 141-50.
The early discovery and settlement of Euro-
peans in the Western hemisphere received con-
siderable attention in connection with the mil-
lennium celebrations in the year 2000 commem-
orating the discovery of America by Leifur
Eiríksson. Vilhjálmur Stefánsson (1879-1962), the
famous anthropologist and explorer, published in
1943 a book, Greenland, in which, among other
things, he expounds his views on those historic
events. A chapter of this book, "The Greenland-
ers discover America", appears here in an Icelan-
dic translation in order to draw attention to Vil-
hjálmur's contribution to the debate. In this chap-
ter he discusses the story of how Vínland and
other countries of the West were discovered by
the Greenlanders with reference to the original
sources and his own knowledge of Arctic con-
ditions.
Sópuður. Ritmennt 8 (2003), pp. 151-57.
A miscellany containing a brief account of "A
Night of Magic in the National and University
Library building", which was the Library's contri-
bution to the Cultural Night in Reykjavík on
August 17, 2002 (by Þóra Gylfadóttir; pp. 151-54),
a note on an exceptionally fine copy of Abraham
Ortelius' Theatrum orbis terrarum (published in
1595), owned by the National and University
Library (by Jökull Sævarsson,- pp. 154-55), a pic-
ture takcn by Walter Frentz showing Knut
Hamsun, Egil Holmboe and Ernst Zuchner on
their way to a meeting with Adolf Hitler on June
26, 1943, cf. an article by Ásgeir Guðmundsson in
Ritmennt 6 (2001), pp. 93-111, (pp. 156-57), and a
correction relating to a picture printed on p. 38 in
Ritmennt 7 (2002) (p. 157).
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