Gripla - 20.12.2013, Page 248

GRIPLA248
slightly more extensive and detailed than its copy, although many entries
are identical.
Another manuscript belonging to the third group, js 334 4to, contains
annals that Gunnlaugur compiled. the manuscript was probably written
c. 1840–5055 and is divided into two parts. the first part contains annals
of the period 866–1600, with information mostly concerning accidents or
noteworthy incidents and deaths, but also information about the weather.
Gunnlaugur noted in a considerable number of instances his sources, for
the most part Íslendingasögur such as Njáls saga and Sturlunga saga. He
mentions, for example, the battle at Víðines in his entry for the year 1208
and ends with a reference to Sturlunga saga, where this battle is described
in great detail. Gunnlaugur’s entry reads: “ó höpp. Bardagi i vidirnesi i
Hjaltadal, fjell þar kolbeinn tumason – Þordur prestr einarsson – og
Brúsi prestur – sturlunga saga 3ia þ. 3ia kap:” [Accidents. Battle in Víðines
in Hjaltadalur. kolbeinn tumason, the Rev. Þórður einarsson and the Rev.
Brúsi were killed there. sturlunga saga, 3rd þ[?], 3rd chapter]56 the second
part of this manuscript comprises annals for the years 1601–1800, with
a title-page57 and a preface in which Gunnlaugur informs the reader about
his reasons for taking upon the task of compiling the annals and their
sources. He states that he has met with rather many uninformed opinions
about the past weather, catch and accidents and that he wants to prove
that Iceland has not taken a turn for the worse, but that such incidents as
described in his annals are not out of the ordinary. this wish for education
55 It is dated to c. 1840 in the catalogue, see Páll eggert ólason, Skrá um handritasöfn Lands-
bókasafns, 2:554.
56 js 334 4to 1; pp. 36:30–37:1. the transcriptions in this article are semi-diplomatic, with
the original punctuation, a slightly normalised orthography and expanded abbreviations in
italic. translations are my own.
57 Although the title page labels the annals as Aldarfarsbók, it is not entirely clear which term
Gunnlaugur himself used for these annals. the title page was possibly written by somebody
else, as the script is not similar to Gunnlaugur’s, who was furthermore not in the habit of
supplying his historical manuscripts with title pages. In the preface to the second part, he
only refers to his “blöd” [pages], js 334 4to 2, p. 3:10, and the first part does not have a title
page or preface at all. Gunnlaugur wrote, however: “Aldarfars Bók frá 1800 framm haldid”
[Aldarfarsbók from 1800 continued] as title on fol. 1r in Lbs 1273 8vo, which suggests that
he considered his annals covering the time before 1800 also as part of his Aldarfarsbók. He
must have changed his mind at some point, though, because in his annals in Lbs 484 8vo we
read “Registr” [Register], 1, p. 1:1, and “Annalar frá 1600” [Annals from 1600], 2, p. 1:1. I
therefore apply the term Aldarfarsbók only to his annals covering the nineteenth century.