Gripla - 20.12.2014, Page 242

GRIPLA242
samsonarson published a selection of Bjarni’s poems entitled Sólarsýn: kvæði,
as well as a thesis on the poet.94 In his thesis, jón samsonarson suggested
that thott 473 4to was written down around in approximately 1691–1692
at Þingmúli.95 However, on f. 30v, the manuscript contains the following
remark: “Skrifad J StóraSandf : Áttatugasta [og ] þridia alldurz are 1704
B.g.S.M.P.” (“Written at Stóra Sandfell, in the 83rd year of [his] life, 1704.
Bjarni Gissurarson manu propria”). thus, it appears that Bjarni wrote thott
473 4to in his own hand at Stóra Sandfell in 1704 while he was living with his
daughter. this implies that Bjarni’s autograph is younger than most of the
other short versions of the hymn listed below.
Lbs 1192 8vo, West Iceland
Lbs 1192 8vo was written around 1700 in a single hand.96 the manuscript
was owned by Einar friðgeirsson, as noted on f. 1r: “frá Einari prófasti
friðgeirssyni á Borg á Mýrum 28/6. 1893”.
JS 141 8vo, Skálholt
JS 141 8vo is dated to 1760, as can be seen from a rubric on f. 143r:
“Vikupsalmar aa kuolld og morgna orter ut af bænabok D Josue Stegmans af
sr. sigurde jonssyne ad Prestholumm. skrifader Anno 1760.” On the damaged
title page of JS 141 8vo a place name and a personal name are still readable:
“… i Skalhollte … Jone Snorasyne”. this probably refers to Jón Snorrason
(1724–1771), who studied at the school in Skálholt and was later in the serv-
ice of Bishop Finnur jónsson (1704–1789). As mentioned previously, Bjarni
Gissurarson also studied in skálholt and it is almost certain that he read the
Christmas hymn in one of the songbooks there. Margrét Eggertsdóttir sug-
gests that jón snorrason copied his version of the hymn from a manuscript
closely related to Bjarni’s.97 on the cover of the binding is written in dis-
colored ink: “Marteinn Jónsson 19/11 63.” Marteinn Jónsson (1832–1920) was
a goldsmith from stafafell in the southeastern part of Iceland.
Origin and age of the longer versions
MS Boreal 113, South Iceland
this manuscript is written in one hand. on the front page (f. 3r) the name of
94 Jón M. Samsonarson, “Séra Bjarni gissurarson í Þingmúla, ævi hans og kveðskapur” (Cand.
mag thesis, Háskóli Íslands, 1960); Bjarni gissurarson, Sólarsýn. Kvæði.
95 Margrét Eggertsdóttir, “Hljómi raustin barna best,” 157; Jón M. Samsonarson, “Séra
Bjarni,” 114.
96 Páll eggert ólason, Skrá um handritasöfn, 2:229.
97 Margrét Eggertsdóttir, “Hljómi raustin barna best,” 162.