Gripla - 20.12.2005, Qupperneq 196

GRIPLA194
Springborg, Peter, „Antiqvæ historiæ lepores – Om renæssancen i den islandske hånd-
skriftproduktion i 1600-tallet.“ Gardar 8 (1977), bls. 53-89.
Stefán Karlsson, „Ritun Reykjarfjar›arbókar. Excursus: Bókager› bænda.“ Stafkrókar.
Ritger›ir eftir Stefán Karlsson gefnar út í tilefni af sjötugsafmæli hans 2. desember
1998. Reykjavík, 2000, bls. 310-329.
Sturlunga Saga efter membranem Króksfjar›arbók. Kristian Kålund gaf út. I-II.
Kaupmannahöfn, 1906-1911.
Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir, „Writing universal history in Ultima Thule: The case of AM
764 4to.“ Mediaeval Scandinavia 14 (2004), bls. 185-194.
Sveinn Níelsson, Prestatal og prófasta á Íslandi. (2. útgáfa). Hannes fiorsteinsson jók
vi› og lei›rétti. Björn Magnússon jók vi› og gaf út. Reykjavík, 1950.
S‡nishorn úr se›laveski Árna Magnússonar. Már Jónsson gaf út. Reykjavík, 1995.
„Vísur um Ara Magnússon í Ögri.“ Blanda IV (1928-1931), bls. 144-146.
Úlfar Bragason, „Sturlungasaga: Textar og rannsóknir.“ Skáldskaparmál 2 (1992), bls.
176-206.
fióra Kristjánsdóttir, „Vestfirskur a›all úr pensli Vatnsfjar›arprófasts og annarra snill-
inga.“ Ársrit sögufélags Ísfir›inga 43 (2003), bls. 215-227.
SUMMARY
Reykjarfjar›arbók (the book of Reykjarfjör›ur), AM 122b fol, is one of only two
mediaeval manuscripts containing the great compilation known as Sturlunga. Its
history from 1594 up to the time it came into the hands of Árni Magnússon is relatively
clear. During the winter of 1634-1635 Björn Jónsson of Skar›sá had the manuscript on
loan and was making a copy of it for Bishop fiorlákur Skúlason of Hólar. In a letter
written by Björn on the 25th of February 1635 he reports that once during his youth at
Reynista›ur, when compiling an annal, he used either the same manuscript, or another
manuscript which contained the same story. Opinions vary on the correct understand-
ing of Björn’s remarks. Reykjarfjar›arbók’s origins have been traced to a scriptorium
active in the latter part of the 14th century and located at Akrar in Blönduhlí› in the
Skagafjör›ur district, although scholars have also suggested the monastery at Reyni-
sta›ur as a possible place of origin. The manuscript is thought to have still been among
the books of Akrar in the middle of the 15th century. From that point onward, however,
nothing is known of the manuscript’s whereabouts. In this paper an attempt is made to
remedy the situation by putting forward a hypothesis to bridge the roughly 150-year
gap.
This is done by examining the history of Akrar which shows that the farm was
owned and occupied by the same family down to 1530, when the property was divided
in two. After that this family continued to own and live on their half until the beginning
of the 17th century. This, however, only shows that conditions were favourable for the
manuscript remaining at Akrar in the family’s possession during that time.
This conclusion leads us to the second part of the hypothesis. Sigur›ur Jónsson of
Svalbar› wed Gu›n‡, daughter of Jón Grímsson, who owned one half of Akrar, on the
24th of October 1563. In 1579 they moved to Reynista›ur, and three years later took
on an eight-year old, fatherless boy by the name of Björn Jónsson, later of Skar›sá.