Gripla - 20.12.2008, Blaðsíða 67

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further noted that not only were most or all of the texts in this section
Icelandic, but that the six scribes who helped Haukr with the copy-
ing were most likely all Icelanders as well, and he concluded that the
work could well have been done between 1306 and 1308, when Haukr
was in Iceland. This is in agreement with the dating of these folios on
external evidence. The reference to the consecration of Bishop Árni
Helgason of Skálholt on 77v means that it can have been written no
earlier than October 25, 1304, and the inclusion of Haukr’s title of herra
(sir) in the genealogies on 101v mean that this can have been written
no earlier than 1306, when Haukr was knighted (Jón Helgason 1960,
xxi). These folios contain Landnámabók, Kristni saga, Trójumanna saga,
Breta sögur, Merlínusspá, Hemings þáttr, Heiðreks saga, Fóstbræðra saga,
Algorismus, Eiríks saga rauða, Skálda saga, Þáttr af Upplendinga kon-
ungum, Ragnarssona þáttr, and Prognostica temporum. Stefán Karlsson
(1964, 117–118) divided this material into four subgroups (AM 371; AM
544, fols. 22–59; 544, fols. 69–76; and 544, fols. 77–107) and observed
that there are some differences in their hands. In his view, it is not
certain whether all four subgroups were written at one time or in their
current order, which may only date from the days of Árni Magnússon.
Folios 69–76 of AM 544 (Hemings þáttr and Heiðreks saga) could be the
youngest subgroup. A different order from the current one may explain
the presence of Algorismus here, whereas Prognostica temporum was
arguably put where it was because there was a blank space of the right
size there.6 Although this phase of the compilation seems to have taken
place in Iceland, Haukr was there only temporarily. He was a lögmaðr
in Norway at this time and served on the king’s council.
4. Folios 60–68 of AM 544 are dated to around or after 1310 by Stefán
Karlsson (1964, 119), who specified that because the exemplar for these
leaves seems to have been Norwegian, Haukr probably wrote them
after he had returned to Norway. These folios contain Viðræða æðru
ok hugrekkis and Viðræða líkams ok sálar. This phase of the compila-
tion took place after Haukr moved to Bergen and was lögmaðr of the
Gulaþing district.
6 Stefán Karlsson (1964, 117) did not mention Prognostica temporum specifically, but he did
state that in this part of the manuscript, the division of the contents seems to have partly
followed the division of the quires and partly the availability of blank spaces.
PERSPECTIVES ON HAUKSBÓ K