Gripla - 20.12.2008, Blaðsíða 282

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ABSTRACT
In this paper an attempt is made to establish more reliable dates and fuller in -
formation than have hitherto been available regarding a few key events in the
life story of lexicographer Guðmundur Andrésson. Interest in this unusual and
colorful character, from the time of his death in 1654 and to the present day, has
never waned, as countless accounts of his life, written in Icelandic, Latin, and
Danish both printed and in manuscripts, bear witness.
To begin with, further arguments are set forth to support Hannes Þor-
steinsson’s view that it is indeed Guðmundur and his father Andrés Guðmundsson
who appear in a document from June 10, 1644, regarding a boundary dispute in
Skagafjörður. Jakob Benediktsson had previously dismissed it, probably because
by that time Guðmundur was thought to have relocated to Húnavatnssýsla. Two
other documents are brought forth which show close ties between Björn Jónsson
of Skarðsá and a certain Andrés Guðmundsson of Sólheimar in the same district;
both farms lie close to each other in Sæmundarhlíð. In his writings Guðmundur
says that during his battle with mental illness he stayed with his parents. In a letter
from February 20, 1638, Björn of Skarðsá mentions the mental illness of a learned
Gvöndur, short for Guðmundur, at the neighbouring farm of Sólheimar and the
part he played in his recovery. This, along with Guðmundur stating in a letter
that he was in close contact with Björn of Skarðsá in his youth because he was his
nearest neighbour, makes quite a strong case that Guðmundur was indeed the son
of Andrés Guðmundsson of Sólheimar and the man Björn mentions in his letter.
The only thing known about Guðmundur’s stay at the cathedral school at
Hólar is that it lasted four years and that he was there at the same time as his