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was for a long time owned by Loftur ríki Guttormsson,35 Magnús ances-
tor, and Loftur’s descendants. Loftur’s son Þorvarður lived there, as did
Þorvarður’s widow Margrét vigfúsdóttir and their daughter Ingibjörg, who
was married to Páll Brandsson, county magistrate in eyjafjörður (Fig. 1).
Páll’s illegitimate son Grímur Pálsson and Björn Þorleifsson riddari’s illegiti-
mate granddaughter Helga narfadóttir36 are the great-grandparents of both
Magnús Björnsson’s maternal grandmother Helga Aradóttir and Magnús’
and Halldór ólafsson’s paternal grandfather Benedikt Halldórsson (Fig. 1).
Whether Magnús Björnsson wrote the marginal note at Möðruvellir
in Hörgárdalur or Möðruvellir in eyjafjörður, his complicated family
network (Fig. 1) suggests that he received Möðruvallabók from either the
paternal or maternal side of his family. Considering, however, that his
maternal ancestry includes far more prominent figures37 (including eiríkur
auðgi Magnússon and Þorsteinn eyjólfsson, two potential commissioners
of Möðruvallabók38), it is more probable that Magnús Björnsson received
the manuscript from his mother’s side of the family. nonetheless, it must
be restated that the manuscript may also have come into Magnús’ posses-
sion through the family of his cousin Halldór ólafsson’s wife, Halldóra
jónsdóttir, who shares Magnús’ mother’s ties to Bishop jón Arason, the
svalbarð family, eiríkur auðgi Magnússon and Þorsteinn eyjólfsson.
the history of Möðruvallabók illustrates the close relationship be-
tween prominent Icelandic dynasties and their connections to manuscript
production and distribution through marital ties, and women seemingly
play particular important roles in that respect, no matter which path
Möðruvallabók traveled before Magnús Björnsson received it. these ma-
triarchs include, most importantly, Magnús Björnsson’s great-grandmother
Ragnheiður Pétursdóttir á rauðum sokkum, head of the svalbarð family;
his grandmother Helga Aradóttir, granddaughter of Bishop jón Arason;
and her daughter elín Pálsdóttir, Magnús’ mother. taking into account
sigurjón Páll ísaksson’s hypothesis, the list of important women must
also include Halldóra jónsdóttir and her grandmother steinunn jónsdóttir,
35 see fn. 13.
36 Her mother was Þuríður Björnsdóttir (see fn. 31).
37 see fn. 13 for more information on Magnús’ family background.
38 sigurjón Páll ísaksson, “Magnús Björnsson og Möðruvallabók,” 120; Müller, Erzähltes
Wissen, 224.
tHe IMPoRtAnCe of MARItAL AnD MAteRnAL tIes