Gripla - 2019, Blaðsíða 39
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Dionisius95 (Hauksbók: Dionotus), her suitor is Canannius of Armenia
(Hauksbók: Canonius of Armorica), and she leads a company of 9,000
virgins (Hauksbók: 11,000).
The scribal career of Albert Jóhannesson
Based on his research on the Hecla Island community, Gerrard interpreted
Albert’s scribal activities as a response to trauma, writing that:
Albert sought refuge [at Flugumýri] after sailing the “Seven Seas”
and narrowly escaping death at the hands of West Indies islanders.
Traumatized by this experience, he had a nervous habit of con-
stantly looking over his shoulder. To occupy his mind, he copied old
Icelandic manuscripts by lamplight long into the nights, producing
large volumes of obscure histories and adventures that ranged from
The Saga of Julius Caesar to Snorri Sturluson’s ancient history of
the world, Heimskringla.96
Gerrard’s assessment that Albert Jóhannesson was deeply traumatized
by his experiences as a migrant worker and sailor – today, he would be
called a victim of human trafficking – is supported by his vow in Lbs
4667 4to. That Albert did not write about himself but instead heroes who
overcome extreme difficulties and perils in exotic lands could suggest that
Albert did not want to revisit his personal experiences directly. On the
other hand, his vow speaks to a desire to publicize his own traumatic ex-
periences in a way that positively re-frames them as salvation and triumph
over peril. Flugumýri was a refuge, but also part of a larger community
where Albert’s stories were appreciated and shared. Albert wrote because
he had an audience.
ALBERT JóHANNESSON AND THE SCRIBES OF HECLA ISLAND
95 The name “Dionisius” for St Ursula’s father is found in the medieval Icelandic romance
Kirjalax saga and in Úrsúlukvæði, a popular post-medieval poem based on Kirjalax saga.
Katelin Parsons, “Radiant Maidens and Butchered Brides,” The Cult of St Ursula and the
11,000 Virgins: Finding St Ursula in Icelandic Literature, ed. by Jane Cartwright (Cardiff:
University of Wales Press, 2016), 227–43.
96 Nelson Gerrard, “Flugumýri,” interpretive sign on the Black Wolf Trail, Manitoba,
Canada.