Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1948, Page 511

Notes
469
privatus. Worm’s testimonial for him is printed on p. 335. During
his stay in Copenhagen he worked diligently for Worm; among other
things he translated Snorra-Edda into Latin. This translation was
used in P. J. Resen’s Edda-edition in 1665, in so far as it did not
conform with Magnus Olafsson’s translation. Further S. O. in 1644
translated Voluspå into Latin (ed. by Resen together with the Edda-
edition of 1665, see there p. h 3 v).—Through the Frenchmen, de
la Thuillerie and Isaac de la Peyrére (see the notes to pp. 8g2 and
Sg3), Worm had got into connection with Cardinal Mazarin’s
librarian, Gabriel Naudæus (Naudé) and had sent him manuscripts,
among others a vellum of Icelandic laws (i.e. Jonsbok)1 from his
collections (see their correspondence in WE II pp. 898-903). In a
letter to Naudæus from Nov. 1645 Worm tells that he has engaged
a young Icelander to copy Edda and translate it into Latin and is
going to send both copy and translation to Mazarin’s library (WE II
p. 902). This Icelander was S. 0. In June 1646 S. 0. had not yet
finished the work (see Worm’s letter to de la Thuillerie WE II 960),
but on Dec. 4th, the same year Worm sent the copy through the
French embassador in Copenhagen (see WE II g6o-6i). S. 0. re-
ceived ten “rigsdaler” for his work. It is no doubt the same translation
which Resen used later.—It appears from his letters to Iceland
that in the spring of 1646 S. O. through the French embassador
received an offer to come to Paris and work on Nordic manuscripts
in Mazarin’s library. Nothing, however, came of this, as it seems
particularly because Bishop Brynjolfur, whose advice he had asked,
dissuaded him from accepting the offer (see more about this Stefan
Olafsson: KvæSi II, 1886, pp. XLVII-LI). Soon after his return
S. 0. became minister at Vallanes (see letter no. 130) where he
stayed till his death. He is best known for his poems of which he has
written a great number, secular as well as spiritual. About his life
and works see Stefån Olafsson, KvæSi I-II, 1885-86, edited with
a biography by Jon horkelsson.
1 About this manuscript which is now found in Bibliothéque nationale in
Paris see Olaf Skæbne [i.e. H. Omont], Gatalogue des manuscrits danois, islandais,
norvégiens et suédois de la Bibliothéque nationale 1887, pp. 9-10; Jonsbok, 1904,
p. XLVII.