Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1957, Page 24
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INTRODUCTION
endowed at Copenhagen University (23/12 1579). This finan-
cial assistance was of decisive importance in creating opportuni-
ties for Icelanders to pursue university studies in the centuries
to come, and very soon resulted in Copenhagen becoming the
centre where by far the greater number of Icelandic university
students received their training.
This intimate connection with the University of Copenhagen
meant that the intellectual atmosphere which prevailed there de-
cided also the outlook of the Icelandic students after their home-
coming. The University was the Reformation’s stronghold in
Denmark; it owed its existence to the royal power and in return
gave the Crown unconditional support; in historical studies its
guiding star was humanism. In all of these respects we find the
influence of Copenhagen on Icelandic men of learning from the
end of the sixteenth century onwards. A central position in this
early development is held by the man whose life and work form
the subject of this book.
2. Arngr'imur Jonsson: Youth and Student-years.
Arngrimur Jånsson1 was born in 1568, on the farm AuSunar-
staSir in ViSidalur in the north of Iceland. It was after the
district of his birth that he later adopted, probably in his student-
years in Copenhagen, the surname of Widalinus. He did not use
this as a family-name himself2, but it was adopted as such by his
descendants. His close relation to Bishop GuSbrandur is shown
in this table:
1 The most important earlier notices of AJ are the following: J6n Olafsson from
Grunnavik, in Visnakver Påls Vidalins, 1897, XV-XXH (= Merkir fslendingar IV,
1950, pp. 71-8) ; Jon Halldorsson, Biskupa sogur II, 75-9; F. Johannæus, Hist. eccle-
siastica Islandiæ III, 443-9; Jon Porkelsson, Om Digtningen på Island, 1888, pp. 471
-9; I>Th. Lfrs. I 217-38 (=: Gesch. I 199-218) ; PEOl. Mom. IV 85-234 (the fullest
treatment); Monum. typogr. Isl. VI, 1942, Introduction; Bibi. Arnam. VII, pp. XII-
XV. - Various details in the account given here are based on references in Hannes
t>orsteinsson’s unprinted biographical materials in the I’joSskjalasafn, Reykjavik.
Årni Magnusson had collected material for a life of AJ: it was “almost completed
and tolerably good”, but unfortunately it was destroyed in the fire of 1728; see
Arne Magnussons private brevveksling, p. 186.
2 On the title-pages of his printed works AJ always styles himself Arngrimus
Jonas Islandus; a W. (= Widalinus) is however added in Apotribe and Specimen.