Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1957, Page 53

CHAPTER II
33
most learned Icelandic geographer of the sixteenth century”1,
and was not only interested in theoretical studies but worked at
practical cartography, drawing the first map of Iceland to be
made by an Icelander2. He certainly owned most of the geo-
graphical and historical works which AJ attacked in Brevis
comm., cf. AJ’s remarks on his books in Athanasia (III 145).
We know too that it had already been in Bishop GuSbrandur’s
mind at an earlier period to have a defence published in answer
to the libels of foreigners. At the Althing in 1588 a new bishop
was to be elected to the see of Skålholt. Bishop GuSbrandur was
ill and could not himself be present, but he wrote a letter to the
Assembly and to the clergy of the Southern diocese, recommend-
ing (though without mentioning him by name) his Rector, Oddur
Einarsson, for election. One of the reasons given in the letter is
the need for having as good a scholar as possible in the office,
a man “who has the training and learning both to preach the
word of God and also to answer the many libels which have been
published, and which may be published, on our fatherland”3.
Oddur Einarsson had studied in Copenhagen, and for a time was
a pupil of Tycho Brahe. It is almost certain that the anonymous
work, Qualiscunque descriptio Islandiæ, was drafted by him in
Copenhagen in the winter of 1588-9, but not finished4. On his
return to Iceland, Oddur became rector of the cathedral-school
at Hålar (1586), where Bishop GuSbrandur obviously became
acquainted with his learning and abilities. The recommendation
had its effect: Oddur Einarsson was elected bishop of Skålholt,
but he never published a defence of the kind Bishop GuSbrandur
had in mind. The remarks quoted show however that Bishop GuS-
brandur’s idea of a defence of his country was older than AJ’s
return from Copenhagen. When AJ replaced Oddur Einarsson
as rector of the Holar-school (1589) and Bishop GuSbrandur
1 H. Hermannsson in Islandica XVII 3.
2 See notes to I 14“, 4116, and Islandica XVII.
3 J6n Halldorsson, Biskupasogur I 164.
4 The work was edited by Fritz Burg, Hamburg 1928, and ascribed to SigurSur
Stefånsson (t 1595, see note to I 84“), but his arguments are insufficient. See further
on this question my article in Nordæla. AfmæliskveSja til SigurSar Nordals, 1956,
PP- 97-109.
3 Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana, XII