Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1965, Page 298

formation are regularly appended summary judgments of the various
princes, given in uniform phrasing and clearly marked by ecclesiastical
views.
On the whole these sections must be considered a rendering of the
tradition at the archiepiscopal see at Trondheim, although undoubtedly
it is a case of three components: (i) A written source, the Catalogus
regum JVorwagiensium, (2) Oral tradition and prevalent views at the
archiepiscopal see, and (3) The author’s personal remarks. All Theo-
doricus’s information about lengths of reigns and descent of the princes
must be referred back to the Catalogus regum Norwagiensium, thus
perhaps also information about church budding and burial-places. The
characterizations of princes peculiar to these sections, on the other hånd,
must, if anything, be considered Theodoricus’s personal formulation of
the views prevalent at the archiepiscopal see.
Chapter VI. Ågrip and the Latin Chronicles. The so-called Ågrip must
also be included in Norwegian historiography of the twelfth century.
Indeed, it is only extant in an Icelandic manuscript from the thirteenth
century, but the original must be assumed to have been composed by a
Norwegian clergyman at Trondheim, probably about 1190. Originally
the work seems to have comprised the history of Norway from the time
of Halfdan Svarti to 1177, but the extant manuscript is defective. Espe-
cially towards the end considerable parts are missing.
Like Theodoricus the author of the Ågrip must be considered an
adherent of the ecclesiastical party, but a distinctive feature of the
Ågrip is the solidarity with the Norwegian population manifested by
the author. To this corresponds the characteristic interest in legislation
as well as the legendary material contained in the work which seems to
originate from lower social strata than is the case in the Historia Nor-
vegice. As regards a national Norwegian attitude, however, the author
of the Ågrip by no means falis short of the author of the Latin chronicle.
Much seems to favour the view that the Ågrip was written with refe-
rence to the peasants of the Trondheim parts in order to convince them
that the Kings who collaborated with the Church, deserved their support
to a greater extent than the Birkebeins and their predecessors.
As regards the sources of the Ågrip highly divergent views have been
advanced in previous research. It has especially been discussed how the
298