Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.2010, Blaðsíða 63
Zum Empfånger der Flateyjarbok
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d. According to the testimony of Magnus Porhallsson, Flateyjarbok was
written in 1387. There are no satisfactory grounds for contending that
Magnus’s words mean anything but what they actually State.
e. An examination of the orthographic representation of the middle voice
in all of Magnus Forhallsson’s part of Flateyjarbok reveals that in columns
1—10, 750—754 and 847—901.29 the use of the middle voice ending ‘zft’
suddenly increases at the cost of by far the most common spelling ‘z’, while
in the concluding columns of the book 901.30—905, where Magnus has
written the annal entries for the last four years, 1391—1394, in stages, the
ratio of ‘z’ to ‘zft’ is completely reversed, with ‘z’ practically disappearing
and ‘zft’ becoming dominant. The columns 1—10, 750—754 and 847—901.29,
which together with the preface form a sort of frame around the entire main
part of the book, therefore must have been written at one and the same
stage and later than Magnus’s main text, but prior to columns 901.30—905
containing the annal entries for the last four years. Other internal arguments
(the arrest of King Albrecht of Sweden is mentioned in column 10 but not
the accession to the throne of Erik of Pomerania; Flateyjarannall until 1390
written continuously) suggest that the framing columns in question were
written towards the end of 1390.
4. The conclusion is therefore that Flateyjarbok was written in 1387, as
Magnus Porhallsson himself maintains, with the exception of the sections
which frame the book, i.e. the preface and columns 1-10, 750—754 and
^47~9°i.29, which were written towards the end of 1390, but an addition
to this frame, the conclusion of the annals for 1391—1394 and the book in
its entirety, i.e. columns 901.30—905, was written in stages during those
years. There is no indication that Flateyjarbok was ever intended as a gift
for King Olåfr iv Håkonarson, while on the other hånd valid arguments can
be presented to suggest that the book was from its conception intended for
its commissioner, Jon Flåkonarson.
Nordische Abteilung
Department Germanistik und Komparatistik
Universitat Erlangen-Niirnberg