Gripla - 2023, Blaðsíða 227

“EYRSILFR DRUKKIT, ÞAT GERIR BANA” 225
medieval Icelandic manuscripts that have been identified are not many,
but among those that have been identified – writing both secular and reli-
gious texts – are monks and priests as well as secular chieftains and their
scribes.76 In the absence of any indications on the identity of the scribe of
655 xxx, or the origins of the manuscript, one can only reasonably contend
that the maker or owner of 655 belonged to the literary elite – a group of
learned individuals of high social standing that included wealthy landown-
ers and clerics.77
Conclusion
This essay has sought to examine AM 655 xxx 4to as a physical artefact
and contextualise this unique fragment alongside other surviving Old
Norse medical books and the medical practices of medieval Europe and
Iceland. While the history of the manuscript is enigmatic, its value for its
thirteenth century owner is evident from its well-crafted production. Its
layout, vernacular language adjustments, compact leaf size, concise arti-
cles, and selection of remedies tailored for everyday situations underscore
its practicality as a medical book – a portable GP’s handbook, if you like,
based on a European medical bestseller.
While the six Old Norse medical manuscripts exhibit many simi-
larities, some of them also manifest notable differences in size, style, and
content. These variations reflect the adaptation of the foreign material to
suit individual contexts, indicating the diverse interests and intentions of
each maker or owner. 655 xxx is a valuable representative of the learned
European knowledge system and intellectual trends in the thirteenth cen-
tury. Further research into the medieval Icelandic medical literature could
yield a more comprehensive history of medicine in Iceland than we have
at this time, and in turn, enhance even further our understanding of 655
xxx’s origins and usage.
76 For a discussion on the identified scribes, see Stefán Karlsson, “Íslensk bókagerð á mið-
öldum”; see also Ólafur Halldórsson, “Skrifaðar bækur,” in Munnmenntir og bókmenning,
ed. Frosti F. Jóhannsson, Íslensk þjóðmenning, VI (Reykjavík: Þjóðsaga, 1989), 82–87.
77 Essays in Stefka G. Eriksen, ed., Intellectual Culture in Medieval Scandinavia, c. 1100-1350
(Turnhout: Brepols, 2016), present a thorough discussion on the topic of the literary elite
in the medieval North.