Arnamagna Collection

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Möðruvallabók (AM 132 fol. 13r)
Building of the Stofnun Árnar Magnússonar in Reykjavík.

The so-called Arnamagnäanische Sammlung (after Danish Arnamagnæanske håndskriftsamling ) is one of the most important collections of medieval Icelandic manuscripts . It is named after Árni Magnússon , the scientist who put it together.

A little more than half of the manuscript collection is now kept in Reykjavík at the Arnamagnean Institute . The Árnastofnun (Árni Magnússon Foundation) supports their entertainment. In the manuscript collection, all manuscript signatures begin with “AM” for “Árni Magnússon” followed by a number and an indication of the format. For example, a manuscript from the Brennu Njáls saga from the collective writing of the Möðruvallabók bears the signature "AM 132 fol.".

In 2009 the document collection was included in the UNESCO document heritage .

Start of the collection by Árni Magnússon

Árni Magnússon founded the collection in the 17th century when he began to collect medieval Icelandic manuscripts on behalf of the Danish king. They were initially kept in Copenhagen because the possibilities of saving such precious documents from decay were very limited in the impoverished Iceland of the time. But there were also political and financial reasons. The collection was later expanded into a large library through donations from various people.

Directors of the collection

One of the directors of the collection from 1927 to 1971 was the writer and literary scholar Jón Helgason .

Handwriting collection

The manuscripts were all kept in Copenhagen until 1976. From then on the return to Iceland began, which continued until 1997.

There are now over 600 manuscripts and parts of manuscripts in the foundation's library. There are also around 150 manuscripts from the king's personal collection. In addition, around 70 manuscripts from other collectors were given to the collection. The foundation also keeps numerous documents from the Árni Magnússons collection. Among other things, the manuscript Skarðsbók postulasagna (a manuscript with stories about the apostles of Jesus) is famous . Coming from sources other than the Copenhagen Collection, it is a 14th century calfskin manuscript purchased in London in 1965.

There is also a lively exchange with the University Library of Iceland.

A number of other Icelandic manuscripts are still kept in foreign libraries, for example in Denmark and Sweden.

However, the collection also contains manuscripts in other languages.

The most precious manuscripts

Some extremely precious manuscripts can be found here such as:

Research library

Attached to the collection is one of the largest specialist and research libraries in Iceland. It comprises around 19,000 books, around 140 subscription journals and numerous specialist journals. She specializes in Icelandic literature and linguistics, European Middle Ages and folklore.

You can search the research library's book inventory at Gegnir.is on the Internet. The books are not normally borrowed, but there is a reading room on site.

Several other foundations have merged into the library, e. B. that of Þorsteinn M. Jónsson (1885–1976) and his wife Sigurjóna Jakobsdóttir .

literature

  • Matthew James Driscoll (Ed.): 66 manuscripts from the Arnamagnæan Collection , Arnamagnæan institute, Department of Nordic Research, Copenhagen 2015, ISBN 978-87-635-4264-7 .
  • Kristian Kålund (Ed.): Catalog over den Arnamagnæanske håndskriftsamling. 2nd volumes. Gyldendal, København 1889–1894.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection. UNESCO / Memory of the World - Register, 2009, accessed December 8, 2013 .