''Flateyjarbók'' (; "Book of Flatey") is an important

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

Icelandic

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

. It is also known as GkS 1005 fol. and by the Latin name ''Codex Flateyensis''. It was commissioned by Jón Hákonarson and produced by the priests and scribes Jón Þórðarson and Magnús Þórhallsson.

Description

''Flateyjarbók'' is the largest medieval Icelandic manuscript, comprising 225 written and illustrated vellum leaves. It contains mostly sagas of the Norse kings as found in the ''

Heimskringla () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland. While authorship of ''Heimskringla'' is nowhere attributed, some scholars assume it is written by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (117 ...

'', specifically the sagas about

Olaf Tryggvason Olaf Tryggvason (960s – 9 September 1000) was King of Norway from 995 to 1000. He was the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, king of Viken ( Vingulmark, and Rånrike), and, according to later sagas, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, first King ...

, St. Olaf, Sverre, Hákon the Old, Magnus the Good, and

Harald Hardrada Harald Sigurdsson (; – 25 September 1066), also known as Harald III of Norway and given the epithet ''Hardrada'' in the sagas, was List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 1046 to 1066. He unsuccessfully claimed the Monarchy of Denma ...

. But they appear here expanded with additional material not found elsewhere (some of it being very old) along with other unique differences. Most—but not all—of the additional material is placed within the royal sagas, sometimes interlaced. Additionally, the manuscript contains the only copy of the eddic poem ''

Hyndluljóð ''Hyndluljóð'' (Old Norse: 'The Lay of Hyndla') is an Old Norse poem often considered a part of the ''Poetic Edda''. It is preserved in its entirety only in ''Flateyjarbók'', but some stanzas are also quoted in the ''Prose Edda'', where they ...

'', a unique set of annals from creation to 1394, and many short tales not otherwise preserved such as ''Nornagests þáttr'' ("the Story of Norna Gest"). Especially important is the '' Grœnlendinga saga'' ("History of the Greenlanders"), giving an account of the

Vinland Vinland, Vineland, or Winland () was an area of coastal North America explored by Vikings. Leif Erikson landed there around 1000 AD, nearly five centuries before the voyages of Christopher Columbus and John Cabot. The name appears in the V ...

colony with some differences from the account contained in '' Eiríks saga rauða'' ("History of Eirík the Red"). Here also are preserved the only Icelandic versions of the ''

Orkneyinga saga The ''Orkneyinga saga'' (Old Norse: ; ; also called the ''History of the Earls of Orkney'' and ''Jarls' Saga'') is a narrative of the history of the Orkney and Shetland islands and their relationship with other local polities, particularly No ...

'' ("History of the Orkney Islanders") and ''

Færeyinga saga ''Færeyinga saga'' (; Danish: ''Færingesagaen''), the saga of the Faroe Islanders, is the story of how the Faroes were converted to Christianity and became a part of Norway. Summary The saga was written in Iceland shortly after 1200. The auth ...

'' ("History of the Faroe Islanders").

History

From internal evidence the book was being written in 1387 and was completed in 1394 or very soon after. The first page states that its owner is "Jonn Hakonar son" and that the book was scribed by two priests. One of them, "Jon prestr Þórðar son", scribed the contents from the tale of ''Eirík the Traveller'' down to the end of the two Olaf sagas and the other, " Magnús prestr Thorhallz sun", scribed the earlier and later material and also drew the illustrations. Further material was inserted towards the end of the 15th century. The manuscript first received special attention by the learned in 1651 when Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson of

Skálholt Skálholt (Modern Icelandic: ; ) is a historical site in the south of Iceland, at the river Hvítá, Árnessýsla, Hvítá. History Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. A bishopric was established ...

, with the permission of King

Frederick III of Denmark Frederick III (; 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator (colloquially referred to as prince-bishop) of the ...

, requested all folk of Iceland who owned old manuscripts to turn them over to the Danish king, providing either the original or a copy, either as a gift or for a price. Jon Finnsson, who resided on Flatey ('Flat Island') in the fjord of Breiðafjörður on the northwest coast of Iceland, was then the owner of the book which was already known as the ''Flateyjarbók''. At first Jon refused to release his precious heirloom, the biggest and best book in all of Iceland, and he continued to refuse even when Bishop Brynjólfur paid him a personal visit and offered him five hundreds of land. Jon only changed his mind and bestowed the book on the bishop just as the bishop was leaving the region. The manuscript was given as a present from Bishop Brynjólfur to King Frederick III in 1656, and placed in the Royal Library of Copenhagen. In 1662, the bishop presented the king with a second medieval manuscript, the ''

Codex Regius Codex Regius (, "Royal Book" or "King's Book"; ) or GKS 2365 4º is an Icelandic codex in which many Old Norse poems from the ''Poetic Edda'' are preserved. Thought to have been written during the 1270s, it is made up of 45 vellum Vellum ...

'' (''Konungsbók eddukvæða''). It and ''Flateyjarbók'' survived the

Copenhagen Fire of 1728 The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest fire in the history of Copenhagen, Denmark. It began on the evening of 20 October 1728 and continued to burn until the morning of the 23rd of October 1728. It destroyed approximately 28% of the city (me ...

and the Second Battle of Copenhagen in 1807 and were eventually repatriated to Iceland in 1971 as Icelandic national treasures. They are preserved and studied by the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies.

''Flateyjarbók'' consists of the following texts: * Geisli – a religious poem on St.

Olaf II of Norway Saint Olaf ( – 29 July 1030), also called Olaf the Holy, Olaf II, Olaf Haraldsson, and Olaf the Stout or "Large", was List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he w ...

Ólafs ríma Haraldssonar ''Ólafs ríma Haraldssonar'' is a 14th-century ''rímur, ríma'' by the Icelandic poet and official Einarr Gilsson on the career of Saint Olaf II of Norway, Óláfr Haraldsson (King Olaf II) of Norway. The work is preserved in Iceland's ''Flatey ...

– a poem on St.

Olaf Olaf or Olav (, , or differences between General American and Received Pronunciation, British ; ) is a Dutch, Polish, Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ances ...

in the

rímur In Icelandic literature, a ''ríma'' (, literally "a rhyme", pl. ''rímur'', ) is an epic poetry, epic poem written in any of the so-called ''rímnahættir'' (, "rímur meters"). They are rhymed, they alliterative verse, alliterate and consist of ...

style, the earliest such poetry *

* A short piece from

Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum (Medieval Latin for "Deeds of the Bishops of Hamburg") is a historical treatise written between 1073 and 1076 by Adam of Bremen, who made additions (''scholia'') to the text until his death (possibly 1081; before 1085). It is one of the most ...

* Sigurðar þáttr slefu * Hversu Noregr byggðist * Genealogies of Norwegian kings * Eiríks saga víðförla * Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar (en mesta), including: ** Saga of the Greenlanders, consists of: *** Eiríks þáttr rauða *** Grœnlendinga þáttr (I) **

** Jómsvíkinga saga ** Otto þáttr keisara ** Fundinn Noregr ** Orkneyinga þáttr ** Albani þáttr ok Sunnifu ** Íslands bygging ** Þorsteins þáttr uxafóts **

Sörla þáttr ''Sörla þáttr eða Heðins saga ok Högna'' is a short narrative from the extended version ''Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta'' found in the ''Flateyjarbók'' manuscript,Lindow (2002:280-281). which was written and compiled by two Christia ...

** Stefnis þáttr Þorgilssonar ** Rögnvalds þáttr ok Rauðs ** Hallfreðar þáttr vandræðaskálds ** Kjartans þáttr Ólafssonar **

Ögmundar þáttr dytts ''Ögmundar þáttr dytts ok Gunnars helmings'' is an Icelandic ''þáttr'' in two parts: the story of Ǫgmundr dyttr, a cousin of Víga-Glúmr, and the adventures in Sweden of a Norwegian called Gunnarr helmingr, who takes advantage of observances ...

** Norna-Gests þáttr ** Helga þáttr Þórissonar ** Þorvalds þáttr tasalda ** Sveins þáttr ok Finns ** Rauðs þáttr hins ramma ** Hrómundar þáttr halta ** Þorsteins þáttr skelks ** Þiðranda þáttr ok Þórhalls ** Kristni þáttr ** Svaða þáttr ok Arnórs kerlingarnefs ** Eindriða þáttr ilbreiðs ** Orms þáttr Stórólfssonar ** Hálfdanar þáttr svarta ** Haralds þáttr hárfagra ** Hauks þáttr hábrókar * Ólafs saga helga, including: ** Fóstbrœðra saga **

** Nóregs konungatal ** Haralds þáttr grenska ** Ólafs þáttr Geirstaðaálfs **

Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa ''Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa'' (''The Tale of Styrbjörn the Swedish Champion'') is a short story, a ''þáttr'' on the Swedish claimant and Jomsviking Styrbjörn the Strong preserved in the '' Flatey Book'' (GKS 1005 fol 342-344, ca 1387- ...

** Hróa þáttr heimska ** Eymundar þáttr hrings ** Tóka þáttr Tókasonar **

Ísleifs þáttr biskups ''Ísleifs þáttr biskups'' (The Tale of Bishop Ísleifr) is a short Old Norse-Icelandic narrative which recounts two episodes from the life of Ísleifr Gizurason, the first bishop of Iceland. The first episode recounts Ísleifr's meeting with S ...

** Eymundar þáttr af Skörum ** Eindriða þáttr ok Erlings ** Ásbjarnar þáttr Selsbana ** Knúts þáttr hins ríka ** Steins þáttr Skaptasonar ** Rauðúlfs þáttr ** Völsa þáttr ** Brenna Adams byskups *

Sverris saga ''Sverris saga'' is one of the Kings' sagas. Its subject is King Sverre Sigurdsson of Norway (r. 1177–1202) and it is the main source for this period of Norwegian history. As the foreword tells us, the saga in its final form consists of mo ...

Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar ''Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar'' ("The Saga of Haakon Haakonarson") or ''Hákonar saga gamla'' ("The Saga of Old Haakon") is an Old Norse Kings' Saga, telling the story of the life and reign of King Haakon Haakonarson of Norway. Content and styl ...

* An addendum to ''Ólafs saga helga'' by Styrmir Kárason * A saga of King Magnus the Good and King

of the

Morkinskinna ''Morkinskinna'' is an Old Norse kings' saga, relating the history of Norwegian kings from approximately 1025 to 1157. The saga was written in Iceland around 1220, and has been preserved in a manuscript from around 1275. The name ''Morkinskinn ...

type * Hemings þáttr Áslákssonar * Auðunar þáttr vestfirzka * Sneglu-Halla þáttr * Halldórs þáttr Snorrasonar * Þorsteins þáttr forvitna * Þorsteins þáttr tjaldstæðings * Blóð-Egils þáttr * Grœnlendinga þáttr (II) (not to be confused with the first Grœnlendinga þáttr) * Helga þáttr ok Úlfs * Játvarðar saga helga – Saga of King Edward * Flateyjarannáll

Gallery

Modern translations

''Flateyjarbók'' is currently being translated into English by the Saga Heritage Foundation of Norway. The translator is Alison Finlay, professor of Medieval English and Icelandic Literature at

Birkbeck, University of London Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a Public university, public research university located in London, England, and a constituent college, member institution of the University of London. Establ ...

. A Norwegian edition, translated by Edvard Eikill and comprising six volumes, was completed in 2019.

Notes

References

* Rowe, Elizabeth Ashman (2005). ''The Development of Flateyjarbók''. Odense: The University Press of Southern Denmark. * Guðbrandur Vigfússon and Carl Rikard Unger, (ed.) (1860–1868). ''Flateyjarbok: En samling af Norske Konge-saegar'', 3 Vols. Christiania slo P. T. Mallings forlagsboghandel. * Anderson, Rasmus B. (trans. ed.) (1906).
The Flatey Book and Recently Discovered Vatican Manuscripts Concerning America as Early as the Tenth Century
'' London: The Norroena Society. (Facsimiles of Icelandic text, Icelandic transcription, Danish translation, English translation of Vinland material and related material only.)

Editions and translations

Editions

* ''Flateyjarbók'', ed. by Guðbrandur Vigfússon and C.R. Unger: volume 1 (1860), volume 2 (1862), volume 3 (1868), also digitised a
Heimskringla.no
(diplomatic edition) * ''Flateyjarbók'', d. by Sigurður Nordal 4 vols (Akranes: Flateyjarútgáfan, 1944–45) (normalised Old Norse spelling)

Translations

* (Tale of Halfdan the Black, pp. 1–10; Tale of Hauk High-Breeches, pp. 11–20) *

External links

GKS 1005 fol.
Digitized manuscript, ''handrit.is''
Flateyjarbok translation project
The Saga Heritage Foundation * Elizabeth Ashman Rowe
"Cultural Paternity in the Flateyjarbók ''Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar,''"
''Alvíssmál'' 8 (1998): 3–28. {{DEFAULTSORT:Flateyjarbok 1394 books 14th-century manuscripts Cultural depictions of Harald Hardrada Kings' sagas