Eggertsbók (
Reykjavík
Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a pop ...
,
Stofnun Árna Magnússonar, AM 556a-b 4to) is a fragmentary Icelandic
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced ...
, produced in the last quarter of the fifteenth century; its provenance is currently unknown. The manuscript now survives bound in two separate parts, now known as 'a' and 'b'. However, it is likely that originally the 'b' section came first.
The manuscript is named after its earliest clearly identifiable owner,
Eggert Hannesson
Eggert Hannesson (?1515-83) was a ''hirðstjóri'' (''seniourmost position under the king in the island'') and lawspeaker and lived in Saurbæ, otherwise known as Bær á Rauðasandi, a major farm in Barðastrandarsýsla.
Eggert was the son of ...
(c. 1515–83).
Best known as the earliest manuscript of ''
Gísla saga Súrssonar'', the manuscript is also the earliest (if incomplete) witness to ''
Jarlmanns saga ok Hermanns
''Jarlmanns saga ok Hermanns'' (also known as ''Hermanns saga ok Jarlmanns'') is a medieval Icelandic romance saga. The saga contains the first written evidence for the Icelandic circle dance form known as ''hringbrot'', which is also the first Ice ...
'' and ''
Sigrgarðs saga frækna'', and the only witness to the poem ''
Grettisfærsla ''Grettisfærsla'' ('The Handing on of Grettir') is an Old Icelandic poem, preserved in a fragmentary state only in the manuscript ''Eggertsbók''. The poem concerns a character called Grettir and is referred to in chapter 52 of ''Grettis saga
''G ...
''.
Contents
As catalogued at Handrit.is, the manuscript contains the following texts:
AM 556b 4to
* ''
Mágus saga jarls
''Mágus saga jarls'' is a medieval Icelandic romance saga. It survives in two main medieval redactions, a shorter one from about 1300 and a longer one from about 1350, both taking their inspiration from ''The Four Sons of Aymon'', a French ''chans ...
'' — Bragða-Mágus saga (1r-24v)
* ''
Jarlmanns saga og Hermanns
''Jarlmanns saga ok Hermanns'' (also known as ''Hermanns saga ok Jarlmanns'') is a medieval Icelandic romance saga. The saga contains the first written evidence for the Icelandic circle dance form known as ''hringbrot'', which is also the first Ic ...
'' (25r-35r)
* ''
Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar'' (35r-46v)
AM 556a 4to
* ''
Sigurgarðs saga frækna'' — Saga af Sigurgarði hinum frækna (1r-5r)
* ''
Grettis saga
''Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar'' (modern , reconstructed ), also known as ''Grettla'', ''Grettir's Saga'' or ''The Saga of Grettir the Strong'', is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It details the life of Grettir Ásmundarson, a bellicose Icelandic ou ...
'' (5r-52r)
* ''
Grettisfærsla ''Grettisfærsla'' ('The Handing on of Grettir') is an Old Icelandic poem, preserved in a fragmentary state only in the manuscript ''Eggertsbók''. The poem concerns a character called Grettir and is referred to in chapter 52 of ''Grettis saga
''G ...
'' (52r-53r)
* ''
Gísla saga Súrssonar'' (53r-70r)
* ''
Harðar saga og Hólmverja'' (70r-88r)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eggertsbok
15th-century books
Icelandic manuscripts