Flateyjarbók

The Flateyjarbók (“ Book of Flatey ”) or GKS 1005 fol. is a Manuscrit Icelandic written 1387 with 1394. It longest of the Icelandic manuscripts, is most richly decorated and one with most interesting.

It is composed of several Saga S, royal in particular (sagas of Óláfr Tryggvason, of Saint Óláfr, Sverrir, Hákon Hákonarson), which contains themselves a great number to þættir, poems (two poems scaldic: Geisli of Einarr Skúlason and the Nóregs konungatal , a poem eddic: the Hyndluljóð , and a Ríma : the Óláfs ríma Haraldssonar ) and of short historical texts.

Several of these works were preserved only in the Flateyjarbók ( Grœnlendinga saga , Sörla þáttr , Hyndluljóð for example).

Its introduction indicates that it was written for the account of Jón Hákonarson, a rich person owner of Víðidalstunga, in the north of Iceland, by two priests, Jón Þórðarson and Magnús Þórhallsson (which carried out also the Enluminure S), in 1387.

The Flateyjarbók initially comprised 202 pages on Vélin, with initial enluminées and sometimes historiées. 23 others were added at the end of the 15th century, containing in particular the Magnúss saga góða ok Haralds harðráða .

To the 15th century, the manuscript belonged to a family living on the island of Flatey - from where its name, in the west of Iceland. In 1647, its owner, Jón Finnsson, made of it gift with the bishop of Skálholt Brynjólfur Sveinsson. Brynjólfur sent it, like good of other manuscripts, with the king Frederic III of Denmark in 1656. The Flateyjarbók belonged to the royal Bibliothèque until 1971. April 21st, it was solemnly restored in Iceland, at the same time as the Codex Regius . It is preserved today at the Institut Árni Magnússon, with Reykjavík.

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