Denmark manuscripts 2014
A manuscript is a book that often dates from before the invention of printing. Manuscripts that have survived wars and fires are today unique sources for understanding the language, culture and history of the Middle Ages.
A strongbox at the Department of Nordic Research at the University of Copenhagen contains manuscripts from the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection which was established by the Icelandic philologist and historian Árni Magnússon (1663-1730). Icelandic sagas and Skaldic poems, historical tales in Latin, Denmark’s ancient provincial laws, Danish prayer books from the Middle Ages and legends about holy men and women are just some of the texts which are found in this priceless collection, which in 2009 was included in the Memory of the World Register, UNESCO’s list of cultural heritage of universal value.
Árni Magnússon’s collection is housed at the Department of Nordic Research and at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies in Copenhagen and Reykjavik, respectively, which are each responsible for preserving, disseminating and publishing the collection. To highlight the riches contained in the manuscripts, Post Danmark and Iceland Post have together issued two stamps with motifs from a Danish and an Icelandic manuscript.
ÁRNI MAGNÚSSON
Árni Magnússon was born on Iceland, but spent most of his life in Copenhagen.
Beside his bourgeois post as professor of philosophy and Danish antiquities at the University of Copenhagen, he collected a huge number of manuscripts and fragments of manuscripts. On his death, the collection comprised 2,572 manuscript numbers in addition to a large number of legal documents from the Middle Ages. Shortly before his death, he bequeathed his manuscript collection, his printed books and his estate to the university. The manuscript collection was called the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection after its founder’s Latinised name, Arnas Magnæus.
“The collection contains approx. 500 parchment manuscripts from the Middle Ages – with the earliest dating from the twelfth century,” explains Associate Professor Anne Mette Hansen from the Department of Nordic Research. “Many of them are very damaged and full of defects, but for Árni Magnússon it was important to collect everything, because he knew that even the smallest remnant can be of cultural and historical significance,” explains Anne Mette Hansen. The remaining 2,000 manuscripts in the collection date from the period following the Reformation. However, they are no less important as many of them are copies of lost or defective parchment manuscripts from the Middle Ages. By far the majority of the manuscripts are Icelandic, but the collection also includes about 280 Norwegian, 250 Danish, 30 Swedish and 100 manuscripts of Continental provenance.
VALDEMAR’S LAW OF ZEALAND AND NJÁLS SAGA
The Danish part of the collection includes a sixteen-page fragment of Valdemar’s Law of Zealand. The manuscript dates back to the end of the thirteenth century, but the law itself goes back further to the late twelfth century. The DKK 9.00 denomination stamp features an excerpt of Valdemar’s Law of Zealand with the beautiful blue and red initial “F” decorated with palmette motifs.
The Icelandic part of the collection includes several manuscripts of the Njáls Saga, one of the most famous Icelandic sagas of all. The saga no longer exists in its original format, only as copies in various versions. The saga probably dates from about 1280, but the manuscript on the DKK 14.00 stamp is a later copy from circa 1350. The initial capital “H” features a mounted knight
DEPARTMENT OF NORDIC RESEARCH
At the Department of Nordic Research at the University of Copenhagen, the manuscripts are stored in a special strongroom where every single manuscript sits in its own box. “Many of the manuscripts are fragile because they have been stored in unsuitable conditions,” explains Associate Professor Anne Mette Hansen, who also says that one of the department’s tasks is to preserve and restore the manuscripts so that future generations can also enjoy this cultural treasure. This happens at the department’s own conservation workshop, where staff are continually engaged in restoring the manuscripts in most need of repair. Generally, only researchers have access to the manuscripts, but a new website – www.haandskrift.ku.dk – now gives anyone interested the opportunity to see and leaf through them.
BACK TO ICELAND
Since the frigate Vædderen transported the two first Icelandic manuscripts to Iceland in 1971, the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Col- lection has been divided between Denmark and Iceland. In 1965, the Danish Parliament passed an act that the manuscripts which could be defined as Icelandic cultural heritage should be handed over to the University of Iceland. Up until 1997, a total of 1,666 manuscripts were shipped to Iceland, and today they are housed at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies in Reykjavik. It is possible to read more about the Icelandic manuscripts at www.handritinheima.is
ÁRNI MAGNÚSSON – 350TH ANNIVERSARY
2013 marked the 350th anniversary of Árni Magnússon’s birth. During the anniversary year, a number of events were organised which strengthened collaboration between Iceland and Denmark on the cultural treasure which the manuscripts represent, for example anniversary seminars were held in both Copenhagen and Reykjavik.
In the preceding years, a lot of work went into producing a new Danish translation of the Icelandic sagas. The translation has recently been published, which was a wonderful occasion to remember Árni Magnússon for all that he did to safeguard this famous cultural heritage for future generations.
Source: WOPA Stamps
Released September 15, 2014