Arnamagnæan Codex
Encyclopedia
The Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection derives its name from the Icelandic scholar and antiquarian Árni Magnússon
(1663-1730) — Arnas Magnæus in Latinised form — who in addition to his duties as secretary of the Royal Archives and professor of Danish Antiquities at the University of Copenhagen
, spent much of his life building up the collection of manuscripts that now bears his name. The majority of these manuscripts were from Árni’s native Iceland, but he also acquired many important Norwegian, Danish and Swedish manuscripts, as well as a number of other, chiefly continental, provenance.
When Árni died in 1730 he bequeathed his collection to the University of Copenhagen, whereupon it became part of the University Library. The collection has been augmented over the years through individual purchases and gifts and the acquisition of a number of smaller collections, for example that of the Danish grammarian Rasmus Rask, bringing the total number of items to around 3000. In 1956 the Arnamagnæan Institute was established to care for and further the study of the manuscripts in the collection.
(Det kongelige Bibliotek) of manuscripts belonging to the same categories as the manuscripts relinquished by the Arnamagnæan Collection, and contained a special clause relating to the transfer to Iceland of two manuscripts, the Codex Regius
of the Poetic Edda
and the vellum codex Flateyjarbók
, both of which were in the Royal Library (and would not have been deemed islandsk kultureje under the terms of the treaty). These were handed over to Iceland in a ceremony held immediately after the ratification of the treaty in 1971. The first consignment of manuscripts was dispatched from Copenhagen to Reykjavík in June 1973 and the last two were handed over in June of 1997. Altogether a total of 1,666 manuscripts, and all the Icelandic charters and apographa, have been transferred to Iceland, slightly over half the collection, in addition to 141 manuscripts from the Royal Library. Of the manuscripts remaining in Copenhagen about half are Icelandic but have as their chief concern matters not directly related to Iceland, e.g. the histories of the kings of Norway and Denmark, religious texts or translations from Latin and other languages.
In 2009 the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection was added to UNESCO
’s Memory of the World Register in recognition of its historical value.
Árni Magnússon
Árni Magnússon was an Icelandic scholar and collector of manuscripts. He assembled the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection.-Life:...
(1663-1730) — Arnas Magnæus in Latinised form — who in addition to his duties as secretary of the Royal Archives and professor of Danish Antiquities at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, spent much of his life building up the collection of manuscripts that now bears his name. The majority of these manuscripts were from Árni’s native Iceland, but he also acquired many important Norwegian, Danish and Swedish manuscripts, as well as a number of other, chiefly continental, provenance.
When Árni died in 1730 he bequeathed his collection to the University of Copenhagen, whereupon it became part of the University Library. The collection has been augmented over the years through individual purchases and gifts and the acquisition of a number of smaller collections, for example that of the Danish grammarian Rasmus Rask, bringing the total number of items to around 3000. In 1956 the Arnamagnæan Institute was established to care for and further the study of the manuscripts in the collection.
Recent history
Even before its constitutional separation from Denmark in 1944, Iceland had begun to petition for the return of these manuscripts. After much heated debate, the Danish parliament decided in May 1965 that such documents in the Arnamagnæan Collection as might be held to be "Icelandic cultural property" (islandsk kultureje) — broadly defined as a work composed or translated by an Icelander and whose content is wholly or chiefly concerned with Iceland — were to be transferred to the newly established Icelandic Manuscript Institute (now Stofnun Árna Magnússonar), a part of the University of Iceland. It further provided for the transfer from the Danish Royal LibraryDanish Royal Library
The Royal Library in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark and university library of University of Copenhagen. It is the largest library in the Nordic countries....
(Det kongelige Bibliotek) of manuscripts belonging to the same categories as the manuscripts relinquished by the Arnamagnæan Collection, and contained a special clause relating to the transfer to Iceland of two manuscripts, the Codex Regius
Codex Regius
Cōdex Rēgius is an Icelandic manuscript in which the Poetic Edda is preserved. It is made up of 45 vellum leaves, thought to have been written in the 1270s. It originally contained a further 8 leaves, which are now missing...
of the Poetic Edda
Poetic Edda
The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, and from the early 19th century...
and the vellum codex Flateyjarbók
Flateyjarbók
The Flatey Book, is an important medieval Icelandic manuscript. It is also known as GkS 1005 fol. and by the Latin name Codex Flateyensis.- Description :...
, both of which were in the Royal Library (and would not have been deemed islandsk kultureje under the terms of the treaty). These were handed over to Iceland in a ceremony held immediately after the ratification of the treaty in 1971. The first consignment of manuscripts was dispatched from Copenhagen to Reykjavík in June 1973 and the last two were handed over in June of 1997. Altogether a total of 1,666 manuscripts, and all the Icelandic charters and apographa, have been transferred to Iceland, slightly over half the collection, in addition to 141 manuscripts from the Royal Library. Of the manuscripts remaining in Copenhagen about half are Icelandic but have as their chief concern matters not directly related to Iceland, e.g. the histories of the kings of Norway and Denmark, religious texts or translations from Latin and other languages.
In 2009 the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection was added to UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
’s Memory of the World Register in recognition of its historical value.