Eiríkr Magnússon
Encyclopedia
Eiríkr or Eiríkur Magnússon (1 February 1833 – 24 January 1913) was an Iceland
ic scholar who was Librarian at the University of Cambridge
, taught Old Norse
to William Morris
, translated numerous Icelandic sagas into English in collaboration with him, and played an important role in the movement to study the history and literature of the Norsemen
in Victorian England.
Born in Berufjörður in the east of Iceland, Eiríkr was sent to England in 1862 by the Icelandic Bible Society, and his first translations there were of mediaeval Christian texts.
In 1871, with the assistance of Sir Henry Holland
and of Alexander Beresford-Hope, MP for Cambridge, he became a librarian at the University of Cambridge, where he worked until the end of 1909. In 1893 he also became lecturer in Icelandic.
Eiríkr lectured and organised famine relief for Iceland in 1875 and 1882 and fell out with Guðbrandur Vigfússon
, a fellow Icelandic scholar who was at Oxford and had been his friend, over that and his preference for modernised Icelandic in translating the Bible; Guðbrandur was a purist.
Like many Icelandic scholars in Britain at the time, Eiríkr gave Icelandic lessons as a source of income; his first pupil was probably Sir Edmund Head in 1863, and he taught some by post. Another was George E.J. Powell, who had supported him financially when he first came to England and with whom he translated Jón Arnason
's Icelandic folktales and worked on a translation of Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings
that remained unpublished.
Most famously, he taught William Morris and collaborated with him on translating a number of sagas. Within a year of Morris beginning his studies with Eiríkr, their Story of Grettir the Strong was published (1869). In 1870 they published the first English translation of Völsungasaga. Between 1891 and 1905 they published a six-volume Saga Library, which included Heimskringla
and the first English translations of Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings
, Hænsa-Þóris saga and Eyrbyggja Saga
. Eiríkr defended Morris against York Powell
's criticism of his archaic style. He also accompanied Morris to Iceland and introduced him to friends there. Volume 6 of the Saga Library, volume 4 of the Heimskringla, is an index that is entirely Eiríkr's work, published in 1905 after Morris's death.
Eiríkr was married to Sigríður Sæmundsen, a descendent of Egill Skallagrímsson
.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic scholar who was Librarian at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, taught Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
to William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
, translated numerous Icelandic sagas into English in collaboration with him, and played an important role in the movement to study the history and literature of the Norsemen
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
in Victorian England.
Born in Berufjörður in the east of Iceland, Eiríkr was sent to England in 1862 by the Icelandic Bible Society, and his first translations there were of mediaeval Christian texts.
In 1871, with the assistance of Sir Henry Holland
Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet
Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet FRS, DCL , was a British physician and travel writer.-Private Life:Born in Knutsford, Cheshire, Holland was the son of the physician Peter Holland and his wife Mary Willets. Peter's sister Elizabeth was the mother of the novelist Elizabeth Gaskell, and Mary was the...
and of Alexander Beresford-Hope, MP for Cambridge, he became a librarian at the University of Cambridge, where he worked until the end of 1909. In 1893 he also became lecturer in Icelandic.
Eiríkr lectured and organised famine relief for Iceland in 1875 and 1882 and fell out with Guðbrandur Vigfússon
Guðbrandur Vigfússon
Guðbrandur Vigfússon, known in English as Gudbrand Vigfusson, was one of the foremost Scandinavian scholars of the 19th century.-Life:He was born of an Icelandic family in Breiðafjörður...
, a fellow Icelandic scholar who was at Oxford and had been his friend, over that and his preference for modernised Icelandic in translating the Bible; Guðbrandur was a purist.
Like many Icelandic scholars in Britain at the time, Eiríkr gave Icelandic lessons as a source of income; his first pupil was probably Sir Edmund Head in 1863, and he taught some by post. Another was George E.J. Powell, who had supported him financially when he first came to England and with whom he translated Jón Arnason
Jón Árnason (author)
Jón Árnason was an Icelandic writer, librarian, and museum director who made the first collection of Icelandic folktales.-Career:Jón Árnason was educated at the Latin School in Bessastaðir....
's Icelandic folktales and worked on a translation of Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings
Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings
Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings is one of the sagas of Icelanders.It tells of 'Howard' who had been a Viking great in his youth and was wounded in Scotland and has walked with a limp ever since. Howard has a disagreement with his neighbor Thorbjørn and in the altercation, Howard's son is killed.Howard...
that remained unpublished.
Most famously, he taught William Morris and collaborated with him on translating a number of sagas. Within a year of Morris beginning his studies with Eiríkr, their Story of Grettir the Strong was published (1869). In 1870 they published the first English translation of Völsungasaga. Between 1891 and 1905 they published a six-volume Saga Library, which included Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
and the first English translations of Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings
Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings
Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings is one of the sagas of Icelanders.It tells of 'Howard' who had been a Viking great in his youth and was wounded in Scotland and has walked with a limp ever since. Howard has a disagreement with his neighbor Thorbjørn and in the altercation, Howard's son is killed.Howard...
, Hænsa-Þóris saga and Eyrbyggja Saga
Eyrbyggja saga
Eyrbyggja saga is one of the Icelanders' sagas. The name means the saga of the inhabitants of Eyrr, which is a farm on Snæfellsnes on Iceland. The name is slightly misleading as it deals also with the clans of Þórsnes and Alptafjörðr. The most central character is Snorri Þorgrímsson or Snorri goði...
. Eiríkr defended Morris against York Powell
Frederick York Powell
Frederick York Powell , was an English historian and scholar.- Biography :Frederick York Powell was born in Bloomsbury, London. Much of his childhood was spent in France and Spain, so that he early acquired a mastery of the language of both countries and an insight into the genius of the people...
's criticism of his archaic style. He also accompanied Morris to Iceland and introduced him to friends there. Volume 6 of the Saga Library, volume 4 of the Heimskringla, is an index that is entirely Eiríkr's work, published in 1905 after Morris's death.
Eiríkr was married to Sigríður Sæmundsen, a descendent of Egill Skallagrímsson
Egill Skallagrímsson
Egill Skallagrímsson was a Viking Age warrior and skald. Egill is one of the great anti-heroes of the Icelandic sagas.-Life:...
.
Sources
- Stefán Einarsson, Saga Eiríks Magnússonar í Cambridge, Reykjavík: Ísafoldarprentsmiðja, 1933, OCLC 23541599
- Stefán Einarsson, "Eiríkr Magnússon's Saga Translations", Scandinavian Studies and Notes 7 (February 1923), 151–68
- Andrew Wawn, "Fast er drukkið og fátt lært": Eiríkur Magnússon, Old Northern Philology, and Victorian Cambridge. H.M. Chadwick Memorial Lectures 11 (2000). Cambridge: Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic, University of Cambridge, 2001, OCLC 47118621
- Eiríkr Magnússon at Dansk Biografisk Lexikon