Among the many treasures once produced in medieval Iceland, Ormsbók, known in English as Ormr Snorrason’s Book, held a special place. This large manuscript preserved a collection of chivalric sagas, and its story traces the complex movements of manuscripts across centuries and nations. The original no longer exists; nevertheless, its influence remains, woven into later copies, references, and the continued study of Icelandic literature.
The manuscript’s journey through Europe
Ormsbók owes its name to Ormr Snorrason, a 14th-century Icelandic chief and lawman. He likely inscribed his own name in the manuscript, which suggests his role as its earliest known owner. Ormr was also associated with the commissioning of Skarðsbók, a significant collection of apostolic sagas, and the manuscripts shared some similarities in their grand format and layout. Ormsbók was written on vellum and spanned roughly 90 to 100 leaves, with each page containing two columns and remarkably fine script, recorded as having 49 lines per column, surpassing the 38 lines seen in Skarðsbók.
After several centuries in Iceland, the manuscript surfaced in Sweden in 1602. It was gifted to the antiquarian Johannes Bureus. Half a century later, Bureus presented the manuscript to the Swedish Crown for safekeeping, and it passed into the custody of the national archives. During these years, Swedish scholars such as Georg Stiernhielm and Olof Verelius often used Ormsbók for lexicographical work. Their references to specific pages and lines in their dictionaries provide crucial details, especially since not all of the manuscript survives.
Preservation through copying and loss
Despite careful stewardship, the fate of Ormsbók turned in the late 17th century. In the early 1690s, Jón Vigfússon, an Icelander, undertook the considerable task of making a full copy of the majority of the manuscript. His work is preserved today in several manuscript facsimiles in Stockholm, such as Papp. fol. numbers 46, 47, 58, and 66. This proved vital, as the castle housing Ormsbók is thought to have burned down in 1697. The last definite record of the original was in an archive inventory from 1693. There is some suggestion the manuscript might have instead perished in the great Uppsala fire of 1702, as it was sometimes lent to institutions there.
What makes Ormsbók particularly notable is its broad selection of translated European romances and native Icelandic tales. Its contents spanned sagas such as Trójumanna saga, Breta sögur, Mágus saga, Flóvents saga, Rémundar saga, Ereks saga, Bevers saga, Ívens saga, and Mírmans saga. Some stories were incomplete, with missing pages or damaged endings. Later scholars have carefully examined these lacunae, and debates continue about which texts in later copies truly trace their origins to Ormsbók.
The disappearance of the original Ormsbók was a significant loss for cultural history. Yet, its legacy endures through critiques, partial manuscripts, and continued research. In this way, Ormsbók bridges medieval Icelandic literary heritage and the historic curiosity of modern readers far beyond the island’s shores.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- Wikipedia (Icelandic) in Icelandic
