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In June 2006 the Icelandic Alþingi passed legislation concerning the Árni Magnússon Institute of Icelandic Studies. According to this legislation the Icelandic Language Institute, the University of Iceland Institute of Lexicography, the Árni Magnússon Institute in Iceland, the Sigurður Nordal Institute, and the Place-Name Institute of Iceland were to be merged into one institute, starting on 1 September 2006. The new institute would take over the duties and tasks previously performed by each of the individual institutes. Dr. Vésteinn Ólason was appointed director of the new Institute of Icelandic Studies on 12 September 2006. Vésteinn was the director of the Árni Magnússon Institute in Iceland from 1 May 1999 until 1 September 2006. While the new website of the Árni Magnússon Institute of Icelandic Studies is under construction the websites of the former individual institutes may be accessed by clicking their former names in the text above. When the new website opens it will have the address www.arnastofnun.is The Árni Magnússon Institute Árnagarður v/Suðurgötu: IS - 101, Reykjavík.
The Árni Magnússon Institute is an academic research institution that houses the manuscripts and documents that the Danish government delivered to the Icelanders according to an agreement made between Denmark and Iceland in 1971, concerning the return of Icelandic manuscripts from Danish libraries. The Institute also keeps other resources on Icelandic culture: other manuscripts that it has acquired, as well as recordings of folkloric material. By law the Institute has been given the task of advancing the study of Icelandic language, literature, and the history of the Icelandic nation from its origins until the present day. Manuscript Collection The main part of the Árni Magnússon Institute’s manuscript collection consists of manuscripts that were previously kept in Danish libraries: the Árni Magnússon Collection (Den Arnamagnæanske Samling), housed at the University of Copenhagen, and the Danish Royal Library. During the years 1971-1997, 1,666 manuscripts and manuscript fragments kept in the Árni Magnússon Collection, as well as all old Icelandic public records and copies of such records (a total of 7,287 documents), along with 141 manuscripts from the Danish Royal Library, were transferred to Iceland. The Institute houses other manuscripts besides those that were sent from Denmark. The best known of these is the Skarðsbók collection of apostles’ lives, a vellum manuscript from the 14th century, which several Icelandic banks bought at an auction in London and donated to the Institute in 1965. Numerous manuscripts and manuscript fragments have been donated to the Institute from private collections, and during recent years the Institute has, with the support of benefactors, bought several Icelandic manuscripts that have been put up for sale abroad. The most significant and generous contributions have been made by Dr. Örn Arnar, Icelandic consul in Minnesota, and his family. A number of Icelandic manuscripts are stored in foreign libraries. Most of the oldest manuscripts have been kept in Denmark and Sweden, where there are also numerous Icelandic manuscripts from later centuries. There are also several manuscripts in Britain and in Norway, as well as a few in other countries, such as Germany, France, Italy, and the United States (see links). The Institute keeps catalogues of Icelandic manuscripts found in various foreign libraries and museums.
Among the primary responsibilities of the Institute is the editing and publication of Icelandic texts written in the past, when texts were preserved and circulated in manuscript form. The need for new editions arises from different circumstances: although many Icelandic texts have been published since the 17th century, these previous editions often prove unsatisfactory; in addition, there are numerous extant Icelandic works written during the centuries after the Reformation, both original compositions and translations, which have never been published. The editors of ancient texts investigate and explain the relationships between manuscripts, and, on the basis of such research, selected texts are edited and printed along with textual variants, that is, variations in wording found in other manuscripts. Scholarly editions of manuscript texts are intended to be used by scholars who investigate the texts’ grammar, stylistics, or history. These editions can also be used by those who publish other types of editions of the texts, such as editions with normalized spelling, which are intended for use by students and the general public. Manuscript research is seldom limited to textual studies. Scholars attempt to shed light on the age, origin, and history of manuscripts through examinations of orthography and grammar, comparisons of different hands found in the manuscripts, and identification of individuals whose names are occasionally found on the title-pages or in the margins. Research undertaken by members of the Institute’s staff is published in monographs as well as in the Institute’s own journal, Gripla. The number of books in the Institute’s publication series, the Rit Árnastofnunar which is printed and distributed by the University of Iceland Press, is approaching 70. Staff members also publish the results of their research in journals and books published elsewhere, or present the results of their studies to the general public through lectures or articles in the mass media.
The Institute has published facsimile editions of several manuscripts, either singly or in cooperation with others. Among those manuscripts published in facsimile are the Landnámabók (Book of Settlements), in which the settlement of Iceland in the Viking Age is described, the autograph manuscripts of the 19th century poet Jónas Hallgrímsson, and the Icelandic Homily Book, containing religous sermons from c. 1200 (along with diplomatic text). Three manuscripts, the Codex Regius of the Poetic Edda, the Skarðsbók version of the Jónsbók, containing laws valid in Iceland in the late Middle Ages and partly into the Modern Age, and the Helgastaðabók, containing the life of St. Nicholas, have been published in facsimile edition in cooperation with the publishers Lögberg.
Books are a necessary aid to research, and a number of parties have contributed to the establishment of an excellent research library at the Institute. Individuals, other institutes, and foreign governments have all contributed valuable books, and two extraordinary gifts to the Institute must be mentioned here. First, the entire library of Þorsteinn M. Jónsson (1885-1976), school principal and member of parliament, and his wife Sigurjóna Jakobsdóttir, was bought by the Icelandic government on behalf of the Institute. The sellers themselves donated half of the price of the collection, and interest from this fund is used for the purchase of additional books. This collection contains, among other material, large numbers of early Icelandic printed books and other valuable books and journals from previous centuries. Second, at the start of 2004 the Institute received a donation of 500,000 US dollars to establish the Birgit Baldwin (1960-1988) Memorial Fund, and interest from the fund is intended for the Institute’s purchase of books and journals. The patrons of the fund are Professors Jenny Jochens and John Baldwin. This fund is a memorial to their daughter, who died in an automobile accident 17 June 1988. The Institute’s library is now the most extensive library in Iceland specializing in the fields of Icelandic studies, medieval European studies, and folklore, and with this new donation the library’s holdings will be increased significantly. The library is intended for use by the Institute’s scholars, as well as guests, academic or nonacademic, including, of course, students who need to utilize the Institute’s resources. Books and journals are not loaned out but guests are welcome to use them on premises, or to make photocopies. The library’s holdings are catalogued in Gegnir, the national computer catalogue system. You are welcome to contact the librarian Ólöf Benediktsdóttir olofbe@hi.is for reference and information. Those who would like to apply for a table in the institutes reading room should contact the office - phone nr. (+354) 525 4010, fax (+354) 525 4035 or e-mail rosat@hi.is
Photographic Collection One goal of the Institute is to possess negatives and photographs of all Icelandic manuscripts in foreign libraries. A great deal remains to be done toward accomplishing this goal, although a substantial photographic collection has already been established. A large number of the Institute’s manuscripts have been digitally photographed and these reproductions are accessible on the Institute’s website, under the link “Digital Manuscript Collection ”. Although photographs can never replace the manuscripts themselves, which must be consulted now and then, they are more suitable for hands-on work, and through the use of photographs manuscripts are protected from unnecessary wear or damage. A photographic studio is located in the Institute, and it is possible, for a fee, to order negatives and photographs of the Institute’s manuscripts, for the purposes of research and publication. Orders can be made here: rosat@hi.is There are allready digital photographs of several manuscripts on the Saganet (the Institute is a member of Saganet, a project founded jointly by the National and University Library of Iceland and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, for the publication of manuscript texts and older printed editions of the Icelandic sagas on the Internet). For manuscripts still remaining in The Arnamagnæan Collection in Copenhagen it is possible to make an order here foto@hum.ku.dk
Folkloric Collection Under the auspices of the Institute, and to a certain extent in cooperation with others, especially the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, a great amount of folkloric material has been recorded on tape. Folkloric material has been collected in all corners of Iceland, as well as in the Icelandic settlements in North America. This material includes rímur (ballads) and other types of folk songs, along with oral compositions in both prose and verse: various poetic genres, all sorts of folktales, and descriptions of folk customs. The Institute also houses a number of smaller folkloric collections. The oldest material consists of recordings of folksongs made onto wax cylinders during the years 1903-1912. The Institute now owns or has collected over 2,000 hours of recorded folkloric material. During the years 1984-1994 this material was transferred from the original recording tape onto higher quality storage tape. The material has been computer-catalogued and it is now possible to search the collection according to contents, sources, districts, etc. It is possible to search the catalogue on the Institute’s website, under the link "Folkloric Database” and to listen to selected recordings from the collection. Choice recordings from the collection have been published on CD, and more CDs of this material are being prepared for publication.
In the year 1984 the Institute began to use computers for word processing, and shortly afterward started using them for various cataloging tasks. The Institute’s first Internet website was opened in 1996. Work on the digitization of manuscripts began at the Institute in 1999. The manuscripts are photographed at high resolution, and these photographs are stored as backups, in case of accidental loss or damage of the originals. Copies of these photographs are made available to scholars doing research at the Institute. Photographs at lower resolution are available for perusal on the Institute’s website; digital photography. In the year 2000 the Institute began to computer-catalogue its manuscripts according to the new MASTER-Standards (Manuscript Access through Standards for Electronic Records), which are built on SGML/TEI (Standard Generalized Markup Language/Text Encoding Initiative) encoding. A digital catalogue has been made of material in the Institute’s folkloric collection, and digital reproduction and publication of this material on the Internet has been initiated, in cooperation with other interested parties Ísmús.
Icelandic studies are pursued in numerous foreign universities. Students and scholars from many of these universities have visited the Institute and have pursued studies and research there as guests for several weeks, months, or even years. Most of these guests come from Europe and North America, but guests also come from distant lands such as China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Israel. Some of these scholars have been provided with housing in the Institute’s apartment at Hvassaleiti in Reykjavík. The Institute has on occasion published editions and studies by these foreign scholars, as well as work by Icelandic scholars associated with other institutions. To view the list of scholars currently residing at the institute, click here.
Teaching and Interaction with Students The scholars employed at the Institute do not have formal teaching responsibilities but frequently teach courses in textual criticism, paleography, folklore, history, literature, and linguistics at the University of Iceland. Numerous students come to the Institute to utilize its books and other resources and to seek guidance from the Institute’s scholars.
The Árni Magnússon Manuscript Institute preserves a valuable cultural heritage, which it endeavors to increase and promote. This is achieved through exhibitions, instruction, and publication of information aimed at the general public. Ever since the first manuscripts were returned to Iceland from Denmark, the Institute has given the public opportunities to view selected manuscripts in special manuscript exhibitions, held for a long time at its premises in Árnagarður. These manuscript exhibitions have been requisite stops for foreign dignitaries in their official visits to Iceland. Schoolchildren and students of all ages, native and foreign, have always been welcome guests, and a museum educator has worked at the Institute since 1998, receiving groups of students and providing education on manuscripts and manuscript production. A juncture was reached when the Institute’s exhibition was transferred to the Culture House (Þjóðmenningarhús) on Hverfisgata in Reykjavík on October 5, 2002. Just as before, groups of students who wish to learn about manuscripts and the cultural heritage of the Icelandic people are welcome visitors to the exhibition. For more Information about the Institute’s educational programs contact Svanhildur Gunnarsdóttir, M.A., and Museum Educator, svanberg@hi.is.
The Árni Magnússon Collection At
a young age the Icelander Árni Magnússon (1663-1730) went to
study in Copenhagen, and later he became a professor at the University of
Copenhagen. He collected an immense number of books, including vellum manuscripts.
The majority of his manuscripts were Icelandic, from all periods of Icelandic
literary history, starting in the 12th century (before Árni’s
time the king of Denmark and other dignitaries had collected medieval Icelandic
manuscripts). The great fire in Copenhagen in 1728 destroyed a large percentage
of Árni Magnússon’s printed books, as well as a great
many manuscripts, especially younger ones. On his deathbed Árni Magnússon willed all of his possessions to the University of Copenhagen, at that time the only university for all of the countries and territories in the Danish kingdom, including Iceland. In the Árni Magnússon Collection in Copenhagen a great deal of scholarly work has been done in the field of Icelandic studies, especially since 1956, when a special research institute, Det Arnamagnæanske Institut (now Den Arnamagnæanske Samling), took over the collection under the supervision of Professor Jón Helgason (1899-1986).
Return of the Manuscripts from Denmark In
1961 legislation concerning the manuscripts was passed in Denmark. The Danish
parliament consented to honor the wishes of the Icelandic people and transfer
to the University
of Iceland a substantial portion of the Icelandic manuscripts that were
kept in the Árni Magnússon Collection at the University of Copenhagen
and the Danish Royal Library. The laws specified that Icelanders would receive
the manuscripts that were genuine Icelandic cultural artifacts: in other words,
the texts had to have been composed or translated by Icelanders, and had to
have something to do with Iceland and events that occurred there. The laws
were not immediately implemented, however, because of opposition in Denmark.
The case finally went to court and was settled by the Danish Supreme Court
on March 19, 1971. On April 1, 1971, a treaty between the two countries was signed, and on April 21 that same year the first two manuscripts, the Codex Regius of the Poetic Edda (Elder Edda), and the Book of Flatey (Flateyjarbók, containing Norwegian kings’ sagas), were received in Iceland with great ceremony and national celebration. A committee of Danish and Icelandic scholars was appointed to determine which manuscripts were to be included under the provisos of the laws and in 1986 the manuscript collection was finally fully divided. The return of the manuscripts was completed in 1997. After the division of the Arnamagnæan Collection, around 1,400 manuscripts and manuscript fragments remain in Den Arnamagnæanske Samling in Copenhagen, but only half of them are of Icelandic provenance, among them several of the oldest extant Icelandic manuscripts. The two Arnamagnæan institutes work in close cooperation under the guidance of a committee consisting of two representatives from each institution. The decision made by the Danes to return to the Icelanders such a substantial portion of the Icelandic manuscripts in Denmark has aroused international attention and been considered by the Icelanders a most magnanimous gesture. The Icelandic Manuscript Institute The Icelandic Manuscript Institute was established by law in 1962. In that same year professor Einar Ólafur Sveinsson (1899-1984) was appointed as the Institute’s director, and other positions were filled during the following year. The Manuscript Institute was located in the National Library on Hverfisgata (now the Culture House). The reason for the establishment of the Institute was that a solution to the “manuscript case” was in sight. In cooperation with the University of Iceland, construction began on a building where the manuscripts could be stored and where research on them could be performed, and in 1969 the Icelandic Manuscript Institute transferred its offices and activities to the new building on the university campus, which was given the name Árnagarður. The Institute has been located there ever since. The Árni Magnússon Institute in Iceland In 1972 the legislation pertaining to the Institute was amended, and since then it has been called the Stofnun Árna Magnússonar á Íslandi (the Árni Magnússon Institute in Iceland), most often shortened to Árnastofnun. The Institute is affiliated with the University of Iceland, but has an independent administration and budget. In matters regarding the safeguarding of the manuscripts it reports directly to the government. The rector of the University of Iceland acts as chairman of the supervisory board of the Institute, and joining him on the board are the director of the Institute and a third member appointed by the Minister of Education. The director also holds an appointment as a professor in the Department of Humanities, but has limited teaching duties. Professor Jónas Kristjánsson (b. 1924) filled this position from 1972 to 1994, followed by Professor Stefán Karlsson (b. 1928), from 1994 to 1998. The position is currently filled by Professor Vésteinn Ólason (b. 1939) The Institute’s staff also includes tenured scholars, specialists in the Institute’s research fields, an office manager, a librarian, a conservator, a museum educator, a photographer, and security guards, as well as part-time staff and young scholars hired on a temporary basis.
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