Manuscript Detail

Parchment.

Foliated in the bottom margins.

The manuscript consists of 8 quires:

• I: fols 1+8, 2+7, 3+6, 4+5
• II: fols 9+17, 10+16, 11, 12+15, 13+14
• III: fols 18+26, 19+25, 20+24, 21+23, 22
• IV: fols 27+33, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 (fols 28+32 and 29+31 were once bifolios)
• V: fols 34+38, 35+37, 36
• VI: fols 39+40
• VII: fols 41+47, 42+46, 43+45, 44
• VIII: fol. 48

Written in double columns except from fols 6, 13, 29 and 39-48 (mostly Njáls saga) which are written in one column. There are 42 to 57 lines per page.

The flourished majuscules are either red or green with a flourishing in the contrasting colour. Rubrics and some initials in red.

The manuscript is defective. The script is, at some places, hard to decipher because of wear and the condition of the vellum. Fols 27-33 have holes and are damaged at the top and the bottom, close to the spine. Fols 36-37 are damaged in the same manner. Fols 1, 3, 5, 17, 24, 27, 38 and 39 have tears or holes. Fols 39, 40 and 48 show traces of once having been used as binding material.

It has been suggested that Jón Oddsson was the scribe of the manuscript (Scott, Eyrbyggja saga p. 110* ).

Three historierated initials occur on ff. 1va, 16rb and 20rb. All three are copies of the corresponding initials in Flateyjarbók (ff. 9va, 60vb and 65vb).

In the bottom margins of the codex, some notes in red ink by the scribe and some proverbs are found.

There are two AM-slips: the recto of the a-slip writes: Olafs Saga Tryggvasonarvantar | [vantar mikid ï] Allar 3 arkirnar eru | samstaðar og vantar | ekki í nema við end-|ann hefr | druvïs upphaf enn | adrar. | þattur af þorsteini Uxa-|fot. | þattur af Nornagest. | þattur Helga Þorissonar. | Hallla þattur, vantar | endann. | communicavit Th. Th. . The verso has a copy of two of the rubrics: ættar t… and huerir konungar styrt hafa noregi. The b-slip has:Aptan af LaxdælaSgu | framan af Eyrbyggiu | ur Grettis Sgu | þetta fragment er mitt, | og heyrer manifeste til | hins fragmentsens qvod | communicavit. Th. Th. | hvar ä er partur framan | af Olafs Sgu Tr. s. | Eg true eg hafi þetta | feinged fra Bæ i Floa.

The manuscript, or at least the first part, was written in Iceland in 1498. On fol. 1ra:36-39 the scribe states: hann [Ólafr Hákonarson] var þa konungr er su |bok uar skrifud er þessi bok uar eptir skrifud þa var lidit fra hingad | bvrd uors herra iesv christi. M. CCC. LXXX. ok siau ꜳr. enn nu erv | fra hans hingadburd er sia bok er skrifud M. CCCC. nivtigir ok atta ar.

In the bottom margin of fol. 17v the scribe added: on odds son ꜳ mik | ok er ecki nema hans eign . According to Árni Magnússon's account on fol. 58v-59r in his catalogue of Icelandic parchment manuscripts (AM 435 a 4to) fols 1-26 belonged to the Church of Skálholt and later to bishop, Jón Vídalín. Árni seem to remember that he got the rest from Bær in Flóa: Ur Olafs Sỏgu Tryggvasonar fragment. | þattur af þorsteini uxafot. | Þattur af Nornagesti. | þattur Helga þoris sonar. | Halla þattur vantar vid endann. | 4to majori, óinnbunded. feinged af | Mag. Jone Wid. hefur fyrrum heyrt | Skalholltz kirkiu til.eda og leiged i Skalhollte epter, af bokum Mag. Bryniolfs. þó mun hitt helldur vera. Aptan af Laxdæla Sỏgu. | framan af Eyrbyggia Sỏgu. | vantar nú ur Grettis Sỏgu. | þetta þrent minner mig eg feinged hafi | fra Bæ i Floa. Er manifeste ur | sama Codice, og lagde eg þad þvi þar | saman vid: ut voluminis antiqva ratio /:qvantum in me esset/: Sibi constaret.

Scott (Eyrbyggja Saga: The vellum traditionp. 106*) has, however, raised doubt about the reliability of Árni's account, arguing that in 1692 (which was the year Þorlákur Þórðarson brought with him several manuscripts from Iceland to Denmark) Jón Vídalín was not yet in a position to dispose of manuscripts belonging to the church and that Árni must have confused him with his predecessor Þórður Þorláksson (Thorlacius).

It seems possible that Þórlákur Þórðarson delivered a part, or all, of AM 309 4to, as a part of a larger group of manuscripts, to Árni Magnússon in 1692.

• Plate, plade16, s.d.
• Diapositives from September 1961.