Manuscript Detail

Parchment.

The manuscript is foliated (1-93) by a hand from the eighteenth century. Kristian Kålund has foliated the old fly-leaf 1a and added bis to the numeral 1 on the first leaf of the parchment. All 95 leaves are foliated: 1a (=fly-leaf) + 1-93 + 94 because fol. 94 is a back fly-leaf.

The manuscript consists of 12 gatherings.

• I: fols 1-6: 1+6, 2+5 and 3+4 are conjoint. The two outermost leaves have been lost, but in the seventeenth century a new fly-leaf was inserted (fol. 1a), the inner edge of which has been brought round behind fol. 6, and by sewing on to this edge another new leaf, the present fol. 7. The part of the saga missing between fols 6 and 8 has been copied on the inserted leaf.
• II: fols 8-15.
• III: fols 16-23.
• IV: fols 24-31.
• V: fols 32-39. Fol. 34 is lost. Fols 32+39, 33+38 and 35+36 are conjoint. Fol. 37 is a single leaf.
• VI: fols 40-47.
• VII: fols 48-55.
• VIII: fols 56-63.
• IX: fols 64-71.
• X: fols 72-79.
• XI: fols 80-87.
• XII: fols 88-93: 89+93 and 91+92 are conjoint; 88 and 90 are single leaves. The present fly-leaf (fol. 94) is a single leaf. This and the back fly-leaf mentioned by Kristan Kålund in his Catalogue ( Katalog I p. 653 ) are younger than the main part of the manuscript.

The manuscript is written in long lines with the number of lines per page varying from 18 to 31. Yet the facing pages always have the same number of lines. On the leaf inserted later, fol. 7, there are 33 lines on the recto and 32 on the verso side. There are 11 lines on fol. 94r and 12 on fol. 94v. Rubrics and initials are in red.

There are two lacunae in the text, each lacuna takes up one leaf. The first lacuna - after fol. 6 - was replaced with an inserted leaf in the seventeenth century; but the writing on the inserted leaf is so indistinct and blurred that it can only be partially read. The second lacuna - after fol. 33 - has not been replaced, and a part of the saga is therefore missing. This leaf was lost sometime in the years c. 1780-1809. There are holes in fols 29, 46, 47, 70 and 92 and tears in fols 6, 22, 32, 33, 40, 48, 49, 51, 54, 63, 65, 71, 81 and 83; and there are some parts of the manuscript where the parchment has become so dark or the writing so indistinct, that reading is difficult.

The saga is written in a practiced older Icelandic Gothic bookhand.

Fol. 94 is also written in an older Icelandic Gothic bookhand.

• I: The very first and also the only major initial of Njáls saga, on fol. 1r, is a littera florissa in the size of 9 lines.
• II and III: There are two identical initials on fol. 94r in the size of 2 lines. They are both litterae florrissae.

Fol. 94 contains musical notation.

Fols 24r-v, 29r, 31v, 32v, 33r, 37r, 39r, 40v, 47v and 52r contain varying poems belonging to the text written in the margin by a contemporary hand, according to Einar Ól. Sveinsson ( Studies in Manuscript Tradtition of Njálssaga p. 6 ) probably by another scribe.

On fols 43v and 50r corrections are added in the margin. Fol. 50v contains a marginal note made by a younger hand. Fol. 93v contains poems added to the saga.

The manuscript was written in Iceland in the beginning of the fourteenth century ( Jón Helgason 1962 p. xi ) Kålund's dating: c. 1300 ( Katalog I p. 653 ).

The following persons are known to have owned the manuscript:

• Ingjaldur Illugason (1560-1643), lögréttumaður of Reykir in Miðfjörður.
• A Jón Ingjaldson, of whom not much is known.
• A Þorkell Arngrímsson.
• Jacob Golius (1596-1657) who got the codex in 1652.
• And Niels Foss (1670-1751) who got the codex in 1696.

On the verso of the front fly-leaf (fol. 1av) some statements about owners of the manuscript in the seventeenth century appear:

• Jngialldur Jllugason aa þessa saugu | bok med riettu Enn einginn annar.
• Jön Minn Jnngialldsson | a þeßa bok giefna af mier | Jngialldi Jllugasyni 1642 Ingialldur Illugason | E.h.
• Jngialldur Jllugason | Atte Bökina | possedit librum hunc | sed nunc datus est Jonæ | Ingialdi filio | ut videre est | Enn Nv gieffin Joni | Jngialldßnj | Sem sia m.
• Þorkell Arngrims | Son. gaf | Jacobo Golio. Anno, 1652.

Árni Magnússon aquired the book from Niels Foss in 1707. Árni comments on this on fols 84v-85r in AM 435 a 4to: AM 468 4to: Nials Saga 4to. (bonus Codex). Komin til min fra | Monsieur Niels Foss 1707. hann keypti bokina inter i Hollande in auctio-|ne Golianâ Anno 1696. Enn Golio hefur hana | gefid þorkell Arngrimsson 1652. | Jn Catalogo librorum MStorum Jac. Golii | hic Codex vocatur: Chroricon de Origine Jslandorum et Norvegorum. perperam. framan á bokinne stendr, ad Jngialldr Jllugason hafi gefed hana Jone Jngialldzsyne 1642. | Aptanvid sguna, á sidurstu sidunne, eru nock-|rar visur, med smu hendi sem sagan, | og heyra þær til Sgunnar, og eru undanfelld-|ar sialfri bokinne.

• Plate, plade 18, s.d.
• Black and white prints, s.d.
• Plate plade 105 II from between 1963-65 (supplementary photographs of the binding.)
• Diapositives roll 6, from January 1984 and May 1984