„Sva er kallat | or land norðri“
„annaʀ hlvtr iarðar heiter af|frika“
Kålund, Alfræði íslenzk I s. 8:27-10:3
Simek, Altnordische Kosmographie 432
Addition from the fourteenth century; written in the upper part of the originally blank leaf, 1r.
„ Vpphaf Sueins konvngs “
„S |verit settr til rikis a vinlande i iomsborg“
„en hallda þeso ʀiki ær guð hefir mik eignazc latit.“
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 1-33:22
Unger, Heimskringla eller Noregs Kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlasøn s. 503:5-545
The first six chapters introducing Sveinn Alfísuson are taken from Ólafs saga helga and serve as a foreword to Magnús saga ins góða, starting with chapter 7.
„Vpphaf saugu Haralldz konungs Sigvrðar sonar “
„HAralldr son Sigurðar syr broðer.“
„uar hann vinsæll konvngr af allri alþyðo“
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 33:24-103:31
Unger, Heimskringla eller Noregs Kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlasøn s. 546-628
„Fra olaui kyʀa“
„OLafr var einn konungr yfir noregi eptir andlat Magnus broðor sins.“
„ ok hafðe noregr mikit auðgaz ok pryz under hans ʀiki“
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 103:32-108
Unger, Heimskringla eller Noregs Kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlasøn s. 629-635
„Vpphaf Magnus konvngs berbeins “
„MAgnus son Olafs konvngs var þegar til konungs tekinn “
„tokő | sǫ kőm synir Magnus konvngs hann í inn mesta kęrleik.“
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 109-129:15
Fornmanna sögur VII s. 1-73:2 Ed. A
Unger, Heimskringla eller Noregs Kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlasøn s. 636-660
„Vphaf þeira. sona magnus. berbeins eysteins. sigurðar oláfs“
„EPTir fall Magnus konvngs berfætz toko synir hans konvngdom ínoregi “
„ ok var hans ǫlld goð landz folkino var þa bæðe ar ok friðr“
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 129:16-163
Fornmanna sögur VII s. 74-174 Ed. A
Storm, Sigurd Ranessöns Proces 30-40 Þinga þáttr, fols 40v-41v.
Unger, Heimskringla eller Noregs Kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlasøn s. 661-702
„Vpp haf rikis Magnus ok harallz Gilla “
„MAgnus son sigurðar konvngs var tekinn til konvngs í óslu“
„haʀalldr konvngr var | iarðaðr í kristzkirkio inne forno“
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 164-182:30
Fornmanna sögur VII s. 175-205 Ed. A
Unger, Heimskringla eller Noregs Kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlasøn s. 703-723
„Vpphaf Sigurðar ok inga konvnga“
„INgiriðr drottning ok með henni | lendir menn ok hirðmenn“
„af slikom raðom simunskalpr óf hialpazc“
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 182:31-207
Fornmanna sögur VII s. 206-251 Ed. A
Unger, Heimskringla eller Noregs Kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlasøn s. 724-755
„orrvsta i konunga hellv“
„HAkon son Sigurðar konvngs var tekinn til hǫfðingia yfir flock þann er aðr hafðe fylgt eysteini konvngi“
„En þeir hakonar menn tóko upp brvðk|psveizlona alla ok stormikit lútskipti annat“
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 208-223
Fornmanna sögur VII s. 252-278:22 Ed. A
Unger, Heimskringla eller Noregs Kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlasøn s. 756-774:15
„fra erlingi orms. syni ok lendum maunnum“
„HAkon konvngr lagðe þa land allt undir sík“
„en | erlingr Iarl faðer hans. sem hann var yngri“
Unger, Heimskringla eller Noregs Kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlasøn s. 778-812
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 224-254
Karl Jónsson & Þorleifur Hauksson, Sverris saga Var.app. E.
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 256-438
Fornmanna sögur VIII s. 7-448
Unger, Konunga sögur, Sagaer om Sverre og hans Efterfølgere s. 2:4-202
„prologus firi Sueʀis saugv“
„Her hefr upp ok segir fra þeim tiþendum er nu hafa verit um hrið“
„er verit hafa iforneskiu“
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 255
Fornmanna sögur VIII s. 5-6 Ed. G
„Vpphaf sꜹgv Sueʀis konungs “
„HROJ byskup var þann tima ifæreyíum“
„uar hann þa uetr gamall haufðo þa suiar iarl broklausan“
„Vpp haf hakonar sueʀis sunar er hann var tíl konungs tekiɴ“
„ÐAt sama sumaʀ ær suerrir konungr andaðiz um varit“
„sa er hestskuana ger|ði het þorðr uettir“
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 439-470
Unger, Konunga sögur, Sagaer om Sverre og hans Efterfølgere s. 203-238
„her hefr saugv hakonar konungs hakonar sonar hins krunaða“
„A DAUGUM innocencij paua þes ær inn þriði“
„þa syslu menn eptir þat “
Finnur Jónsson, Eirspennill s. 471-664
Fornmanna sögur IX s. 229-535 Ed. G
Fornmanna sögur X s. 1-108 Ed. G
Unger, Konunga sögur, Sagaer om Sverre og hans Efterfølgere s. 239-456:26
Parchment.
Foliated 1-194 (including 1bis) by Kristian Kålund. The manuscript is paginated in the upper right-hand corners of some of the recto-pages and in the upper left-hand corners of some of the verso-pages.
From p. 60 only every tenth page is paginated: 60, 70, 80 etc. up to 200.
The manuscript has rubrics in red and initials in green. The text is written in one column with 32-34 lines per page.
Even though many of the leaves are torn, the manuscript is well preserved. The upper and lower parts of fol. 1 are, however, damaged and only a thin strip of the originally second leaf (foliated 1bis) is extant. The lower part of fol. 92 has been cut out and a leaf is missing between fols 193 and 194. The manuscript ends defectively (approximately six leaves are missing).
The prologue and the text of Heimskringla (1r-72v:4) are written in a practiced Icelandic Gothic bookhand. The script has not been found in any other extant manuscripts.
The second part of the manuscript, 72v:4-194, is written in a hand contemporary to the first. This hand also is also found in a fragment of Knýtlinga saga, AM 20b II fol..
A third hand wrote most of the chapter headings. Stéfan Karlsson identified this hand as the hand of AM 221 fol.
Further marginalia in Latin, Icelandic-Norwegian and Danish from the sixteenth century. Most often they are concerning the content of the text. Occasional dates and corrections by Árni Magnússon.
Bound in the original leather binding with a brass clasp, from which the manuscript derives its name. Size of binding: 295 mm x 234 mm x 85 mm
Written in Iceland, in the beginning of the fourteenth century.
Some researchers, e.g. Finnur Jónsson ( Finnur Jónsson 1916 s. xvii ) considered Norway the place of origin of the manuscript. However, due to occasional hypercorrect Norwegian forms in the text, Stefán Karlsson (Stefán Karlsson 197859) proposed that Eirspennill was produced in an Icelandic scriptorium, exporting manuscripts to Norway.
Information on the owners of the manuscript can be found in the marginalia and in Árni Magnússon’s notes in AM 435a 4to
Árni Magnússon acquired the manuscript after the death of Jens Rosenkrantz in 1695. On fol. 37v in AM 435 4to he wrote: Snorra Sturlusonar æfi Noregs konunga | tekr til ä Sveine Alfiſusyne. | Sverris Saga. | Hakonar Saga Hakonarsonar, vantar | nockud lited aptan vid. | Þesse bok er og ligesom AM 45 fol. komin fra Otto Friis til Rosencrantz, og epter hann | lidinn eignadizt eg bokina. er in fol.
Catalogued 18. október 1999 by EW-J. Latest update 27. júní 2022.
I ágúst 1928 the manuscript was restored by Anker Kyster and new flyleaves were added.
The first two leaves, the entire spine and the clasp were restored 4 December 1968 to 21 January 1969.
Exhibited in Oslo (Universitetets oldsaksamling) 29 February to 8 August 1972.
Lent to Rigsarkivet for the archivistH. C. Bjerg 17-25 May 1976.