Introduction
Árni Magnússon and his collection
Manuscript collection
Manuscript exhibition
Library
Folklore collection
Photographic laboratory
Staff and guests
Publications
Links

Icelandic version

University of Iceland

The Árni Magnússon Institute in Iceland was established in 1972 by legislation in the Alþingi, the Icelandic Parliament. It took over the role of the former Manuscript Institute, which had been in operation since 1962.

The Árni Magnússon Institute, which is part of the University of Iceland, has custody of the Icelandic manuscripts, both medieval and modern, which were returned to Iceland from the Arnamagnæan Institute and the Royal Library in Copenhagen in accordance with the 1961 act passed in the Danish Parliament.

The Árni Magnússon institute in Iceland has two principal roles:

(i) to conduct research relating to the manuscripts in its care and to other aspects of Icelandic culture and folklore, and
(ii) to publish comprehensive critical editions of the manuscripts.

While these editions normally consist of printed transcriptions of the main texts, the Institute also publishes facsimile editions of certain manuscripts. All such publications represent basic documents for further research on or editions of these texts, and are thus indispensable for scholars involved in the study of Icelandic or Old Norse language and literature.

The Institute also publishes in its monograph series (Rit series) doctoral theses, scholarly monographs, and articles on various aspects of Icelandic language, literature and culture. While longer theses and studies appear as individual volumes in the series, shorter essays are collected in special volumes and appear under the title GRIPLA. The languages of these publications are Icelandic, the Scandinavian languages, English, German and French.

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Árni Magnússon (1663-1730) was an Icelander; he was professor at the University of Copenhagen, which at that time was the university of Denmark, Norway and Iceland. Throughout his life he was a passionate student of Icelandic history, and as a collector of manuscripts he was unique in his time. His collection of manuscripts was by far the largest collection of medieval Icelandic manuscripts then in existence. It eventually became the property of the Arnamagnæan Foundation, which was associated with the University of Copenhagen.

The transfer of Árni Magnússon's manuscript collection from Denmark to Iceland, which began in 1971, was concluded in June 1997. That part of the Arnamagnæan collection which is considered to be part of Iceland's cultural heritage, according to the Danish legislation passed in 1961, are housed in the Stofnun Árna Magnússonar á Íslandi, while the other part of the collection remains in the custody of Det arnamagnæanske Institut in Copenhagen.

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It was recognised that the return of the manuscripts could take at least 25 years, as they all had to be photographed and many of them repaired in Copenhagen. The transfer was concluded in June 1997.

With the return of all the relevant manuscripts from Denmark, there are around 1750 manuscripts and parts of manuscripts in the collection.

Among other important manuscripts in the collection is Skarðsbók, which contains the sagas of the apostles, a vellum manuscript, purchased in London in 1965.

Icelands's earliest writings and some well-known manuscripts.

Gamle islandske skrifter og nogle kendte håndskrifter (dansk).

Codex Regius of the Eddic poems and Flateyjarbok

Manuscript exhibition

Phone: +525 4010
Fax: +525 4035
Exhibition guide: Svanhildur Gunnarsdóttir
E-mail: svanhigu@rhi.hi.is

The Institute mounts manuscript exhibitions which are open to the general public as follows:

The exhibition is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from September 1st 1999 to May 14th 2000 between 14.00 and 16.00.

Entrance: ISK 300.-

The exhibition includes vellum manuscripts dating from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century.

The exhibition The Rythmic Office of St Þorlákur and Other Medieval Manuscripts from the See of Skálholt opened on June 1st 1998.

Exhibition Catalogue - Udstillingskatalog (dansk)

For sale

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Phone: +525-4022/4010
Fax: +5254035
Librarian: Ólöf Benediktsdóttir
E-mail: olofbe@rhi.hi.is

The collection has some 19,000 books and 140 serial titles and a good collection of reprints. The principal subject areas are Icelandic and European medieval language, literature and history, and folklore.

The library is for the use of scholars in the institute and for visiting scholars in the subject area. It is not a lending library but it is possible to obtain inter-library loans or photocopies.

There is a reading room for 14 people. Working tables for visiting scholars normally have to be reserved several weeks in advance.

There are also excellent reading rooms at the new National and University Library's manuscript division, which is only a five minute walk from the Árni Magnússon Institute.

The National library's catalogue, Gegnir, is available on the Internet. Gegnir is the union catalogue of the National and University Library of Iceland and several other research libraries and it includes also the National Icelandic Bibliography. The institution's collection mark in the catalogue is "sám". The Gegnir also includes Greinir, an article index for Icelandic periodicals.

When searching in Gegnir or Greinir Icelandic font problems may arise for those without access to equipment which is compatible with ISO-8859/1 standard. It may be necessary to select the letter nearest to the one you are looking for and then browse on as required. It is as well to note that searches for Icelandic authors are conducted by first name: simply follow the instructions on the screen.

Gegnir and Greinir

The National and University Library of Iceland

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Phone: +525-4020/4010
Fax: +5254035
Information: Rósa Þorsteinsdóttir
E-mail: rosat@rhi.hi.is

The Árni Magnússon Institute also serves as a folklore institute. The collection includes some 2000 hours of recorded material, including folklore items that have been collected both in Iceland and among the Icelandic population in Canada. There are rímur, folk stories and related items. The collection is now being catalogued onto a special database, where it will be possible to look up items by subject, and performer.

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Phone: +5254021/-4010
Fax: +5254035
Photographer: Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir
E-mail: joholaf@rhi.hi.is

It is possible to purchase microfilms and photographs of manuscripts, for purposes of research or publication.

The Arnamagnæan Institute in Copenhagen also sells films and photographs.

The Institute seeks to obtain microfilms and photographs of all Icelandic manuscripts that are preserved abroad. It also produces photostat copies of the manuscripts in the Institute's own collection, so the manuscripts themselves can be preserved.

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The Árni Magnússon Institute in Icelandic