Add MS 4864

BANKS COLLECTION. Vol. VIII (ff. 126). Icelandic ecclesiastical biographies and annals and a semi-historical saga, together with two romantic sagas relating to other countries, in three different hands; 18th cent. 'No. 47' according to a note on f. 1. Viz.:-

(1) 'Hungur Vaka'. History of the first five Bishops of Skálholt (1056-1176), called the Hunger-awakener by its author because he hoped that it would excite a desire to hear more. lt is followed by a page containing a notice of the life of the sixth Bishop, St. Thorlákr, the apostle of Iceland (d. 1193), which is stated in a marginal note to be the work of 'alterius Authoris'. Printed in 1778 at Copenhagen, by the Arna-Magnaean Commission. ff. 2-11.

(2) Annals of the Bishops of Skálholt from 1210 to 1571, according to the heading. These annals were written as a continuation of Hungrvaka by Jón Egilsson, priest of Hrepphólar, at the request of Oddr Einarsson, Bishop of Skálholt in 1588. The dates are wrongly copied through the greater part of these annals; the mistake appears to have arisen from the date of the death of Bp. Arni (1420) having been written MCDXX, and copied by the scribe MDCXX. ff. 11b-41.

(3) 'Svarfdaela Saga'. Story of the Norwegian, Thorsteinn Svarfaðr, telling how he colonises Svarfaðardalr on Eyjafjörðr in North Iceland and how his descendants stigmatise themselves by their atrocities, both at home and on the Viking cruise. Printed at Copenhagen in 1830, by the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries, in Íslendinga Sögur, ii, pp. 113-198. ff. 43-87.

(4) 'Sagann af Apollonio Konge af Tyro': in 25 chapters. This is a modified copy of the version contained in Add. MS. 4857, ff. 28-56b. ff. 88-114b.

(5) 'Sagann af Ingvare Eimundar Syne': in 15 chapters. Story of Ingvar, son of Eymundr, who is brought up at the court of his great-uncle, King Ólafr III of Sweden. It tells how he enters the service of Jarisleifr, king of Garðariki, how he travels in search of the sources of the three great rivers from the east, and how he dies of plague in his 25th year (1041). He is canonised by the Queen of a kingdom on one of the three rivers and she eventually marries his son Sveinn. Printed at Stockholm in 1762, together with a Swedish version by Nils R. Brocman, under the title of Saga af Ingvari Vidförla, og Sveini Syni hans. For an account of this saga, see P. E. Müller, Sagabibliothek, iii, 1820, pp. 158-176. ff. 114b-126. Artt. 4 and 5 are written on paper stamped with the arms of Denmark and the date 1770.

includes:

• ff. 2-41 Bishops of Skalholt: History of, 1056-1176, 1210-1571: 18th cent.: Icelandic.
• ff. 2-41 Icelandic MSS Collection of sagas, annals, legal codes, etc. in Icelandic as follows:: 'Hungur Vaka': history of the bishops of Skálholt, 1056-1176, with continuation 1210-1571.: 18th cent.: copy.
• ff. 11b-41 Jón Egilsson, Priest of Hrepphólar: Annals of the Bishops of Skálholt, 1210-1571, compiled by,: 1588.: Icelandic.: Copy, 18th cent.
• ff. 43 - 87 Icelandic MSS Collection of sagas, annals, legal codes, etc. in Icelandic as follows:: 'Svarfdæla Saga': 18th cent.
• f. 57 Basle, Switzerland: Memorial of J. Durie to the Senate: 1654.: Lat.: Copy.
• ff. 114b-126 Icelandic MSS Collection of sagas, annals, legal codes, etc. in Icelandic as follows:: 'Sagann af Ingvare Eimundar Syne': 18th cent.
• f. 133 Petit: Letter to, from a French Protestant: 1655.
• ff. 881 14b Icelandic MSS Collection of sagas, annals, legal codes, etc. in Icelandic as follows:: 'Sagann af Apollonio Konge af Tyro': 18th cent.