Arnamagnáean

Arnamagnæan refers to the collection of manuscripts and documents assembled by Arni Magnússon (1663-1730), an Icelandic scholar and antiquarian. Magnússon dedicated much of his life to collecting and preserving medieval Icelandic manuscripts, traveling extensively throughout Iceland and Norway to acquire them. His efforts were crucial in safeguarding a vast portion of Iceland's literary heritage, which otherwise might have been lost.

The Arnamagnæan Collection is housed in two principal institutions: the Arnamagnæan Institute at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and the Arnamagnæan Institute at the University of Iceland in Reykjavík. These institutions continue to manage and study the collection, which includes a significant number of Old Norse sagas, Eddic poems, historical texts, legal documents, and theological works. The manuscripts are invaluable resources for researchers studying medieval Scandinavian history, language, literature, and culture.

Magnússon's work was driven by a profound sense of duty to his heritage and a keen understanding of the fragility of historical records. His meticulous cataloging and preservation efforts have made the Arnamagnæan Collection one of the most important repositories of medieval Nordic literature in the world, offering unparalleled insights into the intellectual and cultural life of medieval Iceland and its surrounding regions.