blóðflæðið

Blóðflæðið is a codex created in Iceland in the 14th to 15th century. The manuscript is a collection of Icelandic manuscripts, including Landnámabók and other texts. The work is an example of the digraphic system in the description of Iceland's settlements, listed in order of their founding. A later addition to the codex is an alphabetic list of 1113 people who settled Iceland.

A key feature of Blóðflæðið is its inclusion of a detailed genealogy of Icelandic settlers. The manuscript contains a mixture of Christian and pre-Christian culture, showcasing the interconnectedness of the two in Icelandic society at the time. Blóðflæðið is among several major sources of the period reflecting the interchange between the Church and traditional culture.

The manuscript was created at the behest of Páll Jónsson, a member of an important Icelandic clerical and clan family, the Skálholts bishops, in the 14th century. Blóðflæðið is significant in the understanding of Iceland's history, the relationship of the written word to everyday legal and cultural life in medieval Iceland, and issues of church and nation in Iceland towards the end of the Middle Ages.

Blóðflæðið has been preserved, and substantial fragments of the manuscript, along with its content, have been transcribed and studied. It is considered to be an important source for those who study the History of Iceland during the Middle Ages, as it approaches the culture of the time in its call on both esoteric and established sources to give their accounts. Due to periodic copying in the manuscript process of Blóðflæðið, the document appears with overall changes in both content and language, providing a thorough outline of changes in Iceland during its settlement and early period.