Read about how a librarian from Germany is connected to Iceland, and get some inspiration for your vacation in Iceland!
Heinrich Erkes (1864-1932) had a strong interest in Iceland since 1900, when he started learning the Icelandic language. In 1905 he visited Iceland for the first time. Until his death in 1932 he visited the island eight more times. Although his main focus was on geography, he was also deeply interested in literature. He made friends with several authors and translated their works in German, such as some short stories by Þorgils Gjallandi and Jónas Jónasson. Many Old Norse and modern Icelandic books are part of his collection at the University Library Cologne today.
In a copy of one of them, the famous Passion Hymns by Baroque poet Hallgrímur Pétursson, printed in Hólar in 1666 and now housed at the University Library Cologne under the shelf-mark AD+I95, Paper Trails’ project member Regina Jucknies found a 17th-century-fragment of Hallfréðar þáttr. This story forms part of Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta, a saga that deals with the conversion of Ólafr Tryggvason and the poet Hallfréðr Óttarsson (c. 965-1007) from paganism to Christianity. The fragment contains c. 20 lines of chapter 10 in Hallfréðar þáttr, dealing with the death of Galti and the reconciliation between Hallfréðr and Grís, organised by Þorkell at the Húnavatnsþing, the local assembly in North-West Iceland.
In case you plan to travel to Iceland this summer, here are some places of interest in connection with Paper Trails, the Passion Hymns and our fragment of Hallfréðar þáttr:
Húnavatnsþing was held south of Blönduós in Austur-Húnavatnssýsla, close to the beach at Húnafjörður. Watch out for seals there! Closeby is Hof in Vatnsdalur, the farm where our protagonists from Hallfréðar þáttr stayed overnight before they went to the Húnavantsþing, just before the saga in our fragment starts.
Hólar in Hjaltadalur is the Bishop’s seat in Skagafjörður. It was t h e centre of learning in post-medieval Iceland. It is also the place where the Guðbrandsbiblía (read our blog entry from April!) and the Passion Hymns, including our Cologne copy with the Hallfréðar þáttr-fragment, were printed. Do have a look at the Bishopric’s copy of Guðbrandsbiblía in the church while you are there!
Saurbær in Hvalfjörður in South Iceland, an hour’s scenic drive north of Reykjavík, is where Hallgrímur Pétursson composed the Passion Hymns in 1656-59. They deal with the last day of Jesus Christ, from when he enters the Gardens at Gethsemane until his burial and the guard on watch. They are broadcast on Icelandic radio every lent and have been translated into many other languages. On the altar in the church you can see a cross that Hallgrímur had in his church!
If you would like more inspiration for visiting literary places in Iceland, check out the Icelandic Saga Map from our colleague Emily Lethbridge! And most importantly, enjoy your vacations in Iceland and stay tuned for more news from Paper Trails!
Further reading:
Regina Jucknies. Heinrich Erkes (1864-1932): Kölner Kaufmann, Kenner Islands und kluger Bibliothekar. Vorträge in der Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek Köln 1. Cologne: Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek, 2010.
Regina Jucknies. „Ein Fragment der Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar (aus dem Hallfréðar þáttr) in der Kölner Islandsammlung.“ Gripla 24 (2013): 281-288.