The A to Z of Iceland by Gudmundur Halfdanarson

Author:Gudmundur Halfdanarson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Published: 2010-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

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MAGNÚSSON, ÁRNI (1663–1730). Professor, archivist, and collector of manuscripts. Born on 13 November 1663, Magnússon was fostered first by his maternal grandfather and later by his uncle, both of whom were Lutheran pastors in Dalir County in western Iceland. He studied at the Latin school in Skálholt from 1680 to 1683, and in the fall of 1683, he enrolled in the University of Copenhagen. He studied theology in Copenhagen until 1685 in addition to working as an assistant to the renowned Danish royal antiquarian, Thomas Bartholin. After 1694, Magnússon spent over two years in Germany, and upon returning to Copenhagen in 1697, he was nominated secretary for the royal archives. He was appointed professor at the University of Copenhagen in 1701 but was dispatched as a royal emissary to Iceland the following year.

From 1702 to 1712, Magnússon and Vice Lawman Páll Vídalín traveled around the country, collecting information on its economic conditions, legal practices, and trade. Under their direction, the first census in Iceland was taken in 1703, listing all inhabitants by name, place of residence, age, and status. In this period, they also completed a description of every farm in Iceland. Magnússon was appointed librarian at the University Library in Copenhagen in 1721, effectively serving as its director. At his death in 1730, he bequeathed his manuscript collection to the University of Copenhagen in addition to establishing a special fund to provide financial support to researchers and grants for editions of manuscripts in his collection.

Magnússon is primarily remembered for his contribution to the preservation and study of Icelandic manuscripts. From an early age, he interested himself in the collection of vellum and paper manuscripts, using his connections to gather a great number of them in Iceland and transport them to Copenhagen. Although 19th- and 20th-century nationalists regretted that these cultural jewels had been removed from their country of origin, there is no doubt that Magnússon’s work salvaged many of the Icelandic parchment manuscripts from eventual damage or destruction. See also ÁRNI MAGNÚSSON INSTITUTE FOR ICELANDIC STUDIES.

MAGNÚSSON, SKÚLI (1711–94). The man sometimes called the “father of Reykjavík” was born on 12 December 1711 to a Lutheran pastor in Þingey County. Magnússon studied in Copenhagen between 1732 and 1734 with the intention of becoming a clergyman. In 1734, the king appointed him bailiff in Skaftafell County, and he returned to Iceland the same year to take up his office. Three years later, he was promoted to the office of bailiff in Skagafjörður County, where he served for the next 12 years. In 1749, Magnússon was the first Icelander to be appointed landfógeti, or royal treasurer, in Iceland, an office he held for the remainder of his active life. Unlike most of his predecessors, he served his office with great zeal, furthering with vigor the economic development of Iceland.

After moving to Viðey, a small island just off Reykjavík’s present-day harbor, he was instrumental in persuading the Danish king to establish textile workshops in Reykjavík with the intention of promoting technological innovation in the country.

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