Dominican Resonances in Medieval Iceland: The Legacy of Bishop Jón Halldórsson of Skálholt

This book explores the life and times of Jón Halldórsson, bishop of Skálholt (1323–39), a Dominican who had studied the liberal arts and canon law in Paris and Bologna, and provides a snapshot with wider implications for understanding of medieval literacy. In May 2016 the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Iceland set out to hold a small conference in Skálholt on the legacy of a medieval bishop who reigned there from 1323 to 1339. The idea for this project originated in a conversation between the two editors of this volume during a coffee break at the 19th Biennial Congress of the New Chaucer Society in Reykjavik in July 2014. The intention was, at first, to compare Franciscan and Dominican influences in Scandinavia through a study of the literary output of Swedish and Norwegian friars who had studied in Paris. As it happened, the project turned to the figure, milieu and influence of the Dominican Jón Halldórsson, who was consecrated bishop of Skálholt in 1322 and whose stories and travels became something of a legend. Half Title -- Series Information -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Illustrations and Tables -- Notes on Contributors -- Introduction -- Part 1 Educational and Cultural Context -- Chapter 1 Canon, Dominican and Brother: The Life and Times of Jón Halldórsson in Bergen -- 1 Sources for the Life of Jón Halldórsson -- 2 The City of Bergen -- 3 The Early Life of Jón in Bergen -- 4 The Dominican Friary in Bergen -- 5 Jón Halldórsson's University Career -- 6 Who Sponsored Jón to Study at University? -- 7 Jón Returns to Bergen -- 8 Christ Church Cathedral -- 9 The Bishops of Bergen -- 10 The Canons of Christ Church Cathedral -- 11 Jón Halldórsson's Career as a Canon -- 12 Finnr Halldórsson and the Apostles Chapel -- 13 The Lay Intellectual Environment in Bergen -- 14 Jón Enters the Dominican Friary in Bergen -- 15 Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Chapter 2 Bishop Jón Halldórsson and Clerical Culture in 14th-Century Iceland -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Church and State - Jón's Political and Legal Environment in Skálholt -- 3 The Reformer in Skálholt -- 4 The Cleric from Paris and Bologna -- 5 Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Part 2 Dominican Exempla and Saga Literature -- Chapter 3 Bishop Jón Halldórsson and 14th-Century Innovations in Saga Narrative: The Case of Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana -- 1 Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana -- 2 The Cycle of the Seven Sages -- 3 Bishop Jón Halldórsson's ævintýri "Af þrimur kumpánum" -- 4 Clári saga and Egils saga ok Ásmundar -- 5 The Troublesome Dichotomy of 'indigenous' and 'alien' -- Bibliography -- Chapter 4 Holy Ministry in Old Norse ævintýri -- 1 Monks -- 2 Bishops -- 3 Popes -- Bibliography -- Chapter 5 Clári saga and Its Continental Siblings: A Comparative Literary Approach to an Old Problem -- 1 The Language of Clári saga -- 2 atu 900 King Thrushbeard -- 3 The Table-Manners Motif List of Illustrations and Tables vii Notes on Contributors viii Introduction / Gunnar Harðarson and Karl G. Johansson 1 Part 1. Educational and Cultural Context 1. Canon, Dominican and Brother: The Life and Times of Jón Halldórsson in Bergen / Christian Etheridge 7 2. Bishop Jón Halldórsson and Clerical Culture in 14th-Century Iceland / Viðar Pálsson 41 Part 2. Dominican Exempla and Saga Literature 3. Bishop Jón Halldórsson and 14th-Century Innovations in Saga Narrative: The Case of 'Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana' / Gottskálk Jensson 59 4. Holy Ministry in Old Norse 'ævintýri' / Hjalti Snær Ægisson 79 5. 'Clári saga' and Its Continental Siblings: A Comparative Literary Approach to an Old Problem / Védís Ragnheiðardóttir 92 Part 3. Manuscripts and Illuminations 6. Jón Halldórsson and Law Manuscripts of Western Iceland c. 1320–40 / Stefan Drechsler 125 7. AM 657 a–b 4° and the Mouvance of Medieval Texts: Roles and Functions in the Transmission of Texts in a Manuscript Culture / Karl G. Johansson 151 Part 4. Music and Liturgy 8. Liturgical Change and Liturgical Plurality in the Province of Nidaros: New Light on the 'Ordo Nidrosiensis Ecclesiae' / Astrid Marner 183 9. Some Reflections on the Liturgy for St. Þorlákr / Gisela Attinger 203 Part 5. Manuscript Practice and Multiple Careers 10. Elucidating Charter Practice and Administrative Literacy in Four Works by Einarr Hafliðason / Embla Aae 225 11. Music and Manuscripts in Skálholt and Þingeyrar / Gunnar Harðarson 260 Appendices Appendix 1: The Account of Bishop Jón Halldórsson ('Jón’s þáttr') 293 Appendix 2: Bishop Hákon of Bergen to Bishop Jón of Skálholt 301 Appendix 3: Christian Etheridge / The Booklist of Bishop Árni Sigurðsson 303 Appendix 4: Stefan Drechlser / Contents of AM 671 4° 317 Index 331 "Dominican Resonances in Medieval Iceland' explores the life and legacy of Jón Halldórsson, Bishop of Skálholt (1322-39), a Dominican who had studied the liberal arts in Paris and canon law in Bologna. Combining different disciplinary approaches (literary and intellectual history, manuscript studies, musicology), this book aims to examine the conditions under which literate culture thrived in 14th-century Scandinavia. The studies included in this volume consider Jón Halldórsson's educational background and his contributions as a storyteller to Old Norse literature, focusing especially upon legendary sagas such as Clári saga and examining their link to the Dominican tradition of exempla. The volume also includes critical studies of manuscripts that contain tales and adventures, secular law and canon law, administrative writings, as well as music and liturgy from the province of Nidaros. Combining these various analytical perspectives results in rich insights with broad implications for our understanding of medieval Nordic culture. Contributors are Astrid Marner, Christian Etheridge, Embla Aae, Gisela Attinger, Gottskálk Jensson, Gunnar Hardarson, Hjalti Snær Ægisson, Karl G. Johansson, Stefan Drechsler, Védís Ragnheiðardóttir, and Viðar Pálsson." -- Publisher, page four of cover "Dominican Resonances in Medieval Iceland' explores the life and legacy of Jón Halldórsson, Bishop of Skálholt (1322-39), a Dominican who had studied the liberal arts in Paris and canon law in Bologna. Combining different disciplinary approaches (literary and intellectual history, manuscript studies, musicology), this book aims to examine the conditions under which literate culture thrived in 14th-century Scandinavia. The studies included in this volume consider Jón Halldórsson's educational background and his contributions as a storyteller to Old Norse literature, focusing especially upon legendary sagas such as Clari saga and examining their link to the Dominican tradition of exempla. The volume also includes critical studies of manuscripts that contain tales and adventures, secular law and canon law, administrative writings, as well as music and liturgy from the province of Nidaros. Combining these various analytical perspectives results in rich insights with broad implications for our understanding of medieval Nordic culture. Contributors are Astrid Marner, Christian Etheridge, Embla Aae, Gisela Attinger, Gottskálk Jensson, Gunnar Hardarson, Hjalti Snær Ægisson, Karl G. Johansson, Stefan Drechsler, Védís Ragnheiðardóttir, and Viðar Pálsson."