Arnas Magnaeus Philologus (1663-1730)
Jónsson, Már
The Icelandic scholar and antiquarian Árni Magnússon (1663-1730) - Arnas Magnæus in Latinised form - spent much of his life building up what is by common consent the single most important collection of early Scandinavian manuscripts in existence. The collection, now divided between Copenhagen and Reykjavík, comprises nearly 3000 items, the earliest dating from the 12th century. The majority of these are from Árni's native Iceland, but there ar...