Rewriting the Settlement

Landnámabók (The Book of Settlements) is one of the most important historical texts composed in medieval Iceland. It describes in considerable detail the settlement of Iceland by the Norse in the ninth and tenth centuries. In this article the key differences between the three medieval versions of Landnámabók are analysed. It is argued that there is very little material in later versions which can be traced directly to this earliest version which was purportedly composed in the twelfth century. However, it is argued that two lost versions from the early thirteenth century are likely to have influenced later versions. The surviving versions of Landnámabók were all composed during the first decades of royal rule in Iceland. In these versions the emphasis is placed on the status and nobility of the settlers, who are depicted as involved in high politics in Norway before their move to Iceland. However, there are notable differences between each of three surviving versions from that time, which reflect the different viewpoint of the redactors.