Return of cultural property... Summaries

Abstract

The protracted negotiations concerning the return of medieval manuscripts to Iceland from Danish collections is the classic restitution case in Scandinavia. The case is dealt with in three contributions mirroring both the Icelandic and Danish views on the controversy. Vesteinn Ólason in his paper ’The homecoming of the manuscripts in a scholarly and ideological perspective’ gives a brief overview of the number of manuscripts, their history and the considerations that finally settled the issue. The manuscripts dating from the period 1200–1500 are the oldest written sources of Norse language and literature. As early as the 17th century they began to attract the attention and curiosity of scholars who were studying the development and differentiation of old Norse into the various Scandinavian languages, medieval Scandinavian history and literary traditions. The manuscripts were assembled by ardent collectors and taken to Denmark and Sweden.