Page:History of the Literature of the Scandinavian North.djvu/98

80 of the literary remains of Iceland's antiquity was not to remain limited to the scholars of that island, was a supply of, and in the furnishing of these the Icelanders also, and as a matter of course especially those who lived in Denmark, took an active and praiseworthy part. Thus published the first Icelandic grammar in 1651, and, from Laufóss (1573-1636), compiled an Icelandic dictionary, published by Ole Worm in 1650, in which the Icelandic words were printed in runes, they being at that time regarded as the original manuscript alphabet in the North. Another Icelandic dictionary, of which (died 1654) is the author, appeared in 1683. Gudmund was also the first scholar who wrote on the poems of the Elder Edda. His work on the Vala's Prophecy and Odin's High Song, accompanied by a Latin translation, was published in Denmark in the same volume as the first edition of the Younger Edda.

The Danish government took great pains to make the Icelandic manuscripts more widely accessible to the world of scholars, and from the time of King Frederik III (1648- 1670) it appointed royal antiquaries who were charged with this duty. Naturally enough, Icelanders were chiefly called to fill this office. Of these antiquaries there is, however, only one who was of any great importance,, 1636-1719, and by him the whole subject of archæology was raised to the highest point of excellence and scholarship. In 1660 he was appointed "interpres regius" in the royal service, in which capacity he translated under the very eyes of Frederik several sagas and other manuscripts into Danish. Then he was sent to Iceland to make a search for parchments, of which he brought with