Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 1.djvu/38

 13th century are not ascertained to be so on better data than the appearance and handwriting. It is known that in the 12th century Are Frode, Sæmund, and others began to take the sagas out of the traditionary state, and fix them in writing; but none of the original skins appear to have come down to our times, but only some of the numerous copies of them. Bishop Müller shows good reasons for supposing that before Are Frode's time, and in the 11th century, sagas were committed to writing; but if we consider the scarcity of the material in that age—parchment of the classics, even in Italy, being often deleted, to be used by the monks for their writings—these must have been very few. No well-authenticated saga of ancient date in Runic is extant, if such ever existed; although Runic letters occur in Gothic, and even in Anglo-Saxon manuscripts, mixed with the other characters.

To these Torfæus adds,—Historical Fragments concerning Ivar Vidfadme, Hrærer Staungraubang, Helgius the Acute, and the Battle of Bravalla: also the Codex Flateyensis, as above noticed,—a manuscript so called from the island Flatö, on the west side of Iceland, in which it was discovered, containing the genealogies and annals of the Norwegian kings and chiefs: also a manuscript called by him The Fair Skin—Fagrskinnan; being a breviary of the history of Norway, or chronological compendium from Halfdan the Black to Swerrer's reign; and also several ancient annals, which, being without titles, he cannot cite in his catalogue. Besides these, the following works, no longer extant in any known manuscripts, are referred to in the ancient histories, viz.: The history of Einar the son of Gisle, who killed Giafald, one of the court of King Magnus Barefoot, is cited in the end of the "Life of Saint John Bishop of Holen." The history of Sigurd Cervus is cited by