Centuries of Faith, Music, and Print Culture
The Old Icelandic Books collection includes a substantial and varied selection of bibles and other religious texts that reflect a vital chapter in Icelandic and European literary and cultural history. The collection features Icelandic bibles alongside ancient bibles in various other languages.
Among the holdings are well-known Icelandic religious works that played a central role in the life of the nation, including the Grallari (hymnal), Leirgerður, and the Saltari (psalter), along with other influential texts that shaped Iceland’s religious tradition and culture.
These books carry within them the history of faith, music, and the printed word, as well as broader cultural development. They offer insight into how Christianity and literary culture evolved in Iceland, and how the Icelandic language and literature have been preserved through the centuries.
Within the Old Icelandic Books collection, these works are preserved not only as historical artefacts but as living records of the ideas, beliefs, and culture of past ages. By introducing guests to these unique texts, and allowing them to touch and leaf through them, another window into Iceland’s cultural heritage is opened.