Artefact of the Month
A Clash of Traditions? – Codex runicus
In 1728, a fire destroyed much of Copenhagen, including the University Library. Árni Magnússon barely saved his invaluable manuscript collection. One of the manuscripts did not originally belong in the collection; to this day, it is not clear how it got there. The manuscript itself is as mysterious: while having the form of a medieval codex, it is written in runes. Why were such different writing traditions combined in one written artefact?