The Highlight of the month is the manuscript Lbs 1552 4to. It is the so-called Eldrit (Fire Treatise) of Rev. Jón Steingrímsson (1728–1791) of Prestbakki in Síða. Jón wrote the manuscript in 1788. In it he describes the background to and consequences of the Skaftá Fires. On 8 June 1783 an eruption began in the Laki craters; it lasted until February 1784, with grave consequences for the people of Iceland. Much of the livestock died and famine spread among the people; it is thought that more than 10,000 people died, about 20% of the nation. The disasters that followed the Skaftá Fires are usually called Móðuharðindin (the Haze Famine), a name that refers to the haze that hung over everything in connection with the eruption. The effects of the eruption were also felt in Europe, and some have even gone so far as to trace the start of the French Revolution to its consequences.
The manuscript includes Jón’s description of the so-called Eldmessa (Fire Sermon) he held on 20 July 1783; it is believed that the force of Jón’s prayers made the lava flow stop and the eruption begin to subside. Because of this, Jón has often been called the Fire Priest.
The text was first printed in the fourth volume of Safn til sögu Íslands og íslenzkra bókmenta að fornu og nýju, and that edition can be found on the website bækur.is.
Click the picture below to view the manuscript on handrit.is:
