At the “World in Words” exhibition in Edda, people have the opportunity to view manuscripts from various eras. Manuscripts are regularly replaced, as they cannot stand being in display cases for a long time. One of the manuscripts now on display in Edda is Lbs 1077 8vo, which was written in 1783 by Ólafur Guðmundsson from Vindhæli. The manuscript is preserved in the National Library’s manuscript collection. The script includes, among other things, Margrét’s story, which tells the story of “how the maiden Margrét becomes a Christian but is kicked out of her home and later imprisoned for her faith”, as stated on the exhbition’s website. Saint Margrét was the patron saint of women in childbirth, and the story was interpreted as an analogy for a marital birth. Manuscripts that contain Margrét’s story are small, so it was easy for midwives to travel with them and for midwives to keep them close.
The manuscript is written on paper and mounted in a leather cover. A sewn-on leather thong, in three parts, is attached to the cover and wrapped around the manuscript. The appearance of the script indicates its extensive use.