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Um fyrirhugaða ferð Stefáns Ólafssonar skálds til Frakklands

Abstract

It has long been held as fact that in 1647 Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson advised Stefán Ólafsson not to accept a position as antiquarian at the library of Cardinal Mazarin in Paris. If we study the sources, Stefán’s letters to Bishop Brynjólfur, we find that this view is based on an error in translation, and that in fact it is more reasonable to assume that Bishop Brynjólfur told Stefán’s parents to grant him permission to go to France. Stefán Ólafsson’s letters to Eiríkur Ketilsson and to Bishop Brynjólfur in early May of 1646 indicate that he had already been discussing a move to Paris. On the other hand, it is not until a letter to Isaac de la Peyrère in early December 1646 that Ole Worm mentions that Stefán is willing to go to Paris. From Ole Worm’s correspondence with French men of learning we see that Stefán’s contemplated move to Paris is mentioned only twice, in two letters to Isaac de la Peyrère. The correspondence contains no response to Ole Worm’s suggestion.