Ari "the Learned" Thorgilsson

Iceland's most prominent medieval chronicler. He is the author of Íslendingabók, which details the histories of the various families who settled Iceland. He is typically referred to as Ari the Wise (Ari hinn fróði), and according to Snorri Sturluson was the first to write history in Old Norse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ari_%C3%9Eorgilsson

From http://www.northvegr.org/lore/landnamabok/001.php:

"Ari the Learned was born in 1067, of a noble family sprung from Queen Aud and King Olaf the White, from whom he was eighth in descent. Of his lineal ancestors five were born in Iceland, two in the heathen days, three in the christian times, but only one died a heathen. His sixth lineal ancestor, the settler Olaf Feilan, was born in the western islands, probably in Dublin, but died in Iceland. On his father's side Ari was the great-grandson of Gudrun the heroine of the Laxdala Saga, on the mother's side he was sprung from Hall-o-side, up to whom it is remarkable that the three great Icelandic historians trace their descent on the mother's side, Thorey, Sæmund's mother being Hall's granddaughter, and Joreid, Aris' mother, his great granddaughter, Gudrig, Snorri's mother standing to him both in the sixth or seventh degrees of descent. It was from the Reyknessings that the historian got his name of Ari = the eagle. His father Thorgils was drowned in his infancy, hence he was brought up at Helgafell (Holy fell) the house of his grandfather. He was a godi and is once, in 1118, recorded among the chiefs of Iceland who were in Holy Orders. He was married and had a son and a daughter. He died in 1148, on Nov. 9th, aged 81.

       "Ari the Learned," says Snorri in his preface to the Heimskringla, "was the first man of this land who wrote down lore both old and new in the speech of the north. He came when seven winters old to Hawkdale, (10) to Hall the son of Thorarin and abode there fourteen winters. Hall was an exceeding wise man of keen memory. Teit the son of Bishop Isleif also taught Ari much. He was fostered at Hall's in Hawkdale, and taught Ari the priest manifold lore, which Ari wrote down afterwards. Ari got manifold knowledge from Thurid daughter of Snorri the priest, a woman wise of wit. She remembered Snorri her father who was near thirty-five when Christ's faith came to Iceland, therefore nothing wonderful it is that Ari knew many ancient tales both of our lands and the outlands, inasmuch as he had learned them from old men and wise, and was himself a man of eager wit and fruitful memory."

Ari was the true father of Icelandic letters, as well as the first prose writer and first historian in the Icelandic language. It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that whatever we know for certain of the life, religion, and constitution of the old days of the Scandinavian States is in one way or other due to Ari. And it is well for us that he lived when he did, like Herodotus, just in time to gather up and garner for us traditions that were dying out or been driven out of men's minds by new interests and new ideas, and not in vain does Snorri perhaps half regretfully, notice his age and the opportunities it gave him, advantages which he himself was denied.
===Ari's works=== Three works of his are distinctly mentioned.

• The Konungbók, or Book of Kings (Heimskringla).
• The Landnamabók, or Book of the Settlement.
• The Islendingabók, or Book of the Icelanders.

The very use of the work "bók" is distinctive of Ari, for when he wrote, all preceeding histories were Sagas in the true sense of the word, that is, they were viva voce traditions which had never been written down, and it would seem he thus distinguishes his own written work, to distinguish it from what is recited orally, the Saga or what is recited or said.

Ari fróði Þorgilsson (f. 1067 - d. 9. nóvember 1148) var íslenskur rithöfundur og fræðimaður. Hann er talinn aðalhöfundur Íslendingabókar og Landnámu, tveggja helstu heimildanna um landnám og byggð Íslands.

Ari á var sonur Þorgils Gellissonar á Helgafelli en afi hans var Gellir Þorkelsson goðorðsmaður á sama stað og voru þeir komnir í beinan karllegg frá Þorsteini rauð, syni Auðar djúpúðgu. Þorgils drukknaði í Breiðafirði þegar Ari var barn en Gellir dó í Hróarskeldu á heimleið úr Rómarferð 1073. Þegar Ari var sjö ára var honum því komið í fóstur hjá Halli Þórarinssyni hinum milda (eða spaka) í Haukadal og var hjá honum næstu 14 árin. Ari kallar Hall ágætastan ólærðra manna og segir að hann hafi verið bæði minnugur og ólyginn. Hallur var svo gamall að hann mundi til þess að hafa verið skírður af Þangbrandi þriggja ára gamall, og var það vetri fyrir kristnitöku.

Teitur Ísleifsson, sonur Ísleifs Gissurarsonar biskups, var einnig fóstraður í Haukadal. Hann var mun eldri en Ari, sennilega orðinn harðfullorðinn þegar Ari kom í Haukadal og hafði tekið prestvígslu, og kallar Ari hann fóstra sinn. Hann kom á fót skóla í Haukadal og kenndi sveinum þar til prests. Ari var nemandi hans, hlaut klassíska menntun og lærði latínu en nam einnig ýmsan annan fróðleik.

Að námi loknu var hann vígður af Gissuri biskupi Ísleifssyni og gerðist prestur á Stað á Ölduhrygg, sem nú heitir Staðarstaður, en lítið er vitað um ævi hans eftir það. Hann virðist þó hafa verið talinn til höfðingja og kann að hafa átt goðorð eða hluta af goðorði, enda átti Ari Þorgilsson sterki sonarsonur hans hálft Þórsnesingagoðorð.

Íslendingabók segist Ari hafa skrifað fyrir biskupana Þorlák Runólfsson (1118-1133) og Ketil Þorsteinsson (1122-1145) og er því frumgerð hennar skrifuð einhvern tíma á árabilinu 1122-1132 en síðan segist Ari hafa umskrifað hana eftir yfirlestur biskupanna og Sæmundar fróða, líklega á árunum 1134-1138, og er það sú gerð sem varðveist hefur. Hann mun einnig hafa skrifað eða átt þátt í frumgerð Landnámu; Haukur Erlendsson segir í eftirmála Hauksbókar að Ari og Kolskeggur vitri hafi fyrstir skrifað um landnámið.

Viðurnefnið fróði hlaut Ari vegna orðspors um að hafa gott minni. Í Heimskringlu segir Snorri Sturluson hann hafa vera stórvitran og minnugan.

Tenglar[breyta] „Ari Þorgilsson hinn fróði. Tímarit hins íslenzka bókmenntafélags, 10. árg. 1889.“