Rare furry sealskin manuscript may be Norway’s oldest book –

An eight-page furry sealskin-bound parchment recently donated to the National Library of Norway may be Norway’s oldest book. For decades, the book sat at the Hagens farm in Bergen, passed down from generation to generation, until earlier this year, when the family decided to give it to the National Library. According to family legend, the manuscript originated in a monastery in western Norway.

The librarian checked the book’s condition and quickly realized it was unique. This is a collection of religious songs that dates back to at least the 13th century, and possibly earlier. Norway was fully Christianized in 1200, with cathedrals, parish churches and monasteries. They had close ties with Christian hierarchies and communities elsewhere in Europe.

There used to be more pages, but only eight survive to this day. The pages were made from calfskin, which was often used to make parchment, but sealskin was used much less often for binding. Even rarer are the remnants of fur on the skin. Conjugate and parchment samples have been collected for protein and DNA analysis to confirm animal origins.

“With DNA, we can determine the age of the material, what kind of seal was used for the cover, and where the animal that made the parchment lived,” said [conservator Chiara] Palandri.

Some seals swim great distances, while others stay in one area. If the lid comes from a specific seal species, and the pup was raised in Norway, the origin is clear.

Librarians seek advice from experts in other countries. A French bookbinding expert noted that the sealskin proves that the book was produced in a Nordic country, if not in Norway itself.
The way the Latin is written also suggests that the book was produced locally. Latin writing has a rustic, simple quality. This was not an elegant hand making books for the elite, but for practicality.

The songs in the book are sequences of songs sung to celebrate specific saints or festivals/holy days on the church calendar. They will be sung during Mass by the cantor or priest.

Norway embraced the Reformation and became Protestant in 1537. Old Latin books were no longer considered valuable, and with the advent of the printing press, manuscripts were cannibalized, using parchment as a superior binding for printed volumes.

“Much of our oldest cultural heritage has not been preserved,” said [head of the Visual Media and Conservation section at the National Library Arthur] Tano.

This makes the small book now arriving at the National Library all the more valuable.

“We have very few writings from this period, and our research often relies on fragments of manuscripts. It was incredible when we heard that several handwritten pages had come in, still in their original bindings. This will greatly expand our knowledge base,” said [University of Bergen professor of medieval Latin Åslaug ]environment.

She particularly appreciated that the book seemed to be a practical one.

“Early modern book collectors are often interested in lavish pieces with gold accents, beautiful illustrations or rare texts. This book feels very authentic. It’s the kind of thing a priest or cantor would use in a church,” Omundson said.

“A simple, practical book like this doesn’t always appeal to collectors. That’s why there aren’t many books from this period, even elsewhere in Europe,” she said.