Your Excellency,

It is a profound honor for me, on behalf of everyone who have worked on this project, and doubtlessly on the behalf of thousands of Norwegians, to hand you and the Icelandic people this gift in honor of the invaluable work done by Icelanders to preserve this priceless cultural treasure.

The sagas is our direct link to our ancestor’s thoughts and actions, to our civilization’s foundational currents, and to the proper understanding of the historical and cultural context into which we are born. History is our intellectual trust fund. It is our duty to guard it, and to make sure it is accessible to all living and future generations.

In our day it, sadly, it quickly becomes a competition: A competition for attention, for access and placement in the media and in people’s consciousness. There are a lot of forces that seem to have the advantage of strength and speed, but few things have the power of depth and wisdom which is found in these hidden chambers of knowledge, the sagas. And I think this is why we are here today.
Because we must always return to history. Truly, history is not an artifact of times passed. It is a living force that surrounds us throughout our lives. It also does not dictate courses of action, it is up to us to listen, and learn by walking in our ancestors’ footsteps. This is clearly stated in Your Excellency’s preface to the new edition of Flateyjarbok: The literary heritage is of eternal value and carries a message to all generations.

So with that, thank you, Mr. President, for your trust in our work. In the same spirit, we pledge to continue our ambassadorship for the sagas and do our best to promote our common heritage and strengthen the bond of friendship between our peoples so that the timeless wisdom of the sagas can continue to live and inspire in us good deeds and righteous action.

Thank you.