Íslenzk tunga - 01.01.1964, Page 100

98
ANTHONY FAULKES
in slightly different forms, and is closest to the wording of this quotation on
p. 380. Möðruvaliabók has: “Flosi Þórðarson særði Helga Njálsson holundar
sári eða mergundar því [GkS 2870 has þ with a cross-bar] er at ben gerðisk
ok [so M and 2870; other MSS have enn] Ifelgi fékk bana af.”
The same quotation appears in LI p. 26, s. v. Ilen: “Flosi særdi Helga Nials-
son / holundar sári eda mergundar; þad er at ben-giördist; og Helgi feck
sinn bana af.” It will be noticed that both dictionaries confuse the two ver-
sions of the formula, “Flosi særði Helga_sári ..., því er__” and “Flosi
veitti Helga__sár____þat er ...”, which appears on pp. 375:1—3 and 356:
21—22. An abbreviation of þ, with a cross-bar, for því such as is found in
GkS 2870 might be the source of this error.
*7 Apalldur: Þráinn atte Ilross apalgratt. — The word apalgrár occurs anly
once in Njála (p. 449): “Fimrnta daginn reið maðr at þeim á apalgrám hesti.”
This man is not named, and the Þráinn of the saga does not own such a horse.
The only other occurrences of the word in Old Icelandic where it is applied
to a horse are: Landnámabók (1900), 151:28 (a water-horse), Karlamagnus
saga (1860), 426:23, and Hróljs saga Gautrekssonar (1891), 40:27. In none of
these cases does the horse belong to any Þráinn. The compiler’s memory must
have been at fault. The words apalgrar hestur are recorded in LI p. 13, s. v.
Apalldr, but without a reference to the source.
*24 Dœla: Dæle, Vallicula, occurrit in Nialu. — Cf. p. 417: “i dœli nqkkurri”;
p. 429: “Þeir_leiddu hesta sína í dœli nqkkura”; p. 431: “í dœli nQkkurri’”
This word is a feminine in-stem, but it only occurs in Möðruvallabók and
Sveinsbók. The other MSS replace it in all three places with dœl (oLstem)
(see p. 417, note 2). The word is also recorded in LI p. 45, but without a
reference.
There are a few other quotations ascribed to Nj áls Saga in SLR,
some of which are in fact from other sagas, and some of which I have
been unable to identify at all. See the list on pp. 114—120.
Laxdæla Saga. Laxdæla Saga is nowhere mentioned in SLR, but
there are four quotations which seem to be taken from it. Two of
these are ascribed to Njáls Saga, and one to “Isfird S:” (i. e. Hávarð-
ar Saga), but the passages do not occur in these sagas. There is no
mention of the source of the fourth quotation. It is probable that all
four are taken from Möðruvallabók, to which, since it was at this
time in the north of Iceland, Magnús Ólafsson almost certainly had
access. But it is likely that the quotations were made from memory,