Gripla - 01.01.1975, Síða 76

GRIPLA
72
ants of Sigurðr ormr-í-auga, one of Ragnarr’s sons by Áslaug—have
no counterparts either in the 1824 b text of Ragnars saga or, as far
as can be discovered, in the version of the saga reflected in 147.21
The 1824 b text of Ragnars saga has twenty chapters, and the 147
version of Ragnars saga, as will be clear from what has been said
above, corresponds more or less closely, in length and content, to all
but the first chapter, and the last three chapters, of the 1824 b text.22
There are thus few passages in the Hauksbók manifestation of Ragn-
ars saga which correspond sufficiently in number of words and detail
of content to be readily comparable with either 147 or 1824 b, and
most of those which do so correspond are verse-passages, which, for
the reasons suggested above, are unsuitable for our purpose; though it
may be mentioned in passing that the seven lausavísur which the
þáttr and 1824 b have in common occur in the same order in both
these extant manifestations of Ragnars saga, and that of these seven
the four which the þáttr and 147 can be seen to have in common
occur in the same order in these two manifestations of the saga as
well—a fact which suggests literary connections between all three
extant manifestations, rather than mutually independent recording of
material from oral tradition.23
The one prose passage in Ragnarssona þáttr which seems to corres-
pond with passages in 147 and 1824 b in such a way as to make
Mageröy’s method of comparison at all feasible is one which does
contain a verse, it is true, but which also contains material which does
not seem to derive from the poem from which the verse is quoted.
The passage in question is the one beginning with a brief statement
about King Ella’s defeat in battle by the sons of Ragnarr and con-
taining, among other things, the account of ívarr cutting the blood-
eagle on Ella’s back; it ends with a short summary statement about
the Viking activities of the sons of Loðbrók in various countries. The
poem quoted in the course of this passage is Sigvatr Þórðarson’s
21 See pp. 48-49 above, and the references given in notes 22 and 26.
22 See pp. 49-52 above.
23 See above, note 13 to Part II. The four verses which the þáttr, 147 and
1824 b can be seen to have in common are those corresponding to nos. 18, 19, 20,
and 22 in the 1824 b text.