Gripla - 01.01.1984, Blaðsíða 256

252
GRIPLA
barður (Lbs. 1494 4to, 457-554, Lbs. 1506 4to, 405-502), the author
may again have used an earlier Icelandic work based on Saxo.
Although the only prose saga on these two heroes is the saga copied
by Magnús, the story is also known through rímur. The earliest of these
(in Lbs. 2463 4to) were composed by Jón Espólín (1796-1836). These
are based on Saxo but additional material has been taken from Ynglinga
saga. These rímur contain a few of the usual romantic expansions but
they do not deviate to any noteworthy extent from their combined
sources.
Some of the minor additions, such as the way in which Jón Espólín
makes Haki the eldest of four brothers whom he sends on various
forays, are also included in rimur begun by the minister Hannes Bjarna-
son of Ríp (1776-1838). He, however, must have had independent ac-
cess to Gesta Danorum for he includes episodes not mentioned in Espó-
lín’s rímur, including the involvement of Starkaður in the adventures of
Haki and Hagbarður. Hannes’ version of events is closer to that of the
prose saga, for in both many additional episodes have been included.
The rímur are probably not based on the prose saga as the latter con-
tains a subplot which does not occur in the rímur. These rímur were
completed by Gísli Konráðsson, who, according to Magnús, owned a
copy of a prose saga which was much the same as that Magnús himself
copied from Birget’s book (Lbs. 1494 4to, Formáli). Gísli added the
subplot to his part of the rtmur. According to Gísli’s autobiography
(185) he met Hannes in 1837 and they agreed that he should complete
the rimur which Hannes recited to him. Gísli must have done this shortly
afterwards for the complete rímur are in a manuscript in his own hand
written in about 1840 (Lbs. 536 8vo). There are at least five other
copies of these rímur which shows that they acquired some popularity.
The story is that Haki is the eldest of four brothers, the sons of King
Hámundur of Þrándheimur. He fights with Starkaður and with another
hero called Beigaður or Geigaður (both in the Icelandic sources and in
Saxo the two versions of the name are used). He also kills the king
Hugleikur, an incident that occurs in Heimskringla17 and which is told
in Saxo of a different Haki.18 Hugleikur’s sister, Bera, wishes to avenge
his death on Haki and his brothers, and therefore marries the king Sig-
17 Heimskringla, ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson, 3 vols., Reykjavík 1941-51 (íslenzk
fornrit 26-28), I, 42-43.
18 Saxonis Gesta Danorum, I, 1549-32.