Gripla - 01.01.1984, Page 263

DAVID McDOUGALL
A NOTE ON THE SHAPE OF ROME
IN FÓSTBRŒÐRA SAGA
One of the digressions included in the Codex Regius text of Fóst-
brœðra saga concerns the founding of the city of Rome:
Romaborg letu gera bræðr íj het annaR Romulus enn annaR Remus,
þeir voro tviburar, borg var goR eptir enu oarga dyri, var dyrit ristit
a jorðunni, oc þar upp af voro reistir borgarveggir, er hofuþit dyrs-
ins fyrir norðan ana . . . er sa hlutr borgarinnar kallaðr Roma, enn
sa lutr er fyrir utan ana er heitir Latransborg e(ða) Latran e(ða)
Latera, enn þat þiðiz siþur, enn þa er borginn var algerr þa urðu
þeir osattir um þat, af hvers nafni er borginn skylldi nafn taka, oc
þvi reð Romulus broður sinum fiorrað oc drap hann, var þa borg-
inn kend við Romulum oc kollut Romaborg1
The statement that Rome was built in the shape of a lion is not found
in the shorter version of this passage in Flateyjarbók.2 Nor does this
curious piece of information appear to figure in any other accounts of
Romulus and Remus preserved in Old Icelandic texts.3 In a paper de-
livered at the First International Saga Conference, Jónas Kristjánsson
noted that the source for the passage was ‘undoubtedly some medieval
Latin work’ and asked for helping in tracking it down.4
1 Membrana Regia Deperdita, ed. A. Loth, Ed. Arn. A 5 (1960), 151/4-12. Cf.
Fóstbrœðra saga, ed. Bjöm K. Þórólfsson, STUAGNL 49 (1925-27), 201; Vestfirð-
inga sögur, ed. Björn K. Þórólfsson and Guðni Jónsson, ÍF 6 (1943), 257, n. 1.
2 Cf. Flateyjarbók, ed. C. R. Unger and Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1860-68), II,
224/36-225/3.
3 Cf., e.g., Veraldar saga, ed. Jakob Benediktsson, STUAGNL 61 (1944), 46/
18ff.; Breta sögur, ed. Eiríkur Jónsson and Finnur Jónsson, Hauksbók (1892-96),
253/1-2; ‘Upphaf Rómverja’, ed. Konráð Gíslason, Fire og Fyrretyve .. . Prfiver
af oldnordisk Sprog og Literatur (1860), 381/4ff., 385/9ff.; Alfrteði íslenzk I, ed.
Kr. Kálund, STUAGNL 37 (1908), 51/26-27.
4 ‘Elements of Learning and Chivalry in Fóstbrœðra saga’, Proceedings of the
First International Saga Conference (1973), 275; cf. idem, Um Fóstbrœðrasögu