Gripla - 01.01.1990, Side 201

THE NEGLECTED GENRE OF RÍMUR-DERIVED PROSE 197
tas’ clever concubine has lost his magic brooch, he foils her attempted
but feigned suicide. Thereupon the saga adds that she fainted and that
he brought her to with a dousing of cold water (165,12). In the third
ríma Jónatas rides to the castle and is immediately granted an audi-
ence with the king, while in the saga the king commands that the hero
first be given fine clothing and velvet shoes (169, 20-21). Both rímur
and saga mention that Jónatas was not recognized upon reentering the
city where he had studied, but only the latter supplies some motivation
by having the hero don a disguise and allow his hair and beard to grow
(170,24-25).
Of interest in the saga is the mention of a special trip to the school
which Jónatas’ mother makes in order to give him the ring (162,17),
for this fails to appear in any rímur or ævintýri manuscripts. Since the
rímur author had previously stated that the mother was keeping the
gifts for her young son (1,13-14), the saga writer evidently felt obliged
to explain how Jónatas happened to have the ring with him in school,
although his mother’s return home is never mentioned.
Much more usual than additions which increase the action are those
which supply descriptive material. It is only in the saga that Goli-
friddus is said to be “af einu ypparlegu edal slegte” (161,12) or about
Jónatas that “huxade hann umm Rád fodurs sýns, og gaf sig til lær-
döms ydkana” (162,15). When Jónatas wishes to leave the castle after
healing the king there of leprosy, only the saga gives his goal as Wal-
land (170,8) and the length of the trip as 122 miles (170,20). After
Jónatas’ return to the city, we learn that the queen, his former girl-
friend, had been sick for three years (171,11) and the hero is given the
unnecessary incentive that he can earn a great deal of money by curing
her (171,13-15). After the open confession of her sins and the revela-
tion of the treasure’s whereabouts, the saga adds that the queen gave
him the key to the chest (172,14). One interesting change of emphasis
is given upon Jónatas’ receipt of the third magic object. In the rímur
the hero says he will never see his mother again should he lose the
third gift as well (11,49.3-4), but in the saga his mother tells him never
to come into her sight again if he should lose the last treasure
(166,2-4).
On the stylistic level there are numerous passages which invite com-
parison. The degree to which saga authors follow their poetic sources
will probably vary in individual cases, but in Jónatas saga the close