Íslenzk tunga - 01.01.1964, Page 75

THE SOURCES OF SPECIMEN LEXICI RUNICI
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noticeable that the quotations are more frequent from the beginning
of the saga, and towards the end are very rare (as is the case with
quotations from Grettla), there being none from the last fifteen pages
of the saga.
The manuscript used by Magnús Ólafsson is now apparently lost,
but it was one derived from the version of the saga in Möðruvalla-
bók (AM 132 fol., M). There is a group of paper MSS written in the
17th century, derived from a single lost copy of M, and similarities
between the readings in SLR and these MSS make it clear that Magn-
ús’ MS also belonged to this group. Surviving MSS of this group are
AM 145 fol., JS 28 fol., and AM 568 4to (all of these MSS were pro-
bably written after Magnús’ death), and the first edition of Egils
Saga (Hrappsey 1782) was printed from a MS belonging to this
group.36
AM 568 4to also contains six of the other sagas quoted by Magnús
Ólafsson, and the text of these quotations is very similar to that found
in this MS. It is suggested on pp. 79—80 that this MS was copied
from another MS which contained the same six sagas, and that this
lost MS was used by Magnús. Although the quotations from Egils
Saga are from a MS closely related to AM 568, however, it is not
likely that the MS collection from which AM 568 is copied included
Egils Saga, for the text of this saga is here very corrupt, and indeed
fragmentary, and shows more dissimilarities from the text of Magnús
than the texts of the other sagas quoted. Indeed the text of the quota-
tions from Egils Saga in SLR is closer to that of the other MSS of the
group than to AM 568.
The following selection of readings shows the similarities of the
quotations in SLR to the texts of this group of MSS:36
65 K0r: Allt cr annad at hæfilegra enn griita og leggiast i kór (60). — All three
paper MSS have gráta, hut M has auvirðask. For at hœjitegra, 568 has óhœfi-
Hgra.
35 The relationship of some of these MSS to M is discussed by Jón Ilelgason,
Nordcela (1957), 110—148. He does not mention AM 568 4to.
3B References, in parentheses, are to pages in ÍF II.