Gripla - 20.12.2008, Page 191

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Of the last four miracles, the first two (8r6–21 and 8r22–34) are not
found in the Latin text and the last two (8r35–13 and 8r14–36) found in an
abridged form (chapters 20 and 18).
20. Quidam etiam frater, Goscelinus nomine, in loco venerationis
beatae virginis regulariter professus, adeo febribus elanguit, ut desperans
vitam omni intentione pensaret, qualiter hinc migrans illo summo iudici
occurreret. Nam de eius quid dicto opus est inedia, cum dotidiano corporis
defectu carnea penitus exciderit valentia? Ergo, coquente letali frigore, ubi
vicinam sperat mortem, in somnis videtur sibi pectori superstare beatam
virginem, et quasi alicui consulenti loquens se fminam dicit Atheniensem
et bene nosse medicinae artem. Tum quoque quasi inter fastigia elevatam
nubium emittere videt quasi quoddam folium, quod, velud brumali solet
tempore, occidens cum turbine in iacentis aegri labitur ore. Excitus autem
febres expulsas seque liberatum sentit, beatae martyri gratias agit, testisque
virtutis eius et gratiae incolumis resedit et ipse. Sic quoque beata virgo
monachos suae magnificentiae testes vult exhibere, ut et illi non priventur
eius pietatis munere, quorum veneratione humili frequentatur cotidie.
18. Quidam etiam torto ore et officiente morbo, quem paralysim dicunt,
loqui non potuit; qui etiam se ad beatae virginis auxilium devotus contulit.
Illinitus autem tanti vigoris liquore ad naturalem statum reducto ore et
loquens et sanus rediit, Dei gratia favente et beata martyre.
IV
As to how the Translatio et Miracula Rotomagensia found its way to
Iceland, it is possible that a returning pilgrim or, perhaps more likely, a
student brought a copy with him. Certainly, the narrative would seem to
have appealed to Icelanders interested in the history of their Viking past
and in that of the Viking colony of Normandy in particular, and one would
imagine that their curiosity must have been aroused by the reference in the
narrative to Rollo, their famous forebear, whose dynasty ruled the pro -
vi nce in direct line till 1204. It is known that several young Icelanders went
to the European mainland, especially Germany, for their studies in the
late Middle Ages, though research on the topic is not exhaustive.10 Those
10 See Sverre Bagge, “Nordic Students at Foreign Universities until 1660,” Scandinavian
Journal of History 9 (1984): 1–29.
THE TRANSLATIO ET MIRACULA ROTOMAGENSIA