Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1992, Side 264

262
Marianne Kalinke
<N>æsta dagen efter gieck kongsdotter vt af borginne og ofan thil siofvarens og
leidde med sier einn savden er henne var feinginn. Og þegar at hvn kom þar
settizt hvn nidvr aa grvndena þar sem ormvren var vanvr at skrida aa land vpp og
gret sarlega er hvgsade til sinnar eymdar og saran davda. Enn j þessv fieck hvn at
litha hvar einn madr kom ridande hardla miog akaflega sem hestvren matte fara
þessi madr var j avllvm herklædvm og allan annan ridarlegan bvningh sem einvm
herra heyrde at hafa. eina mikla bvrtt stavngg med favgrv mercke hafde hann j
hendine. þesse heran ridr þar at er jvngfrvinn sitvr grathande fyrer. (I,
360:32-361:6)
Comparison with the corresponding passage in the Passionael shows that
we are dealing with disparate narrative and stylistic types:
Do ghink de iuncfrouwe allene to der zee. vnde waerde wen de worm quam.
vnde wenede yamerlyken. Do quam de hyllighe rydder sunte Georgius rydende
to ereme lukke. (xii, c)38
Unlike the version in the Passionael, the Icelandic legend does not
identify the rider, so that the reader knows no more than the princess. We
become acquainted with him through her eyes: he is dressed as a knight and
in his hand he carries a lance. He dismounts, greets her, and asks why she is
sitting there crying her eyes out. She is somewhat dismissive in her reply:
hvat skal mier þat gode herra ydr at seija. þar sem eg er ydvr at ollv okennd bæde
at ætt og at nafne. og so hvort at þier mvnet mier nockvra hialp meiga veitha eda
eigi. og vil eg helldr at þier ridit sem fyrst j bvrttv aftvr ydra erinda so at þier faet
ongvan vansa af minvm volldvm þvi eg vil ydvarn skada ongvan. (I, 361:11-15)
Needless to say, no self-respecting knight is going to be sent off like this,
and by a woman at that, and the stranger remains adamant. He says that he
refuses to leave until she has answered his question. Again she ignores this
and responds with a question of her own. She wants to know who he is and
whether he intends to ride along; he shouldn’t tarry, because the awful
dragon will soon appear looking for nourishment: “og bidvr eg þvi ydr minn
gode herra at forda ydr ef þier vilit ecki faa lifthion af þessvm ovin” (I,
361:22-24). Again the knight refuses to leave until she has told him what is
wrong. Only now does the knight identify himself as George - in the
Passionael he does not introduce himself, but throughout the episode he is
referred to as Sunte Georg - he tells the princess that he has been sent by
Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary to help her and her father. Her reply to this
shows once again that the author of the episode wished to depict the
situation in as realistic a fashion as possible. The princess is pagan, and
therefore she expresses ignorance of Christ and Mary: “af þessvm monnvm
38 Then the maiden went to the lake to wait for the dragon; and she cried pitifully. Then,
to her luck, the holy knight St. George came riding along.