Skírnir - 01.09.2005, Blaðsíða 114

ig sá latínutexti var sem innskotið byggist á. Hér að neðan er text-
inn tekinn úr tveimur gerðum sem virðast einna líkastar innskot-
inu í Ambrósíus sögu. Fyrst er Vúlgötu-texti (The Historia Reg-
um Britanniæ of Geoffrey of Monmouth 1929:351–352):
Inciderant siquidem in nefandum exercitum wanii & melge. qui iussu
graciani naciones maritimorum & germanie; dira clade opprimebant. Erat
enim wanius rex humorum. melga uero pictorum. Ipsos asciuerat sibi
gracianus. miseratque in germaniam ut eos qui maxiimiano fauerent
inquietarent. Per maritima ergo seuientes; obuiauerunt predictis puellis in
partes illas appulsis. Inspicientes ergo eam pulcritudinem earum; lasciuire
cum eis uoluerunt. Quod cum abnegassent puelle; irruerunt in eas ambro-
nes. maximamque partem sine mora trucidauerunt. Tunc nefandi pictor-
um & humorum duces wanius & melga qui parti graciani & ualentiani
fauebant cum didicissent insulam britannie ab omni armato milite uacu-
atam; iter festinatum uersus illam direxerunt. associatisque sibi collater-
alibus insulis in albaniam applicuerunt.8
Síðan er texti svokallaðrar First Variant Version (The Historia
regum Britannie of Geoffrey of Monmouth II 1988:78):
Inciderant siquidem in dirum exercitum Gwanii et Melge, quorum
Gwanius rex Hunorum, Melga Pictorum rex fuerat; qui mittente Grati-
ano maritima Germanie dira clade uexabant. Hii itaque obuiantes nauigio
predictarum puellarum rapuerunt eas ad se uolentes lasciuire cum eis. Sed
cum abhorrerent puelle eorum immundam dementiam, quedam absque ulla
katrín axelsdóttir344 skírnir
8 Þessi texti hefur verið þýddur þannig (Geoffrey of Monmouth 1966:142–143):
„They had fallen in with the execrable army of Wanius and Melga, who, on the
order of Gracianus, were killing off those who lived on this coast and in
Germany. Wanius was King of the Huns, and Melga King of the Picts; Gracian-
us had made an alliance with them and had dispatched them to Germany to
spread havoc among all who favoured Maximianus. As they raged along the sea-
coast, they met the young women about whom I have told you, who had been
driven ashore there. When the men saw how beautiful the girls were, their first
intention was to have intercourse with them. When the women refused to per-
mit this, the Ambrones attacked them and slaughtered most of them there and
then. As soon as Wanius and Melga, the leaders of the abominable Picts and
Huns, who favoured the cause of Gracianus and Valentinianus, learned that the
island of Britain was denuded of all its armed soldiery, they hurried off in that
direction as fast as they could go. First they made a treaty with the neighbouring
islands and then they landed in Albany.“
Skírnir haust 05 RÉTTUR 23.11.2005 13:53 Page 344