Studia Islandica - 01.07.1966, Blaðsíða 70

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lost, for Snorri’s works superseded many of the sagas written
before his time. A version of Þormöðar þáttr survives frag-
mentarily as part of the Oldest saga of St Óláfr, and a similar
version, hut somewhat shortened, is preserved entire as part
of the Legendary saga. Styrmir probably included the story
in his version of Óláfs saga, but Snorri omitted it in his. It
was almost certainly from Styrmir’s saga that the þáttr was
later interpolated into the text of Snorri’s saga in Flateyjar-
bók, where it has been given an extended introduction and
conclusion.1 ÞiSranda þáttr ok Þórhalls is believed to have
been written by Gunnlaugr Leifsson as part of his Óláfs saga
Tryggvasonar, which was one of Snorri’s sources for Heims-
kringla. Snorri did not include ÞiSranda þáttr in his Óláfs
saga Tryggvasonar, but a later redactor interpolated it into
the saga, although the surviving version may have been
subject to considerable editorial alteration.2
6. PRESERVATION
RauSúlfs þáttr is preserved as an interpolation in several
fourteenth century manuscripts of Snorri Sturluson’s sepa-
rate Óláfs saga helga, where it replaces Snorri’s original
chapter 156. The oldest manuscript in which it is found was
written about 1300. There are several manuscripts of this
saga that contain a large amount of material interpolated by
later redactors. Much of this material was derived from the
lost version of Öláfs saga compiled by Styrmir Kárason.
1 Flb II 199—203; cf. ÍF VI lxxx. A third version, drastically
shortened and lacking the extended introduction and conclusion of the
Flateyjarbók version, was interpolated into the text of Snorri’s saga in
Tómasskinna (ÖH 803—804). This was probahly also derived from
Styrmir’s saga.
2 Flb I 419 ff.; Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta, ed. Ölafur Hall-
dórsson (Kobenhavn 19S8—61), II 145 ff. See Dag Strömback, Tidrande
och Diserna (Lund 1949), pp. 13—18; IF V xlii f.; Bjarni Aðalbjarnar-
son, Om de norske kongers sagaer (Oslo 1937), pp. 94 and 107.