Gripla - 2021, Blaðsíða 33

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In two of the Icelandic versions (D and F) and in Vincent’s version, the
protagonist is an anonymous subdeacon who has a vision of the devil in
church, but in the third Icelandic version (in St, E, Ka, and Kf), Anselm
is given this role. Anecdotes closely follows this version, except that it is
shortened considerably.79 In all versions, the subdeacon sees that the devil
is writing down all the sordid talk two women are sharing. When he runs
out of space on his parchment, he attempts to stretch it, but while doing
so loses his balance and crashes to the ground. Seeing this, the subdeacon
bursts out laughing and claps his hands. However, as he was the only one
who saw or heard the demon, his behaviour is considered inappropriate,
and he is shunned by everybody. Demoralised, he goes to the church of the
Virgin Mary to pray. There, Mary appears to him and gives him the devil’s
scribbles, which the subdeacon then brings to the archbishop, explains his
actions, and is vindicated.
A prologue mentioning both Anselm and Abbot Hugo of Cluny (whose
life’s story is told following that of Anselm in St, E, Ka, and Kf) is omit-
ted from Anecdotes, and so is a large part of the end of the narrative, apart
from a few lines featuring Lanfranc that the compiler used to pad out his
story (see above). The compiler also seems to have cut down on some of
the verbose ecclesiastical language, presumably because the intention was
not to relate a miracle of the Virgin Mary, who comes to Anselm’s aid, but
to tell an entertaining anecdote about an archbishop of Canterbury.80 The
compiler ends the narrative on Anselm by saying that “hann hefer dictad
mariu sætt lof til heidrs” (he has composed a pleasant praise in Mary’s
honour) and quoting its beginning.81 Then Anselm’s successors William,
between the versions, see Die altisländischen und altnorwegischen Marienmirakel, 1:115–25.
She mentions the possibility that the version in St, E, Ka, and Kf could be based on the
F-version and thus not an independent translation.
79 The text in E has also been shortened, but differently from Anecdotes.
80 See, for example, these segments from the legend in Mariu saga that are either completely
omitted or heavily cut down: 175.15–17 (“elskandi–orða frambvrði”), 175.19–22 (“þviat–
kristninnar”), 177.7–14 (“fram–degi”), 177.16–20 (“hvgsandi–hiartans”), 177.21–29 (“gengr–
varrar frv”).
81 Apart from the legend being shorter in Anecdotes, the differences between it and the St/E/
Ka/Kf-version are minimal. However, one reading suggests that Anecdotes derives its text
from a branch different from the one the other manuscripts go back to. In the St/E/Ka/
Kf-version, when Anselm sees the devil in church, the devil has blekhorn uppi hjá eyranu (an
inkhorn up by his ear). In the Anecdotes-version, however, the inkhorn is up by the devil’s
neck. This is in accordance with the D-version (“hafandi sier aa halsi eitt blekhorn,” Mariu
ANECDOTES OF SEVERAL ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY