Gripla - 2021, Blaðsíða 279

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following Griplur, with the exception of the corruption of the number of
men: “Voli qvad Einginn mvnþi vilia giefa lýf sitt vit þui, ero hier nu lx.
manna, oc man troll þetta ǫllum dauþa veita” (2r:12–13).
Direct speech also seems to be confused in the episode of the fight
between Þráinn and Hrómundur. According to Finnur Jónsson’s interpre-
tation, stanzas III:41–42 of Griplur are spoken by Hrómundur, followed
by stanza III:43 spoken by Þráinn, but 19HsG merges the two and the
contents of both stanzas are narrated in Hrómundur’s direct speech.
There is a remarkable discrepancy between 17HsG and 19HsG; this sug-
gests that this part of 19HsG is more likely to be directly based on
Griplur, which the saga-writer interprets quite differently from the 17HsG.
However, the striking similarity between 17HsG and 19HsG in using the
phrase “nú skal ég rífa þig kvikan í sundur” (now I shall tear you apart
alive), does not allow us to exclude the possibility that the saga-writer ac-
tually had access to both 17HsG and Griplur and made a conscious choice
regarding the readings they wanted to include in the saga. In the same man-
ner, we cannot exclude the possibility that some now lost, intermediate
HRÓ MUNDUR IN PROSE AND VERSE
Griplur
41. “Hafðag á því hugarins skyn,”
Hrómund talar enn færi,
“hvaðan ið leiða katta kyn
komið í hauginn væri.
42. Fæ eg það séð að fríða þig
fæstir kostir góðir,
kalla eg ráð þú klórir ei mig,
katta bannsett móðir.”
43. “Gunnlöð hefr ei Grips í bý
getið sér arfa slíkan,
þú munt freddr af flatri þý,
fýlu tel eg pig líkan.”
17HsG
…nu skal
ek rýfa þic
kuikann i
sunþr.” “Eg
veit eigi,” sagþi
Hromundr
“huaþann sod-
dann kattarkin,
er komiþ i
haug þennann.”
Draugurinn
mælti “þu munt
fæddr vera
af Gunn-
loþ, ero fáer
þijner lýkar.”
(3v:20–23)
19HsG
“…nú skal ec þic qvicann í sundr
rífa taug frá taug.” Hrómundr
þeink ti meþ sér, at þetta eina
mundi Þráinn satt segja herþtist
hann af stórri bræþi, oc mælir
til Þráins: “varla ber ec vit til oc
skynsemd, at þú, sem Kóngr
hefr heitit, skulir orþinn vera at
versta kétti, oc er skömm at þér
gráhærþom karli, at gorast slíc
fjandans fordæþa, oc mantú sonr
tröllkono sem Gunnlöþ hiet, hún
átti born morg, oc voro þau öll
blauþir kéttir, oc finn ec at þú ert
ein kétta, því þat sá ec áþann, at
þú vermdir þic á milli fótana, því
þú satst meþ kétilinn í klofino,
en ert orþin hundgömul.” Vit orþ
þessi reiþdist Þráinn (113v:17–27)