Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1959, Blaðsíða 28
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the imitations differ from the translations in their treatment of the story
and because they are often influenced by the older Icelandic fornaldar-
sggur. But there are a few cases where it is difficult to decide whether a
saga is a translation from a lost French source or an Icelandic ly gisaga.
The dating of the translations to the period 1220-1320 is based on
(a) statements in the texts themselves or in other, contemporary records,
(b) the age of the manuscripts, and (c) general considerations.
(a) The Tristrams saga was translated in 1226, by a monk, Robert. The
Elis saga was translated by “Robert the Abbot”, who is probably the same
person. StrengleikarJ Ivens saga, and Mgttuls saga were translated at the
request of King Håkon31, and the Barlaams saga was translated (from
Latin) by King Håkon’s eldest son, King Håkon “the Young” (1232-57).
An Icelander, Brandr Jonsson, who became bishop of Holar and died in
1264, is said to have translated the Alexanders saga (from Latin) at the
request of King Magnus the Lawmender (king 1263-1280)32. A later
addition to the Karlamagnus saga, the f/åttr af Olif ok Landres, was trans-
lated from a manuscript brought back from Scotland in 128633, and lastly,
the Glårus saga was translated by Jon Halldorsson, a Norwegian who be-
came bishop of Skålholt in Iceland and died in 1339.
(b) Most of these sagas are only preserved in Icelandic MSS of the
14th and 15th centuries. The Strengleikar, Elis saga, Pidreks saga, and
Barlaams saga are preserved in Norwegian MSS of the 13th century, and
small fragments of the Karlamagnus saga and Flores saga ok Blankiflur,
written in Norway in the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th, have
survived. MSS of the Pidreks saga, Trojumanna saga and Breta sggur are
mentioned in Norway in a list of the books owned by Bishop Årni of
Bergen34 (written between 1304 and 1314), and a MS of the Bevers saga
is referred to in 136 6 35.
(c) Thus in one way or the other the age of the majority of these works
is established, and the style and the matter of the remaining sagas makes
31 Vide R. Meissner: Die Strengleikar, Halle 1902, p. 115, with references.
32 For the problems in connection with Brandr and his authorship of the Alexan-
ders saga, see the article Alexanderssaga by L. Holm-Olsen in Kulturhistorisk leksi-
kon for nordisk middelalder vol. I.
33 Karlamagnus saga, ed. Unger, p. 50. This is the only translation from English
among these sagas.
31 Vide Gustav Storm in (norsk) Historisk Tidsskrift, 2. Række vol. II pp. 185—
192.
35 Diplomatarium Norvegicum IV no. 457.