Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1959, Page 82
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the translator of I was a better scholar than some of his fellows (he knew
the meaning of Munjoie, which the translators of some of the other
branches did not), and that may mean that he belonged to a period when
such translations had become more common, and it was easier to find able
translators. I agree that there are certain differences between the terms
used in branch I and in other branches (notably Valland/Franz), but
some of the differences are due to the source rather than to the translator
(Nemes/Namlun)99. As for the faet that branch I has no title, I have
pointed out (p. 52) that the beginning of the saga is preserved only in
B, and in that particular MS the title is lacking for many of the other
branches as well.
III
The relationship between the manuscripts
The MS tradition of the Kms is unsatisfactory. Quite apart from the
faet that there are lacunae in the best MS, a, a comparison with the frag-
ments shows that every one of them has a better text than any of the
fairly complete MSS. A full discussion of the relationship between the
fragments and MSS of the Kms must be left to a future new edition of
the saga, but as no such edition is as yet in preparation, a few notes on
this subject here will probably be useful, even though a more minute
examination of some of the problems will have to be made in connection
with the discussion of the Runzivals pattr.
Parts of branch VII are preserved in all four MSS and in Fr2 and Fr3,
and since this is also the text which follows the French source most closely,
it will be convenient to choose passages from that branch to illustrate the
way in which the Icelandic scribes have modified the original saga.
It is immediately clear that A, a, and Fr2 belong to the same family.
The decisive proof is the corruption of a short passage corresponding to
vv. 553-58 of the Pelerinage Charlemagne, Kms p. 47514-15; Aa:
På sagSi Turpin erkibyskup sina l’brott:
/ borgina skat ek ganga til dr peirrar er Iber heitir
ok skal ek visa henni or staS sinum ...
cp. Fr2 (Unger p. 56229”31):
e° Textes norrois et lit. frangaise du moyen age I, p. 33.