Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1981, Page 160

French lai. Through this form of anticipatory repetition he calls attention
to noteworthy developments in the narrative.
In chapter 7 of Mottuls saga Kay anticipates the possibility of fear on
the part of his lady. He invites her to try on the garment by reassuring
her: pu mått dhrædd ok drugg vid mottlinum taka (‘You can unfearingly
and confidently try on the mantie’). The encouragement is real only on
the surface, for by coupling drugg with the negated form of hrædd Kay
indeed focuses on the underlying problem. Thus, the way is prepared for
the accusation found in the lai. When his lady shows reluctance, the
French Kay informs her je vos voi doter and this is rendered in the saga
simply by pu hrædisk nokkut (‘you are somewhat afraid’). Only in the
saga does the lady then repeat Kay’s words as she protests, ok er pat eigi,
at ek sé hrædd fyrir honum (‘and that is not because I am afraid of it’ [the
mantie]). She claims that her unwillingness stems from the realization of
her own unworthiness in an assemblage of such good, faithful, and well-
born women - not, as the French has it, women of such beauty (v. 393).
Kay’s reply in the saga is a translation of Ja mar douterez le maugré (v.
398): “pu parft eigi,” sagdi Kæi, “at hrædask peirra reidi” (“‘You need
not fear their anger,” said Kæi’). This time the concept of fear is stressed
by alliterating - from a Norwegian perspective - the verb with its object.
In the very next sentence the saga again interpolates vocabulary - vis-å-
vis the French text - as Kay once more reassures his lady, and uses the
same drugg with which their exchange had started: En po veit ek pat, at
pu ert drugg (‘but I know that you can do this confidently’). Thus, a
relatively simple technique, repetition, gives the concept fear a promi-
nence in the saga that it does not have in the lai.
In Januals Ijod repetition of the phrase einn saman in successive scenes
characterizes Janual as an outsider, as someone set apart from others and
going his own way. The beginning of the lai is not preserved in the
Norwegian Ijod, but in the French version we learn that Lanval is
huem estranges, descunseilliez
mult est dolenz en altre terre,
quant il ne set u sucurs querre. (vv. 36-38)
(a stranger, without recourse he is unhappy in a foreign country,
because he does not know where to seek help.)
After his experience with the mysterious lady, the knight is no longer
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