Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1981, Blaðsíða 165

panded form - as are the last two. The Norwegian passage does not
represent a summary of the French text, however, but rather a case of
blatant excision of w. 212-14. Similar cases of reduction can be adduced
from Gvimars saga, Tristrams saga, or Parcevals saga (see pp. 50; 60-63;
69-71) in each of which scribal tampering can be proven. For this
reason one is not a little suspicious that the text above is corrupt, that the
translator had transmitted vv. 212-14, but that the text reflects the editing
of a copy ist.
In Parcevals saga reduction of the corresponding French text results in
just the effect that is wanting in Januals Ijod. After both Parceval and
Valven have felt the sting of the accusing words of the ugly maiden,
various knights at King Arthur’s court decide to take action:
... en herra Valven sagdi at hann skyldi {?angat fara.
En Gerflet sor at hann skyldi fara til pruda kastala.
En Kinderin kvezk jjangat skyldu fara sem mærin sat å
fjallinu.
En Parceval sor at hann skyldi ekki fyrr aptr koma en hann
vissi hvat gangandi greidi var,
ok |5å hlupu upp LX riddara ok sambundusk at £>eir skyldu
Jtat vita hvar så kastala væri. (ch. 15, 41:28-33)
(... and Sir Valven declared that he would set out for that place.
But Gerflet vowed that he would set out for the splendid castle.
And Kinderin said that he would set out for the place where the
maiden sat on the mountain. But Parceval vowed that he would not
return until he had found out what gangandi greidi was, and then
60 knights leaped to their feet and pledged themselves to find out
where that castle was.)
The corresponding passage in Perceval extends from v. 4718 to v. 4746;
the reduction in the saga is thus considerable. But precisely because the
expansiveness of Chrétien’s text is lacking, the saga reflects a technique
that is at best only suggested by the French text.
The simplest form of enumeration - an accumulation of the same
syntactical elements, such as adjectives - can be an effective stylistic
device especially when used in combination with other techniques. For
example, the enormous responsibility on the shoulders of the knights
who are to judge Janual’s case is aptly conveyed by the very form of the
text; numerically speaking, the author overwhelms the judges by depict-
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