Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1981, Qupperneq 198

ster, who edited Yvain, named the mistress of the spring.5 The events
that immediately lead up to the public announcement of the forthcoming
marriage of Iven to the mistress of the spring are at variance as reported
in the vellums, AM 489 and Stockholm 6,6 and in the paper manuscript,
Stockholm 46.
The account in the vellums consists of three scenes:
1. Consultation between the mistress of the spring and her maid-in-wait-
ing Luneta.
2. Reconciliation between the lady of the spring and her husband’s slayer
Iven.
3. Iven’s appearance, accompanied by the lady, before the retainers who
urge their mistress to marry Iven.
This section of the narrative deviates in content, structure, and tenor in
the Stockholm 46 version of the saga. The scenes are increased to four:
between scene 1 and 2 above, the paper manuscript interpolates a convo-
cation of the retainers. The conduct of the assembly throws light on the
modification of the entire episode in the Stockholm 46 version. In the
interpolated scene, the lady of the spring informs her retainers that Iven
seeks her hånd in marriage and that she has decided to accept his propos-
al. The announcement of a forthcoming marriage in Stockholm 46 con-
trasts with the character of the episode in the vellums which follow Chré-
tien’s account. In the vellums (in scene 1) the lady confesses to Luneta
concern over public reaction should she marry her husband’s slayer. The
maiden suggests that she inform her courtiers of Iven’s proposal, but that
she will accept his hånd in marriage only with their consent - med peirra
rådi (ch. 5, 49:10). The advice dispensed by Luneta in scene 1 of the
vellums is enacted in scene 3, in which the lady’s steward informs the
retainers that their lady, the mistress of the spring, seeks their advice
whether she should re-marry. They consider Iven a splendid suitor -
reacting as Luneta has prophesied in scene 1 - and urge their lady to
marry him, but she acts as though she were not inclined to follow their
wishes. She makes her retainers plead with her, and finally agrees to the
marriage, pretending, however, only to be acquiescing to their pleadings.
In Yvain and in the vellum redaction of Ivens saga the lady of the land
plays a game with her retainers. In scene 1 Luneta advises her on the
5 Kristian von Troyes. Wdrterbuch zu seinen samtlichen Werken (Halle a. S.: Max
Niemeyer, 1914), pp. 106M07*.
6 Stockholm 6 is defective and lacks part of this section of the narrative; AM 489 is used
as basis for the plot summary.
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