Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1985, Blaðsíða 149
New Manuscript Readings in
Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu
By James E. Knirk
Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu is preserved in two medieval manu-
scripts: Sth. 18 perg. 4to (=A) and AM 557 4to (=B). The saga has,
according to Sigurdur Nordal in his introduction to the “Islenzk forn-
rit” edition in Borgfirdinga sogur, fF, vol. 3 (Reykjavik, 1938), p. lxii,
appeared in more editions and translations than any other Icelandic
book. The three critical editions are Jon SigurQsson’s (=JS) in Islend-
Inga sogur, II (Kjobenhavn, 1847), 187-276, Finnur Jonsson’s (=FJ)
for Samfund til Udgivelse af Gammel Nordisk Litteratur, 42 (Køben-
havn, 1916), and L.M. Small’s as the Leeds School of English Lan-
guage Texts and Monographs, no. 1 (Leeds, 1935). JS employs normal-
ized orthography and unfortunately includes all variant readings from
a number of text-critically worthless paper copies of the two vellums.
FJ provides a diplomatic edition (without italicizing the expansions of
abbreviations, however) of the two parchment manuscripts. Small’s
edition likewise presents only the two vellums, but it uses normalized
orthography. Manuscript A is the main text in all three editions, with
readings from B provided as variants.
FJ has since its appearance provided the basis for later editions of
the saga, and it does not appear that subsequent editors have exam-
ined the manuscripts themselves carefully. FJ contains, however, nu-
merous minor lapses and some major mistakes. Many of the errors,
especially omissions, concern points presented correctly in JS, but
some of the incorrect readings have led a ghost existence for, in most
cases, well over a century.
The following lists of corrections and additions to FJ are based on
first-hand examinations of both vellums. The corrections and new