Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1999, Side 286

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Part Two
In my opinion Noreen’s examination is carried out with great pre-
cision, and his conclusion is founded on a careful scrutiny of the ma-
terial. Nevertheless I think there is a problem in his handling of the
statistical data, which will be discussed in the following.
We have seen that in his treatment of Skirnismål Noreen originally di-
vided the Ijodahåttr endings into three groups, but that he thereafter left
out two of them, because a reconstruction of the Proto-Nordic form
would make no difference in relation to Bugge’s rule. This is quite cor-
rect, in my opinion, since these occurrences are bound to be inconclu-
sive in relation to the question posed. This is the case, however, also for
a part of the third group, consisting of Old Norse monosyllables, name-
ly the word-forms that remain monosyllabic also in their Proto-Nordic
form. As far as I can see, this subgroup ought to have been treated exact-
ly in the same way as the first two groups, since only the Old Norse
monosyllables that are derived from bisyllabic Proto-Nordic forms are
valid evidence on this question. This is the only category that by a
Proto-Norse reconstruction will split into two groups, one of which
violates Bugge’s rule and the other not.
I therefore believe that the examination should be restricted to this
category, and that the Proto-Nordic monosyllables should thus be taken
out of Noreen’s table, in order to restrict it to the occurrences which are
liable to give an answer to the question posed.
In view of the formulaic character of many Ijodahåttr stanzas, I think
it is advisable also to overlook the repeated use of the same word.
Furthermore, I have subtracted three words which in their Proto-Nordic
tiden fore den samnordiska synkopen. - År det nu å andra sidan sannolikt eller ens mojligt
att några av våra bevarade eddadikter skulle vara så gamla att de efter Eggjumstenens vitt-
nesbord om synkopens ålder skulle nå upp till tiden fore 700? Kan traditionens makt ha
varit så stor? Kanske icke. Och likval, vem kan har bestamma gransema for det mojliga.
Om en mangd diktér av rent historisk och vardslig natur ha kunnat på den muntliga tradi-
tionens vag fortplantas under århundraden, så kan val ånnu mer detta ha varit fallet med
diktér av delvis rent religios, sakral karaktar (jag tanker då i fremstå rummet på Skirnis-
mål). Texter skyddade av religionens helgd ha ju faktiskt på andra håll fortplantade genom
muntlig tradition oskadda kunnat trotsa ofantliga tidrymder (ss. Rigveda). - Vi torde i var-
je fall kunna konstatera: det forefinnes mellan aldre och yngre diktér i ljobahåttr en tydlig
olikhet i fråga om poetisk teknik på den punkt som har sysselsatt oss och denna olikhet tor-
de med nodvandighet gå tillbaka på forhållanden fore den samnordiska synkopen” (No-
reen 1921b: 17).