Editiones Arnamagnæanæ. Series A - 01.06.1997, Blaðsíða 18
II. THE A-TEXT
The first part of the A-text is preserved in a medieval manuscript. The second
part is preserved in two seventeenth-century manuscripts thought to be copied
from the medieval manuscript when it was more complete than it is now, and
also in later manuscripts thought to be derived from it. The ending, if preser-
ved at all, is to be found only in the last-mentioned later manuscripts.
These primary and partly-primary manuscripts are described in the fol-
lowing section 1, and their textual relations are described in section 2. Se-
condary manuscripts derived from them are described in section 3.
1. Primary and partly-primary manuscripts
Perg. 4:o nr 6 (— A1)
Perg. 4:o nr 6, familiarly known as Stockholm 6, which is here abbreviated to
S6, is an anthology of romances now containing twelve sagas, or parts of
them: Amícus saga ok Amilíus, Bevers saga, Ivens saga, Parcevals saga,
Valvens þáttr, Mírmanns saga, Flóvents saga, Elís saga ok Rósamundu, Kon-
ráðs saga, Pjalar Jóns saga, MQttuls saga and Clárus saga. It has attracted
considerable scholarly attention. It was extensively used in the nineteenth
century, chiefly in editions by Eugen Kölbing (1872, 1874 and 1881) and
Gustaf Cederschiöld (1879 and 1884; Cederschiöld and Wulff 1876-7). Four
of its sagas have been re-edited in more recent times, in thorough fashion
(Tan-Haverhorst 1939, Blaisdell 1979b, Zitzelsberger 1987 and Kalinke
1987), and there have been articles about it (Stefán Karlsson 1967, Slay 1969
and 1986) and a facsimile-edition (Slay 1972). The following description
summarizes the present state of knowledge.
S6 has 137 leaves, the last of which is fragmentary. One more leaf believed
to have belonged to it is preserved separately. The manuscript has deterior-
ated with heavy use, and occasional abuse. Some leaves have passages that
are difficult to read because the page is discoloured or the writing has been
defaced; some have lost words or letters at the edges through wear or bad
trimming. Many bifolia have parted at the spine. Discontinuity of text reveals
in many places the loss of a leaf or leaves, or even whole gatherings; it has
been calculated that at least 39-40 leaves have been lost, in 14 lacunae. There
is evidence that one whole short saga has been lost in the tenth lacuna (Eiríks
saga víðfQrla), and others may have been lost in the sixth, the extent of which
cannot be determined; in particular it has been argued that this lacuna may
once have contained a version of Erex saga (Skárup 1984, 51-6).