Editiones Arnamagnæanæ. Series B - 01.06.1962, Blaðsíða 85

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in the Æfentyr of complete stanzas of MHR and one
of a half-stanza (lll2-3, IV 38; 1142-3, IV 65; 1173-18\
V 11; 1341-2, VI 61). It is strange that these quotations
from MHR should be found in a version of HÞ based
on BHR but their appearance is apparently to be ex-
plained as the activity of the scribe of Lbs 2421 8vo or
its original, since the three quotations of complete stanzas
are not found in Lbs 1940 4to or Lbs 1572 4to. Lbs 1940
4to contains a version of HÞ that is in all other respects
very close to that in Lbs 2421 8vo but two of the stanza-
quotations are not found and the third, that at 1142-3,
appears in a form less close to that in MHR. Presumably
the scribe of Lbs 2421 8vo or its original was familiar
with MHR and inserted the three stanzas from memory
at the appropriate points. Lbs 1572 4to, which contains
a similar but slightly abbreviated version of HÞ to that
in Lbs 2421 8vo, omits two of the stanzas and gives that
at 1142-3 in a form less close to that in MHR. The half-
stanza at 1341-2 survives in slightly altered form in all ver-
sions of HÞ related to Lbs 2421 8vo but this could possi-
bly be explained by its presence in BHR. There would seem,
then, to be no objection to an explanation which attri-
butes the insertion of the MHR quotations to the scribe
of Lbs 2421 8vo or its immediate original. It is not
necessary to look upon MHR as a direct source for the
Æfentyr, which would appear to be based on BHR alone.
In the Æfentyr there are a few significant omissions
from, orcorruptions of, the Hemingr-story as told in BHR.
First, Lbs 2421 8vo states incorrectly that Haraldr
Sigurðarson was the nephew of St. Olaf, whereas BHR
say correctly that Haraldr and Olaf had the same mother.
Lbs 1940 4to calls Haraldr Olaf’s brother and not brödur
son. Since Lbs 1572 4to also has bródr son, however, it
seems likely that the error was found in the original text
of the Æfentyr and that the correction was made by the
scribe of Lbs 1940 4to. It is after all an obvious one.