Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1978, Side 30

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Sniolvs kvæði
the tættir about Sniolv, Sniolvs táttur and Ásmundar táttur,
and thus give evidence for the existence of an independent
ballad about Sniolv in Faroese tradition. But no matter what
prehistory this frame structure might suggest for Svabo’s ver-
sion of Sniolvs kvæði, it functions to bind the four txttir into
a compact unit that gives the impression of a story completely
told. Although we do not know where or from whom Svabo
collected Sniolvs kvæði in 1781—1782, we nonetheless do know
that his text is not a fragment.
When Johannes Clemensen recorded Sniolvs kvæði for Hent-
ze’s collection in 1819 from an anonymous singer on Sandoy,
it consisted of no less than seven tættir: (1) Rana táttur, (2)
Sniolvs táttur, (3) Golmars táttur, (4) Hildibrands táttur, (5)
Virgars táttur, (6) Ásmundar táttur, and (7) Gríms táttur.
Not only does Clemensen’s text contain three more tættir than
Svabo’s, but it has also reversed the order of Golmars táttur
and Sniolvs táttur. Furthermore, to complicate matters, Cle-
mensen recorded Sniolvs kvæði again in 1821, but this time
identifying his singer as Peder Lukassen from Skálavík on
Sandoy. Clemensen’s 1821 text is not the same as his 1819
text — besides differences in wording and stanza order, it
contains two additional tættir, Hildardalsstríð and Risin á
Blálandi, which were sung immediately preceding the last tátt-
ur, Gríms táttur.
The Sniolv cycle as it was known from Clemensen’s Sandoy
texts of 1819 and 1821 contained roughly twice as many tættir
as Svabo’s text from 1781—1782. Since it has already been
established that Svabo’s text represents not a fragmentary but
rather a complete and probably stable form of the cycle, then
the Sandoy texts by comparison must reflect a vigorously ex-
panding, popular tradition. If this is so, then where did the
additional tættir comprising Sniolvs kvæði as it was known
on Sandoy come from? Were they already extant ballads that
came to be incorporated into the Sniolv cycle, or were they
new compositions?
All five of the additional tættir found in the Sandoy texts