SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications

Saga-Book of the Viking Society
direction his father had feared. 24 Apart from this very
general comment we have no certain knowledge of
Ami's further career.
According to Laurentius saga the year of Ami's birth
was 1304. Bergr Sokkason, who became prior in 1322,
must have been considerably older. As for Arni's literary
activity and his dependence on Bergr in that connection,
Miss Fell summarizes the situation thus: "But during
his early years at l>ingeyrar Ami was living in an
atmosphere conducive to this kind of work, and his
adoption of Bergr Sokkasons literary mannerisms indicates
that his interest may have been stimulated by the
writings of his father's friend. The enthusiasm and
carelessness of the writing, the eagerness to display
irrelevant knowledge, and the uncertain hovering between
precise translation and rhetorical flourish, suggest that
the Dunstanus Saga was an early work, and may even have
been an experimental one" (p. LXIV). I think this is a
plausible description of the relations between the two
colleagues. It also seems to account fully for the
striking affinity in vocabulary and style between Dunst
and the "Bergr-texts", as well as for the apparent
"uncertainty" and "unevenness" of Ami's work. Under
such circumstances there is no reason why that affinity
should affect, or invalidate, any of my attributions to
Bergr. Arni was capable of imitating Bergr's language
and style to such a degree that we have still no instruments
sharp enough to distinguish safely between teacher and
pupil.
APPENDIX
In her book Dysingar d Stj6rnarhandriti (Reykjavik
1971) Selma J6nsd6ttir - as the title indicates - is first
and foremost concerned with illuminations. But she
.. ibid., 873.