SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications
SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications
82 Saga-Book of the Viking Society though small, this example shows that the Eddaic poems were not an entirely hidden treasure to the poets of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Valuspa was first printed (together with Havamal) in Copenhagen in 1665, with a Latin translation by Stefan Olafsson. Its second edition appeared in 1673, with a translation by Guomundur Andresson. Since then it has been printed nearly forty times [1923J in the collected Eddaic editions and on its own and translated into most European languages, while the books and articles which deal with it or mention it in some way cannot be numbered. 6 It would be material for a great deal of research, and in many ways instructive, to describe these editions and translations, and to demonstrate how the understanding of the poem has altered and improved, and what influence it has had on the literature of later centuries. But there is no room for this here, and in any case, this would be more a chapter in the cultural history of the last four centuries than an investigation of Valuspa. My conclusion, after examining older writings, is that if one only wants to understand the poem itself one may safely ignore all editions and critical work older than Bugge's edition of 1867. Anything of permanent value in these older works has been repeated many times since then. But an immense amount has become outdated in the light of new researches, and no notice need be taken of it.? Sophus Bugge's edition of the Siemundar Eddai' is still the best edition of these poems. Special attention is paid there to Valuspa, which is printed in diplomatic transcript from both Codex Regius and Hauksb6k, and also • For full bibliographical details see Halld6r Hermansson, Bibliography of the Eddas (Islandica XIII, I920); J6hann S. Hannesson, Bibliography of the Eddas: supplement (Islandica XXXVII, I9SS); H. Bekker-Nielsen, Bibliography of Old Norse-Icelandic studies I- (I963- ). , By this I am by no means making light of the work which such men as Rask, Finnur Magnusson, Hallgrimur Scheving, Sveinbjorn Egilsson, Munch, Svend Grundtvig and others have done towards the elucidation of V oluspa and other Eddaic poems. • N orrcen fornkvceiJi (I867).
Voluspci in an emended conflated text. Now commentators had a solid foundation on which to build. Yet it was not until 1879 that a real start was made in the examination of the poem. In that year A. C. Bang published his essay, Voluspoa og de Sibyllinske Orakler.? In this he maintained that the model for V oluspci was the so-called Sibylline Oracles, a set of false prophecies compiled by Jews before the birth of Christ and later by Christians in order to increase respect and support for their faith among the gentiles. Bang pointed to various things which V oluspci has in common with these ancient writings, but he made no attempt to explain how the author of V oluspci (which he, like Guribrandur Vigftisson, thought was composed in the British Isles) had come into contact with Greek literature, and did not even consider the possibility that the form and content of the poem could be of Norse origin. Yet that is the obvious line of elucidation to follow as far as it will go, for Voluspci is not the only prophecy in the Scemundar Edda. Bang's essay attracted great attention, and many good scholars agreed with him. Some have since followed his footsteps and have traced the material of Norse mythology back to southern European and Christian writings of the Roman Empire and later years.I? The most prominent of these was Bugge, especially in the first volume of his Studier over de nordiske Gude- og Heltesagns 0prindelse. ll Bugge's views have been considered extreme by many (though he did not lack followers, especially in the earlier days) and the time of their greatest influence is now over. But yet there is always much to be learnt from his works, even for those • In Christiania Videnskabsselskabs Forhandlinger (1879), no. 9; d. also Bang's 'Bidrag til de sibyllinske Oraklers og den sibyllinske Orakeldigtnings Historie i Middelalderen', ibid. (1882), no. 8. I. It is in fact no discovery of nineteenth-century scholars that the matter of Norse mythology is partly of Christian origin. Bishop Finnur J6nsson (or he and his son Hannes) maintained this in Historia ecclesiastica Islandia: (1772), I 23-4, and some of his comments are still valid. 11 Rsekke I, 1881-9.
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- Page 53 and 54: THE DEATH OF TURGESIUS* By JAMES ST
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- Page 65 and 66: A FRAGMENT OF VIKING HISTORY By J6N
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82 Saga-Book of the <strong>Viking</strong> <strong>Society</strong><br />
though small, this example shows that the Eddaic poems<br />
were not an entirely hidden treasure to the poets of the<br />
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.<br />
Valuspa was first printed (together with Havamal) in<br />
Copenhagen in 1665, with a Latin translation by Stefan<br />
Olafsson. Its second edition appeared in 1673, with a<br />
translation by Guomundur Andresson. Since then it has<br />
been printed nearly forty times [1923J in the collected<br />
Eddaic editions and on its own and translated into most<br />
European languages, while the books and articles which<br />
deal with it or mention it in some way cannot be<br />
numbered. 6 It would be material for a great deal of<br />
research, and in many ways instructive, to describe these<br />
editions and translations, and to demonstrate how the<br />
understanding of the poem has altered and improved, and<br />
what influence it has had on the literature of later<br />
centuries. But there is no room for this here, and in any<br />
case, this would be more a chapter in the cultural history<br />
of the last four centuries than an investigation of<br />
Valuspa. My conclusion, after examining older writings,<br />
is that if one only wants to understand the poem itself<br />
one may safely ignore all editions and critical work<br />
older than Bugge's edition of 1867. Anything of<br />
permanent value in these older works has been repeated<br />
many times since then. But an immense amount has<br />
become outdated in the light of new researches, and no<br />
notice need be taken of it.?<br />
Sophus Bugge's edition of the Siemundar Eddai' is still<br />
the best edition of these poems. Special attention is<br />
paid there to Valuspa, which is printed in diplomatic<br />
transcript from both Codex Regius and Hauksb6k, and also<br />
• For full bibliographical details see Halld6r Hermansson, Bibliography of<br />
the Eddas (Islandica XIII, I920); J6hann S. Hannesson, Bibliography of the<br />
Eddas: supplement (Islandica XXXVII, I9SS); H. Bekker-Nielsen, Bibliography<br />
of Old Norse-Icelandic studies I- (I963- ).<br />
, By this I am by no means making light of the work which such men as Rask,<br />
Finnur Magnusson, Hallgrimur Scheving, Sveinbjorn Egilsson, Munch, Svend<br />
Grundtvig and others have done towards the elucidation of V oluspa and other<br />
Eddaic poems.<br />
• N orrcen fornkvceiJi (I867).
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