SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications

THE TREATMENT OF POETIC SOURCES BY THE
COMPILER OF VQLSUNGA SAGAl
By R. G. FINCH
I
AN examination of the compiler's treatment of his
poetic sources is best begun with a comparison of
several paraphrases of complete stanzas with the original
verse. This will reveal tendencies on the compiler's part
which are more or less typical of his work as a whole.s
A
(HH 30) En peim sidlfom. / Sigru« ofan, / f6lkdiprf, um
barg / ok fari [eira: / sneriz ramliga / Rein 6r hendi /
gidlfrdyr konungs / at Gnipalundi. (VS 16/1-3) Pd kom
par Sigran, d6ttir H pgna konungs, af landi ofan meo miklu
lioi, ok snyr peim i g60a hpfn er heitir at Gnipalundi.
The following points may be noted: (I) f6lkdiprf, an
heroic poetic epithet, and appositional, is avoided and for
it is substituted a conventional prose attribute, meo miklu
lioi; the addition of d6ttir H pgna konungs after the proper
name effects the complete identification of Sigrun.
(2) The kenning gidlfrdyr for 'ship' is omitted without
substitution. (3) aflandi is inserted before ofan, and thus
the supernatural implication of this latter, i.e. that Signin,
the warrior maiden, descends 'from (the clouds) above' is
nullified. (4) The reference to the goddess Ran is cut out.
1 My thanks are due to Mrs Ursula Dronke for a number of most helpful
suggestions.
• References are to G. Neckel's second edition (r927) of the Edda and to my
edition, The Saga of the Volsungs (1965). The first arabic numberin references
to poems is that of the stanza, in references to the Saga that of the page; the
number after the oblique stroke refers to the line of stanza or page. The
numbering of examples in section I is continuous. As in the editions of the
poetry and prose just mentioned, the following abbreviations are used: Akv.
Atlakviba, Am. Atlamal, Br. Brot, CR Codex Regius of the Poetic Edda, Fm,
Fafnismal, Gho, Guerunarhvot, GOr. II Guornnarkvioa II, Grp, Gripisspa,
HH Helgakvioa I, Hm, Harnoismal, PE Poetic Edda, Rm. Reginsmal, Sd.
Sigrdrifumal, Sg. Sigurnarkvioa in skamma, VS Volsunga saga.