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Saga-Book of the Viking Society
original in one's own language. It should therefore be
possible to use this evidence elsewhere, in helping to
determine other occasions on which Bergr has used
vernacular sources.
After the Duggall episode, Bergr introduces his next
chapter with the words, "as we read in the Karlamagnus
Saga",29 and still on the same subject, refers in the
chapter after that to "the book called Speculttm Historiale'
'30 which provided some of his material on Charlemagne.
He makes it clear however that he has more than one
source, and his sources are sometimes contradictory:
"some Norse books say differently about this matterv.!'
It is not too difficult to follow Berg's treatment of his
sources here. He opens with a sentence about the two
kings Marsirius and Deligandus sent to Charlemagne,
which is directly translated from the Specrtlum Historiale
version of the Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle. Then Bergr
moves away from the Pseudo-Turpin account of Roncevaux.
That he refers to Roland's horn as Olivant is
helpful since this is the name given to it in the chansons
but never in the Pseudo- Turpin; that he says of the horn,
"the horn which is called Olivant, and which ]itmundr,
son of King Agulandus of Africa had owned", 32 indicates
that he was using the Chanson d'Aspremoni, which
provides the relevant information that Roland obtained
both Durendal and the Olifant from Aumont son of
Agolant.s" But then Bergr translates directly from the
Speculum Historiale when he comes to Roland's dying
moments. His treatment is interesting again. Instead
of giving the information that Roland had received the
sacrament earlier that day before the battle, as part of
a conversation between Roland and Balduin, he ignores
29 "Sva er lesit i Karlamagnus sogu mikla keisara" (Hms. I 690).
30 "s11 b6k heitir Speculum Historiale" (Hms. I 692).
31 "p6 at sumar norramubzekr segi Oi'lruvisi af pvt efni" (Hms. I 692).
32 "111l'lr pann, er Olivant heitir, ok att hail'li Jatmundr son Agulandi konungs
af Afrika" iHms. I 690).
33 "Aumont oeist qui fu fix Agolant I Et Durendal conquist et l'olifant"
(Louis Brandin, La Chanson d'Aspremont (1919), I 1237-8).