CITED IN THIS DICTIONARY.
xi
Sokka-sonar, cited from Flateyjar-bók iii. 445-454. Játvarðar Saga, the Life of Edward the Confessor, Ed. 1852, also contained in Flateyjar-bók iii. 463-472. Ósvalds Saga, the Life of King Oswald, Ed. 1854. Thomas Saga Erkibiskups, the Life of Thomas á Becket, cited from a MS. 5311 in the British Museum, a transcript of an Icelandic vellum MS. called Thomas-skinna; another recension of this Saga is in an Icelandic MS. at Stockholm: it is now in the press under the care of Unger, Christiania, whose edition is now and then cited (Thom. Ed.), vide e.g. gjafmildi. Rómverja Sögur, edited in Pröver, pp. 108-386, is a paraphrase of Sallust’s Bellum Jugurt. and Lucan’s Pharsalia. Veraldar Saga, a short Universal History, ‘Sex Aetates Mundi,’ cited from Pröver, pp. 64-103. We may also here record the Þorfinns Saga (vide above, D. II. 2) and Vínlands-þáttr, from Flateyjar-bók vol. i, wrongly inserted in the editions of the Heimskringla vol. i, published by Rafn in Antiquitates Americanae, Copenhagen, pp. 7-78: these two Sagas refer to the discovery of America at the end of the 10th and the beginning of the 11th centuries.
F. SACRED OR LEGENDARY LORE.
- I. Stjórn or a Biblical Paraphrase of the Historical Books of the Old Testament by bishop Brand (died 1264), edited by Unger, Christiania 1862; also sometimes called Gyðinga Sögur. The first part, pp. 1-319, is a scholastic compilation from Genesis, Exodus, Petrus Comestor, and the Speculum Historiale, and was composed about A.D. 1300, but the whole work is now called by the name of Stjórn.
- II. Homilies, etc.—The Homilies and Sermons of St. Gregory, marked Greg. Homiliu-bók or Book of Homilies, by Unger, Christiania 1864, marked Hom.; the figures refer to the pages of the MS. Arna-Magn. 619, which are marked in the edition: another old vellum MS. of Homilies at Stockholm (marked Hom. St.) is not published. Elucidarius, Ed. in Ann. for Nord. Oldk. 1858; the figures mark the pages of the MS. noted in the edition.
- III. Helgra-manna Sögur or Lives of Saints, etc.:—Barlaams Saga (by Joh. Damasc.), Unger’s Ed., Christiania 1851: Clemens Saga (Clement Alexandr.): Martinus Saga (St. Martin of Tours), from vellum MS. Arna-Magn. 645: Blasius Saga (St. Blaise), from vellum MS. Arna-Magn. 623: Mariu Saga (Virgin Mary), from MS. Arna-Magn. 656 A. and other MSS., is now edited by C. R. Unger, Christiania, and often cited both in the Grammar and Dictionary: Niðrstigningar Saga or History of Descent to Hell, a rendering of the later part of the Apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, from MSS. Arna-Magn. 645, pp. 102-110, and 623, pp. 1-10: Andreas Saga, MS. Arna-Magn. 625: Johannes Saga baptistae, MS. Arna-Magn. 623: Postula Sögur, from various MSS., Arna-Magn. 645, 656 C, etc.; a printed copy (Viðey 1836) is now and then used: Theophilus, edited by Mr. Dasent, 1842, now again published as part of the Mar. Saga. Antonius Saga, Augustinus Saga, Páls Saga Postula, cited from Arna-Magn. 234 fol. Many other small legendary stories are besides cited (without name) from the Arna-Magn. MSS. nos. 656, 655 (the Roman numerals denote parts or fasciculi), 623, 645, 677. Many of these tales and homilies are preserved in very old MSS., and belong to the earliest stage of Icelandic literature.
G. ROMANCES OR FABLES, rendered mostly from French and Latin.
- I. Historical Romances:—Alexanders Saga (from the Alexandreis of Philip Gautier), by Unger, Christiania 1848: Karla-Magnús Saga (Charlemagne), by Unger, Christiania 1860: Þiðreks Saga af Bern (Dietrich), by Unger, Christiania 1853: Breta-Sögur, the first part also called Trojumanna Sögur, chiefly founded upon Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Hist. Brit. and Dares Phrygius, edited in Ann for Nord. Oldk., Copenhagen 1848, 1849.
- II. Mythical:—Artus-kappa Sögur, containing Parcevals Saga, Ivents Saga, Valvents Saga, Möttuls Saga, Erreks Saga, cited from MS. 4859 in the British Museum: Elis Saga, Bærings Saga, Flovent Saga, Magus Saga, all four cited from vellum MS. Arna-Magn. 580; the last is also at times quoted from an edition: Tristams Saga, in MS. Arna-Magn. 443, but only cited from Fritzner’s Dictionary: Mirmants Saga, cited from MS. 4859 in the British Museum: Bevus Saga; Clarus Saga. β. Strengleikar or Lays of the Britons, edited by Unger, Christiania 1850.
- III. Lyga-Sögur or Stories fabricated in Iceland:—The greater part of Fornaldar Sögur, 2nd and 3rd vols., vide above; Þjalar-Jóns Saga, Konráðs Saga Keisara Sonar, and many others.
H. WORKS OF A LEARNED OR SCHOLASTIC CHARACTER.
- I. Philological:—Skálda, a collection of three of four Icelandic philological treatises of the 12th to the 14th century, preserved in ones of the MSS. of the Edda (Orms-bók), and therefore usually published as an appendix to that book, and in many modern works quoted under the name of Edda; it is here cited under the name of Skálda. Skálda is a traditionary name in Iceland, although it is sometimes applied to the Skáldskapar-mál, vide C; the earliest and by far the most interesting—perhaps the earliest philological treatise in any Teutonic language—os that by Thorodd; it is contained in p. 160, l. 27 to p. 169, l. 18 in the edition of Dr. Egilsson, Reykjavík 1849 (where these treatises are published under the name of Ritgjörðir Tilheyrandi Snorra Edda), but in the Ed. Arna-Magn. ii. 44-60; the third treatise; an imitation of Donatus and Priscian, pp. 173-200, is written by Ólafr Hvíta-skáld (died 1259), cp. Ed. Arna-Magn. ii. 62-189; the fourth treatise, pp. 200-212, is simply a continuation of the third. 2. The Skáldskapar-mál of Snorri, the rhymed glossaries, and the metrical poem Hátta-tal with the commentary in prose (vide C), may be reckoned in this class.
- II. Skugg-sjá or Konungs Skugg-sjá, i.e. Speculum Regale, a didactic scholastic work; the Copenhagen Ed. of 1768 is cited here; a new edition appeared at Christiania in 1848. Anecdoton, a polemical treatise on ecclesiastical matters, published by Werlauff, Copenhagen 1815, and again in 1848, along with the Skugg-sjá.
- III. Arithmetical:—Rím-begla, a large collection of arithmetical treatises, etc., published at Copenhagen in 1780; the name Rímbegla, however, refers properly to the first part, viz. pp. 1-114 in this edition: this treatise is preserved in an Icelandic MS. of the 12th century (no. 1812 Royal Libr. Copenhagen), and is so called by the author, whose name is unknown. Algorismus, a treatise on Arithmetic by Hauk Erlendsson (died 1334), contained in the vellum MS. Hauks-bók, and edited by Munch in Ann. for Nord. Oldk., Copenhagen 1848, pp. 353-375.
- IV. Geographical:—A small collection is published under the title of Symbolae ad Geographiam Medii aevi, edited by Werlauff in 1821, especially containing a geographical sketch by the Icelandic abbot Nicholas (died 1161), called Leiðarvísir og Borga-skipan: some things are also published in Antiquités Russes and Orientales, 1852; various fragments of this kind are contained in the Hauks-bók. Some parts of the rhymed glossary in the Edda (C. I), e.g. names of rivers, islands, etc., belong to this class.
- V. Medical:—Lækninga-bók, a MS. in the Arna-Magn. collection 434, 12mo; a small part published in Pröver, pp. 471-474. The chief source for medical citations, however, is a list of Icelandic names of diseases contained in the 9th and 10th volumes of Félags-rit, 1789 and 1790, written by Svein Pálsson (died 1840), and drawn from various old treatises on medical matters.
J. MÁLDAGAR, SKJÖL, etc., i.e. DEEDS AND DIPLOMAS.
- I. Icelandic:—Historia Ecclesiastica Islandiae by bishop Finn Jónsson, Finnus Johannaeus, published in four volumes, Copenhagen 1772-1778, contains a great number of writs and deeds referring to Icelandic church-history, which are cited in this Dictionary as far as down to A.D. 1400: Diplomatarium Islandicum by Jón Sigurdsson, Copenhagen 1857 sqq., contains deeds and Libri Datici of the churches down to the union with Norway (about A.D. 1263), but is not finished: deeds of the 14th century are therefore
