Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - L. M. Hollander, Studies in the Jómsvíkingasaga - 1. A vindication of the cod. Holm. 7 quarto redaction
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
200 Hollander: Jómsv. saga.
ally with H. Arngrim, again, agrees with H as to the
harmony between the brothers, but has the minor variation
that they attack Ireland and that Knut is slain at a place
quern Jelldunes vocant — which is, probably, loaned from
Saxo’s Danish tradition *). Evidently, then, there are two
different traditions of which the one in Saxo, A and H
seems to have by far the greater authenticity. As is nat-
ural, the symbolic story told by queen |>yra to announce
Knút’s death to Gorm must also vary according to whether
there was enmity between the brothers; and Saxo, here
too, agrees with A and H, as against Ftb. and 291. It
may be added that the fine alliterative line, preserved in
H only,
Svá drúpir Danmçrk
Sera dauþr sé Knútr (son minn)
certainly is not any scribe’s work.
12) There is great confusion as to the place of Fjçlnir
in Toki’s family. H says Toki has two legitimate sons and
one (Fjçlnir), by a concubine, who is the oldest. After the
death of both parents Fjçlnir is not content with his third
of all movable property, which his half-brothers are willing
to grant him, but demands a third of all property ”sem
hann væri arfgengr” — as if he were entitled to the in-
heritance. All the other redactions agree in making Fjçlnir
the youngest; but 291 falls to state that he is illegitimate.
This omission is not accidental as is shown by the omission
of the corresponding statement sem væri hann arfgengr.
Why should Fjçlnir then be deprived of his rightful inherit-
ance? According to all Scandinavian law brothers of the
same father and mother are entitled to equal shares of the
inheritance and no right of primogeniture is specified 2). In
this point, then, 291 at least is demonstrably at fault.
*) Cf. on this point Grjessing in his Fortale p. XII.
2) R. Keyser, Norges Stats- og Retsforfatning i Middelalderen, ch. 46.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
