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“Ancient Traditions” in Sverris saga: The Background of anEpisode in Sverris saga and a Note on the Dating of RómverjasagaJonas Wellendorf  From: JEGP, Journal of English and Germanic Philology 

Volume 113, Number 1, January 2014  ! 1"1#

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: 

$ermann P%lsson, in his ar&icles en&i&led '()*ur )+las& af b*um- and '(o*lig l)rdom i ./erris

saga,- argued &ha& some eisodes and e+ressions found in ./erris saga had a learned

 bac*ground and ere insired by a&in ri&ings! his osi&ion is bo&h reasonable and lausibleconsidering ha& is *non abou& &he genesis of ./erris saga in ar&icular, &ha& ar&s of &he saga,

if no& &he en&ire saga, ere ri&&en by arl Jnsson, abbo& of &he (enedic&ine monas&ery of

5un*a6/er% in Nor&hern 7celand! 7n &his ar&icle, 7 ill sho &ha& $ermann P%lsson as &oo eager

&o assign learned origins &o asec&s of &he saga! 8ur&hermore, i& ill be argued &ha& his bes&

e+amle, &he references &o forn minni 9ancien& &radi&ions: and d;mi h/a&ra manna 9&he e+amlesof bra/e men: in an eisode of &he saga<s nine&een&h cha&er, does no& allude &o an eisode in

=m/er>a saga?in &urn deri/ed from ucan<s accoun& of &he =oman @i/il War in Ae bello ci/ili97V, ll! 402BCD1:?bu& ra&her &o a .candina/ian 9resumably Noregian: heroic legend!

$ermann P%lsson<s &hesis has generally been acce&ed and ci&ed i&h aro/al in recen&

scholarshi on bo&h ./erris saga and =m/er>a saga! orb>Frg $elgad&&ir ri&es 'here can beno doub& &ha& &he au&hor of ./erris saga *ne =m/er>a saga!- 7n &his ar&icle, 7 ill cas& doub& on

&his asser&ion and sho &ha& none of &he assages singled ou& by $ermann P%lsson conclusi/ely

shos &he au&hor<s familiari&y i&h =m/er>a saga!

.ec&ion one resen&s &he assages iden&ified by $ermann P%lsson and argues &ha& i& is inheren&ly

unli*ely &ha& &he references &o forn minni and d;mi h/a&ra manna in ./erris saga refer &o a&in&radi&ion in &he con&e+& in hich &hey occur! .ec&ion &o offers a hi&her&o unno&iced arallel &o &he

eisode under discussion in .a+o Gramma&icus<s Ges&a danorum and argues &ha& .a+o and./erris saga bo&h dre indeenden&ly from .candina/ian heroic &radi&ion! he final sec&ion

 briefly ou&lines &he conseHuences of &his changed /ie on &he bac*ground of &he assage in

./erris saga for &he da&ing of =m/er>a saga!

1. Ancient Tradition and the Examples of

Brave Men

7n @ha&er 1D of ./erris saga, &he narra&or e+resses concern &ha& his accoun& of ./errir<scon&inued good for&une ill gi/e rise &o disbelief among &he en/ious in his audience! herefore,

he a&&em&s &o u& &heir s*e&icism &o shame by recoun&ing ./errir<s successes as ell as his

hardshis! Vic&ory did no& come easy &o ./errir and his men, &he (irchlegs

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margan /illis&Ig /ar hann a& &roa o* hans menn %r b)i /)ri re*i& s/% margra o* s&rra harma

sem hann %&&i 6eim fegum a& g>alda o* hann fengi sIna fourleif s&&a af slI*u s&rmenni sem I

m& /ar, en eigi meira lii en hann hafi!

9./erris saga, ! 31:

98or many a re&ched road had ./erri and his men &o &ram, before he had a/enged &he many

grie/ous sorros hich he had &o reHui&e &he ing and his fa&her &he Earl, and before he as able

&o in by &he sord &he inheri&ance of his fa&hers from his oerful oonen&s i&h &he smallforce a& his command!:

9he .aga of ing ./errir, ! 23:

'he difficul& >ourney- has already become a recurring &heme a& &his oin& in &he saga! 7& almos&

seems as if ./errir suffers grea& oe and difficul&ies e/ery &ime he mo/es from one lace &o

ano&her, ne/er managing &o bring or acHuire food and aroria&e clo&hing needed for

subsis&ence! $oe/er, &he narra&or insis&s &ha& &he hardshis culmina&e in &he >ourney he is abou&&o rela&e '*om 6 aldri s/% mi*ill %*afi alls *onar h;ginda, b)i af m;i o* ill/iri, s/efnleysi

o* ma&leysi, % hond ./erri *onungi sem I 6essi fer- 9! 31: 9ye& he ne/er as so &ried byeariness and bad ea&her, by loss of slee and an& of food, as in &he >ourney &ha& he no

under&oo* K! 23L:!

M& &his oin& in &he saga, ./errir is in )radalr in Noray and in&ends &o march for (ergen and

&a*e &he!!!