Birgit wrote:
>Codex Regius does not have OF, I have the photocopy of the page here at home.
> It has "U" with a sign that indicates the "m", but that part is a little
>smudgy in the manuscript.
>
>Is Finnur trying to reconstruct an even older version, the way it was before
>Codex Regius was written down?

Hi Birgit,
Yes, it has been documented in many places that cod.reg. used
um. Why Finnur uses "of" I do not know. Perhaps it is for
stylistic reasons? Or maybe because he wants to keep a
uniform style throughout?

I have read somewhere that the frequency "of" of vs. "um"
has been used to date ON poems. The basic idea is that
the older a poem, the greater the frequency of "of"-s.

Best regards
Keth