From: sjuler@...
Message: 3961
Date: 2003-12-18
--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, xigung@... wrote:
> As it is, I cannot guarantee that the header is exact.
> As it is, the following text appears to have been based upon
> several manuscript variants written in Sweden around the year
> 1500, which is most likely a kind of estimate, or average value.
> The introductory text is a bit long-winded, and I wasn't able
> to draw a quick and definite conclusion as to the exact age
> of the text. Perhaps, if I put some more effort in it, I will
> be able to give more exact dates. But for the time being I think
> "1500" will do as indicator.
>
> The text is from a book edited by the well known Swedish scholar
> H Y L T É N - C A V A L L I U S , which book was published at
> Stockholm between 1850 and 1854. The book's title is "Sagan om
> Didrik af Bern".
>
> Here just a small sample, picked at random, just to give an
> initial taste:
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> <pagina 169>
> ....................Kap. 222.
>
> 1 Om konung Aktilius' vänskap med konung Ermentrik.
>
> 2 Koning Atilia war en riker konung . han haffde my-
> 3 kin winskap mz ermentrik . koning / han satte sin frende
> 4 till ermentrik konung . som osid het . mz xij riddara .
> 5 konung Ermentrik fik hanum sin frende igen som
> 6 walter het aff waldsken han war tha ekke mesta ga-
> 7 mall . En jomfrw war mz Attilia konung . hon het hil-
> 8 degulla . jarlens dotter aff greken . hon war tit sat till
> 9 gisl . walter haffde henna ganzke ka'r.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Note in line 2 the adjective "riker". It has the -er ending,
> which I read as the regular singular masculin nominative, here
> used in the same fashion as is common in Old Icelandic.
> (and in modern Icelandic too). In the modern Scandinavian
> languages it has, however, been lost. Also note the various
> forms of the personal pronoun "han", "hanum" etc. These too
> are older forms that conform to the Old Norse forms.
> Apart from these, though, the text has quite a modern
> appearance, and to me it is quite easy to read: The language
> clearly is already miles away from the difficult Old Norse.
>
> Xigung.