Misskilin orð og misrituð í Guðmundar sögum

Abstract

1. The two different adjectives 'ólatr', "willing", and 'ólátr', "disorderly" (cf. the noun 'ólæti' in Modern Icelandic), have been míxed up with each other in Fritzner's dictionary. In the 'Priest saga' of bishop Guðmundr Arason the young Guðmundr is said to have been 'ólátr' — not 'ólatr' as the word is spelled in all editions of Guðmundar saga and Sturlunga saga.

2. In the edition of the Guðmundar saga by brother Arngrímr in Biskupa sögur II (Cph. 1878), p. 123, and in all later editions, we find the clause "hvar af prédikast, at honum muni skamt til skeytíngs", which has been interpreted by assuming a singular use of the verb 'prédika' and by explaining the noun 'skeytingr' from the context; this latter word is otherwise only found as a printing error in Grönlands historiske Mindesmærker. After collating the extant manuscripts of the saga one can assert, that the text of the edition is a corrupt rendering of the clause 'hvar af prestr óttaz at honum muni skammt til steytings'. The noun 'steytingr' is not found elsewhere in Old Icelandic texts, and the different meanings of the word in Modern Icelandic are all out of the question in the above context. However, from an examination of the meanings of related words and from a comparison with the source of the account in question (which is an unpublished version of Guðmundar saga) one can conclude, that the most plausible meaning of 'steytingr' at this place is "crushing to pieces" and that the priest feared that he would be smashed forthwith.