„Hugblauð hormegðarbikkja“: Um Bósa sögu yngri

Abstract

A few manuscripts of Bósa saga from the seventeenth century and later preserve a text that is quite different from the medieval Bósa saga. The two texts are often referred to as the older and younger versions of Bósa saga. This article explores the transmission of Bósa saga and compares the two versions. It is argued that the younger version is in fact a new story, only loosely based on the older version. Most of the characters are the same and some of the plot, but the younger version differs from the older in many ways, and no signs of a textual relationship between the two versions are evident. Some connections between the younger version and rímur and other sagas can be found, but they are vague. Thus, oral culture undoubtedly played a part in the development of the two different Bósa sagas.