Icelandic Version H

From The Seven Sages of Rome
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The Historia septem sapientum found its way into the Icelandic comparatively late through prints of the Danish Folkebog (Danish Version H). Translated into prose and adapted into verse, the earliest extant manuscripts were written between presumably the last quarter of the 16th century and the first half of the 17th century (see Seelow 1989: 214, 201). From there the manuscript tradition of the Sjö meistara saga reaches across the 18th and 19th century until the first quarter of the 20th century (the latest manuscript being from 1925). Hubert Seelow divides the Icelandic Version H into four Groups (A–D). Group A und B concern prose translations of either the whole Danish Folkebog text (Group A) or the Vaticinium and Amici story – i.e. Alexander and Ludwig – (Group B). In the verse versions, the whole Folkebog or single stories are adapted into a Rímur cycle (an Icelandic form of poetry; Group C), or – specifically – the story of Alexander and Ludwig is adapted into the poem Vinaspegill (Group D). For the latter, Seelow also mentions three prints from 1845, 1904, and 1909 – all printed in Reykjavík (see Seelow 1989: 216).

The Danish Folkebog includes, in contrast to its German source, a verse version of Canis additionally to the prose Canis, and a remark at the end about Diocletian's persecution of Christians (see Seelow 1989: 200). These changes partially appear in the Icelandic adaptations.
General Information
Language within Version Icelandic
Narrative / Scholarly Group
Parent Versions H (Historia Septem Sapientum)
Child Versions Icelandic Prose: Sjö meistara saga, Icelandic Verse: Sjö meistara saga
Author
Title
Siglum of the version of the Seven Sages
Version Number
Branch of the tradition West
Language & Composition
Original language of version
Translated into (languages)
Place of composition
Date of composition around 1600 / 1st half of the 17th century
Source for date of composition Seelow (1989)
Literature & Editions
Modern research literature Seelow (1989)
Modern Editions
Recorded branch of this secondary version
Connected prints

No connected prints

Adaptations
Adapted from (version)
Adapted into (version)
Source for composition and adaptation information Seelow (1989)
Languages in Use
Language of text Icelandic
Regional or specific language of version
Notes
Note
Notes on motifs
Notes on the frame
Pattern of embedded stories in this version

Connected manuscripts