The manuscript ÍBR 41 8vo

Why we chose it for our edition

After having found three new manuscripts (bringing the total to twelve) and seeing just how different some of them were, it became clear that combining them into a single edition with a critical apparatus would be difficult to accomplish. We therefore decided that - at least for the beginning - it would be better to concentrate on one of the manuscripts and prepare an edition of the story as it was transmitted in that manuscript. We chose ÍBR 41 8vo, for the following reasons:

• it is a representative of the recension with the largest number of extant MSS (8 of 12)
• it is a medial text between readings of oldest texts in this group, 2296 and 1993 (though not, we think, derived directly from either - but closer in most readings to 2296)
• the text is complete (2296 missing two sections)
• Relatively clear on the page, easier to transcribe than other texts (i.e. those with poor or hurried handwriting, cursive scripts, weak contrast between page and letters)
• almost complete lack of abbreviations

The downside of choosing ÍBR 41 8vo is the eccentric orthography: Its usage of archaic letter forms, some of which the scribe does not appear to have unterstood; strokes and dots over letters which can be accents, abbreviation markers, marks to differentiate vowels/syllables, or nothing at all; erratic capitalization; the scribe rarely employs the nasal stroke, even in words where clearly needed (e.g. heni rather than hen̅i or henni).

Images

Images of the manuscript are available on handrit.is. There is also a page with some information on the manuscript.

The letter shapes of ÍBR 41 8vo