they are obviously not referring to themselves, who at the time of the narration
have long been dead, but are rather addressing those who shall die after the
death of Christ to inform them that one day, they shall also enjoy the same faith
and redemption.
K XXIV 45/3
T 102r/16
A 54v/4–5
tenens dexteram Adae
tenens manum dexteram Ade
toc i hønd Adams oc ⟨ste⟩ upp
ascendit ab inferis.62
ascendit ab inferis.63
or helvite.64
In this scene, Christ ascends from Hell grasping Adam’s right hand , deliver-
ing him to Paradise along with the souls of the righteous, finally fulfilling their
long-awaited redemption. The Majority Text differs from the hybrid redaction
by omitting the object of the sentence, “manum” (“hand”), and exclusively
transmitting the adjective “dexteram” (“right”). Although its absence does not
compromise the logic and meaning of the passage, the word “manum” should
nevertheless be restored, as it already occurred in this same chapter and in the
very same context: K XXIV.1/6–7 “tenens autem Dominus manum dexteram
Adae dixit ad eum” (“Moreover, the Lord, holding the right hand of Adam, said
to him”). The Icelandic text is also deficient in this regard, omitting the adjec-
tive “right,” which was also translated along with (“hand”) in the above men-
tioned passage: A 54v/27–28 “þa toc Dominus i hønd ena høgri Adams oc
męlti sva” (“Then the Lord took Adam’s right hand of and said this”).
K XXV 46/13–14
T 103r/8–9
A 55r/23–4
diuinis signis et prodigiis
preliari cum eo diuinis
oc beriaz a mot honom meþ
preliaturi cum eo, et ab eo
signis et prodigiis et ab eo
Guþs iarteinom oc tacnom.
occisi in Hierusalem.65
occidemur in Iherusalem.66
Hann mon ocr lata vega ⟨i⟩
Iorsalaborg.67
Enoch states the above text in Paradise after Christ’s deliverance of the
souls of the righteous. It refers to the slaying of the two Christ-like witnesses
– here identified as Enoch and Elijah – after their testimony as relayed in
Revelation 11:7–8.68 The hybrid redaction changes the past participle “ab eo
occisi” (“they [shall be] slain by him”) of the Majority Text with a first person
66 Niðrstigningar saga
plural passive, “ab eo occidemur” (“we shall be slain by him”), which is well
reflected in the Icelandic text A 55r/24 “hann mon ocr lata vega” (“he shall
slain us in Jerusalem”).
Minor Variants of T Reflected in A against K and R
K XXI.2 40/1–2
R 1ra/22–4
T 101r/4–5
A 53v/25–6
Haec audiens
Hec audiens omnis
Hec audi’e’ns
Guþs helgir er þeir
omnis multitudo
multitudo cum uoce
omnis multitudo
heyrðo þetta þa męlto
sanctorum cum uoce
increpationis dixerunt sanctorum cum uoce
þeir sva viþ ðær illar
increpationis dixit ad ad Infernum.70
increpationis dixerunt vættir.72
Inferum.69
ad demones.71
Whereas the Majority Text transmits the correct reading that refers to Hell
with its name in the singular “Inferus,” the hybrid recension, and consequently
the Icelandic translation, depersonifies Inferus, who in the hybrid redaction is
addressed in the plural as “demones” (“devils”) and rendered in the Icelandic
text with “illar vættir” (“evil spirits”). Turville-Petre noted this divergence, but
traced it back to the inventiveness of the Icelandic translator and regarded it as
one of his literary licenses, instead of postulating his consultation of a different
Latin source text.73
The transportation of the figure of Hell into a plurality of devils might have
been used in the hybrid text as a consequence of the three instances within the
perterritus pauore et omnia impia officia mea simul mecum conturbata sunt”
(“I was afraid and terrified with fear and all my impious servants were also
disturbed with me”); K XX1.1 40/8–9 “et dixit Inferus ad sua impia officia”
(“and Hell said to his impious servants”); K XXII.1 42/1–2 “Hec uidentes
Inferus et Mors et impia officia eorum cum crudelibus ministris expauerunt”
(“seeing these things, Hell and Death and their impious servants with the cruel
ministers were afraid”).74
K XXI.3 41/3
R 1rb/8–9
T 101r/16–17
A 54r/4–5
Et facta est uox
Et facta est uox
Et facta est iterum
Þa hafa þeir i annat
magna ut tonitruum.75 magna ut tonitruum.76 uox magna ut
sinn heyrþa rødd sva
tronitrui.77
micla at scialfa þotte
helvite allt.78
This is the second instance of Psalm 24(23):7–9 and the Tollite portas vers-
es. The hybrid redaction and the Icelandic translation share the presence of the
adverb of frequency “iterum” (“a second time”) and “i annat sinn” (“a second
The Latin Source Text Underlying Niðrstigningar saga 67
time”) while there is no trace of it in the Majority Text and in the Icelandic
fragment R.
K XXI.3 41/12–14
R 1rb/19–22
T 101r/22–3
A 54r/11
Et ipse Dominus
Et ipse Dominus
Et ipse Dominus
Dominus de celo
de caelo in terris
de celo in terris
de celo in terris
in terram aspexit
prospexit ut audiret
perspexit ut
prospexit ut
ut audiret gemitus
gemitum uinculorum audiret gemitum
audiret gemitus
compenditorum
et solueret filios
uinculatorum et
compenditorum
ut solueret filios
interemptorum.79
solueret filios
et solueret filios
interemptorum.82
interemptorum.80
interemptorum.81
These words, stated by King David in Hell, are directly quoted from Psalm
101(100):21. The genitive plural “uinculorum” (“of the chains”) is clearly a
scribal error transmitted by the Majority Text and should therefore be emend-
ed with the genitive plural of the past participle “uinculatorum” (“of those
who had been bound in chains”), as found in the Icelandic fragment R. The
Majority Text and consequently the Icelandic fragment R preserve again an
older reading, “gemitum uinculatorum” (“the groan of those who had been
bound in chains”), transmitted in numerous manuscripts of the Vetus Latina.83
The reading extant in the hybrid redaction and in the Icelandic text “gemitus
compeditorum” (“the groans of those who had been fettered”) is derived from
the Vulgate.
Agreement between K and E against T and A
K XX.3 39/1–2
E 1v/3
T 100r/3–4
A 53r/7–8
Tu mihi dixisti quia
Þa sagdir mier at
Tu mihi dixisti ip⟨s⟩e
Enn þat vitom ver
ipse est qui mortuos a þessi er sa sialfur er
est qui mortuos à teát hann hevir menn
me traxit.84
dauda menn dro fra
tulit.86
marga dauþa af ðer
mer.85
teket.87
The above sentence is stated by Hell when he addresses Satan to express his
perplexity towards the intrinsic nature of Christ. It suggests that despite his
human appearance, the power of his divinity had in several instances proven to
be almighty. Hell laments that even before his death on the cross, Christ had
been able to resurrect men who were already dead, such as Lazarus.
Whereas the Majority Text preserves the correct reading “mortuos a me
traxit” (“dragged away the dead from me”) – implying that the souls were
snatched out of Hell (Hell being the first person in this sentence) – the com-
piler of the hybrid text changes this perspective, suggesting that the dead were
68 Niðrstigningar saga
ultimately the property of Satan “mortuos ⸌a te⸍ tulit” (“took away the dead
from you”). The use of the verb “tulit” (“took away”) in the hybrid recension
was probably influenced by K XX.3/2–4, “Multi enim sunt qui a me hic de-
tenti sunt qui dum uixerunt in terris a me mortuos tulerunt” (“There are many
who are held captive here by me who when they lived on earth have taken
away the dead from me”), and altogether omitted by the hybrid redaction.
Also worthy of note are the correspondences of the verbs “trahere” (“drag”)
and “ferre” (“take”), respectively, with the Icelandic “draga” (“drag”) and
“taka” (“take”), respectively.
K XXIII.1 43/3
T 101v/30–102r/1
R 1vb/7–8
A 54v/4–5
dux exterminationis
dux exterminationis
dux exterminationis
dauþa ioforr
Beelzebub.88
tricabite Beelzebub.89
tricapita Beelzebub.90
þrihofða⟨ð⟩r Bee⟨l⟩
zebub.91
Agreement between T, R, and A against K
The epithet “triceps” (“three-headed”) has been given to Beelzebub in connec-
tion to Cerberus, the mythological hound guarding the underworld in Greek
and Roman pagan traditions, and can be traced back to a Good Friday sermon
by Eusebius of Alexandria.92 However, it is more likely that the compiler of the
hybrid redaction was acquainted with the “Cerberus triceps inferorum canis”
(“Cerberus, the three-headed hound of Hell”) mentioned by Augustine in his
De civitate Dei.93
The Icelandic compiler is faithful to his source and recalls the image of a
three-headed devil in chapter XX.1, where he juxtaposes it to the adjective
which describes Satan as a “seven-headed” dragon, an interpolated reading
derived from Revelation 12:3 absent in the Majority Text and in the hybrid re-
daction and peculiar only to the Icelandic translation.94 The compiler specifies
that Satan may at times also reveal himself with seven or three heads: A
52v/17–19 “Satan iotunn helvitis høfðingi er stundom er meþ VII høfðom enn
stundom meþ III enn stundom i drekalike þess er omorlegr er oc ogorlegr oc
illilegr a allar lunder.”95
The noun “iotunn” (“giant”) in connection to Satan is an innovation and
peculiarity of AM 645 4to. It may have come about through a paleographical
change and confusion of the grapheme clusters - fvrr and - tvnn from an origi-
nal “iofurr” (“prince”) translating the Latin “princeps” (“prince”). The chang-
ing of “iofurr”/“iotunn” in this passage may have influenced its subsequent
employment in chapter XX.1, where Inferus is first introduced in the story and
The Latin Source Text Underlying Niðrstigningar saga 69
referred to with the appellative T 99v/15 “preparatorem inferorum” (“preparer
of Hell”). In the Icelandic translation, Inferus is described as a “host” of evil
beings, composed of creatures of Nordic mythology and of Christian devils of
the Latin source: A 52v/19–20 “viþ iotna oc viþ diofla oc viþ rikistroll ⟨oc⟩
gørvoll þau er i helvite voro” (“with the giants, the devils, the mighty trolls,
and all of those who were in Hell”). The original reading “prince,” in place of
the later variant “giant,” is preserved in chapter XXIII.1, where the compiler
of AM 645 4to twice translates the Latin “dux” (“prince, duke”) and “prin-
ceps” (“prince”) with the Icelandic “iofurr” (“prince”): T 101v/30 “dux exter-
minationis” (“Prince of destruction”) is translated as A 54v/4–5 “dauþa ioforr”
(“Prince of Death”) and T 102r/9–10 “O princeps omnium malorum pater
impiorum” (“O Prince of all evil and father of the wicked”) as A 54v/13
“Satan ioførr helvitis oc allz illz” (“Satan, Prince of Hell and of all evil”).
K XXIII.1 43/7–9
T 102r/3–4
R 1vb/12–15
A 54v/7–9
Ecce iam iste Iesus
Ecce iam iste Ihesus
Etiam iste Iesus sue
Þat ma nu of sia at
diuinitatis suae
diuinitatis sue fulgore diuinitatis fulgore
Christus fer her nu oc
fulgore fugat omnes
fugauit omnes
fugauit omnes
rekr a braut meþ liose
tenebras mortis, et
tenebras mortis et
tenebras mortis et
guþdoms sins dauþa
firmum carcerum
ima carceris claustra
ima claustra carceris
myrcr oc braut byrgi
confregit.96
confregit.97
confregit.98
var øll.99
The reading “firmum carcerum confregit” (“He has broken the steadfast
prisons”) transmitted by the Majority Text seems to have caused a scribal error
during one of its subsequent transcriptions. A second reviser of the Majority
Text has substituted the adjective in the accusative form “firmum” (“stead-
fast”), which is clearly apposed to the noun “carcerum” (“prison”), also in the
accusative form, with the less ambiguous noun “claustrum” (“enclosure”). The
proximity of the two nouns “claustrum” and “carcerum” in the sentence might
have generated further confusion, so at a certain point, the original object of the
sentence “carcerum” (“prison”) in the accusative case was perceived as incor-
rect and was transferred into the genitive case “carceris” (“of the prison”), re-
ferring to the object “claustra” (“the enclosures of the prison”).
Subsequently, the noun phrase “claustra carceris” started to be understood
with the stricter military acception of “claustra” (“defence, fortress, walls”).
The adjective “ima” (“innermost, deepest”) was added for further specification.
The Icelandic text mirrors the hybrid text, rendering the Latin “claustrum”
(“enclosure, fortress”)
with the Icelandic “byrgi” (“enclosure, fortress”).
5 The Textual Interpolations
of Niðrstigningar saga
As has been shown in chapter 4, the difficulty in assigning a particular source
to certain passages of Niðrstigningar saga is mostly due to the fact that its text
is not a translation sensu stricto but rather an adaptation and reformulation of
the Latin apocryphon, involving profound elaboration of the original narrative
fabric. Numerous textual variants and departures from the most plausible un-
derlying sources must be ascribed to the translator’s own editorial predilections
and to no other particular source. Besides adjusting lexicon and sentence struc-
ture to his taste, the compiler felt compelled to integrate into the original plot
substantial narrative details extraneous to the Latin apocryphon. These second-
ary additions are all biblical and patristic in nature, and some of them are so
intricately woven into the primitive narrative framework that the task of iden-
tifying and sourcing them may at times feel overwhelming.
Throughout the narrative, the Icelandic compiler alters the regular course of
the Latin text four times, introducing the description of the gates of Paradise as
guarded by a cherub, substantially augmenting the antithetical description of
Christ and then of Satan, and inserting a section relating to the epic and figura-
tive victory of Christ over the Devil. All the interpolated sections, here sur-
veyed in their order of appearance in the Icelandic text, are signalled by
editorial notes or additional sentences, which introduce sudden changes or re-
covery of the narrative.
The Gates of Paradise
At the beginning of the Descensus, the original Latin text focuses on Seth’s
journey to Paradise in a quest for the Oil of Mercy to anoint the body of his
father Adam, who had long lain infirm and in terrible pain as a consequence of
The Textual Interpolations of Niðrstigningar saga 71
his fall from Paradise.1 At the news of Christ’s baptism in the river Jordan, an-
nounced in Hell by John the Baptist himself, Adam asks his son Seth to relate
to the patriarchs his quest to Paradise for the Oil of Mercy. At the beginning of
Seth’s narrative, after a mention of the gates of Paradise – “Þat var qvat Seth þa
er ec for eyren⟨dis⟩ foþor mins at ec com of siþir til paradisar hliþs”2 (“It oc-
curred, said Seth, when I travelled on my father’s errand, that I came at last to
the gates of Paradise”), the Icelandic compiler inserts additional narrative ma-
terial describing the fierce scenario at its entrance: