----- Original Message -----
From: "Erich Rickheit KSC" <rickheit-ync@...>
To: <norse_course@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2003 4:42 PM
Subject: [norse_course] Hrafnkels Chapter 1


> Jamie and I have been getting dull and decided we wantend to start
> a translation project while we still had some momentum. Here's our
> first passs at chapter one of Hrafnkels saga freysgoða. We're
> intersted in all corrections and comments. Some of our notes and
> questions at the bottom:
>
>
> CHAPTER 1
>
> Þat var á dögum Haralds konungs ins hárfagra,
> This was in the days of King Harald the Fairhaired,
>
> Hálfdanar sonar ins svarta,
> son of Halfdane the black,
>
> Guðrøðar sonar veiðikonungs,
> son of Guðrod, the hunting-king,
>
> Hálfdanar sonar ins milda ok ins matarilla,
> son of Halfdane the merciful and the food-stingy,
>
> Eysteins sonar freys,
> son of Eystein of Freyr
>
> Oláfs sonar trételgju Svíakonungs,
> son of Olaf treecutter, king of the Swedes,
>
> at sá maðr kom skipi sínu til Íslands í Breiðdal, er Hallfreðr hét.
> that this man came by his own ship to Iceland to Breiðdal,
> who was called Hallfreð
>
> Þat er fyrir neðan Fljótsdalsherað.
> which is below the district Fljótsdal
>
> Þar var á skipi kona hans ok sonr, er Hrafnkell hét.
> There on ship was his wife and son, who was called Hrafnkel.
>
> Hann var fimmtán vetra gamall, mannvænn ok gørviligr.
> He was fifteen winters old, promising and enterprising.
>
> Hallfreðr setti bú saman.
> Hallfreð put together a farm.
>
> Um vetrinn andaðisk útlend ambátt, er Arnþrúðr hét,
> during winter a foreign handmaid died, who was called Arnþruð,
>
> ok því heitir þat síðan á Arnþrúðarstöðum.
> and so since then they called it Arnþrudstad.
>
>
> En um várit foerði Hallfreðr bú sitt norðr yfir heiði ok gerði bú þar,
> and in the spring Hallfreð brought his farm north over a heath
> and built a farm there,
>
> sem heitir í Geitdal.
> where he called it Geitdal. (goat-dale)
>
> Ok eina nótt dreymði hann, at maðr kom at honum ok mælti:
> And one night he dreamed, that a man came to him and said:
>
> 'Þar liggr þú, Hallfreðr, ok heldr óvarliga.
> 'There you lie, Hallfreð, and rather incautiously,
>
> Foer þú á brott bú þitt ok vestr yfir Lagarfljót.
> Bring away (by road) your farm and west over Lagarfljot.
>
> Þar er heill þín öll.'
> There is luck for all thine.'
>
> Eptir þat vaknar hann ok foerir bú sitt út yfir Rangá í Tungu,
> After that he woke and brought his farm out over Ranga in Tungu,
>
> þar sem síðan heitir á Hallfreðarstöðum,
> where he afterwards called it Hallfreðstad.
>
> ok bjó þar til elli.
> and lived there to an old age.
>
> En honum varð þar eptir geit ok hafr.
> but he left behind him a nanny- and a billy-goat.
>
> Ok inn sama dag, sem Hallfreðr var í brott,
> and the same day, when Hallfreð was on the road,
>
> hljóp skriða á húsin,
> a landslide fell down on the house,
>
> ok týndusk þar þessir gripir,
> and there perished these animals,
>
> ok því heitir þat síðan í Geitdal.
> and so he named that afterwards Goat-dale.
>
>
> A couple questions:
> 'Þat var...': is this just an existential construction, like English
> 'There was' ? I keep wanting to translate it literally 'This was in the
> days...', but it sounds false.
>
> 'honum varð þar eptir': Gordon glosses this as 'he left behind', but I
> can't quite make sense of this phrase; 'it happened to him where after'?
> varð is from varða, 'to happen, to become'?
>
>
>
FROM JED

Erich,

I don't know if you are aware that a group of us have agreed to have a go at
'Hrafnkel' in September. Apart from myself, a retired teacher, the others
seem to have other commitments in August -work if they are unlucky, or
holidays if they aren't. Because they have been so helpful, especially Sarah
Bowen, I am reluctant to jump the gun on them by setting out my own
translation. However, I don't think I will be letting them down too much if
I respond to your two queries.
On your first point, I don't think your translation of 'Þat
var....' as ''This was in the days....' is false or wrong; rather it is a
matter of style or taste. To translate it as 'That was in the days.....'
would also be correct, but possibly a little dated. My own preference is for
'It was in the days......'

Your second point, however, is a problem. 'Eptir' functions as an adverb
here, and I am reluctant to reject Gordon's translation of it as 'behind'.
But if we give it its other meaning of 'after' or ' later', this is how I
would transcribe and then translate it -

En honum varð þar eptir geit ok hafr.
But to him happened there after she-goat and he- goat.
Later he happened to have a pair of goats, male and female.

Can Haukur or other more learned folk give us their views? I for one, would
be very grateful.

Cheers

Jed Mc Harg

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