----- Original Message -----

From: Gerald Mcharg

To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, September 19, 2003 11:30 PM

Subject: [norse_course] Jed - Hrafnkell, lines 19-46

Fairly easy so far, but there are some tricky bits to come

Cheers, Jed

 

Hrafnkell lagði þat í vanða sinn at ríða yfir á heiðar á sumarii.

Hrafnkel put that in custom his to ride over on moors in summer-the.

 It was Hrafnkell’s custom to ride over the moors in summer.

 

Þá var Jökulsdalr albyggðr upp at brúm.

 

Then was Jokulsdale all-settled up to bridge.

 

At that time Jokulsdale was full of settlements up to the bridge.

 

Hrafnkell reið upp eptir Fljótsdalsheiði ok sá,

Hrafnkell rode up along Fljotsdalemoor and saw

Hrafnkell rode over Fljotsdale Moor and noticed

hvar eyðidalr gekk af Jökulsdal.

 

where desolate-valley went from Jokulsdale

 

where an uninhabited valley led off from Jokulsdale

 

Sá dalr sýndisk Hrafnkatli byggiligri en aðrir dalir,

That dale seemed to-Hrafnkell more-habitable than other dales

To Hrafnkell, this valley appeared to be more suitable for settlement than the other valleys

 

þeir sem hann hafði áðr sét.

those which he had before seen.

which he had seen before.

En er Hrafnkell kom heim, beiddi hann föður sinn fjárskiptis,

 But when Hrafnkell came home, asked he father his of-division of property

So when Hrafnkell arrived home he asked his father to divide the property

 ok sagðisk hann bústað vilja reisa sér.

 

 and said he dwelling-place wished to raise for himself.

 

and said he wished to set up his own place.

 

 Þetta veitir faðir hans honum,

 

This gives father his to him,

 

This, his father gave him. 

 

ok hann gerir sér bœ í dal þeim ok kallar á Aðalbóli.

 

and he builds for-himself  farmstead in dale that and called at Athalbol.

 

and he built himself a farmstead in that valley and called it Athalbol.

 

Hrafnkell fekk Oddbjargar Skjöldólfsdóttur ór Laxárdal.

 

Hrafnkell married Oddbjorg Skjoldolfsdaughter out-of Laxardale .

Hrafnkell married Oddbjorg, the daughter of Skljoldolf of Laxardale.

Þau áttu tvá sonu.

 

They had two sons.

They had two sons

Hét inn ellri Þórir, en inn yngri Ásbjörn.

Called the elder Thorir , but the younger Asbjorn

 The elder brother was called Thorirn and the younger was Asbjorn.

 

 En þá er Hrafnkell hafði land numit á Aðalbóli,

 

But then when Hrafnkell had land taken at Athalbol,

 

But when Hrafnkell had acquired land at Athalbol

 

þá efldi hann blót mikil

 

then made he sacrifice great.

 

he made a great sacrice.

 

 Hrafnkell lét gera hof mikit.

 

Hrafnkell let to-build temple big.

He had a huge temple built. 

Hrafnkell elskaði eigi annat goð meir en Frey,

 

Hrafnkell  loved no other god more than Frey,

 

Hrafnkell  loved no god more than Frey,

 

ok honum gaf hann alla ina beztu gripi sína hálfa við sik.

 

And to him gave all the best animals his half with himself.

 

And gave him half of all the best animals he had. 

 

Hrafnkell byggði allan dalinn ok gaf mönnum land,

 

Hrafnkell settled all dale and gave men land.

Hrafnkell had the whole dale under settlement and he gave men land.

en vildi þó vera yfirmaðr þeira ok tók goðorð yfir þeim.

 

But he wished though to be leader of them and took chief’s authority over them.

 

However he wanted to be their leader and assumed a chieftain’s authority over them.

 

Við þetta var lengt nafn hans ok kallaðr Freysgoði,

 

With this was long title his and called Freysgothi,

He was known by this title for a long time and was called Frey-chieftain.

ok var ójafnaðarmaðr mikill, en menntr vel.

 

and was unjust-man, but well accomplished.

 

He was an unjust man, but had considerable accomplishments.