Hi Erich!

I have some ideas about your questions... no idea if they are right though!
I seem to be the only one who thinks "lengt" as in
Við þetta var lengt nafn hans ok kallaðr Freysgoði
is an adverb meaning "for a long time" - but hey ho!!!

> ok sagðisk hann bústað vilja reisa sér.
> and said[1] he dwelling wishes to raise for himself
> and said he wished to raise himself a dwelling.

Yes, I wondered about this one too. At first I thought it might convey
something like "he said to himself" but that doesn't fit very well into the
context if he is talking to his father.

> en vildi þó vera yfirmaðr þeira ok tók goðorð yfir þeim.
> but wished yet to be over-man their and took goði-hood[2] over them
> but still wanted to be their leader, and took priesthood over them.

In his Introduction (ha!ha!) to Old Norse, Gordon glosses goðorð as the rank
and authority of a chieftain. I think it was primarily a secular or
political role, but with religious overtones. The chieftains were all
expected to attend the Althing annually and they would sit in the Lögrétta
[Court of Legislature]. Rummaging around in my college notes, I found that
their function was

a/ "to make right their laws" i.e. to interpret them and make sure they
were correctly applied. This meant that the contending parties would go the
the Lögrétta to state their case. All members were to be present but only
the 48 chieftains had a vote. All issues were settled by vote, the
Lawspeaker having the casting vote. (If a chieftain abstained, he would be
punished with 'lesser outlawry'.)

b/ to make new laws/amend existing ones. These had a probationary period
of 3 years before they could be made permanent.

c/ to grant permits or exemptions from the law.

d/ to elect the Lawspeaker, supervise the proclamation of laws and decide
when the judicial courts should convene.

e/ the Lögrétta acted for the nation in foreign affairs in agreeing the
treaty with St Ólaf and King Hákon the Old.

All sounds pretty legal/judicial rather than religious-based stuff to me.

> Hann þrøngði undir sik Jökulsdalsmönnum til þingmanna hans,
> he pressed under him Jökulsdal-men to thing-men his
> He coerced the men of Jökulsdal into his liege-men[2],

As you say, this does seem to imply a more specific kind of allegiance - I
think I'm right in saying that since the chieftains were obliged to attend
the Althing they needed
a/ to raise money to fund the trip
b/ a band of men to support them as this was one of obvious ways of
enforcing sentences which had been passed. I think the coercion existed in
this case to an extent because Hrafnkel was such an unreasonable character.

> því at engi fekk af honum neinar boetr, hvat sem hann gerði.
> because none took from him none compensation, what ever he did
> because no one took compensation from him, whatever he did[3].

You said you interpret this as he never paid compensation because no one was
able to extract it from him - yes, that's certainly the impression I'm
getting from this bloke!

> Þessa leið fara þeir einir, er kunnugastir eru um Fljótsdalsheiði.
> [4] Here I'm guessing, a superlative of kunnigr? But I'm not sure why the
> i would change to u.

Ha! I can never remember all the vowel mutations either, but I'm sure
Haukur can tell us!

Hope these long rambling answers have been of some use!
Cheers,
Sarah.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Erich Rickheit KSC" <rickheit-ync@...>
To: <norse_course@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2003 7:42 PM
Subject: [norse_course] Hrafnkel 19-46


> per Laurel's mail, I think I can send this around for people's perusal.
Some
> particular questions at the bottom.
>
> Thanks to all for you comments and help on the first chapter:
>
> Erich
> --
>
> Hrafnkell lagði þat í vanða sinn at ríða yfir á heiðar á sumarit.
> Hrafnkel laid it in custom his to ride over to heaths during summer.
> Hrafnkel made it his custom to ride over the heaths in summer.
>
> Þá var Jökulsdalr albyggðr upp at brúm.
> Then was Jökulsdalr all-settled up to bridges.
> At that time Jökulsdal was completely settled up to the bridges.
>
> Hrafnkell reid upp eptir Fljótsdalsheiði ok sá,
> Hrafnkel rode up behind Fljótsdalsheið and saw
> Hrafnkel rode up past Fljótsdalsheið and saw
>
> hvar eyðidalr gekk af Jökulsdal.
> everywhere waste valley going out of Jökulsdal
> everywhere an empty valley going away from Jökulsdal.
>
> Sá dalr syndisk Hrafnkatli byggiligri en aðrir dalir,
> that valley showed-itself to Hrafnkel more habitable than other valleys
> That valley seemd to Hrafnkel more habitable than any other valley
>
> þeir sem hann hafði áðr sét.
> those as he had before seen.
> that he had seen before.
>
> En er Hrafnkell kom heim, beiddi hann föður sinn fjárskiptis,
> But when Hrafnkel came home, asked he father his property-share
> And when Hrafnkel got home, he asked his father for his share of the
property,
>
> ok sagðisk hann bústað vilja reisa sér.
> and said[1] he dwelling wishes to raise for himself
> and said he wished to raise himself a dwelling.
>
> Þetta veitir faðir hans honum,
> This granted father his to him
> This his father granted him,
>
> ok hann gerir sér boe í dal þeim ok kallar á
Aðalbóli.
> and he built for himself farmstead in valley that and called (to)
Aðalból.
> and he built himself a farmstead in that valley and called it Aðalból
> (the Manor).
>
> Hrafnkell fekk Oddbjargar Skjöldólfsdóttur ór Laxárdal.
> Hrafnkel took Oddbjörg Skjödólfsdottir from Laxárdal
> Hrafnkel married Oddbjörg Skjödólfsdottir from Laxárdal.
>
> Þau áttu tvá sonu.
> They had two sons.
>
> Hét inn ellri Þórir, en inn yngri Ásbjörn.
> Named the elder Þórir, but the younger Ásbjörn.
> The elder was called Þórir, and the younger Ásbjörn.
>
>
> En þá er Hrafnkell hafði land numit á Aðalbóli,
> but then when Hrafnkel had land taken at Aðalból,
> And when Hrafnkell had settled the land at Aðalból,
>
> þá efldi hann blót mikil.
> then performed he sacrifice great.
> He performed a great sacrifice.
>
> Hrafnkell lét gera hof mikit.
> Hrafnkel made to build temple great
> Hrafnkel caused a great temple to be built.
>
> Hrafnkell elskaði eigi annat goð meir en Frey,
> Hrafnkel loved no other god more than Frey,
>
> ok honum gaf hann alla ina beztu gripi sína hálfa við sik.
> and to him gave he all the best valuables his half with himself
> and he split with Him half of all his best valuables.
>
> Hrafnkell byggði allan dalinn ok gaf mönnum land,
> Hrafnkel settled all the dale and gave to men land
> Hrafnkel settled the whole valley and gave men land,
>
> en vildi þó vera yfirmaðr þeira ok tók goðorð yfir þeim.
> but wished yet to be over-man their and took goði-hood[2] over them
> but still wanted to be their leader, and took priesthood over them.
>
> Við þetta var lengt nafn hans ok kallaðr Freysgoði,
> with this was lengthened name his and was called Freysgoði
> Because of this his name was lengthened, and he was called 'Freysgoði',
>
> ok var ójafnaðarmaðr mikill, en menntr vel.
> and was un-justice-man great but well-bred well
> and he was an very unjust man, but well-bred.
>
> Hann þrøngði undir sik Jökulsdalsmönnum til þingmanna hans,
> he pressed under him Jökulsdal-men to thing-men his
> He coerced the men of Jökulsdal into his liege-men[2],
>
> var linr ok blíðr við sína menn,
> was kindly and gracious with his own men
>
> en striðr ok stirðlyndr við Jökulsdalsmenn,
> but stiff and stiff-tempered with Jökulsdal-men,
> but stiff and harsh with the men of Jökulsdal,
>
> ok fengu af honum engan jafnað.
> and took from them no justice.
> and treated them without justice.
>
> Hrafnkell stóð mjök í einvígjum ok boetti engan mann fé,
> Hrafnkell stood much in one-combat and compensated no man money,
> Hranfnkel fought many duels and paid no one compensation,
>
> því at engi fekk af honum neinar boetr, hvat sem hann gerði.
> because none took from him none compensation, what ever he did
> because no one took compensation from him, whatever he did[3].
>
> Fljótsdalsheiðr er yfirferðarill, grýtt mjök ok blaut,
> Fljótsdalsheið is over-journey-bad, stony very and wet,
> Fljótsdalsheið is a hard journey, very stony and wet.
>
> en þó riðu þeir feðgar jafnan hvárir til annarra,
> but yet rode they father and son always both to another
> but father and son always rode to each other
>
> því at gott var í frændsemi þeira.
> becuase good was in kinship their.
> because of their good kinship.
>
> Hallfreði þótti sú leið torsótt ok leitaði sér leiðar
> to Hallfreð seemed this journey diffucult and sought for himself ways
> This journey seemed difficult to Hallfreð, and he sought himself routes
>
> fyrir ofan fell þau, er standa í Fljótsdalsheiði.
> over fell those which stand in Fljótsdalsheið
> over those fells that stand in Fljótsdalsheið.
>
> Fekk hann þar þurrari leið ok lengri,
> took he there drier way and longer
> There he took a drier and longer route,
>
> ok heitir þar Hallfreðargata.
> and called there Hallfreðargat.
> and that is called Hallfreðgate.
>
> Þessa leið fara þeir einir, er kunnugastir eru um Fljótsdalsheiði.
> This way go they only who most-versed[4] are around Fljótsdalsheið.
> This way go only those most knowledgable of Fljótsdalsheið.
>
> [1] Why is this in the middle? Would 'sagði' have been correct here? Would
> it have meant something different.
>
> [2] goði-hood isn't exactly priesthood, is it? It sounds like as
> much a legal position as a religious position. As well, þing-men
> seems to imply a more specific kind of alleigence; it sounds
> more legal than political to me.
>
> [3] I interpret this as, he never paid compensation because no one was
able
> to take it from him.
>
> [4] Here I'm guessing, a superlative of kunnigr? But I'm not sure why the
> i would change to u.
>
>
>
>
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