I has been long enough that the sequence of e-mails to which I am responding may have been forgotten, but I'm responding nonetheless.
 
It seems to me that the suffixing ast to the verb has akward implications, as if it were truly passive or middle, then it would mean "he was owned" or "he owned himself", whereas if the sword is the patient of the action, then the verb should simply be regarded as active. In either case, why does the suffix imply a change from "he owned" to "he became the owner"? Both llama_nom and you indicated that this is the case, so I'm assuming that it is accurate, but I don't understand.

Blanc Voden <uoden@...> wrote:
Hi there,
Middle Voice:
(gram.), that is the form of the verb by whish its subject is represented as both the agent, or doer, and the object of the the action, that is, as performing some act to or upon himself, for his own advantage...
Ég eignast sverð. Sverd komst í eigu mína. Ég verð eigandi sverz.
Í become owner of sword. Sword came into my ownership. I will become owner of sword.
Af því mér var gefið það.   Af því ég keypti það.  Af því ég stal því. Af þvi ég eignaði mér það.
Because it was given to me. Because I bought it. Because I stole it. Because I decleared it to me.
By Icelandic tradition [oldest law ] The owner is passive by its ownership.
Negligence meant deprivation.
The woman that "eignast" felt most oft that she were under pressure or in peine.
Konan[nominative] eignast baby [accusative].
Slave gat "eignast sig" [middle voice?] but the doer technically was his former owner.
Passive Voice:
the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is recipient (not the source) of the action denoted by the verb.
In practice verb have at least to infintives. The other with most often unlimeted meanings,
that one noted with "e'st" as in "Chri'st". From að Tala, að talast. að Eiga, að Eigast. að Eigna, að Eignast. 
Thanks Uoden
Iclandic is  not germanic or latin. Bretagne is not Versailles
Royal Danish speculation of "Icelandic Middle Voice" remains wrong until
the day Icelander will obey and use it.
Að eiga sig. Is our Middle voice as before. Do not bother.

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