Njáll svaraði: "Varst þú á Þingskálaþingi um haustið?"
Njal replied "Were you (wast thou - sing.) at the
Thingskala Assembly in the Autumn ( last Autumn)
"Var eg víst,"
segir Mörður.
"I was indeed" says Morð
"Heyrðir þú,"
segir Njáll, "að Gunnar bauð honum alsætti?"
"Did you hear (sing.heardst thou) says Njal "that
Gunnar offered complete compensation/settlement"
"Heyrði eg víst,"
segir Mörður.
"I heard indeed" says Morð
"Þá
friðhelgaði eg Gunnar," segir Njáll, "til allra löglegra mála."
"Then (at that time) I declared Gunnar innocent
to all/completely lawfully (conduct) cases"
"Rétt er þetta,"
segir Mörður, "en hví sætti það að Gunnar lýsti vígi
Hjartar á hendur Kol
þar sem Austmaðurinn vó hann?"
"That is in Law" says Morð "but how (do you) reconcile
that Gunnar declared the killing of Hjort at the hands of Kol (Egilsson) when
the Norwegian (Easterner) killed him"
"Rétt var það," segir Njáll,
"þar sem hann kaus hann til veganda fyrir
vottum."
"That was lawful" says Njal "for he chose him (Kol) in
the presence of witnesses
"Rétt mun þetta víst," segir Mörður, "en
fyrir hvað stefndi Gunnar þeim
öllum til óhelgi er fallið höfðu?"
"Lawful that may indeed be" says Morð (?still in doubt
is he) "But before what (for what reason) "declared Gunnar they were all
Outlaw (when) they are all fallen (i.e.dead)
"Eigi þarft þú þessa
að spyrja," segir Njáll, "þar sem þeir fóru allir til
áverka og
manndrápa."
"Neither need you to ask that" says Njal "because they
all went with the intention to Kill
"Eigi kom það fram við
Gunnar," segir Mörður.
"Gunnar was not hurt" says Morð (nothing came of
it with Gunnar")
"Bræður Gunnars voru þeir Hjörtur og
Kolskeggur," segir Njáll, "og hafði
annar bana en annar sár á sér."
Gunnars Brothers they were Hjort and Kolskegg" says
Njal and one was dead (had his bane) and the other wounded (wounds to
himself)
"Lög hafið þér að mæla," segir Mörður, "þó að hart sé
undir að búa."
"You have the law on your side" (have the law to speak
for you) says Morð "even though it is hard to bear (hard to live
under)
Þá gekk fram Hjalti Skeggjason úr Þjórsárdal og mælti:
"Ekki hefi eg hlutast til málaferla yðvarra
Then stepped forward Hjalti Skeggjason of Thjor's River
Dale - "I have not taken a part in these law suits of yours
en nú vil eg vita hvað þú vilt Gunnar fyrir mín orð
gera og
vináttu."
but now I wish to know what you will (thou wilt) do for
my request and friendship"
"Hvers beiðist þú," segir Gunnar.
"What do you ask" says Gunnar
"Þess,"
segir Hjalti, "að þú leggir málin öll til jafnaðardóms og dæmi góðir menn"
"This" says Hjalti "that you leave the case altogether
to the Judgement of worthy men (the chiefs)
Gunnar mælti: "Þá
skalt þú aldrei vera í móti mér við hverja sem eg á um."
Gunnar spoke "Then shall you never be in
opposition to me (no matter) with whom ever I oppose.
"Því vil
eg heita þér," segir Hjalti.
"This I will promise you" says
Hjalti
Eftir það átti hann hlut að við mótstöðumenn Gunnars og kom
því við að þeir
sættust allir og eftir það veittu hvorir öðrum tryggðir.
After that he (Hjalti) took part (discussed) with
Gunnar's opponents (CV) and came to a complete settlement
each side giving the other pledges (of good
faith)
En fyrir áverka
Þorgeirs kom legorðssökin en skógarhöggið fyrir áverka
Starkaðar.
But against Thorgeirs wounds came the charge of
seduction(lying with) and the unlawful forest cutting against
Starkaðs wounds
Bræður
Þorgeirs voru bættir hálfum bótum en hálfar féllu niður fyrir
tilför við Gunnar
Thorgeir's Brothers were atoned with
half compensation (Z) and half was counted for the attack on Gunnar
en jafnt skyldi vera víg Egils og sökin Tyrfings.
and equal should be the death of Egil to the Suit of
Tyrfing
Fyrir víg Hjartar
skyldi koma víg Kols og Austmannsins. Þá voru aðrir
bættir hálfum bótum.
For Hjort's death should com equal to the death of Kol
and the Norwegian (Easterner). Then the others were awarded half
compensation
(sounds like a trip to LO-Cost)
Njáll var í
gerð þessi og Ásgrímur Elliða-Grímsson og Hjalti Skeggjason.
Njal was in this judgement, and Asgrim ElliðaGrim's son
and Hjalti Skeggjason
Njáll átti fé mikið undir Starkaði og þeim í Sandgili og gaf hann það allt
Gunnari til bóta þessa.
Njal had a good deal of money with Starkað and those
(folk) in Sandgully (under ? investment) and he gave it all to Gunnar for the
compensation
Svo átti Gunnar marga vini á þingi að hann bætti þá
þegar
Thus - Gunnar had many friends at Thing and
he compensated them at once
upp vígin en gaf gjafar mörgum höfðingjum þeim er honum höfðu lið
veitt
for the deaths and gave many gifts to those Chiefs who
have to him (given) support
og hafði hann af hina mestu sæmd af málinu.
and he had greatest honour from the case for
this
Og urðu allir á það sáttir
að engi væri hans jafningi í
Sunnlendingafjó rðungi.
and all agreed that none were his equal in all the
Southern District
Noticing that MM &HP choose Quarter for the
word Fjorðungi seems good for fjorðing is literally "fourthing" and we once
had the "farthing" a coin worth one quarter of a Penny when there were 240 of
Pennies to a Pound - I have often wondered how much of our English has
directly descended from Old Norse
Kveðja
Patricia