> Þorgerður mælti: "Sú fyrirætlan er ei vænleg, að skipta
> höggum við Búa við margkunnindi Esju en harðfengi hans."

> Thorgerd said: "That purpose is not hopeful, to share
> blows with Bua with knowing many things Esju and his
> valiant."

> Thorgerd spoke, “That purpose is not promising, to
> exchange blows with Bui with Esja learned in many things
> (*play scary music*) and his valour.”

> Þorgerðr spoke: „That design (prospect) is not (ei, Z2)
> promising, to share (ie exchange) blows with Búi with
> (against a backdrop of?) much-knowing Esja than his (ie
> Búi´s) hardihood (valour).“

I'm with Grace, right down to the scary music: <en> must be
'and' here, the second <við> is (ZI.8), and if Esja isn't a
<galdrakona>, I'll eat my hat.

> "Tveir eru þér kostir gerðir," ...

> "You make two ["eru" matches "tveir" grammatically (I
> think), but I don't see how it fits here] choices," ...

Literally 'Two are to-you choices given'.

> “Two options are made for you, ...

> “Two choices are granted (göra, Z2) to you (dative),”
> ....”

(Z4, actually.) The infamous <tveir kostir>, of which one
is always bad and the other worse.

> Búi segir: "Því heldur skal kjósa sem kostir eru ójafnari.

> Bui says: "Therefore shall choose as choices are un-equal.
> (Z. kjósa - k. heldr, to choose rather, prefer)

> Bui says, “I shall choose it best as (the) choices are
> unequal.

> Búi says: (I) shall choose (all) the more (því +
> comparative, því, Z5) (so) because (the) choices are more
> unequal (unfair).

I agree that this is an instance of <því> (Z5), but I
interpret the rest a bit differently. I take <ójafnari> to
be simply 'more unequal', nothing to do with unfairness, and
make it 'the more unequal the choices, the more I'll [want
to] choose' (or perhaps '[be able to] choose', or something
of both ideas).

> Hann segir: "Nú stefnir þú frændi ekki vænt.

> He says: "You, kinsman, are now steering in a direction
> not promising.

> He says, “Now you are not likely to summon kinsmen?

> He says: “Now you, kinsman, summon (stefna, Z3) not
> promisingly (neut of vænn, Z3, used adverbially) (ie this
> bodes not well).

I agree with Rob on this one: Z1 looks like a better choice
than Z3. 'You're heading in an unpromising direction,
you're embarking on an unpromising course (of action).'

> En ekki mun þér það fyrir mikið koma í þetta sinn."

> But it will be very much of no avail to you this time."
> (Z. koma 4 - k. fyrir ekki, to come to naught, be of no
> avail)

> But you not will depend on (it?) for much in this time.”

> But that will not for you count for (be equivalent to,
> koma fyrir e-t, Z4) much (ie be of much use) on this
> occasion (time).”

The word order definitely favors Alan's interpretation over
Rob's, not that it greatly affects the sense. If it were
<mikit mun þér þat fyrir ekki koma>, I'd lean the other way.

> Esja mælti: "Þar er harðfengur maður er Kolfinnur er og
> fjörmikill

> Esja said: "There is a hardy man who is Kolfinnur and
> exceedingly great.

> Esja spoke, “There is a valiant man who Kolfinn is and a
> great loss of life,

> Esja spoke: “A valiant person (man) is there who is
> Kolfinnr and life-great (?).

CV glosses <fjörmikill> 'full of life'. In other words, K.
is a hardy, vigorous fellow (so you'll need all the help you
can get).

Brian