> Féll hann nú dauðr, en sá, sem eftir stóð, bað Hrana um
> líf.
> He (Gauti) now fell dead, but one, who remained (alive),
> asked Hrani for his life.
> He fell down dead, but (and) that-one, who remained (was
> left, lit: stood after), begged Hrani for (his) life.
He now fell dead, and the one who was left begged Hrani for
his life.
> Var þat annarr þræll Gauta, sem fyrr var getit.
> That was another of Gauti's thralls, who previously was
> mentioned.
> That was the-other thrall of Gauti, who was mentioned
> before.
That was Gauti’s other thrall, who was mentioned before.
> Var nú Hrani móðr mjök, en lítt sárr.
> Hrani was now a great man, and little wounded. (or "but a
> little wounded"?)
> Hrani was now very weary (móðr, not maðr), but little
> wounded.
Hrani was now very tired, but little wounded.
I can’t categorically exclude the reading ‘and a little
wounded’, but I’m inclined to think that <ok> would be more
likely than <en> if that were the intent.
> Hvílist hann nú um stund ok spyrr þrælinn, hvat títt var
> um fall Gauta.
> He now rested a while and asks the thrall, what happened
> concerning Gauti's death. (Z. tíðr 5)
> He rested-himself now for a while and asks the-thrall,
> what had happened (tíðr, Z5) concerning (the) fall (death
> in battle) of Gauti.
Now he rests [present tense] for a while and asks the thrall
what had happened concerning Gauti’s death [in battle].
> 6. kafli - Hrani fekkst við Nípu tröllkonu
> Hrani Had to Contend with Nipu, a Female Troll
> Chapter 6 – Hrani grapples with (the) she-troll Nípa.
Hrani dealt [past tense] with the she-troll Nípa
He does do some grappling, but it’s just part of the
dealings, so I chose the more general sense.
> Litlu síðar kemr Helgi krókr með fjórða mann.
> A little later, Helgi "Hook" arrives with three men.
> A little later Helgi ‘hook’ comes with (the) fourth person
> (man) (ie with three others).
A little later Helgi krókr arrives with three men.
> Hafði hann fregnat af smalamanni, at Hrani mundi liðs
> þurfa.
> He had been informed by a shepherd that Hrani would need
> assistance.
> He had been-informed by a shepherd, that Hrani would
> be-in-need of troops (or help).
He had been informed by a shepherd that Hrani would need
support.
> Varð nú fagnaðarfundr með þeim, ok sögðu menn, at þvílíkr
> maðr mundi eigi vera á þeim dögum þar nálægt sem Hrani at
> afli ok fimleik.
> There was now a joyful meeting between them, and men said
> that such a man would not be at those days there near as
> Hrani in physical strength and agility.
> (There) became (ie was) now a joyful-meeting between them,
> and people (men) said (ie the prevailing wisdom was), that
> (there) surely-would not be (exist) in those days there
> near-at-hand such a person (man) of power and agility as
> Hrani.
There was now a joyful meeting between them, and people said
that in those days there must not have been in that vicinity
such a man as Hrani in physical strength and agility.
> Var nú Kári eigi út af dauðr, ok hjó Hrani af honum höfuð.
> Kari was not out from dead ("still alive," I suppose), and
> Hrani struck him in the head.
> Kári was now not out of (it, life?) dead (not completely
> dead? still clung to life?), and Hrani hewed off his head.
Kári was not yet quite dead, and Hrani struck off his head.
The Icelandic Online Dictionary has <detta út af> 'fall
asleep, drop off', and I found a modern <datt út af dauður>
in a context where it can only mean 'dropped off dead', with
<dauður> as an adjective. I’ve translated quite freely, but
I think that I might have got the sense of it.
> Svo dysjuðu þeir Hróald galta ok fylgjara hans þar í einum
> hól, er síðan nefnist Galtahóll, fóru síðan heim til
> Helgastaða með viðarhlössin.
> So they burried Hroald "Hog" in a cairn and his followers
> there in a hill, which was since named Galti-hill, they
> then went home to Helgastad with the load of wood.
> Thus they buried-in-a-cairn Hróaldr ‘Hog’ and his
> followers there in a certain knoll (hváll), which
> afterwards was-named Gálti’s-knoll, (they) after-that
> journeyed home to Helgastaðir (Helgi’s-steads) with
> the-loads-of-wood (note: plural).
Thus they buried Hróald galti in a cairn, and his followers
in a knoll there that is since then named Galti’s knoll,
then went home to Helgastaðir with the loads of wood.
<Nefnist> is present tense.
> Ræmdist þetta víða um sveitir.
> This was approved widely across the district.
> This was-approved of widely around the-districts (plural).
This was widely applauded around the districts.
> Eigi er getit, at nein eftirmál yrði af falli Galta, þar
> hann átti eigi frændr mjök nána sér.
> It is not mentioned (?), that no action on behalf of a
> person slain came to pass from Galti's death, there he
> didn't have many close relatives for himself.
> (It) is not mentioned (geta, Z.ii.2), that any
> action-on-behalf-of-the-person-slain –against-the-slayer
> happened from Galti’s fall (death in battle), there
> (where) he had not kinsmen (frændi) very near (ie
> closely-related, náinn) to him.
It is not mentioned that any suit was brought for Galti’s
slaying in combat, there [where] he did not have kinsmen
very closely related to him.
> Þar með var hann ok óvinsæll mjök.
> Besides, he was also very friendless.
> There-with (ie besides, moreover) he was also very
> unpopular.
Moreover, he was also very unpopular.
> Sat nú Hrani hjá Helga um hríð, ok bar eigi til tíðenda.
> Hrani now sat be Helgi a while, and didn't convey (any)
> news. (?)
> Hrani now sat by (ie stayed with) Helgi for a while, and
> (it) bore not of tidings (ie nothing of note happened).
Now Hrani stayed with Helgi for a while, and nothing
noteworthy happened.
> Helgi var mesti búsýslumaðr.
> Helgi was a great husbandman.
> Helgi was (the) greatest (superlative)
> farm-and-household-manager.
Helgi was the most skilled husbandman.
> Átti hann gott bú ok fé margt.
> He obtained a good farm and much livestock.
> He owned a good farm and much property (or sheep).
He owned a good farm and much livestock.
It could be ‘wealth, property’; I’ve gone with ‘livestock’
because of what follows.
> Hann hafði selstöðu sína fyrir austan Skjálfandafljót.
> He had his shed-dwelling-place (?) east of
> Shivering-river.
> He had his mountain-pasture-shed’s-position (sel + staða)
> east of Skjálfandafljót (Shaking-River).
He had his shieling place east of Skjálfandafljót.
> Eitt sumar bar svo til, at smalamaðr kom eigi heim at
> selinu um morguninn, ok leið svo dagrinn ok nóttin.
> One summer it so happened that (the) shepherd didn't come
> home to the shed during the morning, and and the day and
> the night led so. (Z. bera II 3)
> One summer, it so happened, that a shepherd came not home
> to the-mountain-pasture-shed (the) next morning (after),
> and so passed (líða) the day and the-night.
One summer it so happened that a shepherd failed to come
home to the shieling the next morning, and so passed the day
and the night.
> Nú láta griðkonur segja Helga, at smalamaðrinn sjáist
> hvergi, en fé hafi allt heim komit.
> Now (the) female servant causes to tell Helgi that the
> shepherd was seen nowhere, but (the) sheep have all come
> home.
> Now a female-servant causes to say to Helgi, that
> the-shepherd is-seen nowhere, but (the) sheep have all
> come home.
Now a serving woman has Hrani told that the shepherd is
nowhere to be seen, but the sheep have all come home.
> Undrast nú menn yfir því, ok sendir nú Helgi tvo menn at
> leita hans.
> People are now astonished about that, and Helgi now sends
> two men to look for him.
> Now folk (men) wonder over that, and Helgi now sends to
> men to search for him.
Now folks are surprised at that, and Helgi now sends two men
to search for him.
> Þeir fóru af stað ok leituðu fram til fjalla í þrjá daga
> ok fundu hann eigi, ok var svo hætt þessari leit ok settr
> annarr smali at gæta fjárins.
> They went from (the) place and went out to look for him on
> the mountain for three days and didn't find him, and this
> search was so dangerous and (they) appoint another
> shepherd to take care of the sheep.
> They left (lit: journeyed from (the) place) and search
> forward to (the) mountains for three days and found him
> not, and (it) was so dangerous in this (þessari is dative
> fem sg in MnI) search and another shepherd (nominative)
> (abbrev of smalamaðr, smali, CV.ii) sets (ie agrees,
> volunteers?) to watch-over the-sheep.
They left and searched [past tense] out to the mountains for
three days and did not find him, and this search was left
off thus, and another shepherd set to watch over the sheep.
<Hætt> is the past participle of <hætta> 'to leave off',
which takes a dative object; <settr> is also a past
participle.
> Nú leið hálfr mánuðr til þess, at hann hvarf, ok var hans
> einnig leitat, ok fannst hann eigi heldr en inn fyrri.
> Now half a month led to this, that he disappeared, and his
> was in the same way looked for, and he was not found any
> more than the one before.
> Now a half-month passed (líða) to that (point), that he
> (ie shepherd No. 2) disappeared, and (it) was likewise
> searched for him, and he was no more found than the
> former.
Now half a month passed until he disappeared, and he was
likewise searched for, and he was no more found than the
former.
> Stórum undrar Helga þetta, ok ætla menn þá trölltekna, ok
> vill nú engi verða til smalamennsku í þeirra stað, ok ferr
> svo, at Hrani býðst til þá um hríð.
> Helgi wonders greatly at this, and men think them taken by
> trolls (?), and now nobody wants to be ready to
> sheep-tending (?) in their place, and it went so, that
> Hrani offers to do this then for a while.
> This astonishes Helgi (accusative) greatly, and folk
> suppose them (ie the two shepherds) taken-by-a-troll, and
> no-one now wants to come-forth-(ie volunteer, verða til
> e-s, Z8 ) for being-a-shepherd (smali + mennska), and (it)
> goes (ie happens) thus, that Hrani offers-himself (ie
> volunteers) for that (ie being a shepherd) for a while.
This greatly astonishes Helgi, and folks think them
troll-taken, and no one is ready to be shepherd in their
place, and it turns out thus, that Hrani volunteers for that
for a while.
> Nú ferr Hrani at smala, ok líðr hálfönnur vika, svo eigi
> berr neitt til tíðenda.
> Hrani now went to shepherd (verb), and half a second week
> passes, so no news was reported.
> Now Hrani goes to (the) sheep, and another-half-week
> passes, so (it) bares not anything of tidings (ie nothing
> at all of note happens.)
Now Hrani goes to the sheep, and another week and a half
passes in such a way that [‘so’] nothing noteworthy happens.
According to Stefán Einarsson’s _Icelandic_, while 1½ *can*
be <einn og hálfur> in the modern language, it’s usually
<hálfur annar> 'half of the second', just as '65' is <hálf
sjötugur>. This fits nicely with the familiar ‘with the
n-th man’ construction, so I’m guessing that it’s what we
have here.
Brian