> Hann leiðir kvíguna á básinn, en leysir griðunginn.

> He leads the young cow to the stall in the cow house, and
> unties the bull.

> He leads the heifer to the stall and frees the bull.

> He led the heifer into the stall and loosed the bull.

> He leads the-heifer to the-stall (in the cow-house), and
> sets-free the-bull

He leads the heifer to the stall looses the bull.

> Hann hljóp upp á kvíguna.

> He jumps up on the cow.

> He leaps up on the heifer.

> He mounted the heifer.

> He (the bull) leaps up on to the heifer.

It mounted [past tense] the heifer.

> Mosabelgrinn varð léttr fyrir, ok rak griddi höfuðit út á
> múrinn ok braut af sér bæði hornin.

> The moss skin-case was light in his way, and he drove
> (griddi?) the head out to the wall and broke off both
> horns.

> The moss (stuffed) hide was light (and collapsed?) because
> (of it) and drove the bull’s head out to the wall and
> broke both horns off it.

> the skin bag of moss yielded and the bull raked his head
> to the wall and broke off both his horns.

> The-skin-bag-of-moss became light (collapsed under his
> weight?or became active, léttr, Z2, ie moved?) because of
> (it) (ie as a result), and (it) drove (= reka, Z7,
> impers,) the-head of the bull (dat of “griddr”? Some sort
> of contraction of griðungr?) (ie the bull’s head was
> tossed, thrown) out to the-wall, and broke off both
> the-horns belonging to him (ie both his horns)

The moss-filled skin collapsed [‘was diminished’] as a
result, and [the] bull thrust its head out against the wall
and broke off both of its horns.

I think that <varð léttr> is an instance of <verða> + past
part. CV s.v. <graddi> ‘a bull’ notes the variant <griddi>;
this can only be nominative, so it’s the subject of <rak>.

> Herrauðr greip þá í bæði eyrun á honum ok í granirnar ok
> snaraði hann svá ór hálsliðinum.

> Herraidr grasped them in both his ears and lips and he
> twisted so out of the neck joint.

> Herraudr seized then both his ear and lips and he turned
> thus out of the neck joint.

> Herraud gripped it by both of his ears and by the upper
> lip and twisted it from the neck.

> Herrauðr then grabbed-hold of both his (ie the bull’s)
> ears and the-lips (pl of grön, Z2) and wrung him (not sure
> what „hann“ refers to?) thus out-of the neck-joint

Herrauð then grasped it [i.e., the bull] by both ears and
its lips and so wrung it from its neck joint.

The core of the first clause is <greip á honum> ‘grasped
it’. Though it would seem more natural for it to refer
refer to the head, I don’t see that masculine <hann> can
refer to anything but the bull here.

> Þá vaknaði gýgrin ok hljóp á fætr.

> Then the hag woke up and jumped to her feet.

> Then the hag awakened and leapt to her feet.

> Then the hag wakened and leapt to her feet.

> The the-giantess (crone) awoke and leapt to (her) feet.

Then the hag awoke and leaped to [her] feet.

> Í þessu kom Bósi inn í hofit ok bar þrælinn uppi yfir
> höfði sér á spjótinu.

> At this moment, Bosi came in the temple and carried the
> thrall up over his head on the spear.

> At this Bosi came into the temple and carried the thrall
> up over him on the spear.

> Then Bosi came into the temple and bore the thrall up
> overhead that he had on the spear.

> In this (instant), Bósi came into the-temple and bore
> the-slave up over his (sér) head on the-spear.

At that moment Bósi came into the temple and carried the
thrall up over his head on the spear.

> Gammrinn brá nú við skjótt ok steypti sér ofan ór
> hreiðrinu ok vildi gleypa þann, sem inn var kominn.

> The vulture now started off at once and threw himself down
> out of its next, and it wanted to swallow that which had
> come in.

> The vulture turned quickly at that and hurled itself down
> out of the nest and wanted to swallow that one who had
> come in.

> The vulture now suddenly launched and threw himself down
> from his nest and would swallow him who had come in.

> The-vulture now started off at once (bregða við skjótt,
> Z7) and hurled itself down out-of the-nest and wanted to
> swallow that-one (ie him) who was (had) come inside.

The vulture now sprang at once into motion and threw itself
down from its nest and wanted to swallow him who had come
inside.

> Svalg hann nú þrælinn ofan at mitti.

> It now swallowed the thrall down to his middle.

> He swallowed the thrall now down halfway??

> He swallowed no the thrall up to the middle.

> It swallowed now the-slave down to (ofan) (the)
> middle-waist (mitti, CV)

It now swallowed the thrall down to the waist.

> Bósi þrýsti þá spjótinu, svá at þat gekk upp í háls
> gamminum, þar til at stóð í hjartanu.

> Bosi then thrust the spear, so that it went up in
> vulture's neck, until it stood in its heart.

> Bosi thrust the spear then so that it went up in the
> vulture’s neck until it stood in the heart.

> Bosi thrust that spear so that it went up in the vultures
> neck, till it stood in the heart.

> Bósi thrust then (þá) the-spear, so that that went up into
> (the) neck of the-vulture, until (it) stood in the-heart.

Bósi then thrust with the spear, so that it went up into the
vulture’s neck until it stuck in its heart.

> Gammrinn setti nú klærnar í þjóin á þrælsskrokkinum ok
> setti vænghnúfana við eyrat á Bósa, svá at hann fell í
> óvit.

> The vulture now set his claws in the thighs of the
> thrall's body and set its wing-(hnúfana?) by Bosi's eyes,
> so that he fell unconscious.

> The vulture set claws now in the thigh of the thrall’s
> body and set the wings against Bosi’s ears so that he fell
> unconscious.

> The vulture no set his claws in the thighs of the dead
> thrall and struck his wing tips against Bosi’s ears so
> that he fell unconscious.

> The-vulture set now the-claws into
> the-thighs’-thickest-parts (plural) of the slave’s-carcase
> and set the wing-joints (væng + knúi ? + hnúfi?) against
> the-ear (sg) of Bósi, so that he fell into a swoon.

The vulture now set its claws in the thighs of the thrall’s
body and struck its wing joints against Bósi’s ear, so that
he fell unconscious.

The younger Bósa saga has simply <Sló nú gammurinn sínum
væng til Bósa, so hann fjell í óvit niður>. Bósa saga ok
Herrauðs was later redone twice as rímur. The relevant part
of the earlier version:

Bósi lagði breiðu spjóti, bráðr að vanda,
framan í brjóst á fitonsanda,
fekk þá oddr í hjarta að standa.

Gekk úr hreiðri gammrinn framm, sem greinir ríma,
vanghnúfur setti vanr að stíma
að vöngum rekks, svó lá í svíma.

In the edition in which I found this there is a note
glossing <vanghnúfur> as <vængknúi> ‘the wing joint’. (Yes,
the spelling <vang-> is odd, a fact pointed out in the
note.) The note mentions the feminine ms. variant
<vænghnúfuna> in Bósa saga, since <vanghnúfur> here is a
weak fem. nom./acc. plural.

> Fell gammrinn þá ok ofan á hann, ok váru hans fjörbrot
> ógurliga mikil.

> The vulture then fell down on him, his death-struggles
> were very terrible.

> He fell then and down upon the vulture and his (the
> vulture’s) death struggles were very terrible.

> And then the vulture fell upon him, and its seath struggle
> was very awful.

> The-vulture then fell also down on to him and its (his,
> the vulture’s) death-struggles were awfully (ógurliga,
> adv) great (mikill, adj).

Then the vulture also fell down upon him, and its death
struggles were terribly great.

> Herrauðr réðst á móti hofgyðjunni, ok var þeira atgangr
> inn harðasti, ok hafði kerling illa skornar negl, ok reif
> hún hold hans niðr at beini.

> Herraudr came to blows against the temple priestess, and
> their fighting was the hardest, and the old woman had bad
> cut nails, and she pulled down his flesh to the bone.

> Herraudr came to blows against the temple priestess and
> their battle was the hardest, and the old woman had evil
> notched nails and she tore his flesh down at the legs.

> Herraud went on towards (attacked) the temple priestess
> and there was attacking in the hardest, and the woman had
> ill shorn nails, and she tore his flesh down to the bone.

> Herrauðr was-resolved on a meeting of (ie he confronted)
> the-temple-priestess, and their fighting was the hardest
> (stiffest), and (the) old-woman had badly shaped (cut)
> nails (nagl), and she ripped his flesh down to (the) bone.

Herrauð confronted the temple priestess, and their combat
was the hardest, and [the] old woman had poorly cut nails,
and she tore his flesh down to [the] bone.

> Þau bárust þangat at, sem Bósi var fallinn, ok var þar
> blóðugt mjök.

> Things happened there, as Bosi had fallen, and it was very
> bloody.

> They fought thither to where Bosi had fallen and it was
> very bloody there.

> They carried on to that place where Bosi had fallen and
> there was much blood.

> They (neut = man + woman) bore (carried)-one-another
> thither to where Bósi was (had) fallen and (it) was very
> bloody there.

They were borne thither to where Bósi had fallen, and [it]
was very bloody there.

It seems to me that <bárust> can be either reciprocal or
passive. The sense is pretty much the same either way; the
first emphasizes their joint actions, and the second more or
less makes the struggle itself the cause of their change of
location.

> Kerlingu varð hált í gammsblóðinu, ok fell hún á bak aftr,
> ok váru þá sviptingar miklar með þeim, svá at ýmsi váru
> undir.

> The old woman slipped in the vulture's blood, and she fell
> back, and then there were great tussles between them, so
> that they were alternately under (the other one).

> The old woman became slippery with vulture blood and she
> fell backwards on her back and then was much wrestling
> between them so that from time to time one or the other
> was beneath.

> the hag became slippery in vultures blood, and she fell on
> her back, and there was a great wrestling between them, so
> that this one then that one was under.

> (It) became slippery (neut sg of hall, adj) for (the)
> old-woman (fem dat sg) in the-vulture’s-blood, and she
> fell back onto (her) back, and a great tussle (fem plural)
> was then between them, so that now-this-one-now-that-one
> was under-(neath).

The old woman slipped in the vulture’s blood [‘It became
slippery for the old woman in the vulture’s blood’], and she
fell on her back, and there was then a great tussle between
them, so that now one and now the other was underneath.

> Bósi raknaði þá við ok greip höfuð griðungsins ok rak á
> nasir gýginni.

> Bosi then regained consciousness and grabbed the bull's
> head and drove it into the hag's nose.

> Bosi came to himself at that and seized the bull’s head
> and drove it into the hag’s nose.

> Bosi recovered his senses and grabbed the head of the bull
> and hit the hag on the nose.

> Bósi then recovered his senses (rakna við, Z3) and grasped
> (the) head of the-bull, and drove (it) into (the) nostrils
> of the-giantess.

Then Bósi came to and seized the bull’s head and thrust [it]
against the hag’s nostrils.

> Herrauðr sleit þá af henni höndina í axlarliðinum.

> Herraudr then ripped off her arms at the shoulder joints.

> Then Herraudr cut off her arms at the shoulders.

> Herraud then struck off her ar at the shoulder joint.

> Herrauðr then tore off the-arm (sg) belonging to her (ie
> her arm) at the shoulder-joint (sg).

Herrauð then tore off her arm at the shoulder joint.

> Tók henni þá at dafna leikrinn, en í fjörbrotum hennar
> varð landskjálfti mikill.

> The game then began to thrive her (??), but in her death
> struggles there was a great earthquake.

> It began then for her to thrive?? in the game and in her
> death struggle a great earthquake happened.

> Then she took to thrive in the game and in her death
> struggle there was a great earthquake.

> The-sport then began (taka + inf, Z7) to thrive for her
> (whatever that means), but (and) in her death-struggles a
> great earthquake occurred.

Then the struggle began to grow fiercer, and in her death
struggles a great earthquake occurred.

Baetke says that <leikr> can be a fight or struggle and has
a gloss <kräftig werden>, which can mean ‘become vigorous’.
De Vries has a gloss that translates ‘increase in strength’.
The basic sense seems to be something like ‘to flourish, to
grow stronger’.

> Þeir gengu nú um hofit ok rannsökuðu þat.

> They now went all about the temple and searched it.

> They went now about the temple and ransacked it.

> Now they went around the temple and searched it.

> They (ie Bósi and Herrauðr) went (on foot) now around
> the-temple and ransacked (or simply searched?) that.

They went now about the temple and searched it.

> Í hreiðri gammsins fundu þeir eggit, ok var þat allt með
> gullstöfum ritat.

> In the vulture's nest they found the egg, and it was
> written all with gold letters.

> In the vulture’s nest they found the egg and it was
> written all over with golden letters.

> In the nest of the vulture they found the egg, and it was
> all written on with gold writing.

> In the-vulture’s nest they found the-egg, and that was
> completely written with gold-letters.

In the vulture’s nest they found the egg, and it was written
all over with gold letters.

> Þar fundu þeir gull svá mikit, at þeir höfðu nóg at bera.

> They found so much gold there that they plenty to carry.
> (CV gnógr gives one meaning as "plentiful")

> There they found so much gold that they had all they could
> do to carry (it).

> They found so much gold there that they had enough to
> carry.

> There they found so much gold, that they had enough to
> carry.

They found so much gold there that they had plenty to carry.

I suspect that the actual sense here is ‘as much as they
could carry’, or possibly even ‘more than enough to carry’.

> Þeir kómu at stalla þeim, sem Jómali sat á.

> The came to the alters where Jomali sat.

> They came to that pedestal which Jomali sat on.

> They came to that altar which Joamli sat in.

> They came to that (heathen) altar (sg), on which Jómali
> sat.

They came to the altar on which Jómali was sitting.

> Af honum tóku þeir gullkórónu, setta með tólf gimsteinum,
> ok men þat, sem kostaði þrjú hundruð marka gulls, ok ór
> knjám honum tóku þeir silfrbolla svá stóran, at engir
> fjórir menn mundu af drekka.

> From it they took their gold crown, set with 12 gemstones,
> and the necklace that cost 300 ounces of gold, and from
> his knees they took such a large silver bowl that no four
> men could drink it all.

> From him they took a gold crown set with twelve gemstones
> and that necklace that cost three hundred gold marks and
> out of his knees they took a silver bowl so big that (it
> would take?) four med (to hold it up?) to drink from it.

> They took off him a gold crown, set with twelve gemstones,
> and that necklace which cost three hundred gold marks, and
> from his knees they took a diver bowl so very big that
> four men will not drink of it.

> From him (ie Jómali, or it, the altar, stalli, masc?) they
> took a gold-crown, set with twelve gemstones, and that
> necklace, which cost three hundred marks of gold, and out
> of his knees (kné) they took a silver-vessel so large,
> that no four men would (be able to) drink (it, ie the
> great volume) off.

They took from him [the] gold crown, set with twelve
gemstones, and the necklace that cost 360 gold marks, and
from his knees they took a silver bowl so large that no four
men could [‘would’] drink [it] off [i.e., empty it].

I think it likely that the <hundruð> here are long hundreds,
hence 360 rather than 300.

> Hann var fullr af rauðagulli.

> It was full of red gold (not sure what "red gold" is!).

That’s the normal description of gold in Old Norse. To
quote Jackson Crawford:

Gold is stereotypically <rauðr> in Old Norse, accounting
for approximately 10 percent of all occurrences of the
term in the texts excerpted (blood, by comparison,
accounts for another one-third). The association of the
color red with this material is pan-Germanic; the cognate
color term <rot> in Middle High German appears fifty-four
times in the _Nibelungenlied_; eighteen of these
occurrences describe the color of gold. In Old English,
the cognate color term <rēad> is used more often to
describe the color of gold than the color of blood.

He goes on to suggest that the focal point of the color term
<rauðr> is nevertheless the color of blood, and that in its
consistent use to describe gold it is not being used
literally to describe color but as a kind of classifier. He
points to our use of ‘red’ and ‘white’ to describe types of
wine, even though white wine isn’t white in color, and most
red wine isn’t really red in color. He suggests that the
consistent use of <rauðr> for gold and <hvítr> for silver
may be a similar phenomenon.

The paper can be found at

<http://www.academia.edu/24693298/Bleikr_Gulr_and_the_Categorization_of_Color_in_Old_Norse_JEGP_115.2_page_proofs_>.

> He was full of red gold.

> It was full of red gold.

> It was full of red-gold.

It was full of red gold.

Brian