> Ríkarðr hét konungr.

> A king was named Rikardr.

> Rikardr was the name of the king.

> (There) was a king called Ríkarðr

A king was called Ríkarð.

> Hann réð fyrir austr í Görðum.

> He ruled over (the) east in Gordum.

> He ruled over the east in Russia.

> He had-authority over (the) east in Garðar.

He ruled to the east in Garðar.

<Garðar> is literally ‘strongholds, settlements’; since it’s
to the east, here it presumably refers to Western Russia. I
take <fyrir austan> to be simply ‘to the east’.

> Hann var ríkr ok mikill höfðingi.

> He was rich and a great leader.

> He was a powerful and great ruler.

> He was a powerful and great chief.

He was a powerful and great ruler.

> Silvæn hét drottning hans.

> His queen was named Slivaen.

> Silvaen was the name of his queen.

> His queen was-called Silvæn.

His queen was called Silvæn.

> Hon var af dýrum ættum.

> She was of a worthy family.

> She was of noble lineage.

> She was of worthy pedigree (stock).

She was of a worthy family.

> Son áttu þau þann er Sigrgarðr hét.

> They had a son who was named Sigrgardr.

> They had that son who was named Sigrgardr.

> They (ie Ríðarðr and Silvæn) had that son who was-called
> Sigrgarðr.

They had that son who was called Sigrgarð.

> Hann óx upp heima hjá föður sínum.

> He grew up at home beside his father.

> He grew up at home near his father.

> He grew up at home with his father.

He grew up at home with his father.

> Hann var allra manna fríðastr sýnum, sterkr at afli, ok
> svá fimr við allar íþróttir at engi maðr kom til jafns við
> hann hvat sem prófa skyldi.

> He was of all men the most handsome son, strong in
> physical strength, and so nimble at all skills that no man
> equaled him who should try.

> He was of all men most handsome of countenance, strong in
> power and so agile in all accomplishments that no man came
> near equal with him, he who would try .

> He was of all men (persons) most handsome in appearance
> (ie most fair of face), strong in physical strength, and
> so agile with all accomplishments, that no man came to an
> equal (standing) with him (ie no man was his equal, could
> match him) whatever (one) should try (one´s hand at).

He was the most handsome of men in appearance, great of
physical strength, and so nimble in all feats that no man
was equal to him whatever might [‘should’] be attempted.

> Hann var kappsamr ok ríklyndr hvat sem hann tók upp.

> He was impetuous and severe as (to) what he took up.

> He was impetuous and imperious in whatever he took up.

> He was impetuous and imperious whatever he took up (chose
> to do, tried his hand at).

He was impetuous and imperious whatever he undertook.

> Hann var örr af fégjöfum við vini sína ok þat var hans
> skemmtan at veita lið sínum vinum en fordjarfa sína óvini.

> He was liberal with gifts of money with his friends and it
> was his pastime to treat his host of friends, but disgrace
> his enemies.

> He was generous with (his) blessing of wealth with his
> friends and that was his amusement to give aid to his
> friends, but destructive to his enemies.

> He was liberal in gifts-of-money with his friends and that
> was his pleasure to stand by his friends but (and) to
> disgrace (put down, fordjarfa, CV1) his enemies.

He was liberal with gifts of money to his friends, and it
was his pastime to give aid to his friends but to destroy
his enemies.

I am inclined to give <fordjarfa> what CV says is its later
sense; Baetke simply offers what might be translated ‘to
spoil, to ruin; to destroy’.

> Hans heit váru öll föst hvárt sem hann lofaði góðu eðr
> illu.

> His solemn promises were all faithful whether when he
> promised good or bad.

> His promises were all firm whether he promised good or
> ill.

> His vows were all (held) fast whether he promised good or
> ill

His vows were all firm whether he promised good or ill.

> Sá maðr bjó þaðan ei langt er Gustólfr hét.

> The man lived not long from there who was named Gustolfr.

> That man lived thence for a long time who was named
> Gustolfr.

> That person (man) dwelt not (ei, Z2) far from-there who
> was-called Gustólfr.

That man dwelt not far from there who was called Gustólf.

> Gerðr hét kona hans.

> His wife was named Gerdr.

> Gerdr was the name of his wife.

> His wife was-called Gerðr.

His wife was called Gerð.

> Þau áttu tvá sonu.

> They had two sons.

> They had two sons.

> They had two sons.

They had two sons.

> Hét annarr Högni en annarr Sigmundr.

> One was named Hogni and the other Sigmundr.

> The one, Hogni, and the other, Sigmundr.

> The-one was-called Högni but (and) the-other Sigmundr.

One was called Högni and the other Sigmund.

> Þeir váru stórir menn ok sterkir, ok ófyrirleitnir þegar í
> uppruna sínum, ok vildu ráða meir enn at hálfu við hvern
> sem þeir áttu.

> They were large and strong men, and reckless at once in
> their youth, and they wanted more still more state of life
> that kin with any they had.

> They were big men and strong, and not circumspect already
> in their youth and wanted to have their way more than half
> with whatever they owned.

> They were tall men and strong, and reckless
> (úfyrirleitinn) already-when (cf Þegar, Z1) in their youth
> and wanted to prevail (have their way, ráða, Z9) still
> (enn) more by far (lit: by half, hálfr, Z2) (wanted to get
> far more than their fair share?) with whomever they had to
> do (had dealings, eiga við e-n, Z10)

They were big men and strong, and reckless already in their
youth, and wanted to have their way more than halfway with
whomever they dealt with.

I don’t think that we’re dealing with <hálfr> Z2 here: I
think that we have a phrase <at hálfu> meaning something
like ‘by half, halfway’, and that <enn> is a (known) variant
of <en> in <meir en(n)> ‘more than’.

> Þeir váru leiksveinar konungssonar, ok mælti hann opt
> eptir þeim þá er hirðmenn gjörðu þeim harðleikit, því at
> þeir unntu þeim sjaldan jafnleikis.

> They were playmates of the king's son, and he often spoke
> after then when the king's men acted (against) them (with)
> hard play, because they loved them seldom an equal game.
> (?)

> They were the king’s sons’ playmates, and he often took
> their part then when kings men made them a hard game,
> because they seldom allowed them an equal game.

> They were playmates of (the) king’s-son, and he spoke
> often for them (ie took their part, spoke on their
> behalf), when (the) king’s-men dealt roughly with them
> (lit: performed playing a hard game with them), because
> they seldom granted (unna, Z1) a game-on-even-terms to
> them.

They were playmates of the king’s son, and he often took
their part when the king’s men played roughly with them, for
they seldom gave them an equal game.

> Þeir váru sjaldan vinsælir.

> They were seldom popular.

> They were rarely friendly.

> They were seldom popular.

They were seldom popular [i.e., had few friends].

> Þeir váru lítt settir at klæðum, en þau sem váru rifu
> hirðmenn af þeim en konungsson bætti þeim ávalt.

> They were little (settir?) at clothes, and as they were
> the king's men and torn off them, but the king's son
> always made up for them.

> They were poorly furnished with clothing, and those the
> king’s men ripped from them and the king’s son always
> compensated them?

> They were poorly furnished (settr, Z3) with clothes, but
> (and) those (clothes) that (there) were (ie that they
> possessed), the king´s-men tore from them, but (the)
> king’s-son always made-up for them.

They were poorly set for clothes, and the king’s men tore
off them those that existed, but the king’s son always
compensated them.

The English idiom ‘well/poorly set for X’ actually works
quite nicely here; the more formal ‘poorly furnished’ of
course works fine too.

> Úlfr hét ráðgjafi konungs.

> Ulfr was the name of the king's advisor.

> Ulfr was the name of the king’s counselor.

> (The) king´s-counsellor was-called Úlfr.

The king’s adviser was called Úlf.

> Hann vandaði um þetta við konungsson.

> He found fault about this with the king's son.

> He found fault with the king’s son regarding this.

> He found fault with (the) king’s-son concerning this.

He found fault with the king’s son for this.

> Hann kvað honum þat ofráð.

> He told him it (was) too great a task.

> He declared it weakness in him.

> He (ie the king’s-son, Ríkgarðr) declared that (ie the
> fault-finding) too-great-a-task for him (Úlfr) (ie that
> Úlfr was going beyond his jurisdiction, overstepping the
> mark).

He [= king’s son] told him [= Úlf] that that [was] too great
a task [i.e., that he was overreaching].

> Hann réði ei hverjum hann gæfi niðrlagsföt sín.

> He didn't advise each he would give his end-garments.

> He advised each and every (time?) he would give his last
> garment.

> He (ie Úlfr) should-not-advise (subjunctive) to whom he
> (ie Ríkgarðr) should-give (subjunctive) his
> clothes-of-low-position (ie bottom-drawer garments,
> ‘handmedowns’) (plural).

He [= Úlf] should not govern to whom he [= king’s son]
should give his cast-off clothes.

It appears that <niðrlagsföt> are ‘clothes that have reached
their end’ (at least for the current user), from <niðrlag>
Z1. The subjunctives may simply indicate that this is
reported speech still belonging to <kvað> in the previous
sentence.

> Þá bað Úlfr hirðmenn gjöra þeim harðleikit svá þeir þyrði
> ei til leiks at fara.

> Ulfr then asked the king's men to act against them with
> hard play so they didn't need to do for play. (?)

> Then Ulfr bade the king’s men to make them a hard game so
> they dared not go to play.

> Then Úlfr bade (the) king’s-men to deal roughly with them
> (lit: perform playing-a-hard-game with them), so they
> dared (past of þora) not to go to (the) sport.

Then Úlf told the king’s men to play roughly with them so
that they would not dare to go to the sport.

> Hirðmenn gjörðu svá.

> The king's men did so.

> The king’s men did so.

> (The) king’s-men did so.

The king’s men did so.

Brian