Hail Eysteinn !
If an adage conforming to William's suggestion goes somewhat like this:
" There is no correct Edda translation outside Iceland ", I should never-
-theless like to point to Sweden as possibly coming in a good second
place. For, if random samples in any way serve as indicators, then at
least the only Swedish translation that I have access to, got this
particular passage right. In fact, Ohlmarks has the following Swedish
translation of stanza 34 : « Modes fader högg mäktig tag /
men tiljan han trampade tvärs igenom : / högt han den hov
över huvudet ner, / så mot hälarna klungo dess hängande ringar. »

See also how he manages to alliterate in Swedish as well :
Modes-mäktig / tiljan-trampade-tvärs / högt-hov-huvudet / etc..

>Group,
>
>Browsing through some translations of
>Hymiskviða, it seems that stanza 19 isn't
>the only place where the translators have
>blundered.
>
>In stanza 34, when Thor finally lifts the
>great cauldron, it is so heavy that Thor's
>feet sink through the floor! As the text
>has it:
>
>Faðir Móða
>fekk á þremi
>ok í gegnom steig
>gólf niðr í sal (!)
>
>Hollander renders this as:
>
>"The goats-reiner (sic)
>then grasped the rim,
>from the dais striding
>down through the hall."

Yes, but you have to remember that Hollander also tries to
create an alliterating translation. That's why he describes
Thor as the "goat-steerer", instead of as "Magni's father",
because he needs a kenning for Thor that alliterates with
"grasped".

I further note that Hollander's "striding" reminds of "skríða".
Could it be a mix-up of stíga/steig with skríða/skreið somewhere
along the line ? Thje cod.reg. has "steig" there, as above,
but the other Ms. has stóð there. (not that it matters)
Some editors have also replaced "steig" with "sté" (a variant),
but I cannot see the point. I suppose it is the word "niðr" that
may have confused some. Maybe a little bit like "after being
wed, the bride and groom strode down the hall's isle". The
word "down" may perhaps have suggested a horisontal motion to
some. The correct English phrase seems to be "to step through
the floor". (floor made of planks)

>Larrington also misses the point:
>
>"The father of Modi
>took it by the rim,
>and rolled it along
>down onto the hall floor."

Yes, that is ridiculous ! (some phantasy)
It is a pity Ursula Andress opps! Dronke
never published a translation, or did she ?

>
>Bellows as well:
>
>"The father of Mothi
>the rim seized firm,
>and before it stood
>on the floor below."

Maybe a phrase like "trø igjennom" is somehow difficult to
grasp for such as were raised with English. I dunno, but
it seems to me there has to be a reason. To me the passage
did not seem very difficult. But that is because it is quite
similar in Norwegian. I'd have much greater difficulty with
some of the other passages, that is for sure !

>Anybody have a translation that does justice
>to the original? In any language?

Danes ?

>Regrds
>Eysteinn
>

same
Keth


Régis Boyer maybe ?

Le père de Módi
Saisit le rebord
- Aussitôt s'enfonca
A travers le plancher -;
L'époux de Sif sur sa tête
Souleva le chaudron,
A ses talons.
Les anneaux retentissaent.