On Tue, Nov 05, 2002 at 11:21:17PM -0000, Haukur Thorgeirsson wrote:

>
> Take a look at this page. If you are interested in participating
> let me know, privately for a simple 'yes' or on list for any
> relevant thoughts.
>
> http://www.hi.is/~haukurth/norse/reader/faerey.html

I like this. I should; I was involved in the off list discussion which
led to the project.

It's short and simple enough that I can at least have the illusion of reading,
rather than painstakingly translating. (Of course with every saga seeming
to begin much the same way, maybe I'm just remembering the pattern.)

However, once I started actually thinking about grammar, rather than happily
reading/skimming, I got into trouble on the 5th word of the first sentence.
Possibly I shouldn't try to read Old Norse while half asleep :-(

At any rate, we have:
Maðr er nefndr Grímr kamban;
A man was called Grímr kamban. What could be simpler? Well, yes, it's a name,
and I recognize it as a name. But where did the -an ending come from? That
looks like an accusative masculine adjective ending. But Grímr is in the
nominative case, as it should be. And while I'm exposing my cluelessness,
what does the word mean? I found a noun "kambr", meaning both "comb" and
"ridge" (of hills). Grimr the Comb?! Seems like an odd by name; moreover,
I can't see how it would get an -an ending.

--
Arlie

(Arlie Stephens arlie@...)