per Laurel's mail, I think I can send this around for people's perusal. Some
particular questions at the bottom.

Thanks to all for you comments and help on the first chapter:

Erich
--

Hrafnkell lagði þat í vanða sinn at ríða yfir á heiðar á sumarit.
Hrafnkel laid it in custom his to ride over to heaths during summer.
Hrafnkel made it his custom to ride over the heaths in summer.

Þá var Jökulsdalr albyggðr upp at brúm.
Then was Jökulsdalr all-settled up to bridges.
At that time Jökulsdal was completely settled up to the bridges.

Hrafnkell reid upp eptir Fljótsdalsheiði ok sá,
Hrafnkel rode up behind Fljótsdalsheið and saw
Hrafnkel rode up past Fljótsdalsheið and saw

hvar eyðidalr gekk af Jökulsdal.
everywhere waste valley going out of Jökulsdal
everywhere an empty valley going away from Jökulsdal.

Sá dalr syndisk Hrafnkatli byggiligri en aðrir dalir,
that valley showed-itself to Hrafnkel more habitable than other valleys
That valley seemd to Hrafnkel more habitable than any other valley

þeir sem hann hafði áðr sét.
those as he had before seen.
that he had seen before.

En er Hrafnkell kom heim, beiddi hann föður sinn fjárskiptis,
But when Hrafnkel came home, asked he father his property-share
And when Hrafnkel got home, he asked his father for his share of the property,

ok sagðisk hann bústað vilja reisa sér.
and said[1] he dwelling wishes to raise for himself
and said he wished to raise himself a dwelling.

Þetta veitir faðir hans honum,
This granted father his to him
This his father granted him,

ok hann gerir sér boe í dal þeim ok kallar á Aðalbóli.
and he built for himself farmstead in valley that and called (to) Aðalból.
and he built himself a farmstead in that valley and called it Aðalból
(the Manor).

Hrafnkell fekk Oddbjargar Skjöldólfsdóttur ór Laxárdal.
Hrafnkel took Oddbjörg Skjödólfsdottir from Laxárdal
Hrafnkel married Oddbjörg Skjödólfsdottir from Laxárdal.

Þau áttu tvá sonu.
They had two sons.

Hét inn ellri Þórir, en inn yngri Ásbjörn.
Named the elder Þórir, but the younger Ásbjörn.
The elder was called Þórir, and the younger Ásbjörn.


En þá er Hrafnkell hafði land numit á Aðalbóli,
but then when Hrafnkel had land taken at Aðalból,
And when Hrafnkell had settled the land at Aðalból,

þá efldi hann blót mikil.
then performed he sacrifice great.
He performed a great sacrifice.

Hrafnkell lét gera hof mikit.
Hrafnkel made to build temple great
Hrafnkel caused a great temple to be built.

Hrafnkell elskaði eigi annat goð meir en Frey,
Hrafnkel loved no other god more than Frey,

ok honum gaf hann alla ina beztu gripi sína hálfa við sik.
and to him gave he all the best valuables his half with himself
and he split with Him half of all his best valuables.

Hrafnkell byggði allan dalinn ok gaf mönnum land,
Hrafnkel settled all the dale and gave to men land
Hrafnkel settled the whole valley and gave men land,

en vildi þó vera yfirmaðr þeira ok tók goðorð yfir þeim.
but wished yet to be over-man their and took goði-hood[2] over them
but still wanted to be their leader, and took priesthood over them.

Við þetta var lengt nafn hans ok kallaðr Freysgoði,
with this was lengthened name his and was called Freysgoði
Because of this his name was lengthened, and he was called 'Freysgoði',

ok var ójafnaðarmaðr mikill, en menntr vel.
and was un-justice-man great but well-bred well
and he was an very unjust man, but well-bred.

Hann þrøngði undir sik Jökulsdalsmönnum til þingmanna hans,
he pressed under him Jökulsdal-men to thing-men his
He coerced the men of Jökulsdal into his liege-men[2],

var linr ok blíðr við sína menn,
was kindly and gracious with his own men

en striðr ok stirðlyndr við Jökulsdalsmenn,
but stiff and stiff-tempered with Jökulsdal-men,
but stiff and harsh with the men of Jökulsdal,

ok fengu af honum engan jafnað.
and took from them no justice.
and treated them without justice.

Hrafnkell stóð mjök í einvígjum ok boetti engan mann fé,
Hrafnkell stood much in one-combat and compensated no man money,
Hranfnkel fought many duels and paid no one compensation,

því at engi fekk af honum neinar boetr, hvat sem hann gerði.
because none took from him none compensation, what ever he did
because no one took compensation from him, whatever he did[3].

Fljótsdalsheiðr er yfirferðarill, grýtt mjök ok blaut,
Fljótsdalsheið is over-journey-bad, stony very and wet,
Fljótsdalsheið is a hard journey, very stony and wet.

en þó riðu þeir feðgar jafnan hvárir til annarra,
but yet rode they father and son always both to another
but father and son always rode to each other

því at gott var í frændsemi þeira.
becuase good was in kinship their.
because of their good kinship.

Hallfreði þótti sú leið torsótt ok leitaði sér leiðar
to Hallfreð seemed this journey diffucult and sought for himself ways
This journey seemed difficult to Hallfreð, and he sought himself routes

fyrir ofan fell þau, er standa í Fljótsdalsheiði.
over fell those which stand in Fljótsdalsheið
over those fells that stand in Fljótsdalsheið.

Fekk hann þar þurrari leið ok lengri,
took he there drier way and longer
There he took a drier and longer route,

ok heitir þar Hallfreðargata.
and called there Hallfreðargat.
and that is called Hallfreðgate.

Þessa leið fara þeir einir, er kunnugastir eru um Fljótsdalsheiði.
This way go they only who most-versed[4] are around Fljótsdalsheið.
This way go only those most knowledgable of Fljótsdalsheið.

[1] Why is this in the middle? Would 'sagði' have been correct here? Would
it have meant something different.

[2] goði-hood isn't exactly priesthood, is it? It sounds like as
much a legal position as a religious position. As well, þing-men
seems to imply a more specific kind of alleigence; it sounds
more legal than political to me.

[3] I interpret this as, he never paid compensation because no one was able
to take it from him.

[4] Here I'm guessing, a superlative of kunnigr? But I'm not sure why the
i would change to u.