Sæll Alan!
 
Thanks for your comments.  I guess at this stage we need an Icelander to tell us the true interpretation of these lines about the horses - were they unused to being ridden or not used to running away!  Sometimes language is not entirely logical and you have to rely on intuition to get the real meaning... maybe Haukur could help us here.
 
As for the form skjörr (sorry, my computer won´t do an o with a squiggle underneath)... given that the masculine form is skjarr, I guess you would expect skjör for the fem sing and neut plur, hmmm.  Any insights here, please Haukur or anyone else?
 
Kveðja,
Sarah.
----- Original Message -----
From: Alan Thompson
To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2003 7:00 AM
Subject: RE: [norse_course] Hrafnkel 101-125 / Laurel's

Hi Sarah

 

Even though both versions make sense, the more I think about I’m still not convinced your interpretation is incorrect.

 

The interpretation: “And those (horses) which never were accustomed to run away from a man, now (unexpectedly) were (man)-shy” hinges on “ganga undan” being translated as “run away” which is consistent with Zoega’s definition “to escape, to absent oneself”

 

The interpretation: “And those (horses) which never were accustomed to be ridden by a man, now (predictably) were man-shy” hinges on “ganga undan” , literally “to walk from beneath” being interpreted as “to be ridden by” which to me, on face value, could be construed; but I guess one would have to know if there were other examples from the literature of it being used in this sense.

 

Note also: gramatically, manni is dat sg of maðr, not pl.

 

Question: Why is it skjõrr and not skjõr, in the neuter nom pl form?

 

Alysseann

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Sarah Bowen [mailto:bowensli@...]
Sent: Tuesday, 18 November 2003 12:33 AM
To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [norse_course] Hrafnkel 101-125 / Laurel's

 

Hi Laurel!

 

I find it so helpful to do these translations as a group because you get the benefit of another person´s perspective.  I understood

 

ok váru þau nú skjõrr, er aldri váru võn at ganga undan manni,

and - were - these - now - shy - which - never - were - accustomed - to - going - away from - people

but these (horses), which never used to run away from people, were now skittish,

 

completely differently!! 

I had it as [literally] the horses were never used to walk under a man - i.e. they were not used to being ridden (and so were skittish)!!  oops!

 

Cheers,

Sarah.

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2003 11:41 PM

Subject: [norse_course] Hrafnkel 101-125 / Laurel's

 

Einarr kvað sér eigi mundu svá meingefit at ríða þeim hesti,

Einarr - declared - himself - not - should - so - maliciously inclined - to - ride - this - horse

Einar said that he would not be so ill-minded as to ride this horse,

 

er honum var bannat, ef þó væri mõrg õnnur til.

which - to him - was - forbidden - if - yet - were - many - others - towards

which was forbidden to him, especially if there were many others to use.

 

 

Einarr ferr nú heim eptir klæðum sínum ok flytr heim á Aðalból.

Einarr - goes - now - home - after - clothing - his - and - removed - home - to - Aðalból

Einar then went home to get his clothing and moved over to Adalbol.

 

Síðan var fœrt (foert) í sel fram í Hrafnkelsdal,

afterwards - was - brought - within - shieling - forward - in - Hrafnkelsdalr

After that (the sheep) were driven to a shieling in the upper part of Hrafnkel's Valley, 

 

þar sem heitir á Grjótteigsseli.

where - was called - Grjótteigssel

which was called the Grjotteig shieling.

 

Einari ferr allvel at um sumarit,

Einarr - goes - very well - concerning - during - the summer

Einar fared very well at it during the summer,

 

svá at aldri verðr sauðvant fram allt til miðsumars,

so - that - never - happens - missing sheep - from - all the way - to - midsummer

so that no sheep were lost in all the time up to midsummer,

 

en þá var vant nær þremr tigum ásauðar eina nótt.

but - then - was - lacking - nearly - three - of ten - of ewe - one night

but then one night nearly thirty ewes were missing.

 

Leitar Einarr um alla haga ok finnr eigi.

seeks - Einarr - about - all - pastures - and - finds - not

Einar searched all the pastures and found nothing.

 

Honum var vant nær viku.

to him - was - lack - nearly - a week

They were missing for almost a week.

 

 

Þat var einn morgin, at Einarr gekk út snimma,

it - was - one - morning - that - Einarr - goes - out - early

Einar went out early one morning,

 

ok er þá létt af allri sunnanþokunni ok úrinu.

and - is - then - lifted - off - all - the mist from the south - and - the drizzle

and the mist from the south and the drizzle had all cleared.

 

Hann tekr staf í hõnd sér, beizl ok þófa.

he - takes - a staff - in - hand - his - a bridle - and - a saddle-pad

He took a staff in his hand, a bridle and a saddle-cloth.

 

Gengr hann þá fram yfir ána Grjótteigsá.

goes - he - then - forward - over - the river - Grjótteigsá

He went across the river Grjotteigsa (Grjotteig River), 

 

Hon fell fyrir framan selit.

it - flows - in front of - forward - the shieling

which flowed down from the shieling.

 

En þar á eyrunum lá fé þat, er heima hafði verit um kveldit.

and - there - on - the gravel banks - lie - livestock - which - at home - had - been - during - the evening

There, lying on the gravel banks, were the sheep that had been at home during the evening.

 

Hann støkkði því heim at selinu,

he - drove - it [the sheep, collectively] - home - to - the shieling

He drove them back to the shieling,

 

en ferr at leita hins, er vant var áðr.

and - went - to - seek - them - who - missing - were - earlier

and went to look for the ones who were missing earlier.

 

Hann sér nú stóðhrossin fram á eyrunum

he - sees - now - the stud horses - forward - on - the gravel banks

Then he saw the horses ahead on the gravel banks

 

ok hugsar at hõndla sér hross nõkkurt til reiðar ok þóttisk vita,

and - considers - to - seize - himself - a horse - certain/any - for - service - and - thinking - to know

and decided to catch one of the horses to use, believing  

 

at hann mundi fljótara yfir bera, ef hann riði heldr en gengi.

that - he - would - more swiftly - over - to carry - if - he - rides - rather - than - walks

that he would make quicker progress if he rode rather than walked.

 

 

Ok er hann kom til hrossanna, þá elti hann þau,

and - when - he - comes - up to - the horses - then - chases - he - them

So when he reached the horses, he chased them,

 

ok váru þau nú skjõrr, er aldri váru võn at ganga undan manni,

and - were - these - now - shy - which - never - were - accustomed - to - going - away from - people

but these (horses), which never used to run away from people, were now skittish,

 

nema Freyfaxi einn.

except - Freyfaxi - alone

except for Freyfaxi alone.

 

Hann var svá kyrr sem hann væri grafinn niðr.

he - was - as - quiet - as if - he - were - rooted - down

He was as still as if he were rooted to the ground.

 

 

Einarr veit, at líðr morgunninn, ok hyggr,

Einarr - knows - that - passes - the morning - and - considers

Einar knew that the morning was passing, and decided

 

at Hrafnkell mundi eigi vita, þótt hann riði hestinum.

that - Hrafnkell - would - not - know - that - he - rides - the stallion

that Hrafnkel would never know that he rode the stallion.

 

Nú tekr hann hestinn ok slær við beizli,

now - takes - he - the stallion - and - forms - with - bridle

So he took the stallion and bridled him,

 

lætr þófa á bak hestinum undir sik ok ríðr upp hjá Grjótárgili,

places - saddlepad - on - back - the stallion - under - himself - and - rides - up - by - Grjótárgil

placed a saddlecloth under himself on the back of the stallion and rode up by Grjotargil (Rocky River Gorge?),

 

svá upp til jõkla ok vestr með jõklunum,

also - up - to - glaciers - and - west - along - the glaciers

and up to the glaciers and west along the glaciers,

 

þar sem Jõkulsá fellr undir þeim,

there - where - Jõkulsá - flows - away from - them

to where the Jokulsa (Glacier River) flows out from beneath them,

 

svá ofan með ánni til Reykjasels.

also - down - along - the river - to - Reykjasel

and then down along the river to the Reykja shieling.



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Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.




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