Re: "at því hugði...at" + "koma sér e-s"? + reflexive pronouns

Thanks for your suggestions, Patricia. I suspect you're right, but
it's my new resolution to stop thinking anything definitely, because
I've been wrong so often in the past, so I'll keep puzzling at this
till I'm completely sure how these two clauses connect "he
wondered...because" or "he wondered about...so that", and what this
genitive is doing.

> "Fóru þeir þá út á skip, en at því hugði Ánn, hvar hann skyldi

þess koma sér, at öllum þætti sér mest mein at."

Also, some of these saga heroes have a habit of looking for trouble
(as you may have noticed...), so that was what made me wonder if
whether he was experiencing the consequences of his
reputation/attitude, or aiming to make new enemies. Skulu, besides
obligation, can also indicate futurity I think, but here yes it does
look like "where he should" or "where he ought to" or maybe "where
he would have to", depending on what the rest of it means.

Llama Nom



--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "Patricia"
<originalpatricia@...> wrote:

> Saell LN
> I was puzzled over þess koma sér, but I think he is definitely

wondering where to sit,

> Zoëga is very specific with the hvar = where - in what place

(says so) and the skyldi is from

> skulu - ought - in the sense to be obliged ought or should -

could fit.

> and he has been in trouble before you say so I'm sure he is

trying to place himself conveniently out of trouble in case he gets
thrown over board (??perhaps??)

> The skyldi/skulu bit I dragged out of Gordon.
> Hope this helps
> Kveðja
> Patricia
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: llama_nom
> To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2005 9:49 PM
> Subject: [norse_course] "at því hugði...at" + "koma sér e-s"?

+ reflexive pronouns

>
>
>
>
> Could anyone clarify this sentence for me:
>
> "Fóru þeir þá út á skip, en at því hugði Ánn, hvar hann skyldi

þess

> koma sér, at öllum þætti sér mest mein at."
>
> It's from Áns saga bogsveigis. The context is that Án, a

typically

> troublsome young man, and bourgeoning saga hero, has just

convinced

> his more upstanding but conventional elder brother to let him

come

> along to visit the king.
>
> "Then they went out onto the ship," is easy enough, "and/but

An

> wondered..."
>
> But what exactly is "hvar hann skyldi þess koma sér"? At a

guess,

> could it be that he "wondered where to put himself" on the

ship?

> What does the genitive 'þess' relate to?
>
> Does the first 'at' go with 'hugði'--"he wondered [about the
> following thing]"--or is 'at því...at' equivalent

to 'því...at' "for

> this reason...because"?
>
> In other words, is An (a) wondering where he should put

himself,

> given that everyone thinks he's trouble? Or (b) is he

wondering

> where to go "so as to / in order to" make everyone think the

worst

> of him?
>
> Or is he wondering why they think this about him, what he's

done to

> get this reaction? I'm a bit confused...
>
> Can the second 'sér' in theory refer to either An or the

sailors?

>
> Llama Nom
>
>
>
>
>
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