Please explain the syntax of at hlypi  (line 417)
Sæll Alan,
I´m not an expert, but my guess is that "mikit mein" is nominative:
much pain has been in the foot, rather than the other way round.
That would fit with the idea of phrases with nominative MEIN + dat.
sufferer.
"fá engar boetr" is interesting for the sudden shift to the
indicative plural. My first assumption was "they get no compensation
(s)", accusative, in which case maybe "en" helps to make it
parenthetical. But if compensation is the subject, that would
require a passive meaning for "fá". Is that possible?
"hlypi" (408) is the past subjunctive 3rd person of "hljópa",
singular, but the same form as the plural. Compare "foeri". I
think the subjunctive is used because it´s a question expressed with
the indefinite "hverr". Not just "who did that", but "who could
possibly have", "who on earth could have", "who ever would go and do
a thing like that". In other words, I think it might add a note of
incredulity, almost like distancing himself from the reality of it,
or at least emphasising his complete ignorance of who it was.