Here’s my translation. Comments regarding exactly how Hrafnkel´s men were strung up and how close to the farmstead the court of confiscation took place would be welcome.
Kveðja
Alan
draga þar í reipin ok kasta þeim svá upp yfir ásinn: I take þeim as referring to the ropes, but gramatically, I think it could equally apply to the men. If it is referring to the ropes, then it would seem that the men would hang upside down suspended from the ropes which have been drawn over the beam. The reference to blood running to their eyes would seem to support this.
í örskotshelgi : I could interpret this as being ‘far enough away so as to be out of reach were an arrow to be fired from the farmstead’, or ‘a location somewhere within the range of an arrow fired from the farmstead, and therefore, under normal circumstances, protected from intruders.’ Gordon´s gloss ‘within arrowshot’ suggests the latter, but you would be less likely, I would guess, to find a rocky mound not under plough or pasture so close to home.
Kveðja
Alan
Þá taka þeir Hrafnkel ok hans menn ok bundu hendr þeira
Then they take Hrafnkel and his men and bound their hands
á bak aptr. Eptir þat brutu þeir upp útibúrit ok tóku
reip ofan
behind (their) backs. After that they break open the out-building and took ropes down
ór krókum, taka síðan knífa sína ok stinga raufar á
hásinum
out of hooks, take then their knives and pierce holes into their tendons
þeira ok draga þar í reipin ok kasta þeim svá
upp yfir ásinn ok
and draw therein the ropes and cast them (the ropes or the men?) thus over the clothes-drying beam and
575 binda þá svá átta saman.
bind then so eight (men) together.
Þá mælti Þorgeirr: 'Svá er komit nú kosti yðrum, Hrafnkell,
Then Thorgeir spoke: ’So (it) is (has) now arrived to (the point where you make) your choice, Hrafnkell,
sem makligt
er, ok mundi þér þykkja þetta ólíkligt, at þú
as is fitting, and this would (have) seem(ed) to you unlikely, that you
mundir
slíka skömm fá af nökkurum manni, sem nú er orðit.
Would receive such shame from any man, as now is happening.
Eða
hvárt viltu, Þorkell, nú gera: at sitja hér hjá Hrafnkeli ok
What want you, Thorkel, now to do: to stay here by Hrafnkel and
580 gæta þeira, eða viltu fara
með Sámi ór garði á brott í örskotshelgi
watch over them, or want you to go with Sám out of the farmyard away into ‘arrow-shot security’
við bœinn ok heyja féránsdóm á grjóthól nökkurum, þar
sem
from the farmstead and conduct (the) court of confiscation on some rocky mound, where
hvárki
er akr né eng?'
(there) is neither arable land nor pasture land?’
Þetta skyldi
í þann tíma gera, er sól væri í fullu suðri.
This should happen at that time, when (the) sun were in full southwards (due south).
Þorkell
sagði: 'Ek vil hér sitja hjá Hrafnkeli. Sýnisk
mér
Thorkel said: ’I want to stay here by Hrafnkel. This seems to me
585 þetta
starfaminna.'
less arduous.’
Þeir Þorgeirr ok Sámr fóru þá ok háðu féránsdóm, ganga
They, Thorgeir and Sám, went then and conducted (the) court of confiscation; (they) walk
heim
eptir þat ok tóku Hrafnkel ofan ok hans menn ok settu
back after that and took Hrafnkel down and his men and placed
þá
niðr í túninu, ok var sigit blóð fyrir augu þeim.
those down in the home meadow, and blood was (had) sunk before their eyes.
Þá
mælti Þorgeirr til Sáms, at hann skyldi gera við Hrafnkel
Then Thorgeir spoke to Sám, that he should do with Hrafnkel
590 slíkt, sem
hann vildi, -- 'því at mér sýnisk nú óvandleikit við
such as he wanted, -- ‘because (it) seems to me now easy to deal with
hann.'
him.’
Grammar Notes:
Þá Then
taka taka: (v) 3p pres ind take
þeir sá: (pron) nom pl they
Hrafnkel Hrafnkell: (n) acc sg Hrafnkel
ok and
hans hann: (pron) gen sg his
menn maðr: (n) acc pl men
ok and
bundu binda: (v) 3p past ind bound
hendr hönd: (n) acc pl hands
þeira sá: (pron) gen pl their
á to
bak back
aptr. behind.
Eptir After
þat þat: (pron) acc sg that
brutu brjóta: (v) 3p past ind broke
þeir sá: (pron) nom pl they
upp up (into)
útibúrit útibúr: (n) acc sg the out building
ok and
tóku taka: (v) 3p past ind took
reip reip: (n) acc pl ropes
ofan down
ór out of
krókum, krókr: (n) dat pl hooks,
taka taka: (v) 3p pres ind take
síðan then
knífa knífr: (n) acc pl knifes
sína sinn: (pron) gen pl their
ok and
stinga stinga: (v) 3p pres ind pierce
raufar rauf: (n) acc pl holes
á in
hásinum hásin: (n) dat pl tendons
þeira sá: (pron) gen pl their
ok and
draga draga: (v) 3p pres ind draw
þar there
í in
reipin reip: (n) acc pl the ropes
ok and
kasta kasta: (v) 3p pres ind cast
þeim sá: (pron) dat pl them
svá so
upp up
yfir over
ásinn áss: (n) acc sg the clothes-drying beam
ok and
575
binda binda: (v) 3p pres ind tie
þá then
svá thus
átta átta: (num indecl) acc pl eight
saman. together.
Þá Then
mælti mæla: (v) 3s past ind spoke
Þorgeirr: Þorgeirr: (n) nom sg Thorgeir:
'Svá 'Thus
er vera: (v)