--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "AThompson" <athompso@...> wrote:

>
>
> Re: `sem mest', your explanation seems reasonable to me, but then if you
> took `sem' out of the sentence would you translate it any differently?
> In other words, to me, `mest' on its own provides all the comparative
> meaning that is required. Perhaps, `sem' is providing some form of
> addition emphasis.
>

Hi Alan,

"sem" is also a word of comparison:

"red as blood" = rauðr sem blóð
"[during] day as well as night" = dögum sem nóttum
"[they] killed as many as possible" = þeir drápu sem flest
"as soon as possible" = sem skjótast

"sem" is used together with comparative, in order to give the
comparison a second dimension, as it were. It is like comparing
someone with a champion. The champion is "best" (comparative),
and you can be "like" a champion = like, or as the best.


Regards
Xigung