Thank you so much LN for this -  

or blast - "on the air "  was a typo (- not it was honestly)

I am glad to see "aloft" I wanted to use it but thought of trying to be literal

not elegant

Born in Portsmouth and lived there many years - the "Naval Expressions"

oddities like aboard, alongside etc -  hauled the Anchor p come from a

Grand-dad  who was dearly loved and they stick in the mind

 

Yes - a certain man expresses it better - I read on - and it looks like

he will be useful to them so he is a "certain sort of person"

 

I reckon from your notes here that I should study Gordon more - I have

gotten into the habit of going back to the New Old Norse of Barnes & Co

more user friendly they are !!

Glad I got fela right - I shall read as you advise - the P71 of Gordon

That bit at the end - I shall have to watch my superlatives I see the mistake

most clearly

I hope this reply comes through clearly - I like incredimail for sending

but they are acting up a bit

Many thanks for you time here

Kveðja

Patricia

 

 

> hljópu upp á skip þeirra Vandils
> leapt aboard the ship of Vandil

Or literally "leapt/ran up onto the ship of Vandil and his brother /
and his men" -- see Alan's comments on Grace's translation.

> Í móti Gunnari gekk Vandill
> Vandil approached Gunnar

Yes, V. went towards or against G. as the case endings show.

> og sýndist hinum þrjú vera sverðin á lofti
> it appeared to that one (Vandil) that there were three swords on the

air

Yes, or I would say "in the air", or more in more literary style "aloft".

> Þeir sáu mann einn ganga
> hey saw a certain man walk down (do they specify one man on his own

here) from off the Headland

Good question. My first thought was to read it as just "a man", "some
(unspecified) man", "a certain man" = mann nökkurn, nökkurn mann --
though with the implication that he's alone since no one else is
mantioned -- and maybe also because he's telling dangerous secrets.
But then maybe it is "they saw a man walking *alone* down from the
headland". That's how MM & HP seem take it anyway, or at least they
include the word "alone". I'm not sure whether it's possible to rule
out either possibility, or if one is preferable, or if anything can be
deduced from the word order...?

> hverjir fyrir ráða.
> who commands them

Yes, with "them" understood.

> hidden (folgið- ? fela)

That's right. 4th conjugation strong verb, see Gordon section 130.
fela: fal, fálu, fólginn (folginn before c. 1200). In Proto-Norse,
the infinitive would have been *felhan (=Gothic 'filhan'), but the 'h'
was lost by Old Norse times. For the grisly details of how 'h' turned
into 'g' in the past participle, see Gordon section 71 "voicing".

> ella búist þér við sem skjótast.
> or prepare (make ready) to defend yourself.

"or else get ready as quickly as possible". búask við "get ready,
prepare oneself", with "for battle" or "to meet them (in battle)"
implied. 'sem' + a superlative adjective = "as ... as possible".