> Just got a message from Eysteinn:
>
> > My texts all have:
>
> > "... var nær hvorum vænna horfði", i.e. "it was hard to say for whom
> it looked better".

After consulting further (and some patient explaining on Eysteinn's
part), I think I finally see how the syntax works in this sentence!

The main clause is: 'ok var nær' "and it was close (=a close thing)".
The subject of this main clause is the subordinate clause 'hvárum
vænna horfði' "for-which-of-the-two it looked more-promising".
Compare these examples which Faarlund cites (pp. 254-5):

Eigi er mér kunnigt, hversu víðfleygð vár roeða vill gørask.
"I do not know how widely known out conversation will become."

Eigi er undarligt, at þú sér kallaðr Óláfr digri.
"It is no wonder that you are called Olaf the Sout."

Þat er engum manni blint, hverjar föðurboetr hugðar eru Hákoni konungi.
"It is obvious to everybody what compensation for his father is
intended for King Hakon."

The only difference with the last example is that 'þat' "it" is
explicit, as "it" would be in English if the main clause came first,
whereas in our example from Njála, the subordinate clause is itself
the subject of the main clause. But in Old Norse, 'þat' is optional
in such sentences. Does that make sense?

Subordinate clauses can also be objects, in which case the 'þat' in
the main clause (if there is one) is accusative or genitive or dative,
as the context requires.

ACC.

Veit Þorsteinn eigi, hvat af honum verðr.
"Th. doesn't know what's become of him."

En þat veit ek eigi, hvat þá skal at hafa, ef ...
"But I don't know what's to be done if ..."
Literally: "But that I don't know, what is to be done if ..."

GEN.

Bið ek, at þú veitir þeim skýr andsvör
"I ask that you give them a clear answer"

bið ek þess, at þú komir eigi til Svíþjóðar þeirar tíðar at ...
"I ask that you don't come to Sweden on the occasion when ...
Literally: "I ask that, that you come not to Sweden on the occasion
when ..."

DAT.

En því var hann kenndr við móður sína, at hon lifði lengr en faðir hans.
"And (for that reason) he was named after his mother, because she
lived longer than his father."

ok af því inu sama vildi Geirmundr sigla út þegar um sumarit er þeir
kómu við Noreg, því at þá væri hallat sumri
"and for that same reason, G. wanted to sail immediately that summer
when they came to Norway, because it was late summer then"


What confused me about 'var nær hvorum vænna horfði' was the fact that
'nær' can also take a dative complement, "near to", and here it is
followed by a dative pronoun, as if it might mean "near to which".
But I can see now that this is just a coincidence. Well, I'm not sure
how well I explained that, so please let me know if I'm talking
nonsense or if this is still baffling anyone.

LN

--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "llama_nom" <600cell@...> wrote:
>
> --- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "llama_nom" <600cell@> wrote:
> >
> >
> > > nær hvorum vænna horfið.
> >
> > Zoega has under 'horfa' "to look": hvárum horfir vænna "who is more
> > likely to get the better", but isn't the neuter past participle of
> > this verb 'horft'?
>
>