--- "llama_nom" wrote:

> This reminds me of an example from Yngvars saga víðförla, ch. 12.

It is not really a parallel example, I think.

> Þó angraði enn nú marga menn mjök sá daunn, þó at eigi fengi fleiri
> líflát þar af.
>
> What is the role of the first 'þó' here?

It only becomes apparent if you look at the context:

> Eptir þenna atburð bað Sveinn, at þeir hvötuðu í burt frá daun þeim

ok

> fýlu, er af varð. Síðan snúa þeir til skipa hvatliga á braut, ok

gerðu

> svá flestir allir fyrir utan sex menn, er til drekans gengu fyrir
> forvitnissakir, ok fellu þeir niðr dauðir.

So:

> Þó angraði enn nú marga menn mjök sá daunn, þó at eigi fengi fleiri
> líflát þar af.

"However, this stench now still troubled many men a lot, even
though no more of them lost their lives because of it."

"However" refers to the fact that they're back at the ships,
and no longer so close to the source of the reek.

> (Incidentally, is 'enn' "continued to trouble", "gave further

trouble

> to many men"

Yes. "Þó" is YET, while "enn" is STILL.

-- or it troubled "many more/other men (besides the ones

> it killed)"?)

Normally, intensifying "enn" is only used with the comparartive.
You say "enn fleiri", not "enn marga". Here, "enn" obviously
means "still", i.e. "enn nú" = "now still", "even now".

> Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards reverse the order of the clauses in
> their translation: "Though these were the only ones killed, most of
> the others were in agony because of it."

Not a very exact translation (assuming they are using the same
text). "Marga menn" is not the same as "most of the others", and
they leave out "enn" (and the first "þó", actually). Also, I do
think "were in agony" is too strong an expression here, unless
there is something in the surrounding context to justify it. I
suppose it is their way to include "mjök"?

Regards,
Eysteinn