Re: Njal 42 / Alan's Translation (flugu í munn)

> was that a kind of proverb?

Yes, 'fluga' "a fly" - fishing metaphor: the fly is the "bait".

> En ef Hallgerður kemur annarri flugu í munn þér þá verður það þinn

bani."

"But if Hallgerðr manages to get another fly into your mouth, then
that will be the death of you." - i.e. if you swallow the bait she
offers you a second time...

There are some more examples here:

http://www.usask.ca/english/icelanders/proverbs_%DESSH.html

Ok yfir þessa flugu gein Grímkell.
Grimkel swallowed this bait.
(Þorsteins saga Síðu-Hallssonar)

(Lit. G. opened his mouth wide over this fly.)

þá tók hann við flugu þessi
"then he took this bait"
(Eybyggja saga)

Þóttist Sigmundr nú yfir flugu ginit hafa, er hann tók við meynni af Torfa
lit. "S. thought now that he'd gaped over a fly when he received the
girl from Torfi (i.e. been conned)"
(Harðar saga)




--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "Patricia Wilson"
<originalpatricia@...> wrote:

>
> There was a part in Alan's translation that I appreciate better now

- it is

> where the very idiomatic phrase of Hallgerd putting a fly in his

ear/mouth

> or whatever - was that a kind of proverb I saw the word of - fly -

and was

> so convinced that I had it all wrong - I "cribbed" from MM&HP and

forgot to

> mention it in my translation.
> Could Alan please explain how he got round that - it is the more literal
> translation s that
> I am finding sticky
> Kveðja
> Patricia
> We have such proverbs - what about - send him with a flea in his ear -
> similar