> (Havamal 145 "a gift demands a gift")
Ey sér til gildis
gjöf.
Excellent! You're thinking like a true Viking now. I imagine
that
would be exactly the sort of traditional wisdom Bergþóra (or
the
author) was appealing to. There's a few verses in Hávamál
which
express a similar idea.
Glík skulu gjöld gjöfum.
And
more ominously:
Vin sínum
skal maðr vinr vera
ok gjalda gjöf við
gjöf.
Hlátr við hlátri
skyli hölðar taka
en lausung við
lygi.
But as they say, the Devil can quote scripture.
> Hann
kveðst þess vera albúinn og kvað þegar vísur þrjár eða fjórar
og voru allar
illar.
Too wicked to repeat in the saga, I guess ;)
> "Þér
synir mínir eigið allir eina gjöf saman.
> "To you - sons of mine have
but one gift between you.
'þér' "you" here is 2nd person nominative
plural (which happens to be
identical in form with dative singular "to
thee", just to keep us on
our toes). So it's just "You, my sons, have one
gift between you."
> "Gersemi ert þú," sagði Hallgerður, "hversu þú
ert mér eftirlátur."
This made me laugh.
> It looks as if the
pace is hotting up again - I shall not care to
invite Beggarwomen into my
homestead - after this
Ah, maybe we should be slow to blame the
traveling women this time:
they saw a chance and took it. A bit naughty,
but still -- if that's
what it takes to get some sympathy off their social
betters? At least
they were careful to tell Bergþóra in secret, so really
it was up to
her what she did with the information. Although I suppose it
would
have got out one way or another, it being THAT kind of
story.
> (why can she not shut up until dinner is over - gives you
indigestion)
;) Kind of ironic too coming from Sk.H., considering how
easily he
gets manipulated into violence.
LN