Thanks for explaining all of these!
Grace


It's in there! Look under 'spöng', f. "spangle; floe, flake of ice"
(gen.sg. 'spangar', nom./acc.pl. 'spengr' or 'spangir'). CV "spangle;
ice making a bridge across water" [
http://lexicon.ff.cuni.cz/png/oi_cleasbyvigfusson/b0585.png ]. It's
declined like 'tönn' (Gordon, § 89), except for the alternative nom.
and acc. plural 'spangir'.


The 'at' ('að') is part of a phrasal verb. Zoega offers 'e-m þykkir at
e-u' "one feels hurt at, takes to heart, is displeased at something",
and has the example: 'þótti mönnum mikit at um víg Kartans' "people
were much affected/grieved at the killing of Kjartan". MM & HP
translate: "But we were annoyed at all the unpleasant things they were
saying about your husband and your sons."

> "We will only separate?? dealing (with you)," says Helgi, "that will

not

> suit you better."

The first 'við' is the 1st person pronoun (we two (parties)) = Old
Norse normalised spelling 'vit'; the second is an adverb that goes
with the verb 'eigast', 'eigast við' "to fight, to deal/contend with
one another". 'skipti' is a noun: (1) division; (2) change; and (3)
pl. dealings, transactions, disputes, fights. These are the
definitions in Zoega, and this quote is given there under the third
definition. For 'eigast við', see the end of the 'eiga' entry, at the
top right of p. 105. Compare especially: 'eigast við deildir' "to be
engaged in strife", 'áttust þeir höggvaskipti við' "they exchanged
blows with one another".

'þau' "those" and 'ein' "only, alone" are both neuter plural, agreeing
with 'skipti'. In English we would express the idea of "only" as an
adverb here: "We'll only have those (i.e. such) dealings together as
won't suit you better" (...that you won't come out of it better than
we do). For more examples of this sense of 'gegna', see CV [
http://lexicon.ff.cuni.cz/png/oi_cleasbyvigfusson/b0195.png ]. The CV
entry is divided up the same was as Zoega's, but has more examples,
including examples with '(all)vel', 'betr' and 'bezt' / 'illa', 'verr'.

'vápna-þing' "meeting/moot/assembly/congress of weapons" is a typical
sort of kenning for battle [
http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/kennings/meeting.html ].

Fred and Grace Hatton
Hawley Pa