>
>> > "Hversu margt hefir hér fyrirmanna látist?" (...)
>> > Flosi svarar: "Hér hefir látist Njáll og Bergþóra og synir þeirra
> allir,..."
>
> Gael asked:
>
>> Why is the singular used: hefir látist instead of hafa látist ?
>
> Because 'margt' is the subject. It's just a quirk of Old Norse grammar
> that, in certain situations, a neuter singular quantifier can be used
> like this with genitive plural of the noun that is quantified.
>
> margt manna = margir menn "many men/people"
> fátt manna = fáir menn "few men/people"
>
> The dictionary entries for 'margr' and 'fár' have more examples and
> details. A similar, frequently used expression is 'hvat manna ertu'
> "who are you?"
>
>