Njall 144 part 2 - Thanks, Brian

I thought about using "a second time," but if you look back at Njall 144
beginning, this would be the third time he is making charges - - first
against Flosi, then against Eyjolf then against both.

> Í annað sinn stefndi hann Flosa og Eyjólfi um þá sök er

> Another time he summoned Flosi and Eyjolf concerning this
> charge that

I'd 'He again summoned F & E' or perhaps 'A second time he
summoned F & E'.

Grace



1b. Re: Njall 144 part 2 - - Grace's translation
Posted by: "Brian M. Scott" BMScott@... bmscotttg
Date: Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:38 pm ((PDT))

At 8:01:29 PM on Thursday, July 23, 2009, Fred and Grace
Hatton wrote:

> Slíkrar stefnu stefndi hann Eyjólfi Bölverkssyni um það er
> hann hafði þegið féið.

> Similarly? he summoned in a summons Eyjolf Bolverk's son
> concerning that that he had accepted mone (bribes).

<Slíkrar> is the fem. gen. sing. strong adjectival
declension; <slíkrar stefnu> is the genitive of <slík
stefna> 'such (a) summons'. It's a genitive of respect
(Barnes 3.9.6.2): 'By such a summons he summoned ...', 'By a
similar summons he summoned ...'. The sense is indeed that
of 'similarly'.

> Í annað sinn stefndi hann Flosa og Eyjólfi um þá sök er

> Another time he summoned Flosi and Eyjolf concerning this
> charge that

I'd 'He again summoned F & E' or perhaps 'A second time he
summoned F & E'.

> þeir báru vætti þau á þingi er eigi áttu máli að skipta
> með mönnum að lögum og gerðu í

> they bore those testimonies at the Thing that did not bear
> on the case with them

This time it's <með mönnum> 'with men'; my best guess is
that <mönnum> refers generally to the parties involved in
the case.

> in accordance with the law and created in

[...]

> Þar var þá fimmtardómurinn settur.

> Then the fifth court was seated there.

'The Fifth Court was then in session there' is perhaps a
little clearer.

> Þá er þeir Ásgrímur og Mörður voru í braut gengnir þá urðu
> dómendur ekki ásáttir hversu

> Then when they, Asgrim and Mord, were gone away, then
> (the) judges did not become agreed how

> dæma skyldi því að þeir vildu sumir dæma með Flosa en
> sumir með Merði og Ásgrími.

> that should be judged because some of them wanted to judge
> for Flosi but some (wanted to go) with Mord and Asgrim.

English allows the same omission: 'because some wanted to
judge for Flosi and some for Mörð and Ásgrím'. If you
choose to restore the ellipsis, it's 'but some (wanted to
judge) for M & Á'.

> Urðu þeir Flosi og Eyjólfur þá að vefengja dóminn.
> Dvaldist þeim þar að því meðan stefnurnar höfðu verið.

> Then they, Flosi and Eyjolf, wound up with a divided
> court. They remained there for that while (they) had been
> summoned.

<Stefnurnar> is the nom. pl. of <stefna> with the definite
article. The exact phrase <dvaldist þeim þar at því> is
actually glossed by Zoëga s.v. <dvelja> (4): 'in (doing)
that they lost much time'. In this context, though, it
seems that <at því> isn't so much 'in (doing) that' as 'on
that account, because of that', and I see no reason not to
give <dvaldist þeim> its basic meaning. I take <vera> to
here to have the sense 'to be, happen', so I make it
something like 'For that reason they waited there while the
summonses had happened (i.e., been made)'. These would be
charges brought by Mörð and Ásgrím in the Fifth Court:
recall that they had already left to go there, but it's only
in the next sentence that Flosi and Eyjólf hear of those
charges.

> Litlu síðar var þeim sagt Flosa og Eyjólfi að þeim var
> stefnt að Lögbergi í fimmtardóm

> A little later (it) was told to them, Flosi and Eyjolf,
> that they were summoned to the Law Rock in fifth court

> tveim stefnum hvorum þeirra.

> two summons to each of them.

<Tveim stefnum> is a dative of respect: 'with two summonses
to each of them'.

[...]

> Hefir hér nú fram komið slægð Þórhalls og er hann engum
> manni líkur að viti sínu.

> Here has now Thorhall's slyness come forward and he is
> like no man as to his knowledge?

Zoëga s.v. <líkr> (1): ... and he has no match in his wit.

> Eiga þeir nú fyrri að sækja í dóm sín mál. Lá þeim þar og
> allt við.

> They now have a right to prosecute their case in court
> before (us). Everything lies there at stake.

<Lá> is past tense, and you've overlooked <þeim>: All was at
stake there for them.

[...]

> og bauð að hlýða til eiðspjalls síns og til framsögu sakar
> sinnar og til sóknargagna þeirra allra er hann hugði fram
> að bera á hendur þeim Flosa og Eyjólfi.

> and offered to listen to their oaths and to presentation
> of their lawsuit and to all their proofs of a defence
> which he could think of to charge them, Flosi and Eyjolf,
> (with).

<Bjóða> here seems to have a sense in the 'bid, invite,
order' range. <Eiðspjalls> is gen. sing., not plural. So
are <síns> and <sinnar>: they're 'his' and must refer to
Mörd. <Sóknargögn> is 'proofs for a prosecution'. <Hugði>
is from <hyggja>, and <hyggja fram> here is 'to intend'
(Z3, with a similar example). I make it '... and invited
(the court) to listen to his oath and to (the) presentation
of his lawsuit and to all those proofs for the prosecution
that he intended to introduce against F & E'.

[...]

> Í fimmtardómi skyldi og sönnunarmenn fylgja eiðum og
> skyldu þeir og eiða vinna.

> In fifth court should also evidence men observe oaths and
> they should also perform oaths.

A <sannaðarmaðr> is 'one who vouches for another's word or
oath'; English 'oath-helper' is reasonably close. (See, for
instance, <http://www.netserf.org/Glossary/o.cfm>.) 'In
(the) Fifth Court oath-helpers had to 'help' oaths and they
also had to take oaths.'

Brian



Fred and Grace Hatton
Hawley Pa