Thank you. I have been using an online version of the Zoega dictionary. I will look at the section on irregular verbs as well as your notes to give me a clue as to some of these. Last week I simply ran out of time. This week I seem to be making faster progress, so I hope to be able to pick up on some more of these.

I have notice that some words that weren't in Zoega were in a modern Icelandic-English dictionary. I would be curious to know more about why Laxdaela seems to have modern Icelandic words that aren't in Zoega or other boks on Old Icelandic.

I also found http://tools.verbix.com/findverb/, and even though it occasionally covers Old Norse verbs, it more commonly has Icelandic ones. Obviously, it isn't always going to work to equate modern Icelandic with Old Norse, but a number of times it has given me something that seems plausible....

--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "AThompson" <athompso@...> wrote:
>
> Here´s my translation.
>
> For Rob: I noticed that in you previous translation, there were a number
> of instances where a vowel change in the past tense of a strong verb
> from its infinitive form )ie the form that is in the dictionary) seems
> to have thrown you (eg hóf - past tense of hefja; nam - past tense of
> nema). Whenever these happen in a text I try to make a note of it in my
> translation, so until you become familiar with the vowel changes, my
> translation notes may help you with these. Also if you have a copy of
> the Zoega dictionary, there is an index of these `irregular' forms,
> beginning on page 545. If you can´t find a word in the dictionary
> immediately, check the list of irregular forms because often you will
> find it there. Good to have you with us.
>
> Cheers
> Alan
>
> 3. kafli - Af Katli flatnef
> Chapter 3 – (Descent) from Ketill Flat-nose (or `Of (ie
> about) Ketil Flat-nose (?))
>
>
> Eftir þetta hafði Ketill boð ágætt. Þá gifti hann
> Þórunni hyrnu dóttur sína
> After this Ketill had an excellent banquet. Then he
> gave-in-marriage Þórunn (the) Grumbler, his daughter,
>
> Helga hinum magra, sem fyrr var ritað. Eftir það býr
> (búa) Ketill ferð sína úr
> to Helgi the Thin, as was written previously. After that
> Ketill makes-ready-for his journey abroad (out of (the) country)
>
> landi vestur um haf. Unnur dóttir hans fór (fara) með
> honum og margir aðrir frændur hans.
> west across the sea. Unnr, his daughter travelled with
> him and many other kinsmen of him.
>
>
> Synir Ketils héldu (halda) það sama sumar til Íslands og
> Helgi magri mágur þeirra.
> Ketill's sons held-course that same summer to Iceland
> and Helgi (the) Thin, their (brother-) in-law.
>
> Björn Ketilsson kom (koma + dative) skipi sínu vestur í
> Breiðafjörð og sigldi inn eftir
> Bjorn Ketill's-son brought his ship west into
> Breidafjord and sailed inside along
>
> firðinum og nær hinu syðra landinu þar til er fjörður
> skarst (skerast) inn í landið en
> the-fjord and near the more-southern shore-line (see
> land, Z2) where the fjord branches inside into the shore-line but (and)
>
> fjall hátt stóð (standa) á nesinu fyrir innan fjörðinn
> en ey lá (liggja) skammt frá landinu.
> a high mountain stood on the-headland (ness) inside
> the-fjord but (and) an island lay a short-distance from the-shore-line
> (land).
>
> Björn segir að þeir mundu (munu) eiga þar dvöl nokkura.
> Björn gekk (ganga) á land upp með
> Bjorn says that they would have there some pause (short
> stop). Bjorn walked up onto land (ie went ashore) with
>
> nokkura menn og reikaði fram með sjónum. Var þar skammt
> í milli fjalls og
> some men and strolled forward by the sea (along the
> waterfront). (There) was there a short-distance between (the) mountain
> and
>
> fjöru (fjara). Honum þótti (þykkja) þar byggilegt. Þar
> fann (finna) Björn reknar (pp of reka as adj) öndvegissúlur sínar
> (the) foreshore. There (ie that place) seemed to be
> habitable. There Bjorn discovered his high-seat-pillars (two pillars
> which stood, one on each side of a nobleman´s high-seat) drifted
> (reknar, pp of reka)
>
> í einni vík. Þótti (þykkja) þeim þá á vísað um
> bústaðinn.
> into a certain inlet. (It) seemed to them then indicated
> (vísa á) concerning a dwelling-place (ie. their new abode had been
> revealed to them)
>
>
> Síðan tók (taka) Björn sér þar land allt á millum Stafár
> og Hraunfjarðar og bjó (búa) þar
> After-that Bjorn took for himself there all land between
> Staf River and Lava-fjord and lived there
>
> er síðan heitir í Bjarnarhöfn. Hann var kallaður Björn
> hinn austræni. Hans
> were after-that (it) is-called Bjorn's-haven. He was
> called Bjorn the Easterner. His
>
> kona var Gjaflaug dóttir Kjallaks hins gamla. Þeirra
> synir voru þeir Óttar
> wife was Gjaflaug, daughter of Kjallakr the Old. Their
> sone were they: Ottar and
>
> og Kjallakur. Hans son var Þorgrímur, faðir Víga-Styrs
> og Vermundar, en
> Kjallakr. His (Kjallakr's) son was Thorgrimr, father of
> Killer-Styrr and Vermundr, but (and)
>
> dóttir Kjallaks hét (heita) Helga. Hana átti (eiga)
> Vestar á Eyri son Þórólfs blöðruskalla
> (the) daughter of Kjallakr was-called Helga. Vestar of
> Eyrr, married her, son of Thorolfr `Bladder'-Bald
>
> er nam (nema) Eyri. Þeirra son var Þorlákur faðir
> Steinþórs á Eyri.
> who settled (took) Eyrr. There son was Thorlakr, father
> of Steindor of Eyrr.
>
>
> Helgi bjólan kom (koma) skipi sínu fyrir sunnan land og
> nam (nema) Kjalarnes allt á milli
> Helgi Beolan brought his ship south of (the) land and
> took (possession of) all Kjalarness between
>
> Kollafjarðar og Hvalfjarðar og bjó (búa) að Esjubergi
> til elli. Helgi hinn magri
> Kollafjord and Whale-fjord and lived at Esjuberg until
> old-age. Helgi the Thin
>
> kom skipi sínu fyrir norðan land og nam (nema) Eyjafjörð
> allan á milli Sigluness og
> brought his ship north of (the) land and took
> (possession of) all Eyja-fjord between Siglu-ness and
>
> Reynisness og bjó (búa) í Kristnesi. Frá þeim Helga og
> Þórunni er komið Eyfirðingakyn.
> Reynis-ness and lived in Krist-ness. From them, Helgi
> and Thorunn are descended (come) (the) Eyjafjord-folk-kin (descendants)
>
>
> 4. kafli - Enn af Katli flatnef
> Chapter 4 – Still (more) from (or of) Ketill Flat-nose
>
>
> Ketill flatnefur kom skipi sínu við Skotland og fékk
> (fá) góðar viðtökur af
> Ketill Flat-nose brought his ship to Scotland and
> received a good reception from
>
> tignum mönnum, því að hann var frægur maður og
> stórættaður, og buðu (bjóða) honum
> ranked men (men of rank), because he was a famous man
> and high-born, and (they) offered to him
>
> þann ráðakost þar sem hann vildi hafa. Ketill
> staðfestist þar og annað
> that way-of-life- which he wanted to have. Ketill
> took-up-his-abode there and his other
>
> frændlið hans nema Þorsteinn dótturson hans. Hann
> lagðist (leggjast) þegar í hernað og
> host-of-kinsmen except Þorsteinn, his daughter's-son. He
> set-off at once in harrying and
>
> herjaði víða um Skotland og fékk (fá) jafnan sigur.
> Síðan gerði (göra) hann sætt við
> harried extensively around Scotland and obtained always
> victory. After-that he made settlement with
>
> Skota og eignaðist hálft Skotland og varð konungur yfir.
> Hann átti (eiga) Þuríði
> (the) Scots) and became-owner-of half Scotland and
> became king over (that half he owned). He married Thurid
>
> Eyvindardóttur systur Helga hins magra. Skotar héldu
> (halda) eigi lengi sættina því
> Eyvindr's-daughter, sister of Helgi the Thin. (The)
> Scots stuck not a long time to the-settlement because
>
> að þeir sviku (svíkja) hann í tryggð. Svo segir Ari
> Þorgilsson hinn fróði um líflát
> they betrayed him in (their) sworn-truce. So says Ari
> Thorgill's-son the Learned about (the) death
>
> Þorsteins að hann félli á Katanesi.
> of Thorsteinn that he fell (died) at Caithness.
>
>
> Unnur djúpúðga var á Katanesi er Þorsteinn féll (falla)
> , son hennar. Og er hún frá (fregna)
> Unnr Deep-minded was at Caithness when Thorsteinn fell,
> her son. And when she learned
>
> það að Þorsteinn var látinn en faðir hennar andaður þá
> þóttist hún þar enga
> that, that Thorsteinn was dead but (and) her father
> dead, then she bethought-herself (that she) there
>
> uppreist fá mundu. Eftir það lætur (láta) hún gera
> (göra) knörr í skógi á laun. Og er
> would obtain (fá) no reparation (see uppreist, Z2) /
> vindication of her honour / revenge for her sorrow. After-that she
> causes (láta) to make a knorr (ship) in (the) forest in secrecy. And
> when
>
> skipið var algert þá bjó (búa) hún skipið og hafði auð
> fjár. Hún hafði í brott með
> the-ship was fully-made then she made-ready the-ship and
> had great wealth. She had away with.
>
> sér allt frændlið sitt það er á lífi var og þykjast
> (þykkjast) menn varla dæmi til vita
> her all her host-of-kin, those who were alive and men
> bethought themselves hardly to know a precedent (see doemi, Z7)
>
> að einn kvenmaður hafi komist í brott úr þvílíkum ófriði
> með jafnmiklu fé og
> where one woman had made-her-way away out-of such
> hostility with equally-much property and
>
> föruneyti. Má (mega) af því marka að hún var mikið
> afbragð annarra kvenna.
> retinue. (One) may from this infer (mark) that she was a
> great paragon among women.
>