Thanks for your help, Brian.
Grace

> Veik hann á það stundum fyrir þeim að þeim mundi þungbýlt verða í
> nánd honum ef þeir héldu nokkurn annan fyrir betra mann en hann.

> He mentioned(?) it sometimes before them that for them would happen
> troublesome neighbors from (?) him if they held some other as a better
> man than he.

Zoëga s.v. <víkja> (1) has <víkja á e-t> 'to hint at'; <þeim mundi
þungbýlt verða> is 'they would have troublesome neighbors'; and
<í nánd honum> is 'in his neighborhood, near him'. 'He sometimes
hinted to them that they would have a troublesome neighbor in his
vicinity if ...', i.e., 'that they would find him a troublesome neighbor
if ...'.

[...]

> Höskuldur bað sér segja ef Hrappur gerir þeim nokkuð mein "því
> að hvorki skal hann ræna mig mönnum né fé."

> Hoskuld bade (sér ?) them? tell if Hrapp does them any harm,
> "because never shall he rob me of men nor money."

Her <sér> is the indirect object of <segja>, referring to the Höskuld,
and <sér segja> is 'tell him': 'H. bade [them] tell him if ...'.

> 11. kafli - Af Þórði godda

> Þórður goddi hét maður er bjó í Laxárdal fyrir norðan á.

> A man was called Chieftain Thord who lived in Salmon River
> Dale north of (the) river.

<Goddi> is a different word from <goði>, so it's not 'chieftain'.
I may be able to turn up some information on its likely meaning
when I get home to my books, but nothing occurs to me off the
top of my head.

> Goddastöðum.
> Chieftain's steads.

Just 'Goddi's steads'.

> Vigdís var meir gefin til fjár en brautargengis.
> Vigdis was married more (for the sake of) money than furtherance.

I think that 'furtherance' here refers to social advancement.

> Hann var mikill maður og gervilegur en þótt hann væri þræll
> kallaður þá máttu fáir taka hann til jafnaðar við sig þótt
> frjálsir hétu og vel kunni hann að þjóna sínum meistara.

> He was a very tall man and accomplished and even though
> he was called a thrall then few might take him as an equal
> to themselves even though (they?)

Yes. (But I'd not translate <þá> here: it really doesn't correspond
to anything in English.)

> were considered free and he knew well to serve his master.

> Auðigur var hann að fé.
> He was wealthy in terms of money.

<Auðigr at fé> is simply 'wealthy'; <fé> refers to livestock
and property generally as well as to money.

> Mest var það í gulli og silfri.
> Most was in gold and silver.

In other words, most of his wealth was in gold and silver
(rather than livestock, for instance).

Brian



Fred and Grace Hatton
Hawley Pa