It's also beneficial to me, and I appreciate your taking the time to put your notes together.

--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...> wrote:
>
> I had time this week for some extended comments. (Doing
> this is as much for my benefit as for anyone else's: it
> makes me think things through thoroughly.) The translations
> are all in the order Rob-Grace-Alan, unless I mucked up
> somewhere.
>
> At 7:42:57 AM on Tuesday, July 13, 2010, rob13567 wrote:
>
> > Í þenna tíma kemur Ásgautur heim.
>
> > During this time Asgaut comes home.
> > At that time Asgaut comes home.
> > At this time, Ásgautr comes home.
>
> <Þenna> is indeed 'this'; 'that' would be <þann>.
>
> > Vigdís fagnar honum vel og frétti hversu góðar viðtökur
> > þeir hefðu að Sauðafelli.
>
> > Vigdis receives him with good cheer and asked how good
> > hospitality they had at Saudafell (Sheep-fell).
>
> > Vigdis receives him well and asks how good a reception
> > they had at Sheep Fells.
>
> > Vigdís welcomes him well and asks how (whether) they had
> > good receptions at Sauðafell.
>
> Rob is right about <frétti>: the <-i> ending shows that it's
> past tense. (Present would be <fréttir>.) <Viðtökur> is
> indeed plural, but the sense is singular; Zoëga suggests
> 'hospitality', but 'reception' also works. I don't think
> that there's any need to interpret <hversu> as 'whether'; so
> far as I can see, 'how good hospitality'/'how good a
> reception' fit the actual syntax. (I did some Googling and
> found quite a few examples of this kind of usage in the
> modern language, at least.)
>
> > "Hefir þú nú Ásgautur," segir hún, "vel farið með þínu
> > efni og trúlega.
>
> > "You have now, Asgaut," she says, "well done with your (?)
> > namesake and faithful (or "faithfully"?).
>
> 'Faithfully': <-lega> ~ <-liga> forms the adverb.
>
> > "Now you, Asgaut, have done well," says she, " with your
> > powers and faithfullness.
>
> > "You have now, Ásgautr,'she says, `well managed (see fara
> > með, Z18) your dealings and faithfully.
>
> I'm not sure where 'namesake' and 'powers' came from; unless
> I'm hallucinating, neither appears in Zoëga s.v. <efni>.
> What's wanted here is (3) 'matter, affair'. The noun is
> neuter, and <með> can take either the accusative or the
> neuter, so <efni> here can be dat. sing., acc. sing., or
> acc. plur.; <þínu>, however, can only be dat. sing., so it's
> 'you have dealt well with your affair', 'you have managed
> your affair well'. (Note that there are two idioms <fara
> með>, <fara með e-t> with the accusative, and <fara með e-u>
> with the dative, and it's the latter that we have here.)
>
> > Þeir fá veður stór og ekki langa útivist.
> > They got rough weather and not a long voyage.
> > They get strong winds and not a long time at sea.
> > They receive strong weather (winds) and not a long voyage.
>
> Both senses, 'weather' and 'wind', are ancient; it's mostly
> the fact that modern English <weather> has largely lost the
> 'wind' sense that makes us think of 'weather' first. (The
> words probably come from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning
> 'to blow'.)
>
> > Síðan fer Ásgautur til Danmerkur og staðfestist þar og
> > þótti hraustur drengur.
>
> > Next Asgaut goes to Denmark and took-up-his-abode there
> > and was thought a valiant brave-man.
>
> > Afterwards Asgaut goes to Denmark and settles there and
> > (is) thought hearty (and) brave (man).
>
> > After-that Ásgautr travels to Denmark and takes-up-abode
> > there and seemed a valiant man.
>
> I'd go with Rob's 'was thought'.
>
> > Og endir þar sögu frá honum.
> > And ends there (the) story of him.
> > And there ends his tale.
> > And (one) ends there (the) story about him.
>
> Note that while Grace's is the most idiomatic of the three,
> Alan's correctly capture the ON syntax.
>
> > En eftir ráðagerð þeirra Þórðar godda og Ingjalds
> > Sauðeyjargoða, þá er þeir vildu ráða bana Þórólfi frænda
> > Vigdísar, lét hún þar fjandskap í móti koma og sagði
> > skilið við Þórð godda og fór hún til frænda sinna og sagði
> > þeim þetta.
>
> > After their, Thord Godda's and Ingjald Saudeyjargoda's,
> > agreement, then which they would cause the death of
> > Vigdis's relative Thorolf, she let there hostility come
> > against and declared herself divorced from Thord Goddi and
> > she went to her relatives and told them this. (Z. ráða (4)
> > - to plot or cause one's death, = r. e-m bana)
>
> > And after their, Thord goddi's and Ingjald Sheep Island
> > Chieftain's, planning, then when they wanted to plot death
> > for Thorolf, Vigdis' kinsman, she allowed enmity to come
> > in return and declared (herself) divorce from Thord goddi
> > and she went to her kinsmen and told them that.
>
> > But after the plans of them, Þórðr goddi and Ingjaldr
> > Sauðeyjargoði (Sheep-Island-chieftain-priest), when they
> > wanted to plan (the) death of Þórólf, kinsman of Vigdís,
> > she (ie Vigdís) caused to bring hostility against (him, ie
> > Þórðr) and announced a separation from Þórðr goddi and she
> > travelled to her kinsmen and told this to them.
>
> I think that Grace's 'in return' is probably right: this
> seems to be an instance of <þar í móti> (Zoëga s.v. <þar>
> (3)).
>
> > Þórður gellir tók ekki vel á þessu og var þó kyrrt.
>
> > Thord Geller didn't take this well and was nevertheless
> > quiet.
>
> > Thord gellir did not receive this well and nevertheless
> > was quiet.
>
> > Þórðr gellir did not take this well (see taka vel á e-u,
> > Z12) and (but) (it) was (remained) evenso quiet.
>
> It might seem at first that <Þórður gellir> could be the
> subject of <var>, as Rob and Grace have it, but in that case
> one would expect masculine <kyrr>, not neuter <kyrrt>.
> There being no neuter noun in sight, <kyrrt> must be
> describing something that has been omitted -- Alan's '(it)',
> referring to the general situation in respect of this
> matter.
>
> > Vigdís hafði eigi meira fé á brott af Goddastöðum en gripi
> > sína.
>
> > Vigdis had not more wealth away of Gooddastod than her
> > property. (???)
>
> > Vigdis had no more money away from Goddasteads than her
> > valuables.
>
> > Vigdís had no more property away from Goddastaðir than her
> > costly-things.
>
> Note that <gripi> is (dative) *singular*; that suggests that
> in this case it may mean just '(valuable) personal moveable
> property'. It's conceivable that a past participle, perhaps
> <numit> or <fœrt>, has been omitted here, and we should
> understand it as 'V. had taken/brought no more wealth away
> from G. than her [personal] property'; I simply don't know.
>
> > Þeir Hvammverjar létu fara orð um að þeir ætluðu sér
> > helming fjár þess er Þórður goddi hafði að varðveita.
>
> > They, Hvammverjars, left go word concerning that they
> > intended themselves half that wealth (?) which Thord Goddi
> > has kept.
>
> > They, the men of Hvamm let it be known that they intended
> > half this money which Thord goddi had, to keep for
> > themselves.
>
> > They (the) Hvamm-folk, caused to go (spread) word about,
> > that they intended for themselves half that property which
> > Þórðr goddi had (ie was required to) preserve.
>
> Even though the infinitive <að varðveita> is separated from
> <ætla sér>, I think that Grace is probably right in thinking
> that this is an instance of <ætla sér> + infinitive 'to
> intend to do something'.
>
> > Hann verður við þetta klökkur mjög og ríður þegar á fund
> > Höskulds og segir honum til vandræða sinna.
>
> > He responds to this much moved to tears and rides
> > forthwith to meet Hoskuld and tells him of his difficulty.
> > (Z. verða 8 - v. við e-m, to respond to)
>
> > He became very ?? with that and rides at once to a meeting
> > with Hoskuld and tells him of his difficulties.
>
> > He becomes with this very affected (anxious, a blithering
> > mess) and rides at-once to a meeting with Höskuldr and
> > informs him of his trouble(s).
>
> Grace: The adjective is <klökkr> 'soft, pliable, easily
> affected'. CV adds the metaphorical extension 'soft, crying
> faintly, moved to tears', giving this very sentence as its
> first citation. (One might possibly guess at this from
> Zoëga's gloss for the verb <klökkva>.) <Vandræða> is a
> (genitive) plural, so it is indeed difficulties/troubles.
>
> > Höskuldur mælti: "Skotið hefir þér þá skelk í bringu er þú
> > hefir eigi átt að etja við svo mikið ofurefli."
>
> > Hoskuld speaks: "You are seized with fear then which you
> > have not had to incite with so much (ofurefli ?) (Z.
> > skelkr - skýtr skelk í bringu, one is seized with fear)
>
> > Hoskuld spoke, " You have (become) panic stricken when you
> > have not had a match with such overwhelming force."
>
> > Höskuldr spoke: "(It) has shot (struck) you with fear in
> > (the) chest (ie you have become panic-stricken) then,
> > when(ever) you have not had-to match-your-strength with
> > such great overwhelming force."
>
> I don't think that it's to be understood as 'whenever'; I
> could be wrong, but I think that the idea is 'You've been
> seized with fear [on other occasions] when you have not
> contended against such great overwhelming force', with the
> double implication that Þórð panics easily but has some
> reason to do so this time.
>
> > Þá bauð Þórður Höskuldi fé til liðveislu og kvaðst eigi
> > mundu smátt á sjá.
>
> > Then Thord offered Hoskuld money to support and said (he)
> > would deal liberally in the matter. (Z. smár - hann kvaðst
> > eigi mundu smátt á sjá, he said he would deal liberally in
> > the matter)
>
> > Then Thord offered Hoskuld money for (his) help and said
> > it would not (be) a small amount to see (or at that?).
>
> > Then Þórðr offered Höskuld money for (his) support and
> > declared-for-himself (that he) would not look on (see sja
> > á) (ie he was not talking about) a small (amount).
>
> CV s.v. <smár> explains the idiom a bit differently, as 'he
> would not look minutely into it'.
>
> > Höskuldur segir: "Reynt er það að þú vilt að engi maður
> > njóti fjár þíns svo að þú sættist á það."
>
> > Hoskuld says: "Experience is that that you would to no man
> > enjoyed your wealth because you come to terms to that."
> > (???)
>
> > Hoskuld says, "It is proven that you want that no man have
> > use of your money so that you reconcile at it."
>
> > Höskuldr says: "That is proven that you want that no man
> > benefits from your money such that (ie to the extent that)
> > you should-reach-agreement to that."
>
> The ending is ambiguous, but I think that <sættist> is
> indicative, not subjunctive, so just 'reach an agreement on
> that'. The <svá> construction is more opaque than usual,
> but I think that it's to be understood something like this:
> '[It] is proved that you want that no man benefit from your
> wealth thus, that you agree to it', or, less awkwardly in
> English, '[It] is proved that you want that no man benefit
> from your wealth with your agreement' -- 'that you do not
> willingly let anyone else benefit from your wealth'.
>
> > Þórður svarar: "Eigi skal nú það þó því að eg vil gjarna
> > að þú takir handsölum á öllu fénu.
>
> > Thord answers: "I shall not now that though therefore that
> > I will willingly that you take (handsölum?) to all the
> > wealth.
>
> > Thord answers, "Now it shall not (be that way) still
> > because I want eagerly that you take by handshake all (my)
> > wealth.
>
> > Þórðr answers: "That shall now not (be the case) evenso
> > because I want eagerly that you take a surety on all
> > the-money.
>
> For a fairly literal translation I'd say 'That shall
> nevertheless not now [be so], for I will gladly/willingly
> that you take in charge all [my] wealth'.
>
> Brian
>