> Í þenna tíma ...
> At this time ...
> In this time ...
> At that time ...

Technically 'this time'.

> Það er sagt einn dag er menn voru að heyverki í Tungu en
> þeir tveir inni, Halldór og Bersi.

> It is said that one day men were haymaking in Tung and
> they, the two, Halldor and Bersi, (were) inside.

> It is said one day when people were at hay making in
> Tongue, and they two – Halldor and Bersi - indoors,

> That is said one day that (see er, Z3) men (folk) were at
> hay-making in Tungr (Tongue) but they two inside, Halldór
> and Bersi.

I agree with Rob and Alan about this instance of <er>, and
despite the word order, I think that Rob's right in seeing
<einn dag> as referring to the day of the incident rather
than modifying <er sagt>. (Alan may be reading it that way
as well and simply following the ON word order more closely;
I'm giving his translation the most straightforward English
reading.)

> í lamasessi
> in a broken-state
> in a bench for the lame
> in lame-seating (in a state of lame-helplessness?)

As Rob seems to have discovered, CV glosses it 'a broken
state'; 'in a state of lame-helplessness' seems about right.

> Hann var allra manna vænstur þeirra er fæðst hafa á
> Íslandi.

> He was of all men most promising, they who had been born
> in Iceland.

> He was most promising of all those men who have been
> raised in Iceland.

> He was of all men (persons) (the) most promising (or
> handsome?) of those who had been-born (suits the sense
> better here, I think) in Iceland.

Since this is immediately followed by a physical
description, I lean towards 'handsome'.

> Hann var mikilleitur og vel farinn í andliti, manna best
> eygður og ljóslitaður.

> He was (someone) having marked prominent features and
> well-favored, a man best having eyes of a certain kind and
> light colored. (Z. farinn 2 - vel f. í andliti,
> well-favoured)

> He had prominent features and (was) well favoured in
> visage, (had) best eyes of people and light coloured.

> He was with-marked-features and well behaved in (ie
> well-formed in, -endowed with, blessed with) countenance
> (having finely formed features) (I´m not sure what simply
> “well-favoured”, as per farinn Z2, actually means or might
> mean here),

'Good-looking, handsome'; the expression has rather fallen
out of use and is now most often intended to convey a period
flavor.

> of men (persons) (the) best-eyed (with the finest eyes)
> and (the most) light-coloured (fairest).


> Betur var hann og vígur en flestir menn aðrir.

> He was also in better fighting condition than most other
> men.

> He was better and in fighting condition than most other
> men.

> He was better and (more) skilled-at-arms than most other
> men.

I think that the word order is misleading, and that Rob has
interpreted it correctly: <og> is 'also', and <betur>,
despite its placement, modifies <vígur>.

> Hverjum manni var hann lítillátari og vinsæll svo að hvert
> barn unni honum.

> He was humbler (than) any man and popular so that every
> child loved him.

> To every person he was humble and friendly so that each
> child loved him.

> He was more humble than every man and popular so that
> every child loved him.

I wonder whether <svo> isn't to be construed with <vinsæll>
rather than with <að>: 'so popular that', 'popular in such
degree that'.

> Hann var léttúðigur og mildur af fé.
> He was light-hearted and liberal with money.
> He was light hearted and liberal (generous).
> He was light-hearted and liberal with money. (but could he
> solve cryptic crosswords?)

If he could manage skaldic verse, cryptic crosswords should
have been a doddle!

> Sterkur var hann og fríður sýnum, kurteis og hinn
> hermannlegsti, mikill skartsmaður.

> He was strong and handsome, courteous and most gallant, a
> great man given to vain display. (Z. fríðr 1 - beautiful,
> handsome (f. sýnum)

> He was strong and handsome, courteous and the most
> gallant, very much given to vain display.

> He was strong and handsome in appearance, courteous and
> the most warrior-like, a great show-off.

Showy in the sense of liking finery, but not necessarily a
show-off in manner and action.

> Situr Ólafur nú að búi sínu svo að vetrum skipti.

> Olaf stays now at his form for several years. (Z. skipta 4
> - sitr Ólafr nú at búi sinu, svá at vetrum skipti, for
> several years)

> Olaf sits now at his farm so that winter comes.

> Ólafr sits (stays, remains) now at his farm such for
> several winters (years, see skipta, Z4).

<Svo> is part of the 'for several years' idiom, not
something to be translated separately; CV has another
example of the same kind, <matlausir svá at mörgum dægrum
skipti>. The literal sense seems to be 'so that years
changed/passed', 'so that many days changed/passed'.

> Það er sagt eitt vor að Ólafur lýsti ...
> It is said one spring that Olaf proclaimed ...
> It is said one spring that Olaf announced ...
> That is said one spring that Ólafr makes-known

Odd as it seems from an English standpoint, I'm pretty sure
that <eitt vor> modifies <lýsti>, not <er sagt>. <Lýsti> is
past tense.

Brian