Re: Star Wars 24 beginning - - Grace's translation

> Lúkr kom aptr es myrkti af nótt, ok fann bál þat, es
> Víga-Óbívan sté ok bar nái Javasona á.

> Luke came back when night grew dark, and found the fire,
> which Slayer-Obiwan stepped on and bore the bodies of the
> sons of Java to.

I really don't understand why he used <sté>. So far as I
can tell, <á> has to go with <sté> as well as with <bar>,
and it's 'the pyre that he mounted and to which he bore the
corpses of the sons of Javi'. Jackson's own translation
suggests that he had in mind something like <gørði> 'made,
built'.

> “Frændi þinn vas maðr ragr ok vildi eigi þik látinn verða
> vígfœrr.”

> “Your kinsman was a cowardly man and didn’t want you
> allowed (to) be able to fight.”

I'd say 'allowed to become able to fight'.

> “Ragr maðr eða eigi,” segir Lúkr, “Enn es þat mitt at
> hefna hans.”

> “Cowardly man or not,” says Luke, “Only is that mine to
> avenge him.”

<Enn> is 'still, yet', not 'only'.

> Já, kom nú með mik, eig bardaga, verð vígmaðr sem faðir
> þinn vas.

> Yes, come now with me, have a battle, be a warrior as your
> father was.

<Verð> here is again 'become'.

> Eptir marga bardaga munt þú búinn vesa, ok fengir þú
> frænda þíns hefnds -" já, ok fǫður.”

> After many battles you would be prepared, and you get your
> kinsmen’s revenge -" yes, also father.”

<Munt> is simply 'will'. <Fǫður>, like <frænda>, is
genitive, but I'm a little puzzled by the genitive <hefnds>.
If it were <hefnd>, I'd read it as the neuter past
participle of <hefna>, and we'd have 'and you [will] be able
to avenge your kinsman/kinsmen - yes, and your father'.
(<Frænda> could be either singular or plural.) Judging by
his translation, this is what Jackson intended. As it's
written, though, it does seem to be 'and you [will] get your
kinsman's/kinsmen's vengeance - yes, and your father's'.

> Þat vas á ǫðru kveldi, at Víga-Óbívan Kvæggansson ok Lúkr
> Anakinsson kómu til Mósæslistaða, bœjar Vattós.

> That was on (the) second evening, that Slayer-Obiwan, son
> of Kvaegan, and Luke son of Anakin, came to Mosaesli-stad,
> Vatto’s farm.

> It was another evening that Slayer Obiwan Kvaeggan’s son
> and Luke Anakinn’s son came to Mosaesla Steads, Vatto’s
> farm.

I take <ǫðru> to be either 'second' or 'next'.

> Þangat vas komit saman stórr flokkr óvina Falfaðins
> konungs, en margir ránsmenn ok útlagar ok aðrir
> óþokkulegir menn gistu þar òk.

> To that place had come the same large enemy body of men of
> King Palpatine, but many robbers and outlaws and other
> disagreeable men stayed the night there (òk?).

> Thither had come together a great number of enemies of
> King Palpatines, and many robbers and outlaws and other
> nasty men stayed the night there also.

Grace is right about <koma saman> 'come together, gather'.
(Note that if <saman> were from <samr>, it would be
masculine accusative singular, but <flokkr>, the only noun
that it could modify, is in the nominative case.) It
appears that the accent on <òk> is a device to distinguish
the adverbial sense 'also', just as Grace interpreted it.

> Þangat vǭru komnir òk menn Veiði-Anakins, ok þeir vǭru
> klæddir í hvítum brynjum; men forðusk fund þeira, en
> þessir norrœnu hermenn stóðu eigi langt frá húsi Vattós,
> ok þeir spurðu tíðenda alla þá, es kómu þangat, segjandi
> at þeir leitaði Íra tvá.

> To that place had come also (?) men of Veidi-Anakin, and
> they were dressed in white armor; men shunned them, but
> these Norwegian warriors didn’t pause long from Vatto’s
> house, and they asked tidings of all them, who came
> thither, saying that they sought two Irish (people).

> Men of Hunter Anakinn’s had come thither also and they
> were clad in white mail; people shunned them and these
> Norwegian warriors stood not far from Vatto’s house and
> they asked the news of those who came thither, saying that
> they sought two Irishmen.

I'd go with Rob's 'but', but <stóðu eigi langt frá húsi
Vattós> is definitely 'stood not far from Vattó's house'.

> Nú nǭlguðusk þessir hermenn til Lúks Anakinssons.

> These warriors now approached Luke Anakinson. (note
> nǭlguðusk = nálgast)

> Now these warriors approached ? (ná-lægjast?) Luke
> Anakinn’s son.

Rob has it; before the <u> the <á> of <nálgask> undergoes
back mutation to <ǭ>.

> En fjǫlkyngi Jeðifjarðamanna fylgði Víga-Óbívani
> Kvægganssyni.

> But the Jedi-firth-man’s sorcery followed Slayer-Obiwan
> son of Kvaeggan.

> But witchcraft of the Jedifirth men helped Slayer Obiwan
> Kvaeggan’s son.

'Helped' is possible, but the basic sense is 'followed'; I'm
inclined to read it as saying that it followed him, in the
sense that as a Jeðifjörð man he carried with him their
sorcery.

> Hann heillaði þessa hermenn, ok lǫgðu á þá, at þeir trúi
> ǫllum þeim orðum es hann sagði.

> He enchanted these warriors, and imposed on them, that
> they believed all the words that he said. (lǫgðu= lagða?)
> (Z. leggja 14 - l. e-t á e-n, to impose, lay (a burden,
> tax) upon one)

> He (had) enchanted these warriors and because of that,
> they believed all those words which he said.

Rob's got it. And yes, <lǫgðu> is from <lagða>: the <-u>
causes back mutation (u-umlaut) of the root vowel. But it
looks to me like a mistake: it's the 3rd person *plural*
past indicative, when the sentence pretty clearly seems to
call for the singular <lagði> (with subject <hann>).

> “Ér þurfiðat þess, at heyra nafn hans,” segir Víga-Óbívan.

> “You need that, to hear his name,” says Slayer-Obiwan. (Is
> there a missing “eigi” from this sentence, or am I
> overlooking something?)

You're overlooking the negative verbal suffix <-at>.

> “That is not necessary for you to hear his name,” says
> Slayer Obiwan.


> “Vér þurfum eigi þess, at fregna nafn hans,” segir
> hermaðr.

> “We don’t need that, to be informed of his name,” says a
> warrior.

> “We don’t need this, to ask his name,” says (the) warrior.

Given the setting, I'd go with Rob's reading of <fregna>.

> “Þessir eru eigi þeir þrælar, es ér sœkið,” segir
> Víga-Óbívan enn.

> “These are not the thralls, those you seek,” says
> Slayer-Obiwan still.

> “These are not those thralls which are sought,” Slayer
> Obiwan adds.

<Ér> (= <þér>) is the 2nd person plural pronoun: 'These are
not the thralls that you seek'.

> “Hann fær farit frjáls,” segir Víga-Óbívan.
> “He is able to go free,” says Slayer-Obiwan.
> “He is able to go free,” says Slayer Obiwan.

'Unhindered' probably better captures the sense of <frjáls>
here.

Brian