Re: Laxdaela Saga 34 part 4 - Rob's Translation

> ... og eru þeir Ósvífur tveir að veturhúsum."

> ... and they two, Osvif (and Gudrun) are at the winter
> house."

> ... and they two , Osvif and (Thord), are in the
> winterhouse.”

> ... and those, Ósvífr (and Þórðr) are the only two (? cf
> einn, Z7) at (the) winter-houses (plural).”

I don't know that it's precisely the same usage as with
<einn>, but I am inclined to guess that it's specifically
'two', making them the only two there.

> ... og haf söðlað hesta tvo ...
> ... and have two horses saddled ...
> ... and have two horses saddled ...
> ... and have (you) saddled two horses ...

Since <haf> is the imperative, I'd omit 'you' even as a
parenthetical addition.

> Auður gekk að durum og var opin hurð.
> Aud went to the door and (the) door was open.
> Aud went the door and (the) door was open.
> Auðr walked to (the) doorway and (the) door was open.

In remembering the distinction between <dyrr> 'doorway' and
<hurð> 'door', it may help to realize that <hurð> is related
to 'hurdle': <hurdle> is from Old English <hyrdel>, a
diminutive of <hyrd> 'door'.

> Var hurðin fallin aftur en eigi lokan fyrir.

> The door was fallen back (closed?) but not locked up.

> (The) door was fallen back and not bolted.

> The-door was (had) fallen (drawn) back but (had) not
> closed against (ie had not clicked shut, ie it was
> slightly ajar?)

Simply 'and not bolted': <lokan> is <loka-n> 'the bolt', and
<láta loku fyrir hurð> is 'to bolt a door' (Z. s.v. <loka>).

> Þá vakti Auður Þórð en hann snerist á hliðina er hann sá
> að maður var kominn.

> Then Aud woke Thor up and he turned to the space where he
> saw that a man had come.

> Then Aud woke Thord and he turned himself on his side when
> he saw that a man was come.

> Then Auðr woke Þórðr but (and) he turned-himself onto
> the-side when he saw that a person was (had) come.

In view of the earlier comment that she was certainly
wearing breeches for this expedition, it occurs to me that
<maðr> may actually be 'man' here.

> Hún brá þá saxi og lagði á Þórði og veitti honum áverka
> mikla og kom á höndina hægri.

> She then drew a short sword and stabbed Thord and gave
> him a large wound also came to (his) right hand.

> She drew then the short sword and laid into Thord and gave
> him serious injuries and (it) came on the right hand.

> She drew then a short-single-edged-sword and thrust at
> Þórðr (who had drawn the short-straw!) and inflicted a
> great wound on him and (it) came into the right arm
> (hand).

If the one blow also caught him across the chest, it seems
likely that it took him in the arm, not the hand.

> ... geirvörtum.

Interesting word: 'spear-warts'!

Brian