Re: Laxdaela Saga 36 end + 37 beginning - Rob's Translation

> Ganga og þær einar sögur frá þér að vér munum eigi uppi
> orpin fyrir sveitarmönnum hér ef vér höfum þitt traust."

> They, singular tales, are also current about you that we
> will not (be) at the mercy of the men of the community
> here of we have your support. (Z. verps 5 - uppi orpinn
> fyrir e-m, quite overwhelmed, at one's mercy )

> Those tales also go of you that we will not be at the
> mercy of (the) men of the district here if we have your
> help.”

> Those same (constant?, einn, Z3) reports also go (ie are
> doing the rounds) about you that we will not (be)
> overwhelmed by (at the mercy of, see verpa, Z5, pp)
> persons (men)-of-the-district here if we have your
> protection.”

I think that it's 'only, alone' here, as in <þau ein
tíðendi> 'only such news' (CV): 'Only those reports of you
are going [the rounds] that ...', meaning 'by all accounts
of you, ...'.

> Þetta spyrja Laugamenn og vilja synir Ósvífurs þegar gera
> til þeirra Kotkels og sona hans.

> The people of Lauga hear of this and want Osvif's sons at
> once make preparations for them, Kotkel and his sons.

> Lauga men learn of this at once and also Osvif’s sons want
> to act against them, Kotkell and his sons.

> (The) Laugar-men (folk) hear of this and Ósvífr’s sons
> (the subject) want at-once get-ready-for (an attack on?)
> (see göra til, Z14) , them, Kotkell and his sons.

The first sense given by Fritzner for <gera til e-s> is 'to
attack, assault', with <vilja ... hans> as one of the
examples, so we can make it simply 'and Ó.'s sons want to
attack K. and his sons at once'.

> ... og mun sem vert er Þorleiki mest mein að þeim.

> ... also will as worthy as Thorleik much harm to them,

> ... and (it) will be as worth(while)? to Thorleik most
> harm to them??

> ... and (it) will (be) when (sem, z5) most hurt is
> deserving (verðr, Z2) to Þorleikr as regards to (at,
> Z.iv.4) them (ie when his support of them will rightly
> cause Þorleikr the greatest hurt, cf also meinn, adj, Z1).

I don't think that this <sem> is 'when'; it seems to me to
be part of a phrase <sem vert er> 'as is right', parallel to
<þess væri vert> 'it would be right' in CV s.v. <verðr>,
making the clause 'and [it] will [be], as is right, to Þ.
[the] greatest hurt from them'. (<At> seems to me to be
A.IV.8 in Z.)

> ... ef eigi verða aðrir til að elta þau úr héraði eða taka
> af lífi með öllu um það er þrír vetur eru liðnir."

> ... if doesn't come to pass others until chase them out of
> the district or put an end to (their) live with all
> concerning that which three years have suffered.

> ... if others do not happen before to drive them out of
> (the) district or take (their) lives with all regarding
> that when three winters are passed.”

> ... if others are not ready to pursue them out-of (the)
> district or take (their) life (ie put them to death)
> completely at that (point in time, see um Z7) when three
> winters are passed.”

I think that <verða til> here is 'come forth to do a thing':
'if others do not come forth to drive ... when three years
have passed', though I shouldn't be surprised if the
intended sense were closer to 'if others have not come forth
to drive ... when three years have passed'.

> Eigi treystust menn að raska kosti þeirra fyrir Þorleiki.

> Men didn't dare to violate their agreement in front of
> Thorleik.

> People did not dare to disturb their affairs for (fear of)
> Thorleik.

> Persons (men) dared not to disturb their (Kotkell´s
> family´s) situation (ie drive them from their farm, kostr,
> Z5) for (because of, fyrir, Z11) Þorleikr.

My reading is closer to Grace's: I take <raska kosti þeirra>
'disturb their state/condition' to refer to any action that
would inconvenience or annoy them.

> ... í dal þeim er skerst vestur í fjöll milli Múla og
> Grísartungu.

> ... in the valleys that cut westwards in the mountain
> between Mula and Grisartongue.

> in that dale which cuts west into the fells between Mull
> and Pig’s? Tongue.

> in that dale which branches (shears of) west into (the)
> mountains (neut acc pl) between Múli (Mull) and
> Grísartunga (Grís?-Tongue).

I'd translate <skerst> as 'stretches' or 'cuts'. According
to Landnámabók, <Gríss ok Grímr hétu leysingjar
Skalla-Gríms. Þeim gaf hann lönd uppi við fjöll, Grísi
Grísartungu, en Grími Grímsdal>; <Grísar> is the genitive of
the masculine name <Gríss>, and the name is 'Grís's tongue'.
(The name also occurs with gen. <Gríss>, like the noun
<gríss> 'young pig; hog' from which it's doubtless derived.)

It won't show up on Google, but you might be interested in a
project of mine to which I hope to return one of these days:

<http://my.stratos.net/~bmscott/Landnamabok_Place-Names.html>

> ... stóðhrossin þau hin dýru ...
> ... stud horse, they the more expensive ...
> ... those stud horses, the expensive ones, ...
> ... the-studhorses (plural), those valuable (not
> comparative) (ones) ...

I'm not sure that <þau hin dýru> should be understood as
being in apposition to <stóðhrossin>; <stóðhross þau hin
dýru> is simply a long-winded way of expressing 'the
expensive stud horses' (Barnes 3.9.2), and I suspect that
adding the postposed article to the noun doesn't really
change much.

Brian