Re: Kjalnesinga Saga 12 end & 13 beginning - Rob's Translation

> Og er þeir komu fyrir konung mælti hann: "Kennið þið
> nokkuð þenna hinn mikla mann?

> And when they came before the king, he said: "Do you at
> all know the big man?

> And when they came before (the) king, he spoke, “Do you
> know something of this tall man?”

> And when they came before (the) king he spoke: „Do you
> recognise at all this-one, the tall person (man)?“

I take <þenna hinn mikla mann> to be functionally 'this tall
man'.

> En nú skaltu leysa höfuð þitt með einni sendiferð.
> But now you shall set free your head with one errand.

(Must not be screwed on straight!)

> Þú skalt sækja tafl til Dofra fóstra míns og færa mér.

> You shall go fetch a tafl-game from (?) my foster relative
> Dofra and bring me.

> You shall fetch a tablet from Dofri, my foster, and bring
> (it) to me.”

> You shall go-fetch a ‘tables’-set (akin to a chess set)
> (by going) to Dofri my foster-father (according to various
> web-sites) and convey (him) to me.”

Convey it, not him.

> Vil eg þá að þér festið mér grið þar til er eg kann aftur
> að koma.

> I want then that you grant me a pardon when I can come
> back.

> I wish then that you stipulate to pardon me until I am
> able to come back.”

> I want then that you fasten (guarantee, pledge) domicile
> (‘a safe haven’ or ‘a pardon’, I couldn´t really decide
> but inclined to the former) for me until I am-able-to come
> back.

I'm not sure that it's either one, exactly: I've a feeling
that he's really just asking the king to hold any judgement
in abeyance until he can return. That would give him leave
to stay in the area long enough to make proper arrangements
for the journey, so it would give him a sort of temporary
safe haven, and it would also in effect give him a temporary
pardon.

> Hann fréttist þá fyrir um örnefni.

> He enquired about the local name. (Z. frétta 3 - fréttast
> fyrir, to enquire.)

> He enquires then about an old name.

> He enquired (fréttast fyrir, Z3) concerning local-names.

It could be either singular or plural, but since he had only
a personal name to go on, not a place-name, I'm inclined to
agree that it's plural.

> Búi spurði Rauð ef hann kynni nokkuð ráð til að leggja með
> honum að hann kæmi fram ferðinni.

> Bui asked Red if he knew some means to put with him that
> he came from the journey. (?)

> Bui asked Raud if he knew some plan to help him, that he
> might effect (the purpose) in the journey.

> Búi asked Rauðr if he should-know some advice to put
> towards (contribute, give, offer up, leggja til e-t, Z14)
> to him (so) that he should carry out(effect, lit:
> bring-forward, koma fram e-u, Z4) the-journey.

This looks to me like <kunna> + inf. (Z10): 'B. asked R. if
he could offer some advice to him [so] that ...'.

> En öngra manna veit eg þeirra von að viti hvar Dofri ræður
> fyrir nema Haraldur konungur.

> I know no man they expect that knows where Dofri commands
> except King Harald.

> But I know none of those men accustomed to know where
> Dofri speaks?? except for King Harald. (totally lost in
> the previous sentence)

> But I know of no persons (men) their (ie the no men´s)
> expectation of a mark (sign, viti, noun) where Dofri
> would-have-authority over (commands, ráða fyrir, Z16)
> except King Haraldr.

I agree that <viti> can't be a form of the verb <vita>, but
I don't think that it can be the nominative of the weak
masculine noun <viti>, either; I take it to be the dative of
<vit>: 'But of no persons do I know their expectation, of
knowledge where Dofri ...'.

Brian