I apologize for disappearing again, but a very close friend
just became a widow at the age of 34 under exceptionally
unpleasant circumstances, and I was away for a while keeping
her from having to be alone in the immediate aftermath.

> Esja bauð meynni til fósturs til sín og það þágu þau
> Kolli.

> Esja asked to foster the girl and the Kollis accepted
> that.

> Esja offered to foster the girl and Kolli (and Olof)
> accepted it.

> Esja offered the-girl up for fostering and they, Kolli
> (and she) accepted that.

This must be like Z3 <bjóða e-m til boðs> 'to bid someone to
a feast/wedding': Esja 'invited the girl to fostering',
i.e., she offered to foster the girl.

> En það sumar er Búi var í Þrándheimi fóru til Íslands
> Helgi og Vakur.

> And that summer summer when Bui was in Trondhheim Helgi
> and Vakur went to Iceland.

> But that summer when Bui was in Trondheim, Helgi and Vakur
> went to Iceland.

> But that summer when Búi was in Þrándheimr (Trondheim),
> Helgi and Vakr travelled to Iceland.

I'd go with Rob and treat this <En> as narrative 'and'.

> En er það spurðist fór Kolfinnur til Kollafjarðar og tók
> þaðan á brott Ólöfu hina vænu nauðga og að óvilja fölur
> hennar.

> When that was learned, Kolfinnur went to Kollafjardar and
> took way at once Olof the good compelled also that didn't
> wish her pale. (???)

> And when it was learned Kolfinn went to Kolli’s firth and
> took Olof the beautiful away, pale and unwilling, from
> there, to ravish her.

> But (And) when that was-made-known, Kolfinnr journeyed to
> Kollafjörðr and took away from there Ólöf the beautiful
> reluctantly (against her will) (I think this mean he
> abducted her rather than raped her) and
> against-her-(fölur?)will.

And here as well.

My initial inclination is also to give <nauðga> the weaker
sense 'against her will', but <taka konu nauðga> 'to ravish'
does leave open the stronger possibility.

According to my other edition of the saga, <fölur> here is a
typo for <föður>: 'and against her father's will'. (That
certainly makes more sense than anything with 'pale'!)

> Hann sá mennina vopnaða.
> He saw armed men.
> He saw the armed men.
> He saw the men (persons) armed.

Rob: Note the postposed article on <mennina>.

> Hann var í skyrtu sinni Esjunaut.
> He was in his kirtle (i.e., shirt), a gift of Esja.
> He was in his shirt, Esja’s gift.
> He was in his shirt (kirtle) Esjunaut (Esja´s-gift).

Like Alan, I think that <Esjunaut> 'Esja's gift' functions
almost as an actual name, more than just a matter-of-fact
description.

> Búi sneri þá baki að steininum því að hann er svo mikill
> sem hamar.

> Bui then turned back to the stone because it is so big as
> a hammer.

> Then Bui turns (his) back to the stone because it is as
> big as a crag.

> Bui turned then (his) back to the-stone because it is as
> large as a crag.

In other words, it was as good as having his back up against
a cliff face.

> Kolfinnur mælti þá: "Vel er það Búi að vér höfum hér mæst.

> Kolfinnr then said: "It is well Bui that we have met here.

> Kolfinn spoke then, “It is well Bui that we have here most
> (men)?

> Kolfinnr spoke then: “That is well, Búi, that we have
> met-one-another here.

Rob, Grace: <mæst> is the past participle of the <-sk> form
of <mæta> 'to meet'; here the <-sk> form has a reciprocal
sense, as Alan translated it.

> Búi segir: "Ekki kann eg að kasta löstum á það.

> Bui says: "I cannot cast off fault at that.

> Bui says, “I am not able to cast difficulties? at that.

> Búi says: “I can-not cast vituperations on that (I can´t
> complain?).

I'd make it 'faults/flaws' rather than 'vituperations', but
I think that your conjectured interpretation is probably
right; it's hard to see what else he could be saying here.

> Hafa þeir einir orðið fundir okkrir er þú munt svo lítið
> hafa í unnið.

> They have alone must meet us when you would so little have
> done. (???)

> They alone have happened our meeting which you will so
> little worked to have.??

> They only have come-to-pass, our meetings (such) that you
> will have gained so little in.

In other words, 'our previous meetings have done you very
little good'. (Probably with an implication of 'And do you
really think that you'll come off any better this time?'.)

Brian