Re: [norse_course] help with strange passage in Völsunga Saga

At 6:03:53 PM on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, Hrafn wrote:

> Hej :) I am translating Völsunga Saga, in order to expand
> my vocabulary.

> However, ther is a passage I can't translate.

> First the context:

> Ok nú er hann þykkist hafa fótum undir komizt í ríki sínu,
> þá minnist hann á þær sakir, er hann átti við móðurbræðr
> sína, er drepit höfðu föður hans, ok safnar konungr sér nú
> liði miklu ok ferr nú á hendr frændum sínum með þenna her,

> (now the difficult passage)

> ok þykkja þeir fyrr gert hafa sakir við sik, þó at hann
> mæti lítils frændsemi þeira, ok svá gerir hann, fyrir því
> at eigi skilst hann fyrri við en hann hafði drepit alla
> föðurbana sína, þó at óskapliga væri fyrir alls sakir.

> 1. ok þykkja þeir fyrr gert hafa sakir við sik. Why is
> "þykkja" in infinitive?,

It isn't: it's third person plural present indicative,
agreeing with its subject <þeir>.

> and how should the words in "þeir fyrr gert hafa sakir við
> sik", be understood?

'And they are thought to have done harm/offence to them'

> 2. and how is the words in "ok svá gerir hann, fyrir því"
> to be understood?

You've broken it in the wrong place: <fyrir því> belongs
with <at> as part of the expression <fyrir því at>
'because'. <Ok svá gerir hann> is 'and so he does', 'and he
does so'.

> 3. and the words in this expression "eigi skilst hann
> fyrri við en".

You need to continue: the <en> goes both with <fyrri> (as
<fyrri en> 'before, earlier than' and with what follows.

<Fyrir því at eigi skilst hann fyrri við en hann hafði
drepit alla föðurbana sína> 'Because he does not leave
before he has killed all those who killed his father'.

Brian