Re: Eyrbyggja Saga 1 Part 1 - Rob's Translation

Since I'm taking this opportunity to revise translations
that in some cases I did many months ago, I thought that I'd
post my own in full; I've also added some comments where I
thought that they might be useful or interesting.

> Ketill flatnefur hét einn ágætur hersir í Noregi.

> Ketill "flatnose" was the name of a famous local chieftain
> in Norway.

> A famous lord in Norway was named Ketill flat-nose.

A certain famous/excellent local chieftain in Norway was
called Ketil flatnefr [‘flat-nose’].

> Hann var sonur Bjarnar bunu Grímssonar hersis úr Sogni.

> He was a son of Bjarnar bunu, son of Grim's, a local
> chieftain from Sogni.

> He was a son of Bjorn bunu, son of Grim, a lord of Sogn.

He was the son of Björn buna, son of Grím, a local chieftain
from Sogn.

The meaning of the byname isn't certain; Nynorsk <bune>,
which may be related, is 'a concave bone', and in the plural
'arms and legs'. Faroese <buna> means 'something large and
clumsy/unwieldy'. Apparently there was something odd about
his leg or foot, but it's not clear just what.

> Ketill var kvongaður.
> Ketill was married.
> Ketill was married.

Ketil was married.

> Hann átti Yngveldi, dóttur Ketils veðurs hersis af
> Raumaríki.

> He married Yngveld, daughter of Ketil wind, a chieftain
> from Raumarik.

> He married Yngveld, daughter of Ketil wether, lord of
> Romerike.

He had (as wife) Yngvild, daughter of Ketil veðr [‘wether’],
lord of Raumarík.

> Björn og Helgi hétu synir þeirra en dætur þeirra voru þær
> Auður hin djúpúðga, Þórunn hyrna og Jórunn mannvitsbrekka.

> Bjorn and Helgi were the names of their sons, and their
> daughters were Audr the deep-minded, Thorun the horned,
> and Jorunn the understanding-slope (?).

> Their sons were named Bjorn and Helgi and their daughters
> were those, Aud the deepminded, Thorunn axe point and
> Jorunn wisdom-slope??

Their sons were called Björn and Helgi, and their daughters
were Auð djúpúðga, Þórun hyrna [‘point of an axe-head’], and
Jórun mannvitsbrekka.

The byname <djúpúðga> also appears as <djúpauðga>, a fact
that complicates the interpretation. If <djúpauðga> is
correct, it would be a syncopated form of <djúpauðigr> 'very
rich'. It seems to be generally thought, however, that it's
parallel to <harðúðigr> 'hard-minded' (<harðúð> 'hardness of
heart') and <ástúðigr> 'loving' (<ástúð> love, affection'),
with <-úð> a contracted form of <-hugð> '-minded'. In this
case it would be essentially the same as <djúphugaðr>
'sagacious, ingenious'.

The byname <mannvitsbrekka>, apparently 'wisdom-slope', is
obscure; I don't think that any convincing interpretation
has been given.

As far as that goes, it's not entirely clear what the sense
of <hyrna> was as a byname; Nynorsk <hyrne> 'horned animal'
may be relevant. Something about her seems to have
suggested a pointed horn.

> Björn sonur Ketils var fóstraður austur á Jamtalandi með
> jarli þeim er Kjallakur hét, vitur maður og ágætur.

> Ketil's son Bjorn was fostered east to Jamtalandi with the
> Earl who was named Kjallakr, a wise and famous man.

> Bjorn, Ketil’s son, was fostered east to Jamtaland with
> that earl who is named Kjallak, a wise man and famous.

Björn, Ketil’s son, was fostered eastward in Jämtland with
the jarl who is called Kjallak, a wise man and
famous/excellent.

> Jarlinn átti son er Björn hét en Gjaflaug hét dóttir hans.

> The earl had a son who was named Bjorn and Gjaflaug was
> the name of his daughter.

> The earl had a son who was named Bjorn and his daughter
> was named Gjaflaug.

The jarl had a son who was called Björn, and his daughter
was called Gjaflaug.

> Þetta var í þann tíma er Haraldur konungur hinn hárfagri
> gekk til ríkis í Noregi.

> This was in the time when King Harald the fair-haired came
> to power in Norway.

> This was in that time when King Harald the fair-haired
> ascended to power in Norway.

This was in the time when king Harald the fair-hair(ed) came
to power in Norway.

> Fyrir þeim ófriði flýðu margir göfgir menn óðul sín af
> Noregi, sumir austur um Kjölu, sumir um haf vestur.

> Before the war, many noble men fled their estates from
> Norway, some east around Kjolu, some across the west sea.

> Before those hostilities many honourable men fled his
> rashness?? (wild guess, couldn’t find it anywhere) from
> Norway, some east over Kjolens, some west over the sea.

On account of the hostilities many worshipful/noble men went
into exile [‘abandoned their ancestral lands’] from Norway,
some to the east around Kilir [the ‘Keels’], some westwards
across the sea.

Kilir (acc. plur. <Kjölu>) is the mountain ridge between
Sweden and Norway; the modern Norwegian name is <Kjølen>
'the Keel'.

> Þeir voru sumir er héldu sig á vetrum í Suðureyjum eða
> Orkneyjum en um sumrum herjuðu þeir í Noreg og gerðu
> mikinn skaða í ríki Haralds konungs.

> There were some who stayed at winter in the South islands
> or Orkney islands and some they harried in Norway and did
> great damage to the kingdom of King Hararld.

> Some, they were, who held themselves in winter in the
> Hebrides or Orkneys but during the summer they harried in
> Norway and did much harm in King Harald’s kingdom.

There were some who wintered in the Hebrides or in Orkney
but during the summer harried in Norway and did much damage
in king Harald’s realm.

> Bændur kærðu þetta fyrir konungi og báðu hann frelsa sig
> af þessum ófriði.

> Farmers complained about this before the king and asked
> him to free them from this (destruction from) war.

> Farmers brought this before (the) king and bade him free
> them from these hostilities.

The farmers/landowners complained of this to the king and
begged him to deliver them from these raids.

Although <þessum ófriði> is a dative singular, 'raids' seems
to fit the circumstances especially well.

> Þá gerði Haraldur konungur það ráð að hann lét búa her
> vestur um haf og kvað Ketil flatnef skyldu höfðingja vera
> yfir þeim her.

> Then King Harald made that plan that he caused to make
> ready an army west across the sea and said Ketil flatnose
> should be leader over the troops.

> Then King Harald made that plan that he had troops made
> ready (to go) overseas and told Ketill flat-nose (he)
> should be chieftain over those troops.

Then king Harald made that plan that he had an army made
ready west over the sea and said that Ketil flatnefr should
be commander over that host.

> Ketill taldist undan en konungur kvað hann fara skyldu.
> Ketill declined but (the) king said he should go.
> Ketill refused, but (the) king said he should go.

Ketil refused, but the king said that he should [i.e., had
an obligation to] go.

> Og er Ketill sá að konungur vill ráða réðst hann til
> ferðarinnar og hafði með sér konu sína og börn, þau sem
> þar voru.

> And when Ketill saw that the King will prevail, he
> undertook the journey and had with him his wife and
> children, they as they were there.

> And when Ketill saw that (the) king would insist, he made
> himself ready for the journey and had with him his wife
> and children, those who were there.

And when Ketil saw that (the) king will prevail, he
undertook the journey and had with him his wife and
children, those that were there.

Recall that Björn was away being fostered in Jämtland.

> En er Ketill kom vestur um haf átti hann þar nokkurar
> orustur og hafði jafnan sigur.

> When Ketill came west over the sea, he had there a battle
> and had always victory.

> And when Ketill came west over the sea he had some battles
> there and had always (been) victor.

And when Ketil came west over the sea, he had there several
battles and had always victory.

> Hann lagði undir sig Suðureyjar og gerðist höfðingi yfir.

> He himself conquered the South Islands and became a
> chieftain over (them).

> He conquered the Hebrides and became chieftain over
> (them).

He conquered the Hebrides and became chieftain over (them).

> Sættist hann þá við hina stærstu höfðingja fyrir vestan
> haf og batt við þá tengdir en sendi austur aftur herinn.

> He then reconciled himself with the biggest leaders over
> the west sea and contracted with them affinity and sent
> east after the army.

> He set himself (up) then as the strongest chieftain over
> the western sea and made alliances with (others?) then by
> affinity, but sent the troops back east.

He then came to terms with the greatest chieftains west of
the sea and formed alliance with them and sent the army back
east.

It's nearly a tossup between 'and' and 'but' for <en> here,
but on the whole I think that it's just narrative
continuation. <Tengdir> usually seems to refer to
connections by marriage, but etymologically it's just
'fastenings together, bonds', so I don't know that the
marriages are required. On the other hand, we do learn a
few sentences later that he used Auð to form at least one
such connection.

> Og er þeir komu á fund Haralds konungs sögðu þeir að
> Ketill flatnefur var höfðingi í Suðureyjum en eigi sögðust
> þeir vita að hann drægi Haraldi konungi ríki fyrir vestan
> haf.

> And when they came to meet King Harald, they said that
> Ketill flatnose was a chieftain in the South Islands but
> they didn't declare to know that he procured King Harald's
> rule over the west sea.

> And when they came to a meeting with King Harald they said
> that Ketill flat-nose was chieftain in the Hebrides, but
> they did not say they knew that he had appropriated to
> himself King Harald’s kingdom over the western sea.

And when they talked with king Harald, they said that Ketil
flatnefr was chieftain in the Hebrides, but they did not say
that they knew that he would get king Harald a kingdom west
of (the) sea.

See <draga> Z3; <drægi> (really <drœgi>) is 3rd sing. past
subjunctive: 'would procure'.

> En er konungur spyr þetta þá tekur hann undir sig eignir
> þær er Ketill átti í Noregi.

> When the king learned this, the he lays hold of the
> properties Ketill had in Norway. (Z. taka 12 - t. e-t
> undir sik, to lay hold of)

> And when (the) king learns this then he seizes those
> possessions which Ketill had in Norway.

And when the king hears this, he seizes the possessions that
Ketil had in Norway.

> Ketill flatnefur gifti Auði dóttur sína Ólafi hvíta er þá
> var mestur herkonungur fyrir vestan haf.

> Ketill flatnose married his daughter Aud to Olaf the white
> who then was the greatest warrior-king of the west sea.

> Ketill flat-nose married his daughter, Aud, to Olaf the
> white who then was the greatest warrior-king of the
> western sea.

Ketil flatnefr gave his daughter Auð in marriage to Óláf
hvíti [‘white’], who was then the greatest warrior-king west
of (the) sea.

> Hann var sonur Ingjalds Helgasonar en móðir Ingjalds var
> Þóra, dóttir Sigurðar orms í auga, Ragnarssonar loðbrókar.

> He was a son of Ingald Helgason's, and Ingjald's mother
> was Thora, daughter of Sigurdr worms in eyes, Ragnarson's
> shaggy-breeks.

> He was a son of Ingjald, Helgi’s son, and Ingjald’s mother
> was Thora, daughter of Sigurd snake in eye, son of Ragnar
> shaggy britches.

He was (the) son of Ingjald Helgason, and Ingjald’s mother
was Þóra, daughter of Sigurð ormr í auga [‘snake in (the)
eye’], son of Ragnar loðbrók [‘shaggy-breeks’].

Brian