Re: Eyrbyggja Saga 42 end + 43 part 1 -- Rob's Translation

> Breiðvíkingar komu til skips um daginn og gengu hvorir með
> sínum flokki.

> (The) Breidvikings arrived at (the) ship during the day
> and each went with his body of men.

The Breiðvíkings came to [the] ship that day, and each [of
the two sides] went with its [own] body of men.

> Voru þá miklar dylgjur og viðsjár með þeim en hvorigir
> leituðu á aðra.

> Then (there) was much suppressed enmity and wariness
> between them and each made an attempt to get (the) other.
> (?)

There was then much suppressed enmity and wariness between
them, but neither attacked the other.

<Hvorigir> is a modern form of <hvárigr> 'neither (of two)',
synonymous with <hvárg(g)i>. <Leita á e-n> is 'to attack
someone'.

> Voru Breiðvíkingar fjölmennari í kaupstefnunni.

> Many Breidviking followers were at the market.

[The] Breiðvíkings were more numerous at the fair.

<Fjölmennari> is a comparative, 'more numerous': the
Breiðvíkings were the larger of the two groups.

> Snorri goði reið um kveldið suður í Hofgarða.

> Chieftain Snorri rode during the evening south to Hofgard.

In the evening Snorri goði rode south [actually east,
according to a footnote in another edition] to Hofgarðar.

> Þar bjó þá Björn og Gestur sonur hans, faðir
> Hofgarða-Refs.

> Bjorn and his son Gestr, Hofgard-Ref's father, then lived
> there,

Björn and Gest, his son, Hofgarða-Ref’s father, lived there
then.

> Þeir Björn Breiðvíkingakappi buðu Arnbirni að ríða eftir
> þeim Snorra en Arnbjörn vildi það eigi og kvað nú hafa
> skyldu hvorir það er fengið höfðu.

> They, Bjorn Breidviking-man-of-valor (and others), asked
> Arnbirn to ride following them, Snorri (and others), but
> Arnbjorn didn't want that and now said should have if it
> when had gotten. (?)

Björn Breiðvíkingakappi and his folks asked Arnbjörn to ride
after Snorri and his folks, but Arnbjörn did not want [to
do] that and said that each of the two should now have that
which [they] had received.

What Arnbjörn said is: Hvárir skyldu nú hafa þat er fengit
höfðu 'Each of the two should now have that which [they] had
received'.

> Þeir Snorri riðu heim um daginn eftir og undu
> Þorbrandssynir nú sínum hlut verr en áður.

> They, Snorri (et all) rode home during the next day and
> Thorbrand's sons were content there his matter was worse
> than before.

Snorri and his folks rode home the next day, and Þorbrand’s
sons were now worse content with their lot than before.

> Tók nú að líða á haustið.

> Things pass to the fall.

The fall now began to draw to a close.

> Þorbrandur bóndi í Álftafirði átti þræl þann er Egill
> sterki hét.

> Farmer Thorbrand in Alftafirth had a thrall, the one who
> was called Egill the strong.

Master Þorbrand at Álptafjörð had that thrall who was called
Egil [the] strong.

> Hann var manna mestur og sterkastur og þótti honum ill ævi
> sín er hann var ánauðgaður og bað oft Þorbrand og sonu
> hans að þeir gæfu honum frelsi og bauð þar til að vinna
> slíkt er hann mætti.

> He was the biggest and strongest of men and it was thought
> of him his life-story (was) poor when he was reduced to
> bondage and often asked Thorbrand and his son they give
> him freedom and offered there to work such as he was able.

He was the largest man and strongest, and his life seemed
ill to him, that he was enslaved, and [he] often asked
Þorbrand and his sons that they give him [his] freedom and
offered to do for that such as he was able.

This is <þykkja> Z2. <Sonu> is (accusative) plural.

> Það var eitt kveld að Egill gekk að sauðum í Álftafirði út
> til Borgardals.

> It was one evening that Egill went to the sheep in
> Alftafirth out at Borgardale.

One evening Egil went looking after sheep out to Borgardal
in Álptafjörð.

<Ganga at e-u> can also be 'to go for something, to search
for something', but I decided to use the more general sense.

> Og er á leið kveldið sá hann að örn fló vestan yfir
> fjörðinn.

> And when it passed to evening, he saw that an eagle flew
> from the west over the fiord.

And when the evening drew to a close, he saw that an eagle
flew from the west over the fjord.

In my old German edition there’s a footnote here:

Ernir hafa fram að þessu hafzt við í fjöllunum við
Álftafjörð, sbr. Árb. Fornl. 1932, 27. Þess má geta, að
þegar útgefandi sögunnar var á ferð um þessar slóðir
sumarið 1928, sá hann til arnar, sem flaug frá hömrunum
upp af Borgardal og stefndi vestur yfir fjörðinn, eins og
í sögunni.

Eagles have lived in the mountains by Álftafjörð down to
the present, cf. Árb. Fornl. 1932, 27. It may be
mentioned that when the publisher of the saga was
travelling along these trails in the summer of 1928, he
saw eagles that flew from the crags up from Borgardal and
went west over the fjord, just as in the saga.

> Dýrhundur mikill fór með Agli.

> A large deer-hound went with Egil.

A large deerhound went with Egil.

> Örninn lagðist að hundinum og tók hann í klær sér og fló
> vestur aftur yfir fjörðinn á dys Þórólfs bægifóts og hvarf
> þar undir fjallið.

> The eagle fell upon the hound and took him in his talons
> and flew back west over the fiord to Thorolf Lamefoot's
> grave and disappeared there under the mountain.

The eagle fell upon the hound and seized it in its claws and
flew west back over the fjord to the cairn of Þórólf
bægifótr and vanished there below the fell.

> Þenna fyrirburð kvað Þorbrandur vera mundu fyrir tíðindum.

> This vision told Thorbrand (it) would be denote news.

Þorbrand said that this vision must forebode events.

> Það var siður Breiðvíkinga um haustum að þeir höfðu
> knattleika um veturnáttaskeið undir Öxlinni suður frá
> Knerri.

> It was a Breidviking custom during the fall they they had
> a ballgame during the season when winter sets in below
> Oxlin south from Knerr.

It was [the] custom of [the] Breiðvíkings in the fall that
in the season when winter sets in they had a ballgame below
Öxlin south of Knörr.

> Þar heita síðan Leikskálavellir, og sóttu menn þangað um
> alla sveitina.

> The place there is called Game-Play-shed-Field, and men
> came there from all over the district.

That place is afterwards called Leikskálavellir, and folks
came thither from the whole district.

<Leikskálavellir> is actually plural, 'fields', which is why
the verb <heita> is 3rd person plural.

> Voru þar gervir leikskálar miklir.

> There was at hand there a large play-shed.

Large play-sheds were built there.

> Vistuðust menn þangað og sátu þar hálfan mánuð eða lengur.

> Men were lodged at that place and stayed there half a
> month or longer.

Folks sojourned there [‘thither’] and stayed there half a
month or longer.

> Var þar þá gott mannval um sveitina og byggð mikil og
> flestir hinir yngri menn að leikum nema Þórður blígur.

> There was then a good select body of men across the
> district and much settled (?) and most (were) the younger
> men at playing except Thordr “starer.”

There was then a good body of select people there across the
district, and much habitation [i.e., the district was well
peopled], and most of the young men [were] at [the] games,
save Þórð blígr.

> Hann mátti eigi að vera fyrir kapps sakir en eigi var hann
> svo sterkur að hann mætti eigi fyrir þá sök að vera.

> He could not lead in respect to zeal, but not he was so
> strong that he could not then lead with respect to zeal.
> (?)

He could not take part on account of his zeal, though
[‘but’] he was not so strong that he might not for that
reason take part.

In other words, he wasn’t too strong to have an unfair
advantage, but he was too enthusiastic.

> Sat hann á stóli og sá á leikinn.

> He sat on a stool and watched the game.

He sat on a stool and watched the game.

> Þeir bræður, Björn og Arnbjörn, þóttu eigi að leikum hæfir
> fyrir afls sakir nema þeir lékjust við sjálfir.

> The brothers, Bjorn and Arnbjorn, didn't think that the
> game was charged with virtue except they were playing
> between themselves.

The brothers Björn and Arnbjörn were not thought fit to play
on account of [their] strength, unless they played with one
another.

Brian