> En hér er svo mönnum varið að vér þurfum meir umbótamenn
> en þá að auki vor vandræði."

> But/and here it so men defend that we need more people who
> mend matters than those that increase our difficulty."

> But here has so happened to men that we need more
> repairmen?? when? they increase our difficulties?”

> „But here (ie this place) is so guarded against (verja e-t
> e-m, Z3?) people (men) that we need persons
> (men)-who-mend-matters more than (meir...en) those that
> (who) increase our troubles.”

But here folks are so constituted that we are more in need
of people who mend matters than of those who would increase
our difficulties.’

Second <verja>, Z5.

> Grímur kveðst við Gunnar aldrei skyldu skilja "því að hann
> varð til þess að reka skömm af oss og var það þó eigi
> minni þín skylda en hans eða mín."

> Grimr replied Gunnar should never choose to depart
> "because he was ready to that, to drive lately from us and
> yet it wasn't that less your duty than his or mine." (Z.
> kveða við = to reply, answer) (Z. verða 8: verða til e-s =
> to come forth to do a thing, be ready to)

> Grimr said he would never part with Gunnar, “because he
> was ready to? this to drive shame from us and it was still
> not due? to your memory? but his or mine.”

> Grímr declares-of-himself (that he) should never part with
> (skilja við e-n) Gunnarr “because he came-forth-to-do (ie
> was ready to do) that (verða til e-s, Z8), to drive
> dishonour from us and yet that was not less your duty than
> his or mine.”

Grím said that he would never part with Gunnar ‘because he
was willing to drive dishonor from us, and yet that was no
less your duty than his or mine.’

> Þá mælti Þórir við Guðmund son sinn að hann skyldi fara í
> Múla eftir fé og mönnum.

> Then Thorir spoke with his son Gudmundr, that he should go
> to Mula after cattle and men.

> Then Thorir spoke with Gudmund, his son, that he should go
> to Muli after money and men.

> Then Þórir spoke to Guðmundr his son that he should go to
> Múli (Mull) after (ie to get) cattle (sheep) and people
> (men).

Then Þóri said to Guðmund, his son, that he should journey
to Múli after cattle and men.

I believe that we really are talking about cattle here: in
the last selection the word used was <naut>.

> Er þá rekið allt fé Eyjólfs á Þórisstaði.

> Then all the Eyolf's cattle are driven to Thoris-stead.

> Then all Eyjolf’s wealth was driven to Thorir’s stead.

> All Eyjólfr’s cattle (sheep) are then driven to
> Þórisstaðir (Þórir’s-Steads).

Then all of Eyjólf’s cattle are [‘is’] driven to
Þórisstaðir.

> Gunnar rak og þangað fjóra tigu geldinga er Helgi átti.

> Gunnar also drove there 40 geldings that Helgi owned.

> Gunnar drove also from there fourteen geldings which Helgi
> had.

‘To there’, not ‘from there’.

> Gunnarr drove also thither four tens of (ie forty) wethers
> which Helgi owned.

Gunnar also drove thither 40 wethers [i.e., castrated sheep
or goats] that Helgi owned.

> En Þórir vill eigi að síður reka hann á brott en Grímur
> vill Gunnari fylgja en Guðmundur Grími.

> And/but Thorir doesn't want at less he drives away and/but
> Grimr wants (to) accompany Gunnar but (not) Gudmundr
> Grimi. (?)

> But Thorir doesn’t want at the side? to drive him away but
> Grimr wants to pursue Gunnar and Gudmundr, Grimr.

> But (And) Þórir wants to drive him away no less than (eigi
> síðr…en) Grímr wants to accompany Gunnarr (or?) than
> Guðmundr (want to accompany) Grímr.

But Þóri none the less wants to drive him away, and Grím
wants to accompany Gunnar, and Guðmund, Grím.

I think that it’s <eigi at sídr> 'none the less': Þ. wants
to drive Gunnar away even though Gunnar has just driven 40
wethers into his possession. And the <eigi síðr ... en>
leaves the <at> unaccounted for.

> Sá Þórir þá hvar komið var og bað þá alla þar vera en kvað
> sér þungt hug um segja hversu að til tækist er bæði var
> von ófriðarins vestan og sunnan.

> Thorir then saw where they had come and asked them all
> there (to) stay, and/but said for himself (it was) a heavy
> mood concerning saying how that happened when both were
> common hostilities west and south.

> Thorir saw then what it had come to and bade them all to
> stay there and said he (felt) heavy in spirit to say what
> should happen and both were accustomed to enmity from the
> west and from the south.

> Þórir saw then where (it) was come (ie how matters stood)
> and bade them all to be (ie stay) there and declared for
> himself heavy (dire) forebodings to say about (ie he had
> heavy forebodings about, cf hugr, Z4) how (it)
> would-turn-out when the-expectation (ván) of
> the-hostilities was both from-the-west and from-the-south.

Þóri then saw how matters stood and asked them all to stay
there and said he had oppressive forebodings about how
[matters] would turn out when hostilities were to be
expected both west and south.

Apparently <hug ... segja> is an accusative and infinitive
construction after <kvað>, so that this is <hugr> Z4, but
<hug> is effectively the subject of <segja>; literally it’s
something like ‘[his] mind spoke oppressively to him about’.

> Það var nokkuru síðar er synir Helga eggjuðu hann til
> hefnda, Frakki og Bljúgur.

> It was somewhat later when Helgi's sons, Frakki and
> Bljugr, egged him on to revenge.

> It was somewhat later when Helgi’s sons egged him on to
> vengeance, Frakki and Bljugr.

> That was somewhat later when (the) sons of Helgi, Frakki
> and Bljúgr urged him towards vengeance.

It was somewhat later that Helgi’s sons, Frakki and Bljúg,
egged him on to vengeance.

Note that <hefnda> is actually (gen.) plural.

> Þeir bjuggu í Frakkadal í Kollafirði.

> They fixed their abode in Frak-dale (Spear-valley or
> Franks'-valley (?)) in Kolla-firth (Cow-firth).

> They lived in Frakki’s dale and Kolla’s firth.

> They lived in Frakkadalr (Frakki’s-Dale) in Kollafjörðr
> (Summits-Fjord?).

They dwelt at Frakkadal in Kollafjörð.

<Frakkadalr> is ‘Frakki’s valley’. <Kollafjörðr> is
probably ‘Kolli’s fjord’, though it’s conceivable that the
first element is from <kollr> 'top, summit', referring to a
feature of the local landscape.

> Kálfur og Styr voru fylgdarmenn þeirra.

> Kalfr and Styr were their attendants.

> Kalfr and Styr were their followers.

> Kálfr and Styrr were their followers.

Kálf and Styr were their followers.

> Þeir voru allir á laun á Hjöllum og sátu um Þóri.

> They were all secretly at Hjollum and they watched for an
> opportunity concerning Thorir.

> They were all in secret at Hjoll and plotted about Thorir.

> They all were (stayed) in secret at Hjallar and
> lay-in-wait for (sitja um e-n) Þórir.

They were all secretly at Hjallar and were lying in wait for
Þóri.

> Þeir urðu þess varir að Þórir fór að skera mön á hrossum
> sínum og Guðmundur son hans með honum.

> They happened that, (there) is a presentiment that Thorir
> went to cut the manes of his horses, and Gudmundr his son
> (went) with him.

> They became aware of this that Thorir went to cut his
> horse’s mane and Gudmund, his son, with him.

> They became aware (varr, adj) of that, that Þórir
> journeyed to cut (the) mane(s) on his horses (plural) and
> Guðmundr his son with him.

They became aware that Þóri was travelling to cut the manes
[‘mane’] of his horses, and his son Guðmund with him.

> Þeir Frakki og Bljúgur fóru til móts við þá og kom Bljúgur
> fyrst að.

> They, Frakki and Bljugr, went to meet with them and Blugr
> arrived first at (that place).

> They Frakki and Bljugr went to meet them and Bljugr
> arrived first.

> They Frakki and Bljúgr journeyed to a meeting with them
> and Bljúgr came first to (them) (ie reached them first).

Frakki and Bljúg travelled to meet them, and Bljúg got there
first.

> Hann lagði þegar til Þóris sem hann var að manskurðinum og
> hafði hengt skjöldinn á hlið sér.

> He attacked at once Thorir as we was at the mane-shears
> and had hanged his shield at his side.

> He thrust at once at Thorir while he was at mane shearing
> and had hung the shield at his side.

> He thrust at-once at Þórir when he was at (ie performing)
> the-mane-cutting and had hung the (his)-shield at his
> side.

He immediately thrust at Þóri as he was at the mane-cutting
and had his shield hung at his side.

> Lagið kom í skjöldinn og renndi af út og kom á nára
> hestinum og þar á hol.

> The stab landed on the shield and slipped off out and
> landed on the groin of the horse and there to pierce to
> the innards. (Z. hol: á hol = to pierce to the inwards (of
> weapons))

> The blow came in the shield and ran off out and came in
> the horse’s groin and there to the body cavity.

> The-blow came into the-shield and ran out from (deflected
> from) (it) and came into (the) groin of the-horse and
> there into the cavity (innards)

The thrust landed on the shield and ran off to the side and
hit the horse’s groin and there into the body.

> Féll hann þegar dauður niður.

> It immediately fell down dead.

> He fell down dead at once.

> He (the horse) fell down dead at-once.

It immediately fell down dead.

> En Þórir snerist við fast og laust Bljúg með skærahúsanum
> og kom í ennið en hann féll á bak aftur og varð hola fyrir
> húsanum.

> And Thorir turned against (the attack) fast and struck
> Bljugr with the case for holding a pair of shears and it
> landed on his forehead, and he fell backwards and there
> was a hole because of the case. (?)

> But Thorir turned hard at that and struck Bljugr with the
> shears housing and (the blow) came in the forehead and he
> fell back off the horse and a hole happened from the
> housing.

> But (And) Þórir turns (to meet the attack) hard and struck
> Bljúgr with the shears-case and (it) came into
> the-forehead and he fell back on (his) back and (there)
> became (ie was) a hollow as-a-result-of the-(shears)-case.

But Þóri turns hard to meet the attack and struck Bljúg with
the case for the shears, and [the blow] landed on his
forehead, and he fell over backwards, and the case made a
hole [‘a hole came to be on account of the case’].

> Bað hann þá Guðmund gæta hans.

> He then asked Gudmund to guard him.

> He then bade Gudmund guard him.

> He then bade Guðmundr to take-care-of (watch, attend to)
> him (Bljúgr) (as in finish him off?)

He then asked Guðmund to watch him.

It’s not clear to me whether he’s just asking G. to watch B.
to make sure that he causes no further trouble, or whether
this is yet another example of understatement.

> Þórir tók þá sverð sitt og hljóp á mýrina og vó þar
> Frakka.

> Thorir then took his sword and ran to the swamp and slew
> Frakka there.

> Thorir then took his sword and ran to the moor and slew
> Frakki there.

> Þórir took then his sword and ran to the-swamp and killed
> Frakki there.

Þóri then seized his sword and ran to the fen and slew
Frakki there.

> Hét þar síðan Frakkamýr.

> Since then it was called there Frakka's-swamp.

> Afterwards there was called Frakki’s moor.

> There (ie that place) was-called afterwards Frakkamýrr
> (Frakki´s-Swamp)

Since then that place [‘there’] was called Frakkamýr
[‘Frakki’s fen’].

> Guðmundur vó Bljúg í lækinum er síðan heitir Bljúgslækur.

> Gudmundr slew Bljugr in the brook, and since then it is
> called Bljug's-brook.

> Gudmund slew Bljugr in a brook which afterwards was named
> Bljugr’s brook.

> Guðmundr killed Bljúgr in the-brook which afterwards
> is-called Bljúgsloekr (Bljúgr’s-Brook)

Guðmund slew Bljúg in the brook that since then is called
Bljúgslœkr [‘Bljúg’s brook’].

> Þeir Kálfur og Styr tóku undan.

> They, Kalfr and Styr, ran away.

> They, Kalfr and Styr escaped.

> They Kálfr and Styrr ran away.

Kálf and Styr ran away.

> Þórir gat náð Styr á brekku uppi og drap hann.

> Thorir caught up to Stry up on a slope and killed him.

> Thorir was able to catch Styr on up a slope and kill him.

> Þórir was-able to get Styrr up on (the) slope and slew
> him.

Þóri was able to overtake Styr up on a slope and killed him.

> Þar heitir nú Styrsbrekka.

> There it is now called Styr's-slope.

> There is called now Styr’s slope.

> There (ie that place) is-called now Styrsbrekka
> (Styrr’s-Slope)

That place is now called Styrsbrekka [‘Styr’s slope’].

> En Guðmundur elti Kálf ofan í Kálfárgljúfur og dó hann
> þar.

> And Gudmundr chased Kalkfr down in Kalfarglufr
> (Calf-river's-rocky-ravine), and he died there.

> But Gudmundr chased Kalfr down to Kalf’s rocky ravine and
> he died there.

> But (And) Guðmundr pursued Kálfr down into Kálfargljúfr
> (Kálfr’s-Rocky-Ravine) and he (ie Kálfr) died there.

And Guðmund pursued Kálf down into Kálfárgljúfr, and he died
there.

Brian