> Nú er að segja frá Ketilbirni að þeir fundu eigi fyrr en
> húsin voru tekin á þeim.
> Now we take up the story concerning Ketilbjorn, that they
> didn't meet before the house was taken by them.
> Now we pick up the story of Ketilbjorn that they met not
> before when their (Ketilbjorn’s) house was taken.
> Now (it) is to say about Ketilbjörn that they did not find
> (notice, meet, discover?) (him?) before
> their-farm-buildings were attacked
Now it is to be told of Ketilbjörn that they did not notice
before they were attacked in the houses.
That is, K. and the others with him were taken completely by
surprise.
> Þeir Ásmundur tóku vopn sín.
> Asmundr (and others) took their weapons.
> They, Asmundr and company took their weapons.
> They Ásmundr (and co) took their weapons.
Ásmund and his companions took up their weapons.
> Gekk Ketilbjörn út í dyrin og sá að eldur var borinn að
> dyrum.
> Ketilbjorn went outdoors and saw that the doors had been
> set fire to.
> Ketilbjorn went out to the door and saw that fire was set
> at the door.
> Ketilbjörn walked out to the-doorway (f pl) and saw that
> fire had been set (lit: was borne) to (the) doorway.
Ketilbjörn walked out into the doorway and saw that fire had
been set to the doorway.
> Hann spyr hverjir fyrir eldinum ættu að ráða.
> He asks who would have ordered the fire. (Z. ráða 16: r.
> fyrir e-u, to command, have authority over, be master of
> (r. fyrir skipi, hofi, fé, eldi))
> He asks who was responsible for deciding on the fire.
> He asks who had to have-authority over (ie was responsible
> for, ráða fyrir e-u, Z16) the-fire.
He asks who had to be in charge of the fire.
> Steinólfur kvaðst fyrir eldi ráða.
> Steinolfr said for himself to have ordered the fire.
> Steinolfr said it was his idea for the fire.
> Steinólfr declared-of-himself to have-authority over (ie
> was responsible for) (the) fire.
Steinólf said that he was in charge of the fire.
> Ketilbjörn mælti: "Hér mun þér þykja skaplegur fundur vor
> eða skal nokkurum mönnum leyfa útgöngu?"
> Ketilbjorn said: "Here it will seem to me fit our battle
> or shall some men permit going out?"
> Ketilbjorn spoke, “ Here you will think our meeting
> suitable or shall some people have permission to go out?”
> Ketilbjörn spoke: “(The) finding (discovery) of us (or our
> meeting?) here will seem fit (meet) to you but (eða, Z4)
> shall (one, ie you) permit a going-out to some persons?”
Ketilbjörn said: ‘Our battle here will seem suitable to you,
but shall any other people be allowed to leave the house?’
> Steinólfur bað konur út ganga en ekki fleira.
> Steinolfr asked a women to go out but not several.
> Steinolfr bade the women to go out, but not more.
> Steinólfr bade (the) women (plural) to go out but not
> more.
Steinólf told [the] women to come out but no others
[‘more’].
> Eftir það gengu þær út en eldur tók að leika húsin.
> After that they go out, but (the) flames began to lick the
> house.
> After they went out then fire licked at the house.
> After that they (the women) went out and (the) fire
> started to lick the-farm-buildings (n pl).
After that they went out, and fire began to lick at the
buildings.
> Þeir Ásmundur og Ketilbjörn gengu undan einn vegg og
> komust þar út.
> Asmundr and Ketilbjorn escaped one way and came out there.
> They Asmundr and Ketilbjorn escaped one way and got
> themselves out of there.
> They, Ásmundr and Ketilbjörn, went from-under a certain
> wall (veggr not vegr, unless it’s a typo) and
> made-their-way out there.
Ásmund and Ketilbjörn went out under a certain wall and got
out there.
<Vegg> is not a typo: it’s in every version that I’ve seen,
including one that is clearly a direct transcription of some
ms.:
Þeir Asmundr ok Ketilbiorn geingu vndan æinn vegg ok
komvzt þar vt.
> Hlupu þeir Steinólfur og Hallur þangað og slógu hring um
> þá.
> Steinolfr and Hallr ran there, and they surrounded them.
> (Z. slá 6: slá hring um = to surround)
> They, Steinolfr and Hallr, ran from there and (their men?)
> formed a ring around them.
> They, Steinólf and Hallr (and co) ran thither and formed a
> ring around them (ie encircled them)
Steinólf and Hall ran thither and surrounded them.
> Þar voru þegar drepnir þrír menn af Ketilbirni en hann vó
> tvo menn.
> Three men of Ketilbjorn's were killed there, and he slew
> two men.
> There were three of Ketilbjorn’s men killed immediately,
> be he slew two men.
> Three (persons) men of Ketilbjörn´s were at-once killed
> there but (and) he slew two person (men).
Three of Ketilbjörn’s men were immediately killed there, and
he killed two men.
> Ásmundur hljóp að Halli og hjó til hans en maður hljóp
> fyrir hann og fékk sá bana.
> Asmundr leapt at Hall and hacked at him, but a man ran in
> front of him and suffered the death.
> Asmundr ran to Hallr and thrust at him, but a man leaped
> in front of him and that one got his death wound.
> Ásmundr ran at (ie attacked) Hallr and hewed at him but a
> person (man) ran in-front-of him and that-one (ie he, the
> man who got in the way) received death.
Ásmund attacked Hall and struck at him, but a man leaped in
front of him, and that one died.
> Þá hljóp Ásmundur út yfir mannhringinn en Ketilbjörn annan
> veg.
> Then Asmundr ran out through the circle of men, and
> Ketibjorn (escaped) another way.
> Then Asmundr ran out over the ring of men, but Ketilbjorn
> (ran) another way.
> Then Ásmundr ran out beyond the-ring-of-persons (men) but
> (and) Ketilbjörn another way.
Then Ásmund ran out through the ring of men, and Ketilbjörn
in another direction.
> Hallur hljóp eftir Ásmundi og hans félagar en Steinólfur
> eftir Ketilbirni.
> Hallr ran after Asmundr and his companions, and Steinolfr
> after Ketilbjorn.
> Hallr ran after Asmundr and his comrades, and Steinolfr
> after Ketilbjorn.
> Hallr and his comrades (nominative) ran after Ásmundr but
> (and) Steinólfr after Ketilbjörn.
Hall and his comrades ran after Ásmund, and Steinólf after
Ketilbjörn.
> Ásmundur hljóp á hól einn og varðist þaðan.
> Asmundr ran to a hill and defended himself from there.
> Asmundr ran to a certain hillock and defended himself from
> there.
> Ásmundr ran to a certain hillock (= hváll) and
> defended-himself from there.
Ásmund ran to a certain hillock and defended himself from
there.
> Þeir Hallur gengu upp á hólinn en Ásmundur réð í mót og
> hjó til Halls.
> Hallr and others went up to the hill, and Asmundr attacked
> and struck at Hall.
> They, Hallr and company, went up to the hill, but Asmundr
> attacked and hewed at Hallr.
> They, Hall (and co) went (on foot) up to the-hillock but
> (and) Ásmundr attacked (cf ráða í móti e-m, Z16) and hewed
> at Hallr.
Hall and his companions went up the hillock, and Ásmund
attacked and struck at Hall.
It’s not clear to me whether they went up onto the hillock
or just up to it, or indeed whether it’s possible to tell
from the actual wording; I chose the former as seeming to
make slightly better sense of the action.
> Hann brá við skildinum.
> He warded off (the blow) with his shield.
> He turned quickly with a shield.
> He (ie Hallr) warded off (bregða við e-u, Z7) (the blow)
> with the-(ie his)-shield.
He warded off [the blow] with his shield.
> Þá hjó einn af Halls mönnum til Ásmundar og kom á
> hjálminn.
> Then one of Hallr's men struck at Asmundr, and (the blow)
> landed on his helmet.
> Then one of Hallr’s men hewed at Asmundr and (the blow)
> came on the helmet.
> Then one of Hallr’s people (men) hewed at Ásmundr and (the
> blow) came onto the-helmet.
Then one of Hall’s men struck at Ásmund and hit his helm.
> Hann rasaði við höggið og lagði sverðinu til þess er hjó
> og þegar í gegnum hann.
> He rushed on headlong against the stroke and thrust his
> sword at the one who stuck (at him) and at once in his
> middle.
> He rushed on headlong with the blow and thrust with the
> sword to this and when (he) hewed right through him.
> He (Ásmundr) stumbled (rasa, Z2) with the-blow and thrust
> with the-sword at that-one (ie Hallr´s man) who (had)
> hewed (at him) and at-once through him.
He stumbled from the blow and thrust his sword at the one
who struck and immediately through him.
Like Alan, I chose <rasa> Z2; this use of <við> is exactly
that of Z.II(7), where we have the example <falla við högg>
'to fall by a stroke'. As I read the possibilities, if
movement towards the (source of the) blow were intended,
<við> would more likely take the dative (Z.I(2)).
> Eftir það hjó Hallur til Ásmundar og kom á hálsinn svo að
> af tók höfuðið.
> After that Hallr struck at Asmundr, and (the sword) landed
> on his neck and so took off his head.
> After it Hallr hewed at Asmundr and (the blow) came on the
> neck so that (it) took off the head.
> After that Hallr hewed at Ásmundr and (the blow) came onto
> the-neck so that (it) took off the-head.
After that Hall struck at Ásmund and hit his neck so that
[he] cut off his head.
> Var hann þar dysjaður og heitir þar Ásmundarhvoll.
> He was buried in a cairn there, and at that place it is
> called Asmundarhvoll.
> He was buried in a cairn there and it is called there
> Asmundr’s hill.
> He was there buried-in-a-cairn and there (ie that place)
> is-called Ásmundarhváll (Ásmundr’s-Hillock)
He was buried there in a cairn, and that place is called
Ásmundarhváll [‘Ásmund’s hillock’].
> En Ketilbjörn hljóp út til árinnar.
> And Ketilbjorn ran out to the river.
> But Ketilbjorn ran out to the river.
> But (And) Ketilbjörn ran out to the-river.
And Ketilbjörn ran out to the river.
> En þar var svo háttað að steinn stóð í ánni og var
> Ketilbjörn þar vanur að hlaupa á steininn og þaðan yfir
> ána en það var ekki annarra manna hlaup.
> And there it was of that nature that a stone stood in the
> river, and Ketilbjorn was accustomed there to leap to the
> stone and then over the river, but it was no other man's
> (ability to make that) leap.
> And it was so arranged that a stone stood in the river and
> Ketilbjorn was accustomed there to leap to the stone and
> from there over the river, but it was not a leap for
> another man.
> But (And) there (ie that place) was so arranged (ie the
> geography of the place was such) that a stone (rock) stood
> in the-river and Ketilbjörn was accustomed to leap on to
> the-stone (rock) and from-there over the-river but (and)
> that was not (the) leap of other persons (men) (ie no one
> else could manage the leap)
And it so happened that a stone stood there in the river,
and Ketilbjörn was accustomed there to leap onto the stone
and thence across the river, and that was no other men’s
leap [i.e., only K. could manage it].
> Það heitir síðan Ketilbjarnarhlaup.
> Since then it is called Ketilbjorn's-leap.
> It is called since then Ketilbjorn’s leap.
> That is-called afterwards Ketilbjarnarhlaup
> (Ketilbjörn’s-Leap)
Since then [‘afterwards’] it is called Ketilbjarnarhlaup
[‘Ketilbjörn’s leap’].
> Þeir Steinólfur runnu eftir honum til árinnar.
> Steinolfr and others ran after him to the river.
> They, Steinolfr and his men, ran after him to the river.
> They Steinólf (and co) ran after him to the-river.
Steinólf and his companions pursued him to the river.
> Ketilbjörn hljóp á steininn og gat eigi festan sig á
> steininum.
> Ketlibjorn leapt to a stone and wasn't able to stick fast
> to the stone.
> Ketilbjorn leaped to the stone and was not able to gain
> purchase for himself on the stone.
> Ketilbjorn leaped on to the-stone (rock) and was-not-able
> (geta + pp) fasten himself (ie stick the landing) to
> the-stone (rock)
Ketilbjörn leaped to the stone and was not able to gain
purchase on the stone.
> Hljóp hann þá aftur yfir ána og í því kom Steinólfur að,
> hjó á fótinn svo að af tók í ökklaliðnum.
> He then jumped back over the river and at that (moment)
> Steinolfr arrived there, hacked at his foot, and so took
> (it) off at the ankle-joint.
> He leaped then back over the river and at that Steinolfr
> arrived, hewed at the foot to that it was cut off at the
> ankle.
> He ran then back over the-river and in that (instant)
> Steinólfr came to (him), hewed at the-leg so that (it)
> took (it) off at the-ankle-joint.
He then leaped back over the river, and at that moment
Steinólf arrived [and] struck at his leg so that it was cut
off at the ankle joint.
> Ketilbjörn féll eigi við höggið og hnekkti þá í mót þeim
> og vó tvo áður hann féll.
> Ketilbjorn didn't die from the blow and drove back against
> them, and (he) slew two before he died.
> Ketilbjorn did not fall with the blow and then drove back
> towards them and slew two others before he fell.
> Ketilbjörn did not fall (in battle) from the blow and
> drove back against them and slew two before he fell (in
> battle)
Ketilbjörn did not fall from the blow and drove back against
them then and killed two before he fell.
Brian