> 6. Konungr sendi Bósa forsending.
> The king sends Bosi on a dangerous mission
> The king sends Bosi on a dangerous mission
> 6. (The) King sent (past tense) Bósi on a
> dangerous-mission.
[The] king sent Bósi on a dangerous mission.
> At morgni dags er konungr snemma uppi ok lét blása til
> þings, ok váru þeir þangat leiddir Herrauðr ok Bósi.
> At the morning of the day (i.e., "in the morning") the
> king is up early had the (trumpets) blown for the
> assembly, and Herraudr and Bosi were led there.
> In the morning when the king got up early and had
> (assembly) blown for the Thing, and they were led thither,
> Herraudr and Bosi.
> Next (day´s) morning, (the) king is up early and caused to
> summon-by-blowing (a horn) to a meeting, and they,
> Herrauðr and Bósi, were led thither.
Next morning [the] king is up early and had horns blown to
summon a þing, and Herrauð and Bósi were conducted thither.
> Konungr spyrr þá ráðgjafa sína, hvat við þá skyldi gera,
> en flestir báðu hann vægja við Herrauð.
> The king then asks his counsellors what should be done
> with them, and most asked him to yield to Herraudr.
> The King asks his counsellor then, what (he) should do
> with them, and most bade (him) spare Herraudr.
> (The) King asks then his counsellors (advice-givers), what
> (one) should do with them, but (and) most bade him to
> yield to Herrauðr.
[The] king then asks his counsellors what should be done
with them, and most asked him to yield to Herrauð.
> Þá mælti konungr til hans: "Lítils viltu virða mik," segir
> hann, "en nú vil ek gera þat fyrir bæn vina minna, at Bósi
> skal hafa lífs grið ok lima, ok skal hann fara ór landi ok
> koma eigi aftr, fyrr en hann fær mér þat gammsegg, at
> skrifat er allt með gullstöfum utan, ok erum vit þá
> sáttir, en elligar skal hann heita hvers manns níðingr.
> Then the king said to him: "You think little of me," he
> says, "but now I want to do that for a request of my
> friends, that Bosi shall have safety for life and limbs,
> and he shall go out of the country and not return back
> before he gets me that vulture's egg, that is written all
> outside with gold letters, and we are then reconciled, or
> else he shall be reckoned ever so much (to be) low of men.
> (Z. virða 2: virða lítils = to think or make light of)
> Then the king spoke to him, “I don’t think much of it,”
> says he, “ and now I will do that request for my friends,
> that Bosi shall have quarter for life and limb and he
> shall go out of the country and not come back before he
> brings me that vulture egg that is written upon all over
> the outside with gold? and we are then reconciled, or else
> he shall be called by every man a scoundrel.
> Then (the) king spoke to him: “You-want to think little of
> me,” says he, “but (and) now I want to do that, because-of
> (fyrir, Z11) (the) entreaty/ies of my friends, that Bósi
> shall have safety for life and limbs, and he shall journey
> out-of (the) land and not come back, before he gets me
> that vulture’s-egg, that is completely written with
> golden-letters outside, and we-two are then reconciled,
> but (and) otherwise he shall be-called (reckoned, heita,
> Z3) (the) scoundrel of every man (genitive).
Then [the] king said to him: ‘You want to think poorly of
me,’ he says, ‘but now on account of my friends’ request I
will grant that Bósi shall have safety for life and limbs,
and he shall travel out of [the] country and not come back
until he brings me the vulture’s egg that is written all
over with gold letters [on the] outside, and we two are then
reconciled, but otherwise all will call him a scoundrel [‘he
shall be reckoned each man’s scoundrel’].
> En Herrauðr fari hvárt, er hann vill, at fylgja Bósa, eða
> geri hvert ráð fyrir sér, sem hann vill, því at eigi munum
> vit samvistum saman vera at svá búnu."
> And Herraudr would go whether, if he wants, to follow Bosi
> or do whatever (he) wishes for himself, as he wants,
> because we will not be living together at present."
> And Herraudr may go wherever he will, to accompany Bosi or
> do whatever plan for himself as he will because we will
> not be living together as matters stand.”
> But (And) Herrauðr either (hvárt…eða?) should-journey,
> where he wants, to accompany Bósi, or should-look out for
> himself (cf göra ráð fyrir e-u, under ráð Z1?), howsoever
> he wants, because we-two will not be living together
> (together) as matters stand.
But Herrauð may do whichever he wants, accompany Bósi or
make whatever plan for himself he wants, for we two will not
live together as matters stand.’
I can’t reconcile <hvárt> with <fari>: <hvert> would make
better sense there. However, it turns out that <fari> is
from one ms.; others have <geri>, with which <hvárt er>
‘whichever’ makes sense. I have therefore translated it
with <geri> replacing <fari>.
> Váru þeir þá leystir báðir, ok fóru þeir þá til Þvara
> karls ok váru hjá honum um vetrinn.
> They were then both freed, and they then went to commoner
> Thvara and they were with him during the winter.
> They were then both released and they went then to
> commoner Thvari and stayed near him during the winter.
> They were then both set-free, and they journeyed then to
> commoner Þvari and were (ie stayed) with him during
> the-winter.
They both were then released, and they travelled then to the
commoner Þvari and stayed with him during the winter.
> En er váraði, bjuggu þeir ferð sína ór landi ok höfðu eitt
> skip ok á fjóra menn ok tuttugu, ok fóru þeir mjök at
> tilvísan Buslu, ok heldu þeir í Austrveg ok kómu undir
> Bjarmaland ok lögðu undir einn eyðiskóg.
> And when it became spring, they prepared their journey out
> of the country, and they had one ship and had between 23
> and 24 men, and they went much (according) to Busla's
> guidance, and they steered to the East, and they landed
> below Bjarmaland and they settled below a wild wood. (??
> Z. á A 5, meaning between two numbers, one implied)
> And when it became spring, they prepared for their journey
> out of the country and had one ship and on it 24 men and
> they went much at Busla’s direction and steered to the
> East way and arrived below Bjarmaland and anchored under a
> certain wild wood.
> But (And) when (it) became-spring, they prepared for their
> journey out-of (the) land and had (took, hafa Z7) one ship
> and four and twenty men on (á) (it), and they journeyed
> much according-to the-direction of Busla, and they held
> (course) to (the) East-Way and came below Bjarmaland (Land
> of the Perm tribe), and stood-in-towards a certain
> wild-wood.
And when spring came they made ready for their journey out
of [the] country and had one ship and 24 men thereon, and
they travelled very much according to Busla’s direction, and
they kept to [the] Eastern Way [i.e., the way to the Baltic]
and arrived off Bjarmaland [‘land of the Perms’] and stood
in at a deserted wood.
> 7. Þeir Bósi gistu at Hóketils.
> Bosi (and company) spend the night at Hoketil.
> They stayed overnight at Hoketil
> 7. They, Bósi (and co) passed-the-night (past tense) with
> Hóketill.
Bósi and his companions spent a night at Hóketil’s [place].
> Hárekr hét sá konungr, er þar réð þá fyrir.
> The king was named Harekr, who then ruled over there.
> Harekr was the name of that king who ruled there then.
> That King was-called Hárekr, who then ruled over there.
The king who then ruled there was called Hárek.
> Hann var kvángaðr ok átti tvá sonu.
> He was married and had two sons.
> He was married and had two sons.
> He was married, and had two sons.
He was married and had two sons.
> Hét annarr Hrærekr, en annarr Siggeirr.
> One was named Hraerekr, and the other Siggeirr.
> The one (named) Hraerekr and the other Siggeirr.
> The-one was-called Hrærekr, but (and) the-other Siggeirr.
One was called Hrærek and the other Siggeir.
> Þeir váru kappar miklir ok hirðmenn Goðmundar konungs á
> Glæsivöllum ok landvarnarmenn hans.
> They were great men of valor and king's men of king
> Godmundr a Glaesivollum (Adorned-valleys?) and his men in
> defence of the land.
> They were great champions and kings men of King Godmundr
> at Glaesivellir and his land defenders.
> They were great men-of-valour and (the) king’s-men of King
> Goðmundr in Glæsivellir (Splendid-Plains?) and his
> national-security-guards.
They were great champions and king’s men of king Goðmund of
Glæsisvellir and men charged by him to defend the country
against invaders.
Other editions have <Glæsisvöllum> ‘glittering fields’;
since this mythical place-name also appears in other sagas,
I suspect that this is the correct reading and have adopted
it.
> Dóttir konungs hét Edda.
> The king's daughter was named Edda.
> The king’s daughter was named Edda.
> (The) King´s daughter was-called Edda.
[The] king’s daughter was called Edda.
> Hún var fríð sýnum ok um flesta hluti vel kunnandi.
> She was fair of face (Z. sýn 3) and concerning many things
> well known.
> She was fair of face and well accomplished regarding many
> things.
> She was beautiful to (the) sight (ie fair of face) and
> highly accomplished concerning many things.
She was fair of face and very knowledgeable in most things.
> Nú er at segja frá þeim fóstbræðrum, at þeir váru komnir
> undir Bjarmaland ok þann skóg, er Vínuskógr heitir.
> Now we must take up the story concerning the
> foster-brothers, and they had arrived below Bjarmaland and
> that forest, where it is called Wine-forest.
> Next (we) speak of those fosterbrothers, that they had
> arrived below Bjarmaland and that forest which is called
> Friend’s? forest.
> Now (one) is to say about those foster-brothers, that they
> were come below Bjarmaland (Land of the Perm tribe), and
> that wood, which is called Vínuskógr (Vína? Wood).
Now [it] is to be said of those foster brothers that they
had arrived at Bjarmaland and the wood that is called
Vínuskógr [‘wood on the river Vína’].
It appears that the Vína is the Western Dvina (Latvian
Daugava).
> Þeir reistu tjald á landi mjök fjarri mannavegum.
> They set up tents (Z says that these could be tents on
> ships when a ship is in harbor) very far off roads where
> men pass.
> They raised a tent on land with very few roads.
> They raised tents on land very far from
> roads-where-men-pass (a long way off the beaten track)
They raised a tent on land very far from travelled roads.
> Um morguninn sagði Bósi mönnum sínum, at þeir Herrauðr
> mundu ganga á land ok kanna skóginn ok vita, hvers þeir
> yrði vísir.
> During the morning, Bosi said to his men that Herraudr and
> others would go to land and explore the forest and see
> whatever they ("they" = the woods?) must show.
> During the morning Bosi said to his men that they (he and)
> Herraudr would go to the country and explore the forest
> and find out who was the leader?
> Next morning Bósi said to his people (men), that they,
> Herrauðr (and he) would go (on foot) in (the) land) and
> explore the-wood and try-to-find-out, of-what they become
> aware (víss, adj).
The next morning Bósi told his men that he and Herrauð would
go ashore and explore the wood and try to find out of what
they could be certain.
> "En þér skuluð bíða okkar hér mánuð, en ef vit komum þá
> eigi aftr, þá skuluð þér sigla, hvert sem þér vilið."
> "And you should wait for us here a month, but if we don't
> come back, they you should sail to wherever you wanted."
> “And you should wait her for us for a month, but if we
> don’t come back then, then you shall sail wherever you
> wish.”
> “But (And) you shall wait for us for a month, but /and) if
> we-two come not back then, then you shall sail, wherever
> you want (2nd pers pl present throughout).”
‘And you should wait for us here for a month, and if we do
not then come back, then you should sail wherever you wish.’
Brian