Séð undrit mikit: í dag er bara miðvikudagr!

> Sverðit kom í vindásinn ok stökk sundr í miðju.

> The sword landed in the windlass and it sprang apart in
> the middle.

> The sword came in the windlass and (it) flew asunder in
> the middle.

> The-sword came into the-windlass and (it, ie the windlass)
> flew asunder in (the) middle.

The sword hit the windlass, which flew apart in the middle.

Here <ok> is equivalent to the relative particle <er>.
(This is sense 6 in Baetke.)

> Hrærekr hjó á móti.

> Hraekr struck in return.

> Hraerekr hewed in return.

> Hroerekr hewed in return.

Hrœrek struck in return.

> Bósi snerist undan á hæli.

> Bosi immediately drew back.

> Bosi drew back on his heels.

> Bósi drew back immediately (cf fara aptr a hæli, Z, lit:
> on (his) heel -or, perhaps,  could be interpreted
> literally?)

Bósi turned on his heel.

There are several possible interpretations, but Baetke has
this specific phrase, glossing it <sich auf dem Absatz
umdrehen> ‘to spin or turn on one’s heel’.

> Sverðit slapp af hjálminum ok niðr á herðarnar ok reif af
> honum alla brynjuna, ok fekk hann sár á herðablöðunum, ok
> gekk svá niðr um allt bakit, at öll klæðin rifnuðu af
> honum, svá at hann var nakinn allr eftir, ok af vinstra
> fæti hælbeinit.

> The sword slipped off hia helmet and down to his shoulders
> and tore off of him all his coat of mail, and he got a
> wound in the shoulder blades, and it went so down around
> all his back, and all his clothes were ripped off of him,
> so that he was naked all after (that), and of the left
> foot's heal-bone.

> The sword slipped off the helmet and down to the shoulders
> and tore all the chain mail from him and gave him a wound
> on the shoulderblades and went thus down all along the
> back and ripped all the clothing from him so that he was
> naked all afterwards and (took?) off the heel-bone from
> the left foot.

> The-sword slipped off the-helmet and down on-to
> the-shoulders and tore all the-coat-of-mail from him, and
> he got a wound on the-shoulder-blades, and (it) went down
> along the-whole-back in-such-a-way, that all the-clothes
> were-torn from him, so that he was all naked afterwards,
> and the-heelbone (torn) from (the) left foot.

The sword slipped off his helm and down onto his shoulders
and tore his whole mail coat off him, and he received a
wound on his shoulder blades, and [it] went down along his
whole back in such a way that all of his clothes were torn
from him, so that he was entirely naked afterwards, and the
heel bone [was torn] from his left foot.

> Bósi þreif upp ás einn, en Hrærekr vildi þá hlaupa fyrir
> borð.

> Bosi grabbed a beam, but Hraerekur then wanted to jump
> over board.

> Bosi seized up a pole, but Hraerekr wanted to leap
> overboard then.

> Bósi took up a single large pole (sail yard), but (and)
> Hroerekr wanted then to leap over-board.

Bósi caught up a sail yard, and Hrœrek wanted then to leap
overboard.

> Bósi sló hann í sundr við hástokkinum, svá at sér fell
> hvárr hluturinn.

> Bosi cut him asunder by the gunwale, so that himself fell
> in two parts (?).

> Bosi struck him apart with the gunwale so that each part
> of him fell.

> Bósi struck him asunder (ie in two) against (við, Zi.1)
> the-gunwale, so that each-part (of-the two) of him (ie
> both his sundered parts) fell.

Bósi struck him in two against the gunwale, so that each
part of him fell.

The function of <sér> here is not entirely clear: in
principle its antecedent could be either Bósi, the subject,
or <hann>, the object. In the latter case it’s a dative of
possession, as in Alan’s and my translations. In the former
case I *think* that the sense would be that the two pieces
fell to him, i.e., became his property; this is clearly less
satisfactory!

> Var nú ok fallinn mestr hluti liðs þeira, en þeir þágu
> grið, sem eftir lifðu.

> And now the most part of their troops had fallen, but they
> accepted a pardon, so as they lived after (that).

> Now the biggest part of their company had fallen and they
> were given quarter who still lived.

> The greatest part of their troop was now also fallen (in
> battle), but (and) those, who lived after (ie survived),
> accepted a truce.

The greatest part of their company had now fallen, and those
who survived received quarter.

> Þeir kanna nú lið sitt, ok var eigi eftir meir en hundrað
> manns liðfært, ok áttu þeir fóstbræðr nú miklum sigri at
> hrósa.

> They now review his troops, and (there) was not more than
> 100 able-bodied men after (the battle), and the foster
> brothers now had a great victory to praise.

> They review their troops now and after there were not more
> than 120 able bodied men and those foster-brothers now had
> a great triumph.

> They muster now their troops, and not more than a hundred
> able-bodied men (persons) (gram sg) were left (vera
> eptir), and those foster-brothers now had-the-right (eiga,
> Z4?) to triumph greatly (lit: praise a great victory).

They muster their host now, and no more than a hundred
[presumably 120] men were able-bodied afterwards, and the
foster brothers now had the right to praise a great victory.

I take the last bit to mean that they had won a great
victory and earned the right to boast of it. I don’t see
any way to incorporate <at hrósa> other than as the
infinitive in an <eiga> + inf. construction.

> Skiptu menn nú herfangi, en þeir váru græddir, sem
> græðandi váru.

> The men now divided the booty, and they were healed (?),
> as they were healing (?).

> Men divided the booty now, and they were healed who were
> healing?

> (The) men now divided (the) booty, but (and) those were
> healed, who were (in need of?) healing.

The men now divided the booty, and those were healed who
were healable.

<Græðandi> ‘healable’ is in CV s.v. <græða>. This use of
the present participle is mentioned in Barnes, Section
3.9.7.4.

> 16. Herrauðr ok Bósi settust at ríkjum.

> Herraudr and Bosi Settled into their Kingdom

> Herraudr and Bosi set themselves to ruling?

> Herauðr and Bósi settle in (their) kingdoms.

Herrauð and Bósi settle in [their] kingdoms.

> Síðan bjuggust þeir við brúðlaupum sínum Herrauðr ok Bósi,
> ok skorti nú eigi tilföng bæði nóg ok góð, ok stóð veizlan
> mánuð, ok váru menn með virðuligum gjöfum á burt leystir.

> Then they, Herraudr and Bosi, prepared for the wedding,
> and both sufficient and good supplies did not lack, and
> the wedding feast lasted a month, and men were dismissed
> (i.e., sent away) with gifts.

> Afterwards they, Herraudr and Bosi, prepared their
> weddings and now both good and sufficient supplies were
> not lacking and the feast went on for a month and me were
> sent away with worthy gifts.

> After-that they, Herrauðr and Bósi, readied-themselves for
> their weddings (plural), and now (they) lacked not means
> (supplies), both sufficient and good, and the-feast lasted
> (lit: stood) a month, and folk were sent away with fine
> gifts.

After that Herrauðr and Bósi prepared for their weddings,
and there was now no shortage of supplies both plentiful and
good, and the feast lasted a month, and folks were sent away
with magnificent gifts.

> Tók Herrauðr þá konungsnafn yfir öllum þeim ríkjum, sem
> faðir hans hafði stýrt.

> Herraudr then took the King's title over all the kingdom,
> where his father had ruled.

> Herraudr then took the king’s name over all that kingdom
> which his father had governed.

> Herrauðr took then (the) title-of-king over all those
> realms (plural), which his father had ruled.

Then Herrauð the title of king over all those realms that
his father had ruled.

> Litlu síðar söfnuðu þeir liði ok fóru til Bjarmalands, ok
> beiddi Bósi sér þar viðtöku ok taldi þat til, at Edda ætti
> land allt eftir föður sinn, er nú var orðin eiginkona
> hans, ok segist hann svá helzt mega bæta landsmönnum þann
> mannskaða, sem þeir höfðu af honum fengit, at vera konungr
> yfir þeim ok styrkja þá með lögum ok réttarbótum.

> A little later they gathered their troops, and they went
> to Bjarmaland, and Bosi himself asked for hospitality and
> claimed that, that Edda owned all (the) land after his
> father, and now had become his wife, and he said of
> himself so most of all to be able to compensate the
> inhabitants of the country for the loss of life, as they
> had received from him, to be king over all (of) them and
> assist them with laws and bettering of their condition.

> A little later they assembled a company and went to
> Bjarmaland and Bosi asked for a reception there for
> himself and counted that to it that Edda who had now
> become his wife, had all the country after her father, and
> he says of himself to most to be able to compensate the
> countrymen for that loss of life which they had got from
> him, to be king over them and strengthen them with laws
> and bettering of their condition.

> A little later, they assembled troops and journeyed to
> Bjarmaland, and Bósi requested acceptance (as king) for
> himself there and counted that towards (it) (ie argued his
> case by claiming), that Edda owned all that land after (ie
> as inheritance from) her father, who (Edda, not her
> father) now was (had) become his own-wife, and he
> says-for-himself so best (ie it to be so much better), (in
> order) to be able to compensate (the) land’s-inhabitants
> for that loss-of-life, which they had received from him,
> (for him) to be king over them and to assist them with
> (the) law and bettering-their-conditions. (Not sure that I
> got the grammar 100% right but I think I got the sense of
> it)

A little later they gathered a host and travelled to
Bjarmaland, and Bósi asked for acceptance there on the
grounds that Edda, who had now become his wife, held the
whole land after her father [i.e., by inheritance], and he
says that he is thus best able to compensate the land’s
inhabitants for the loss of life that they had suffered from
him, to be king over them and to strengthen them with laws
and amendments thereto.

I take <lögum ok réttarbótum> to refer to the entire code of
laws, including additions and amendments; see CV s.v.
<réttarbót>.

> Ok með því at þeir váru höfðingjalausir, þá sá þeir engan
> sinn kost vænna en taka hann sér til konungs.

> And because they were chiefless, they then saw no likely
> alternative than to take him for a king.

> And because they were without at chieftain, then they saw
> never a likely choice than to take him as their king.

> And with that (ie because), that they were chiefless, then
> they saw at no time (ie there never would be) a better
> opportunity (choice) than to take him as king for
> themselves.

And because they were without a chieftain, they saw then no
more promising alternative than to take him for their king.

<Engan> is masc. acc. sing.; it must modify <kost>, not the
neuter noun <sinn>. So far as I can see, <sinn> here must
be the pronoun. I’m not sure just how it’s functioning. My
best guess is that it has a distributive function: each of
them saw no more promising alternative. Or it may simply be
idiomatic: it has no obvious function in the first example
at Zoëga s.v. <kostr> (Z1), which presumably means ‘he saw
no other choice’, and Baetke s.v. <kostr> has <sjá sinn kost
at> + inf. ‘to think it best or advisable to’.

<Vænna> is the comparative, masc. acc. sing. in the weak
adj. declension: normally you’d expect <vænra>, but <nr>
assimilates to <nn> (as in <steinn> instead of <steinr>).

> Var Edda þeim kunnig áðr at öllum góðum siðum.

> Edda was known to them previously for all good conduct.

> Edda was their king before to all moral life?

> Edda was known (kunnigr) to them already in respect of all
> good (moral) conduct (gram plural).

Edda was known to them before for all good conduct.

> Gerðist Bósi nú konungr yfir Bjarmalandi.

> Bosi now became king over Bjarmaland.

> Bosi made himself now king over Bjarmaland.

> Bósi was-made (ie became) now king over Bjarmaland.

Bósi now became king over Bjarmaland.

> Hann átti son við frillu sinni, þeiri er hann herti
> jarlinn hjá.

> He had a son with his mistress, they (?) who he pursued
> vigorously by the earl. (??)

> He had a son with his mistress, ?? which he ?? the earl
> nearby.

> He had a son by his lover, that-one (ie she, the first
> farmer´s daughter) with whom he (Bósi) hardened (tempered,
> herða) the-“earl”.

He had a son by his concubine, the one by whom he hardened
his ‘jarl’.

> Sá hét Sviði inn sókndjarfi; hann var faðir Vilmundar
> viðutan.

> The one named Svidi the valiant, he was father of
> Vilmundar the absent-minded.

> That one was named Svidi the valiant, he was father of
> Vilmundr the outsider?

> That-one (ie he) was-called Sviði the valiant; he was
> father of Vilmundr (the) Absent-minded (distracted, MnI).

He was called Sviði the battle-bold; he was the father of
Vilmund viðutan [‘without, outside of’].

The byname <viðutan> is in CV as <viðútan>; it’s not in
Baetke, and Lind’s study of medieval Norse bynames gives no
gloss at all. As Rob and Alan discovered, <viðutan> is
‘distracted, absent-minded’ in the modern language, and
we’ve seen that this saga exhibits some more modern usages,
so it’s entirely possible that that’s the sense of this
byname. Or it may be as cryptic as the English byname
<Latethewaterga> ‘let the water go’ recorded in 1242! (One
can at least see how a literal ‘without, outside of’ could
come to mean ‘absent-minded’.)

Brian