> Þormóðr sá, er skotit hafði sauðnum til sauða Markúss,
> færði Lofti höfuð sitt um vetrinn eftir víg Markúss, en
> Loftr mælti, at hann skyldi sjálfr ráða fyrir höfði sínu.
> Thormodr, the one who had paid the sheep for Markus's
> sheep, conveyed to Lofti his head durning the winter after
> the slaying of Markus, and/but Loftr said that she would
> himself advice for his head.
> That Þormóðr, who had driven the-sheep towards [the] sheep
> of Markús, surrendered (lit: conveyed his-own head) to
> Loptr during the winter after [the] slaying of Markús, but
> (and) Loptr spoke, that he himself should be-master-of
> his-own head (whatever that means?, <ráða fyrir e-u>,
> Z16).
That Þormóð who had thrust the sheep in with Markús’s sheep
surrended his head to Loft the winter after Markús’s
slaying, but Lopt said that he himself should control his
own head.
GPH says that miscreants who surrendered their heads were
usually but not always spared. The last bit presumably
means that Lopt did not accept Þórmoð’s surrender but rather
let him go.
> Um þat var kveðin vísa:
> Concering that this verse was said:
> About that was a verse recited:
A verse was recited about that:
> Hvatvetna grét —
> hefk þat fregit,
> býsn þótti þat —
> Baldr ór helju.
> Þó hefr hæra,
> þás höfuð færði,
> Þórmóðr þotit.
> Þat es ólogit.
> Wept for anything-whatever,
> I have heard that,
> That seemed a wonder,
> Baldr out of the-abode-of-the-dead (Hel)
> Still has louder (lit: higher)
> when [he] brought [his] head (ie surrendered)
> Þórmóðr let-out-a-loud-sound (<þjóta>)
> That is not-lied (ie true, <úljúga>)
For everything wept —
I have heard that,
it seemed a wonder —
Baldr from Hel.
Louder though has
(when [he] surrendered [his] head)
Þórmóð howled.
That is true.
GPH suggests that the last line means that the poet did not
take the Baldr story seriously and is saying that this tale
of Þórmóð, unlike the Baldr story, is true.
> [Note: the text I am using doesn't appear to have a
> version B]
That’s probably because the original syntax is fairly
normal.
> [Version C]
> Allir hlutir grétu Baldur úr helju.
> Baldur cries all things out of the abode of the dead.
> Baldr weeps for all things out-of the-abode-of-the-dead,
> Hel)
From Hel Baldr weeps for all things.
> Eg hefi frétt það.
> I have heard it.
> I have heard that.
I have heard that.
> Það þótti undur.
> It seemed a miracle,
> That seemed a wonder.
It seemed a wonder.
> Þó hefir Þormóður grátið hærra, þegar hann færði höfuð
> sitt.
> Although Thormodr has cried high, at once he conveyed his
> head.
> Still Þormóðr had wept (even) louder (lit: higher),
> as-soon-as he surrendered.
Yet Þórmóð wept [‘has wept’] louder when he surrendered his
head.
Even though it just means ‘surrendered’, I’m retaining the
idiom, as GPH does in her notes.
> Það er engin lygi.
> It is no lie.
> That is no lie.
That is no lie.
> Of várit næsta eftir víg Markúss var áttr sáttarfundr of
> þessi málaefni.
> During the next spring after the slaying of Markus, a
> peace-meeting was had (i.e., held) about these
> circumstances and nature of the case.
> During the next spring after [the] slaying of Markús, a
> peace-meeting was held (<eiga>, Z5) about this
> case’s-circumstances-and-nature..
The next spring after Markús’s slaying a peace-meeting was
held concerning the nature and circumstances of this case.
> Sá fundr var á Barðaströnd á þeim bæ, er at Haukabergi
> heitir.
> That meeting was at Bardastrand at the farmstead, which is
> called "at Haukaberg."
> That meeting was at Barðaströnd (Strand of various
> possibilities: warship-prows, helmet-brims, axes, etc) at
> that farm, which is-called at Haukaberg (Rock of Hawks)
That meeting was at Barðaströnd at the farm that is called
‘at Haukaberg’ [‘hawks’ cliff’].
So far I’ve not found any information on the etymology of
<Barðaströnd>, but given the location and nature of the
place I’d go with <barði> ‘a sort of ship; baleen whale’ as
most likely. There is also a masculine name <Barði>, so it
could conceivably be ‘Barði’s strand’, but there’s no
indication of this in Landnámabók.
> Fyrir þeim fundi réð Hrafn Sveinbjarnarson ok Jón prestr
> Brandsson ok Krákr Þórarinsson, Steinólfr prestr Ljótsson.
> Before the meetings, Hrafn Sveinbjarnson planned, and (so
> did) priest Jon Brandson and Krakr Thorarinsoon, (and)
> priest Steinolfr Ljotson.
> Hrafn Sveinbjörn’s-son had command over <ráða fyrir e-u>,
> Z16) that meeting and Priest Jón Brandr’s-son and Krákr
> Þórarinn’s-son, Priest Steinólfr Ljótr’s-son.
Hrafn Sveinbjarnarson and Jón prestr [‘(the) priest’]
Brandsson and Krák Þórarinson [and] Steinólf prestr Ljótsson
ran the meeting.
> Jón Brandsson var vinr mikill Lofts Markússonar, ok því
> bað hann Hrafn til at handsala fyrir Inga ok Guðlaug
> þingmenn sína eða fá menn til handsala.
> Jon Brandson was a great friend of Loft, Markus's son, and
> asked Hrafn to pledge Ingo and Gudlaug for his thingmen or
> get men to pledge.
> Jón Brandr’son was a great friend of Loptr Markús’s-son,
> and therefore he asked Hrafn on-behalf-of Ingi and
> Guðlaugr to make-over-by-shaking-of-hands his Þing-men
> (liegemen) or to deliver-up people (men) as surety.
Jón Brandsson was a great friend of Lopt Markússon, and so
he asked Hrafn to have his þingmen stand surety for Ingi and
Guðlaug or to get people to stand surety.
> Gellir hét maðr Steinsson ok Jóreiðar Þórólfsdóttur.
> There was a man named Gellir, son of Stein and Joreidar,
> daughter of Thorolf.
> [There] was a person (man) called Gellir son of Steinn and
> Jóreiðr Þórólfr’s-daughter.
There was a man called Gellir, son of Stein and Jóreið
Þórólfsdóttir.
> Gellir átti Vigdísi Sturludóttur, en Jón Brandsson átti
> Steinunni Sturludóttur, en þó var sínum megin hvárr þeira
> at þessu máli, því at Gellir hafði tekizt á hendr Inga ok
> varðveitt hann á laun á bæ sínum.
> Gellir was married to Vigdis, daughter of Sturl, and Jon
> Brandson was married to Steinnuni, daughter of Sturl, but
> yet there was to oneself the main thing to both of them at
> this matter, because Gllier had taken the hand of Inga and
> he kept (her) secretly on his farmstead.
> Gellir had [in marriage] Vigdís Sturla’s-daughter, but
> (and) Jón Brandr’s-son had [in marriage] Steinunn
> Sturla’s-daughter (obviously the same Sturla from what
> follows), but nevertheless each (of the two) of them was
> on his-own side (ie on different sides) in this case,
> because Gellir had taken on his hands Ingi and kept him in
> secret at his farm.
Gellir married Vigdís Sturludóttir, and Jón Brandsson
married Steinun Sturludóttir, but nevertheless each of them
was on his own side in this case, because Gellir had taken
Ingi on his hands and taken care of him in secret at his
farm.
<Sturla>, the father’s name, is striking because it looks
like a standard weak *feminine* name. It’s an original
byname, apparently derived from the verb <sturla> ‘to
derange, disturb’.
> Gellir var hávaðamaðr mikill ok heitrammr.
> Gellir was a great noisy, self-assertive and boasting man.
> Gellir was a great self-assertive-person (man) and
> boasting.
Gellir was a very self-assertive man and ‘threat-strong’.
GPH says that this is the unique occurrence of <heitrammr>,
so any translation is a bit problematic; I’ve given an
etymological one.
> En þá er Gellir vissi fund þenna, safnaði hann liði ok fór
> með fjölmenni til þessa fundar ok hafði með sér í för
> Árna, er óhelgat hafði Markús.
> And/but when Gellir knew of this meeting, he gathered a
> body of men and went with his followers to this meeting
> and had with him on the journey Arna, who had declared
> Markus an outlaw.
> But (And) when Gellir knew of this meeting, he gathered
> troops and journeyed with a multitude-of-folk to this
> meeting and had with him in journey (ie had as a
> travelling companion) Árni, who had proclaimed Markús
> outlawed.
And when Gellir heard of this meeting, he gathered a host
and travelled with many people to this meeting and had with
him on the journey Árni, who had proclaimed Markús outlawed.
> Þeir fóru með mikilli gemsan.
> They went with much gibing.
> They journeyed with great gibing.
They travelled with much gibing.
> Ok er þeir váru á för komnir, þá sagði Gellir sik fleirum
> mönnum andvígan en einum.
> And when they arrived at the journey, then Gellir said
> several of his men (were) a match for but some.
> And when they were (had) come on [their] journey, then
> Gellir said himself [to be] a match for more-people (men)
> than one.
And when they had started the journey, Gellir declared
himself a match for more men than one.
> Um þat var kveðin sjá vísa:
> Concerning that was this verse said:
> About that was recited this verse:
About that this verse was recited:
> Verða nadda Nirðir,
> nú emk út kominn, lúta.
> "Víst munk fimm it fæsta
> fella einn," kvað Gellir.
Spears’ Njörðs must,
now I have come out, yield.
‘Surely I will at least five
fell alone,’ said Gellir.
<Nirðir> is the nom. plur. of the theonym <Njörðr>, so in
effect it’s ‘gods’. Although the usual dictionaries agree
that <naddr> is ‘nail, pin, stud’, the Lexicon Poeticum says
that in this context it’s ‘point, spearpoint, spear’;
spears’ gods are warriors. Thus, the first two lines are in
effect ‘Warriors must yield now that I have come out’.
> [Version B]
> Nadda Nirðir verða lúta.
> Nadda Nirdir must give way.
> Northern Gods (pl of Njörðr) of studs (?) must bow-down.
Spears’ Njörðs [= spears’s gods = warriors] must yield.
> Nú emk út kominn.
> Now I have come out.
> I am now come out
Now I have come out.
> "Víst munk einn fella fimm it fæsta," kvað Gellir:
> "Certainly, I will alone fell five at least," said Gellir.
> (Z. fár (first entry) 1: sex menn it fæsta, six men at
> least)
> Certainly I alone will fell (slay) five at least,”
> declared Gellir.
> [Version C]
> Bardagamennirnir verða að lúta í lægra haldi.
> The-battle-people (warriors) had to bow-down in lower
> esteem.
The warriors must lose.
The Icelandic Online Dictionary s.vv. <lúta>, <hald> has
<lúta í lægra haldi> ‘be defeated; lose, be beaten’. In
view of the ON version I think that ‘much’ here must mean
‘must of necessity’, i.e., there is no possibility that they
will not be defeated.
> Nú er eg kominn út.
> Now I am come out.
Now I have come out.
> “Vissulega mun eg einn fella ftmm menn hið fæsta," sagði
> Gellir.
> “Certainly I alone will fell (slay) five persons (men) at
> least (fá, Z1),” said Gellir
Certainly I alone will kill at least five men,’ said Gellir.
> Ok er þeir kómu til fundarins, þá var Lofti mjök óþokkat
> um þeira gems.
> And when they came to the meeting, then Lofti was very
> discontented concerning their scoff(ing).
> And when they came to the-meeting, then the-displeasure of
> Loptr was much (ie great) concerning their gibes (acc neut
> plural).
And when they arrived at the meeting, Lopt was much annoyed
by their gibes.
> Því skaut hann spjóti í flokk Gellis.
> Therefore he shot a spear in Gelli's body of men.
> Therefore he shot a spear into [the] band of Gellir.
So he flung a spear into Gellir’s company.
> Af því spjóti fekk sá maðr sár, er Hólmsteinn hét.
> From the spear, a man named Holmsteinn (island-stone),
> received a wound.
> From that spear, that person (man), who was-called
> Hólmsteinn, received a wound.
The man who was called Hólmstein received a wound from that
spear.
> Hann fell við skotit ok varð lítt sárr.
> He fell with the shot and became a little wounded.
> He fell on-account-of the shot and became (ie) was a
> little (ie slightly) wounded.
He fell from the throw but was little wounded.
> Ok síðan hljóp förunautr Lofts, sá er Óttarr hét, ok hjó í
> flokk Gellis, en maðr vildi stöðva höggit, sá er Örnólfr
> hét.
> And then Loft's companion, the one named Ottar, ran and
> struck at Gelli's body of man, and/but a man, the one who
> was named Ornolfr, wanted to stop the blow.
> Ander after-that a travelling-companion of Loptr, that-one
> who was-called Óttarr, ran and hewed into [the] band of
> Gellir, but (and) a person (man), that-one who was-called
> Örnólfr, wanted to stop the-blow.
And after that Lopt’s companion, he who was called Óttar,
ran and struck at Gellir’s company, but a man wanted to stop
the blow, he who was called Örnólf.
> Hann var húskarl Steinólfs prests.
> He was a house servant of Steinolf the priest.
> He was a manservant of Priest Steinólfr.
He was a housecarl of Steinólf [the] priest.
Brian