Icelandic Sagas - Translation: What's Lost and Gained.

Somethings are just lost in translation, we all know that. If you can't read the original, somethings are found by reading translations by different authors.

I'm now reading The Laxdoela Saga, translated by A. Margaret Arent (copyright 1964).  Some of the people in this saga also appeared in The Story of Burnt Njal, however their names are spelled differently. Hauskuld/Hoskuld. Unna/Unn. Snorri Godi/Snorri the Priest. Tongue/Tunga. "Godi" is a title for a priest/chieftain so instead of calling him "Snorri the Priest," she called him "Snorri Godi." Additionally, instead of translating the name of his home to "Tongue," she left it as "Tunga."

So, by reading both translations, the notes, and learning a little history, I learned what his name really was (Snorri Godi) and what it meant to those who heard it in his day (Snorri the Priest). "Godi" (more authentically: goði) doesn't just mean "priest," you have to understand how it was used in the days of the sagas. According to Arent in her introduction, the priests of the old Norse religion had lots of power (to be a priest was to be a chieftain). She further explains that when Iceland became a republic, the goðar (plural of goði) automatically became members of parliament, the lawmakers.

Snorri was one of those men. If you read either name by itself, it doesn't mean a whole lot. One must dig into the notes in the book and the history or Iceland itself.

Time makes a difference in  translation. The sagas were written a long time ago and culture has changed considerably since then. The translators also come from different eras, affecting their translations. Sir George Webbe Dasent lived from 1817-1896 (translator of The Story of Burnt Njal, which was first published in 1861).  We now live in a different era with different customs. Sir Dasent used archaic language in his translation (probably even archaic for his time), including English words that are no longer used but approximated the Icelandic word better than any words we have now.

For example, Dasent used the words "boun" and "busked" while Arent used more current language: "made ready, fitted out."  Instead of saying "Easterling" she informs us the person is from Norway. Dasent used the word "daysmen" which refers to an arbitrator. This word appears in the King James Bible in Job 9:33. The King James Bible is from the 1600s, which is well before Dasent's time.

So, what we've got is a story from nearly a millennium ago, translated by a man who lived two hundred years ago (during the Victorian era) who used words atleast two hundred years older than himself (from Shakespeare's time), read by people of a vastly different era (us).

For more on the archaic words themselves:
Icelandic Sagas - A Cultural Glossary and Location Illuminator

Works Cited:
Arent, A. Margaret. The Laxdoela Saga. University of Washington Press, 1964
Dasent, Sir George Webbe. The Story of Burnt Njal. J. M. Dent and Sons LTD, 1960

Icelandic Sagas - A Cultural Glossary and Location Illuminator

Although the sagas are translated to English they may use words that are not as familiar to us. The translation I'm reading currently uses some lesser known vocabulary and archaic terms. Below is a list of some that I found in The Story of Burnt Njal, The Laxdoela Saga, and The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow (although the latter is not a saga, it is written in that style and uses many of the same words and places.)

Icelandic place names tend to be descriptive of the place, and are often translated into English, which, although they make it easier for us to understand, does make it harder if you're trying to find a place on a map.

Glossary

The Althing/the Thing - Icelandic parliament/court system which began in 930 A.D.

Boun - to make or get ready. Or as an adverb: ready, prepared, destined. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Boun)

Busk - to make ready, prepare. A Scot's word from Old Norse būask.  (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Busk)

Combe - a deep narrow valley, or a valley on the side of a hill. A British word. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/combe)

Dale - a valley

Easterling - a person from Norway. (From notes in The Story of Burnt Njal)

Ell - a term of measurement. For the Icelanders at the time of the sagas it was 18 inches long. "The Viking ell was the measure from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, about 18 inches. The Viking ell or primitive ell was used in Iceland up to the 1200s." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ell)

Fell - a high barren field or moor. From Middle English, from Old Norse fell, fjall mountain. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fell)

Fey - 1. fated to die, having a premonition of death. 2. able to see the future, having an otherworldly demeanor, crazy. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fey?show=0&t=1363108715)

Firth - a long narrow inlet of the sea.  A Scots word, from Middle English furth from Old Norse fjördhr (The Free Dictionary.)  Notice how the Old Norse word is close to fjord, which also means a narrow inlet of the sea, but refers specifically to those that are a "long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between steep slopes;" it comes from the same Old Norse word fjördhr . (The Free Dictionary. ) The Icelandic word for firth is  fjörđur (Dicts).

Vetch - a name that refers to a family of plants used for fodder or plant bed cover. Grows 1-4 feet tall. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vetch)

Westfirther - I think this means someone from the Westfjords. The Icelandic word for this location is Vestfirðir. The eth (the funny symbol) is pronounced like "th" in "the." So the word is roughly "vest-feer-theer" similar to "westfirther."  Also, (and I think this is the real reason) "er" can be added to a place name to make it into a people group name. Examples: Iceland, Icelander. Michigan, Michigander.  "Firth" is very close to the word "fjord" in origin, and somehow we got Westfirthers instead of Westfjorders. Perfectly plausible. 

Locations mentioned in these two works

Broadfirth - is Breiðifjörður.  It is a exactly what it's name means: A broad firth. It's the northernmost of the two largest bays on the western face of Iceland. Reykjavik is located on the southern one (Faxafloi).
See Wikipedia for more information. 

Hawkdale - is Haukadalur, and it is a name shared by three valleys.  One is in the Westfjords, one is in Snæfellsnes, and the third is a popular tourist destination, containing geysers, including the famous Geysir.
(Hawksdale locations listed on Wikipedia)

Hvammfirth - the southern inlet of Breiðifjörður (see map below).

Pentland firth - the strait between the Orkneys and Scotland (Wikipedia).

Snowfellsness - Snæfellsnes/snjófellsnes, the promontory dividing Breiðifjörður and Faxafloi.

Thingvellir - Icelandic: Þingvellir. The meeting place of the Althing. A valley with big rifts in it. See my post, Þingvellir - That Great Wonder of Iceland   for a description using photos to illustrate.

Westfjords - Vestfirðir. The large peninsula above Breiðifjörður. Maps available here: Westfjords, Wikipedia

Map of Iceland

Western Iceland

Resources:

I found the translation for Broadfirth and Snowfellness in The Saga Library, edited by William Morris and Eiríkr Magnússon 
This link will take you to "Broadfirth" in the Index, where you can then search for other names.

The Story of Burnt Njal, translated by Sir George Webbe Dasent. J.M. Dent & Sons LTD, London, England. Published 1911. Reprinted 1960.

~This post will be updated as I continue reading the sagas. I am also working on a map with major places labeled, including Thingvellir.~