{"id":3219,"date":"2013-07-03T16:06:31","date_gmt":"2013-07-03T16:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/islenzka.net\/?p=3219"},"modified":"2013-07-03T16:06:31","modified_gmt":"2013-07-03T16:06:31","slug":"once-upon-a-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/islenzka.net\/once-upon-a-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Once Upon A Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JonArnason\"<\/p>\n

J\u00f3n \u00c1rnason<\/a> was an Icelandic author best known for having collected, along with Magn\u00fas Gr\u00edmsson, a great number of Icelandic folktales (\u00fej\u00f3\u00f0s\u00f6gur<\/strong>). These were published in the 2-volume set \u00cdslenzkar \u00dej\u00f3\u00f0s\u00f6gur og \u00c6fint\u00fdri<\/em>, which was over 1300 pages long. The short tale selected below is from the \u00c1lfar og hulduf\u00f3lk<\/strong> section (Elves and Hidden People<\/em>), and can be found along with hundreds of others on the snerpa.is<\/a> web site. <\/p>\n

BARNI\u00d0 ME\u00d0 BLETTINN \u00c1 KINNINNI<\/strong><\/a>
\nThe Child With the Mark On Its Cheek<\/strong><\/p>\n

Svo bar til einu sinni seint \u00e1 sumri a\u00f0 barn fimm e\u00f0a sex \u00e1ra gamalt var skili\u00f0 eftir eitt saman heima \u00e1 b\u00e6 nokkrum, en allt heimilisf\u00f3lki\u00f0 f\u00f3r \u00e1 engjar til heyvinnu.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It just so happened, once upon a time in late summer, that a child five or six years old was left home alone on a certain farm, while the rest of the household went to harvest hay in the fields.<\/em><\/p>\n

\r\nbera til            happen\r\nskilja eftir        leave behind\r\nheimilis\u00b7f\u00f3lk (n)   household\r\nengjar (f) pl       meadows, fields\r\n<\/pre>\n
\u00deegar f\u00f3lki\u00f0 kom af engjunum um kv\u00f6ldi\u00f0 var barni\u00f0 horfi\u00f0, en tinkanna sem \u00fev\u00ed haf\u00f0i veri\u00f0 l\u00e9\u00f0 til a\u00f0 leika s\u00e9r a\u00f0 fannst \u00ed b\u00e6jardyrunum. Undireins var vi\u00f0 brug\u00f0i\u00f0 og fari\u00f0 a\u00f0 leita a\u00f0 barninu alsta\u00f0ar sem m\u00f6nnum hugkv\u00e6mdist; var leit \u00feessari framhaldi\u00f0 \u00ed nokkra daga. \u00dea\u00f0 kom fyrir ekki; barni\u00f0 fannst ekki.<\/strong><\/p>\n
When the people returned home from the fields that evening the child had vanished, but the tin can he had been given to play with was found near the farmhouse doors. They were immediately alarmed and went to look for the child everywhere they could think of; the search went on for several days. Nothing came of it however; the child was not found.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
a\u00f0 hverfa – to vanish<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/th>\npresent<\/th>\npast<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00e9g<\/th>\nhverf<\/td>\nhvarf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00fe\u00fa<\/th>\nhverfur<\/td>\nhvarfst<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00fea\u00f0<\/th>\nhverfur<\/td>\nhvarf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
vi\u00f0<\/th>\nhverfum<\/td>\nhurfum<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00fei\u00f0<\/th>\nhverfi\u00f0<\/td>\nhurfu\u00f0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00feau<\/th>\nhverfa<\/td>\nhurfu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n  <\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
a\u00f0 lj\u00e1 – to lend<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/th>\npresent<\/th>\npast<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00e9g<\/th>\nlj\u00e6<\/td>\nl\u00e9\u00f0i<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00fe\u00fa<\/th>\nlj\u00e6r\u00f0<\/td>\nl\u00e9\u00f0ir<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00fea\u00f0<\/th>\nlj\u00e6r<\/td>\nl\u00e9\u00f0i<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
vi\u00f0<\/th>\nlj\u00e1um<\/td>\nl\u00e9\u00f0um<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00fei\u00f0<\/th>\nlj\u00e1i\u00f0<\/td>\nl\u00e9\u00f0u\u00f0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00feau<\/th>\nlj\u00e1<\/td>\nl\u00e9\u00f0u<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n
A couple of verbs with fun conjugations \ud83d\ude42 Usually a\u00f0 lj\u00e1<\/strong> means to lend<\/em>, but since we’re talking about a child’s toy give<\/em> seemed more appropriate.<\/p>\n
\r\nlj\u00e1 v (dat+acc)     lend\r\nb\u00e6jar\u00b7dyr (f) pl    farmhouse door\r\nundir\u00b7eins adv      at once, immediately\r\nhug\u00b7kv\u00e6mast v refl  think of, imagine\r\n<\/pre>\n
Loksins var\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 til brag\u00f0s teki\u00f0 a\u00f0 f\u00e1 Lat\u00ednu-Bjarna til a\u00f0 segja hva\u00f0 af barninu v\u00e6ri or\u00f0i\u00f0. Hann kva\u00f0st vita \u00fea\u00f0, en ekki segja. Var hann \u00fe\u00e1 be\u00f0inn a\u00f0 n\u00e1 barninu ef \u00fea\u00f0 v\u00e6ri lifandi; \u00fea\u00f0 t\u00f3kst hann \u00e1 hendur og kom me\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 sk\u00f6mmu s\u00ed\u00f0ar, en var \u00f3f\u00e1anlegur til a\u00f0 segja hvert hann hef\u00f0i s\u00f3kt \u00fea\u00f0.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Finally a solution was found in having Latinu-Bjarni tell them what could have become of the child. He claimed to know, but wouldn’t say. He was asked to get the child back if it were alive; he took on the task and came back with the child a short time later, but could not be persuaded to say where he had found him.<\/em><\/p>\n
I could not find out what s\u00f3kt<\/strong> means, so that is just a guess…if anyone knows, please tell me \ud83d\ude42 It apparently has to be a past participle, since it appears with hef\u00f0i<\/strong>, but I don’t know what verb it comes from. An archaic form of s\u00f3tt<\/strong>, from s\u00e6kja<\/strong>?<\/p>\n
\r\ntaka til brag\u00f0s     find a solution\r\nkve\u00f0a v (acc)       say\r\ntakast \u00e1 hendur     undertake\r\n\u00f3\u00b7f\u00e1anlegur adj     unobtainable, unavailable\r\n<\/pre>\n
Barni\u00f0 var \u00feegar \u00fea\u00f0 heimtist aftur a\u00f0 \u00f6llu leyti eins og \u00fea\u00f0 var \u00feegar \u00fea\u00f0 hvarf nema bl\u00e1r blettur var \u00e1 h\u00e6gri kinn \u00feess. \u00deegar \u00fea\u00f0 var spurt a\u00f0 hvernig hvarf \u00feess hef\u00f0i atvikast sag\u00f0i \u00fea\u00f0 svo fr\u00e1:<\/p>\n
“\u00c9g var a\u00f0 leika m\u00e9r a\u00f0 k\u00f6nnunni minni fram \u00ed b\u00e6jardyrum og kve\u00f0a kv\u00e6\u00f0in m\u00edn og \u00fe\u00e1 kemur h\u00fan m\u00f3\u00f0ir m\u00edn til m\u00edn \u00feegjandi, tekur \u00ed hendina \u00e1 m\u00e9r og lei\u00f0ir mig me\u00f0 s\u00e9r \u00fat \u00far b\u00e6num. \u00c9g sag\u00f0i: “\u00c6, kannan m\u00edn var\u00f0 eftir.” H\u00fan gegndi \u00fev\u00ed engu og h\u00e9lt svona \u00feegjandi \u00e1fram me\u00f0 mig \u00feanga\u00f0 til h\u00fan kom a\u00f0 einhverjum undarlegum b\u00e6 sem var \u00f3l\u00edkur b\u00e6num m\u00ednum. \u00c9g s\u00e1 \u00fear margt f\u00f3lk og \u00feekkti \u00fea\u00f0 ekki; \u00fe\u00e1 s\u00e1 \u00e9g l\u00edka a\u00f0 konan var ekki m\u00f3\u00f0ir m\u00edn, heldur einhver \u00f3kunnug kona, en \u00fe\u00f3 nokku\u00f0 l\u00edk m\u00f3\u00f0ur minni. \u00c9g f\u00f3r \u00fe\u00e1 a\u00f0 gr\u00e1ta, en konan hugga\u00f0i mig og l\u00e9\u00f0i m\u00e9r allra handa falleg gull \u00f3gnarlega skr\u00fdtin.<\/strong><\/p>\n
The child was in all respects just as he was when he disappeared, except for a blue mark on his right cheek. When asked how his disappearance had happened he related the following:<\/p>\n
“I was playing with my can by the farmhouse doors and reciting my poem when my mother came up to me silently, took me by the hand and led me out of town. I said: “Oh, I forgot my can.” She didn’t respond and continued on in silence until she came to some strange town that wasn’t mine. I saw many people there but didn’t know any of them; then I saw that the woman wasn’t my mother, but some stranger, who only looked a little like my mother. Then I started to cry, but she comforted me and gave me all sorts of beautiful, frightfully strange toys.<\/em><\/p>\n
I left kve\u00f0a kv\u00e6\u00f0in m\u00edn<\/strong> as reciting my poem<\/em>, which would be the literal translation, but I’m not sure if here it might mean saying my prayers<\/em>, or something similar intended to ward off evil spirits.<\/p>\n
One thing that poses a problem is that the Icelandic word for child (barn<\/strong>) is a neuter noun, and there is no neuter in English. In Icelandic the gender of the child can remain up to the reader’s imagination, but in English it becomes difficult to avoid using he<\/em> or she<\/em> without it sounding very strange. I wish I could have managed it, as I like the ambiguity in the original.<\/p>\n
I could also use help with \u00feegar \u00fea\u00f0 heimtist aftur<\/strong>…heimta<\/strong> means demand<\/em>? Not sure what the reflexive form means.<\/p>\n
\r\nheimta v (acc)      demand\r\na\u00f0 \u00f6llu leyti       in all repspects\r\nat\u00b7vikast v         happen\r\nkv\u00e6\u00f0i n             poem\r\n\u00feegjandi adj        silently\r\ngegna v (dat)       answer, respond\r\nundar\u00b7legur adj     peculiar, odd, strange\r\nhugga v (acc)       comfort\r\nallra handa         of all kinds\r\n\u00f3gnar\u00b7lega adv      terribly, frightfully\r\nskr\u00edtinn adj        strange, odd, peculiar\r\n<\/pre>\n
Allt f\u00f3lki\u00f0 var gott vi\u00f0 mig og \u00fe\u00f3 undi \u00e9g m\u00e9r ekki; mig langa\u00f0i til hennar m\u00f3\u00f0ur minnar og heim \u00e1 b\u00e6inn minn. Einu sinni vildi \u00e9g ekki drekka mj\u00f3lkina sem konan gaf m\u00e9r; \u00fe\u00e1 hasta\u00f0i h\u00fan \u00e1 mig og sl\u00f3 d\u00e1l\u00edti\u00f0 \u00e1 kinnina \u00e1 m\u00e9r.”<\/strong><\/p>\n
Everyone was good to me but I didn’t want to stay any longer; I wanted to go home to my mother in my own town. Once I didn’t want to drink the milk the woman gave me; she scolded me and gave me a little slap on the cheek.”<\/em><\/p>\n
\r\nuna v (dat)         to stay, remain\r\nhasta v             to scold, reprimand\r\nsl\u00e1 v               to hit, strike\r\n<\/pre>\n
Svona sag\u00f0i barni\u00f0 fr\u00e1 veru sinni hj\u00e1 \u00feessu f\u00f3lki. Barni\u00f0 vissi ekki af bl\u00e1a blettinum, en benti einmitt \u00e1 hann \u00feegar \u00fea\u00f0 s\u00fdndi hvar konan hef\u00f0i slegi\u00f0 \u00e1 vangann \u00e1 s\u00e9r. \u00deennan blett bar \u00fea\u00f0 alla s\u00edna \u00e6vi \u00e1n \u00feess \u00fev\u00ed yr\u00f0i neitt meint vi\u00f0.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Thus related the child about his stay with these people. The child didn’t know about the blue mark, but pointed right at it when showing where the woman had slapped his cheek. He bore that mark his whole life without any ill effects.<\/em><\/p>\n
And finally, the last sentence isn’t clear to me – \u00e1n \u00feess \u00fev\u00ed yr\u00f0i neitt meint vi\u00f0<\/strong>. I translated it the way I did mainly based on this entry in the dictionary:<\/p>\n
ver\u00f0a meint af e-u<\/strong> – become sick from sth, come to harm from sth<\/em><\/p>\n
Let me know if there’s a better translation.<\/p>\n
\r\nvera (f)            stay\r\nbenda v             show, point at\r\nvangi (m)           cheek\r\n<\/pre>\n
The Snerpa site has a huge collection of Icelandic materials, enough to keep you busy for years if you want \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
J\u00f3n \u00c1rnason was an Icelandic author best known for having collected, along with Magn\u00fas Gr\u00edmsson, a great number of Icelandic…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[17,11],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/islenzka.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3219"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/islenzka.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/islenzka.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islenzka.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islenzka.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3219"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/islenzka.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3250,"href":"https:\/\/islenzka.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3219\/revisions\/3250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/islenzka.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islenzka.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islenzka.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}