The impersonal verb in Old Icelandic

21.
CLASS
III
CLASS III:
Impersonal with indirect object or dative.
Snorra Edda:
/ / / )
• • Syndisk nu Qllum sem Loki hef'oi lati t leikinn. (p .12,1._244
The uner'pr~ssed
/ .
sub ject of' If syndi Skll is in apposition wi th the
f'ollowing noun clause IIsem •• leikinnll. Compare p.46, 1.164=
"at pvi er peim syndisk" where lIpv{n equalling lIso much fl
or
II as l' ar" is the sub ject.
• • l{zk honum sv~ sem ••• (p.13, 1.282)
"Lizk" is similar in meaning to "pykl;:ir ll and is used correspondingly
as of'ten as that verb.
The two verbs are often found
with a dative object, thus "honum" here.
/
• • sem honum llkar. (p.13, 1.291)
The most idiomatic Engli sh translation is It •• as he liked
(would have liked). \I But the translation could be II. • as (i t)
pleased him" •
/ / /
• • 11zk honum nu sva sem ••• (p.13, 1.292)
Cf. 1.282, 1.291 above.
• • meira
/ /
en per mun ha.gr a vera? (p.14, 1.295)
The suppressed sub ject of' the verb "mu.."'1. vera tl
indicates it the
amount of' driIl..k ll • The English translation suppresses the
subject likewise: "more than (it) will be well for you?"
/ / /
Sva llZk mer ••• (p.14, 1.296)
Here is the f'amiliar pattern of impersonal 1I1(zk ll plus dative.
/ /.
Compare II Laxdoe la saga tl , Chap. 84: [I. • at sva se. • • 11