The impersonal verb in Old Icelandic

26.
is accordingly better translated as the sub ject.
Sv~ mUD m§r fara sem gorum ••• (p. 72, 1.434)
/ . I
• • at sva foerl mer at ••• (p.72, 1.441)
• • at m~r
foetti illt at deila vio Hrafnkel, en
/ / /
eigi synisk mer sva ••• (p.72, 1.442) (two exa~~les).
"lIlt" is of course the adverb "bad".
It does not function
as a noun, therefore is not tJle subject. So the verb "pCB tti"
is imper sonal •
• • fynir pv{ at mtr poetti via pann bezt at eiga.(p.72, 1.443)
Cf. L .442 above.
1->0·/ .L. / f ;,s. ( 7
• • .r a u mer oeri sem Qurum. • • p. 2, 1.446)
• • at p{r misllkar ••• (p. 73, 1.460)
./.
Compare IIl1ka" as an impersonal verb, e.g. "Laxdoela saga ll ,
Chap.13: 11
/ /.
•• en per llkar" Class III.
• • at m~r pykkir betr ••• (p.73, 1.463)
Ilpykkir ll meaning II seems" is usually impersonal.
En mtr pykkir sern ~orkell viIi ••• (p.73, 1.470)
I /
Var honum pVl ohregt at ••• (p.74, 1.501)
English would be "So it was difficult for him to.
Mgrgum mgnnum pykkir vel ••• (p.74, 1.510)
/
• • ok pykki mer sem Yorkell ••• (p.75, 1.533)
II
. .
Svt. er komit n-G:' kosti yorum ••• (p.76, 1.576)
.. / I
• • sem mer llkar. • • (p. 77, 1.593)
Cf. L.460 above.
/
• • en mer mQ~ fara sem mgrgum gorum ••• (p.77, 1.602)
Compare p.72, 1.434, which has the Sillfle construction. It is
worth noting that Thorgeirr uses the construction in line 434