The impersonal verb in Old Icelandic

or !lAss H
according as "Fanc;)' the Hmr.uner being stolen fron"!.
35 ..
the God~!I or lIFanc;sr the God being robbed of a hcunmer~rl is
implied .. I t seems the "haraarr il is the sense focus since the
first implication is more probable. The Icelanders seemed
determined to keep many of their constructions anct therefore
accompanying verbs impersonal come what may.
Here is an.
impersonal verb which takes not only one but tv-va objects. '1'he
verb seems too heavily loe.ded -
the li teral English would be
lIlt is robbed (to) the God by a hammer II • It appears that
the advantage of the construction is as usual to stress the
importance of the verb and in this case the enormi ty of the
action. It is a world-shattering event that Thor's harr.uner
has been stolen~.
Hrafnkels saga:
En hon-um vare par eptir geit ok hafr. (p.59, 1.16).
This is an idiom expressing an omiSSion or unintentional
behaviour.
GLASS III (e): Impersonal with tvvo indirect objects ..
Leif" s Voyage (Flateyjarb6k);
... gaf peirn vel byri .... (p.47, 1.204)
Here "peim" and "byri" are both dative. Ei ther could be
the focus, though it is probably the former in the context •
. Thus II they got a good Wind. II Compare "Laxdce la se.ga",
Chap. lIpein:. byr jaei vel li (Class III).