The impersonal verb in Old Icelandic

45 •
./,/ (6)
Ok lykr par fra Hrafnkeli at segja. p.8, 1.898
This is a usual saga ending.
The English would supply
a subject "story" to render this impersonal construction.
The effect of the respective renderings of the sentence
would be to stres!3 the fact of the ending of Hrafnkel' s
tale in the Icelandic, aYld the fact that it was the story
which had ended in the English. Just a fine nuance but
worth noting.
BrennU-Nj,is sa~a:
./ ,/ . /
• • for sva fram urn hrio.
Compare IiLaxdce la saga tl ,
Chap.
(p. 89, 1.42)
/ ,/
84: "Nu for ••• If Class I.
• • ti 1 pess er mjQk leio /
a kveldit. (p.93, 1.152)
Cf. p.15, 1.340 (Class V). Compare "Laxdcela saga ll , Chap.14
/ /
". • ti 1 pess er a leio nottina" Class V.
• • ok skyldi langt til annars sl(ks. (p.96, 1.244)
The full verb is 11 sl;:yldi vera ll ;
omitted.
· .
"vera" is often idiomatically
/./ /
skal nu yfir luka meo QSS ok eigi fra ganga.(p.96,1.254)
The focus is in the phrase "meo oss".
• • ok gekk pv{ urn hrlo. (p.98, 1.318)
Cf. line 42 above.
Gretti s saga:
Vel hefir brugoit vio p(na kv~~~mu ••• (p.10l, 1.15)
The Engli sh would supply a sub ject if thingsll or ilmatters" i
IIThings have taken a good turn. • .11