Studia Islandica - 01.06.1994, Page 130
128
in everyday speech to any significant extent, and hardly
ever as a form of address. Where it is used by several of the
translators of Laxdæla saga it sounds very artificial but
there are hardly any alternatives. “Cousin”, would be a
much more acceptable choice but is too limited a kinship
denotation to be used in all the occurences in the saga.
Chapters 39 to 49 include some forty pages of text
describing the events leading up to the slaying of Kjartan.
A survey of the original text reveals a steady progression in
the number of references to kinship as the climax
approaches. In the earlier of these chapters, which take
place in Norway, Bolli and Kjartan, especially when they
disagree, regularly address each other as frœndi. We are
told that Kjartan only leaves Norway to return to Iceland
and to his göfga frœndr (130) when these same kinsmen
have converted to Christianity as he kvazk eigi deila vilja
ofrkappi við frœndr sína (124). Bolli, however, sets sail
homeward and takes leave of Kjartan, frænda sinn, and the
latter sends his greetings, bera skaltu frœndum várum
kveðju mína ok svá vinum (126).
In Iceland, Oláfr and Bolli address each other as frændi.
When Kjartan returns, despite the fact that he has lost
Guðrún to Bolli who is not only his foster-brother but also
his cousin, Óláfr urges him not to take offence:
Óláfr bað hann eigi þat gera, at styggjask við frændr sína; ... Mun
ok brátt semjask með ykkr frændum, ef þit finnizk sjálfir. (134)
On a visit to relatives, Kjartan’s sister Þuríðr urges
Kjartan to make the best of his situation:
Þat er mér sagt, frændi, at þú sér heldr hljóðr vetrlangt; tala menn
þat, at þér muni vera eptirsjá at um Guðrúnu; færa menn þat til þess,
at engi blfða verðr á með ykkr Bolla frændum, svá mikit ástríki
sem með ykkr hefir verit allar stundir. Ger svá vel ok hæfiliga, at þú
lát þér ekki at þessu þykkja, ok unn frænda þínum góðs ráðs; (137)