Reflexive with non-subject antecendent?

[llama_nom]

(1) distahida mikilþuhtans gahugdai hairtins seinis
DIESCORPISEN hUPERHFANOUS DIANOIA KARDIAS AUTWN
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts
(L 1,52)

[ 
http://www.ub.uu.se/arv/codex/faksimiledition/jpg_files/142lc1f.html 
], see line 13.

My question: Is there anything in the Greek original that would 
explain this?  (In spite of it being literally "of their heart", 
AUTWN is clearly plural, isn't it?  The use of a singular in such 
contexts is also found in Icelandic and Old English.)

If not, compare the following example of a reflexive with a non-
subject antecedent in Old Icelandic.

(2) ok mun enn sem fyrr eptir framaverk, at þér munuð laun hyggja 
vinum sínum fyrir sitt starf
"and, as always after glorious accomplishments, I expect you'll 
think to reward your friends for their work"
(Ásmundar saga kappabana 3)

And take a look at Eiríkur Rögnvaldsson `Old Icelandic: A Non-
Configurational Language?' NOWELE 26:3-29 [ http://www.hi.is/%
7Eeirikur/ ], section 3.5.  Could something similar be going on in 
Gothic?

The common factor in these examples seems to be that the noun 
modified by the reflexive implies some action on the part of the 
person it refers to.  The implied action is obvious in the Old 
Icelandic example 'starf' "work".  Eiríkur Rögnvaldsson's examples 
16.a. and b. are both of this type.  The noun 'gahugds', from the 
verb hugjan `to think', implies the action of thinking or devising 
plans on the part of the object.  Alternatively, the 
adjective 'mikiþuhtans' also implies an action, "thinking themselves 
great", although explaining the action as implicit in the noun seems 
more in keeping with the Icelandic examples.

Or am I missing something much more obvious?

Llama Nom






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