The "Medea may laugh" fragment of
chapter 11c has never been translated well. Until now it was a mystery what was funny about the remark by the quipster from Staveren.
MÉDÉA MÉI LAKKJA SA WI HÍR UT HJRA BURCH REDA
Ottema interpreted HÍR as 'her' and this was copied by all later Dutch translators. Sandbach had: "Medea may well laugh if we rescue
her from her citadel."
Menckens (German, 2013) was right to translate HÍR as 'here', buit still missed the point: "Mêdêa mag lachen, daß wir (von) hier aus ihre Burg retten."
With the help of lead editor Bruce Stafford, the new translation is:
As the steersmen lay waiting in the creek [before defeating the enemy], a quipster from Staveren was among them, who said: “Medea may laugh, if us hiding in a creek can save her burg!” Thus, the maidens named the creek ‘Medea-mei-lakkia’.
With footnote:
HÍR UT — can have a double meaning: "from out of here" or "out of this (plan)".