Stefán Einarsson. The Origin of Egill‘s Skallagrímsson‘s Runhenda

• Author: Stefán Einarsson
• Title: The Origin of Egill‘s Skallagrímsson‘s Runhenda
• Published in: Scandinavica et Fenno-Ugrica. Studier tillägnade Björn Colliander den 22 juli 1954
• Editors: Dag Strömback, Manne Eriksson, Harald Grundström
• Place, Publisher: Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell
• Year: 1954
• Pages: 54-60
• E-text:
• Reference: Stefán Einarsson. "The Origin of Egill‘s Skallagrímsson‘s Runhenda." Scandinavica et Fenno-Ugrica. Studier tillägnade Björn Colliander den 22 juli 1954, pp. 54–60. Eds. Dag Strömback, Manne Eriksson, Harald Grundström. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1954.

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• Key words: poetry (kveðskapur)

Annotation

Hallvard Lie’s 1952 suggestion that Egill Skallagrímsson’s runhenda originates in the exorcism formulas that would have been read at his primsígning is ingenious but does not seem to be supported by particularly strong evidence. Runhenda closely resembles Old English riming poetry, such as Cynewulf’s Elene and the Riming Poem. While church hymns in England did not make use of regular end rime until the end of the 10th century, much older Irish hymns frequently incorporate rime, and Irish riming techniques may be the indirect source of runhenda.

Lýsing

Sú tilgáta Hallvards Lie frá 1952 að Egill Skalla-Grímsson hafi lært runhendu af þulum sem notaðar voru til að reka út illa anda er snjöll en það virðast ekki sterk rök að baki henni. Runhenda minnir mjög á fornensk rímkvæði, svo sem á Helenu Kínúlfs (Cynewulf’s Elene) og Rímkvæðið (Riming Poem). Hins vegar var reglulegt endarím ekki einkenni sálmakveðskapar á Englandi fyrr en í lok 10. aldar en í mun eldri írskum sálmum má oft finna rím. Írska rímtæknin kann því að vera óbein fyrirmynd runhendunnar.

See also

• Lie, Hallvard. Skaldestil-studier

Links

• Written by: Katelin Parsons
• Icelandic translation: Jón Karl Helgason