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 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.

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• Written by: Katelin Parsons
• Icelandic/English translation: