ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2871
http://www.s-gabriel.org/2871
************************************

27 Sep 2004
From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael 

Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel!

You wanted to know if an Old Norse man living between 950 and 1100 
would have given his ax a name meaning 'shield-breaker', perhaps 
<skjaldbrjo/tr> or <skjaldabrjo/tr>, and if so, what the appropriate 
runic form would be.  Here is the information we have found.

In this letter we will be using some special notation for characters 
not easily representible in ASCII.  A slash represents an acute 
accent over the previous letter, {o,} represents the o-ogonek, an 
<o> with a reverse comma hook underneath it, {dh} is the letter edh, 
which looks like a backwards '6' with a crossbar, {TH} is the letter 
thorn, which looks like a lowercase 'p' with a lowercase 'b' 
superimposed so that they share a loop, {AE} is the A-E ligature, 
where the two letter share the same middle vertical line, {o|} and 
{O|} represents an <o> or <O> with a slash through it, and {o"} is 
an o-umlaut.

Old Norse literature preserves a number of names for particular 
weapons.  The greatest number of preserved Norse weapon names are 
for swords, but names are also found for spears, shields, mail-coats, 
and staves [1].  We also found the following names of axes [10]:

  Hel
  This is the name of the giantess who was goddess of death.
  The word may also be used to simply mean 'death'. [2]

  Hjalti
  This axe-name is apparently from <hjalt> 'pommel of a sword;
  cross-guard of a sword'. [3]

  Rimmugy/gr
  This means 'Battle-hag'. [4]

These axe names are fairly consistent with concepts about axes 
expressed in Old Norse poetry, where kennings for axes most 
frequently are expressed by using terms or names for a giantess, 
troll-woman, valkyrie, and the like.  Some of these kennings for 
axes do involve shields, but almost always in connection with a word 
indicating a frightening supernatural female [7]:

  bry{dh}ja randa (hag of shields; gnawer of shields)
  flag{dh} hli/far (giantess of shields)
  galkn hau{dh}rs {TH}ri{dh}ja (monster of {TH}ri{dh}i's earth;
     [{TH}ri{dh}i is one of the god O/{dh}inn's names,
     his earth is a shield])
  galkn hli/fa (monster of shields)
  galli meginhur{dh}ar Gauts (harm of Gautr's mighty gates [shields])
  gi/fr Gunntjalds (witch/rapacious woman of the spear-tent [shield])
  gi/fr hle/ma/na blakks nausta (giantess of the lee-moons of the
     boathouse steed [boathouse steed is a ship, lee-moons of a ship
     are the shields hung on its rails])
  grand hli/far (harm of shields)
  ha/la hly/rso/lar (giantess of the cheeks of the sun [shields])
  norn skjaldar (Norn of shields)
  randgalkn (shield-monster)

Looking also at poetry for kennings involving the word 
<brjo/tr>, 'breaker' and shields, we find that these constructions 
are used to indicate a warrior, and not his axe [8]:

  brjo/tr megingar{dh}a Hanga (breaker of the mighty fence of Hangi
     [Hangi is a name of the god O/{dh}inn, and his fence is a
     shield, thus 'breaker of shields'])

  {o"}r-brjo/tr bla/ferils odda (apparently 'arrow-breaker of 
     the blue road of points [a painted shield])

Based on this evidence, a compound such as <skjaldbrjo/tr> would 
likely refer to a warrior and not to his weapon; instead, we 
recommend choosing one of the axe names we found.  In particular, 
<Randgri/{dh}> comes closest to your desired meaning.

We hope that this letter has been useful to you and that you won't 
hesitate to write us again if any part was unclear or if you have 
further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was 
provided by Talan Gwynek, Arval Benicoeur, and Juliana de Luna.

For the Academy,
-Aryanhwy merch Catmael & Gunnvor silfraharr, 27 September 2004

--
References:

[1] Below is a listing of names of weapons other than axes we've 
found, as well as a few related items.  This list was compiled by 
Talan Gwynek, from sources linked from [9], but a few from [6].  We 
have put the word 'gift' in quotes because something is called the 
<nautr> of a person even when it is not a gift, but is booty. [6]

SWORDS
  Bastar{dh}r (Bastard)
  Dragvandill (etym. unc.)
  Fetbrei{dh}r (Foot-broad; 'foot' as in unit of measure):
  Fjo,rsva/fi (acc.) (Life-taker?)
  Fo/tbi/tr (Foot-/Leg-biter)
  Gamlanautr (Gamli's 'gift')
  Gra/si/{dh}a (Grey-side)
  Grettisnautr (Grettir's 'gift')
  Gunnlogi (War-flame, Battle-blaze)
  Hneitir (exact sense uncertain, but something like Thruster,
     Cutter)
  Hvi/tingr (White-One)
  Jar{dh}hu/ssnautr ('Gift' of an Underground Room/Passage;
     it was taken from one)
  Jo,kulsnautr (Jo,kull's 'gift')
  Ka/rsnautr (Ka/rr's 'gift')
  Kvernbi/tr (Quern-biter)
  Lang (Long)
  Laufi (apparently from <lauf> 'leaf')
  Leggbi/tr (Leg-biter)
  Na{dh}r (Adder)
  Skry/mir (etym. unc., but perhaps Large-One; also the
     name of a giant)
  Sko,fnungr (Shin-bone)
  Sni{dh}ill (Pruning-knife)
  Tumanautr (Tumi's 'gift')
  Tyrfingr (from <tyrfi> 'a resinous fir-tree'; the sword
     is magical and is said to be sheathed in flame)
  {AE}ttartangi (apparently Family-tang, as in 'tang of
     a sword')
  {O|}lvisnautr ({O|}lvir's 'gift')

SPEARS
  Gra/si/{dh}a (Grey-side) [reforged from the sword
     of the same name]
  Vigr (Spear; the word is poetic, the common word for
     'spear' being <spjo/t>)

SHIELDS
  o"rveigarnautr (o"rveig's 'gift'; <o"rveig> is fem.)

MAIL COATS
  Emma (?)
  Sigfu/ssnautr (Sigfu/ss's 'gift')

STAVES
  Hegnu{dh}r (Chastiser) or Ho,gnu{dh}r (etym. unc.)
  Landko,nnu{dh}r (Land-prober, Land-explorer)

[2] Snorri Sturluson, "Magnu/ss saga go/{dh}a", ch. 28.  (WWW: 
Netu/tga/fan, 1999).
http://www.snerpa.is/net/snorri/magnus-g.htm

[3] Landna/maba/k (Sturlubo/k), ch. 55.  (WWW: Netu/tga/fan, 1998).
http://www.snerpa.is/net/snorri/landnama.htm

[4] Brennu-Nja/ls saga, ch. 45.  (WWW: Netu/tga/fan, 1997).
http://www.snerpa.is/net/isl/njala.htm

[5] Unpublished research of Gunnvor silfraharr.

[6] Cleasby, R., G. Vigfusson, & W. Craigie, _An Icelandic-English
Dictionary_ (Oxford: At the University Press, 1975), s.v. nautr

[7] "Axe Kennings of Skaldic Poetry (Meissner: 75)" Based on 
Meissner's "Die Kenningar der Skalden" (1921), pp. 147-149. 
http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/kennings/axe.html

[8] GLOSSARY: B (braut - bo"rr), from Meissner, pp. 283-350.
http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/kennings/b3voca.html

[9] "Fornrit" (WWW: sernpa.is)
http://www.snerpa.is/net/fornrit.htm

[10] One of our members has the following names of axes, in her 
personal research, but we have been unable to independently confirm 
that these are names of axes:

  Hlo,kk
  This is the name of one of the Valkyries.  It may be related to
  <hlakka> 'to cry, to scream (as an eagle); to rejoice'. [5]

  Randgri/{dh}
  This is also the name of one of the Valkyries.  The name is from
  Old Norse <ro,nd> 'a rim, a border', used poetically to mean 'a
  shield', and <gri/{dh}r>, 'frantic eagerness'.  (There is also a
  giantess named <Gri/{dh}r>.)  The combination hence means something
  like 'shield-hungry'. [5]

  Saxa
  This is the name of a giantess; it is also a feminine form of <sax>
  'a sword'. [6]

  Ska{dh}i
  This is also the name of a giantess/goddess.  The name is identical
  with the masculine noun <ska{dh}i> 'scathe, harm, damage'. [6]