hólmganga

See also: holmganga

Icelandic

Egill Skallagrímsson engaging in holmgang with Berg-Önundr.

Etymology

From Old Norse hólmganga (whence also Swedish holmgång), from hólmi (“islet, holm”) or hólmur (“islet, holm”) and ganga (“walk”) (from the verb ganga (“to walk”)); literally meaning "walk on an islet" or "island walk".

Compare skora á hólm (“challenge to a duel”) and fara með sigur af hólmi (“to triumph”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈhoulm.kauŋka/

Noun

hólmganga f (genitive singular hólmgöngu, nominative plural hólmgöngur)

holmgang, duel, single combat

Declension

declension of hólmganga

	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
f-w1	singular		plural
nominative	hólmganga	hólmgangan	hólmgöngur	hólmgöngurnar
accusative	hólmgöngu	hólmgönguna	hólmgöngur	hólmgöngurnar
dative	hólmgöngu	hólmgöngunni	hólmgöngum	hólmgöngunum
genitive	hólmgöngu	hólmgöngunnar	hólmgangna	hólmgangnanna

Synonyms

(duel): einvígi