Battle-gear clustering
*brunjǭ… helmaz
by C Ryan Moniz
original research· spring 2013 - harvest 2021
updated & published· spring 2022
Mjǫðr Óðins· Reconstructing Germanic verse formulae
In heroic Germanic alliterative poetry, there appears to be a formulaic clustering of battle-array terms centering around reflexes of Proto-Germanic *brunjǭ ‘coat mail, ring mail’ (Old English byrne, Old Norse brynja) along with some combination of a *helmaz reflex (Old English helm), Old Norse hjalmr and often with a word for sword — usually from *swerdą (Old English sweord, Old Norse sverð) or *mēkijaz (Old Norse mækir) — and/or a word for shield — from *skelduz (Old Norse skjǫldr) or *burdą (Old English bord). There are many more variations of clustering with different reflexes which are presented in the full master’s thesis presents, but for the purposes of this article, I have narrowed it to the most commonly clustered words.
*brunjǭ; helmaz; swerdą/mēkijaz
Old English
byrne; helm; sweord
• Béowulf 2153a-2154a
heaðostéapne helm háre byrnan / gúðsweord geatolíc
• Béowulf 2615a-2616a
brúngágne helm hringde byrnan / ealdsweord etonisc
• Béowulf 2659b-2660a
sweord ⁊ helm / byrne ⁊ beaduscrúd
• Béowulf 2986a-2987b
nam on ongenðío írenbyrnan / heard swyrd hilted ⁊ his helm somod
• The Battle of Maldon 160a-163b
hé wolde þæs beornes béagas gefetigan
réaf ⁊ hringas ⁊ gerénod swurd·
þá byrhtnóð brǽd bill of scéðe
brád ⁊ brúnecg ⁊ on þá byrnan slóh
Old Norse
brynja; hjalmr; sverð/mækir
• Hervararkviða 11
hjalmi ⁊ með brynju hvǫssu sverði / rǫnd ⁊ með reiði roðnu geiri
• Hlǫðskviða 2
saxi ⁊ með sverði síðri brynju / hjalmi hringreifðum hvǫssum mæki
• Atlakviða 7
sjau eigum vit salhús sverða full
hverju eru þeira hjǫlt ór gulli·
minn veit ek mar beztan en mæki hvassastu
boga bekksæma en brynjur ór gulli
Later prose saga examples:
• Ásmundar saga kappabana
með góðum hjálmum ⁊ hvítum brynjum ⁊ hvǫssum sverðum
• Karlamagnúss saga
með blám brynjum ⁊ gyltum hjálmum ⁊ góðum sverðum
*brunjǭ; helmaz; skelduz/burdą
Old English
byrne; helm; bord
• Béowulf 3139a-3140a
helmum behongen hildebordum / beorhtum byrnum
Old Norse
brynja; hjalmr; skjǫldr
• Hlǫðskviða prose section between stanzas 17 & 18
fagra skjǫldu ⁊ gulli lagða gyllta hjalma ⁊ hvítar brynjur
• Atlakviða 4
skjǫldu kneguð þar velja ⁊ skafna aska / hjalma gullroðna ⁊ húna mengi
*brunjǭ; helmaz
Old English
byrne; helm
• Béowulf 1022b, 1629b, 2862b
helm ⁊ byrne
Old Norse
brynja; hjalmr
• Atlakviða 16
betr hefðir þú bróðir at þú í brynju færir / sem hjalmum aringreypum at séa heim atla
Mjǫðr Óðins· Reconstructing Germanic verse formulae