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
Synonym: einvígi

Declension

Declension of hólmganga (feminine, based on ganga)

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