Glíma

As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:

glíma

u, f. [this word occurs neither in Germ. nor in Saxon, nor yet in the mod. Scandin. tongues (of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark), and the origin is not known]:—wrestling, a favourite national sport with the Icel. people, in old as well as in modern times, answering to the Gr. πάλη: glímu-brögð, n. pl. wrestling-tricks, vide bragð II. 2: to the technical terms there mentioned, add, hnykkr, hælkrókr, sveifla, etc.: glímu-félagi, a, m. a wrestling-match, Háv. 41: glímu-færr, adj. able-bodied as a wrestler, Finnb. 328: glímu-galdr, m. a ‘wrestler-spell,’ to charm one’s legs and make them steady, Ísl. Þjóðs. i: glímu-maðr, m. a wrestler: glímumann-liga, adv. like a good wrestler, nimbly, Fas. iii. 502: glímu-völlr, m. the wrestling-ring. The earliest match recorded is that of Thor and the giantess Elli (Age),—for the tale vide Edda 33; freq. in the Sagas, Sturl. iii. 20, 268; glenz ok glímur, Fms. i. 149 sqq., 182, iii. 187, 188, Grett. and Finnb., Kjaln. passim, Eg. ch. 40; leikr (sport) and glíma are often used synonymously, as Ld. ch. 45. The glíma was a popular game at any meeting or festival, where many young and active men met together: thus at the banquet in Reykhólar (1119) the guests amused themselves by dancing, glímur, and story-telling, Sturl. i. 23; at the parliament (alþing) there was a palaestra, Fanga-brekka (‘wrestling-brink’); in Glúm. ch. 13 a fight is recorded between the Northerners and Westerners assembled there; as also in Grett. ch. 75 (in the parliament at Hegranes); in Gunnl. ch. 11 the crew of the ships in harbour made up a glíma. The mod. Icel. bænda-glíma is just the same, as it was practiced in the college at Hólar, and later in the school at Bessastaðir, as also at fishing-stations and wherever young men came together; the young men are divided by lot into two parties, which are then drawn up in a row, each having their leader or ‘bóndi’ (whence the name); the bændr pair off their men against one another to wrestle in the arena or defile between the two ranks, one after another; if the one side was weaker in number, or the one bóndi had lost all his men, he might challenge his antagonist, and their match decided the game, Eggert Itin. ch. 518. The bænda-glíma at college and school was by far the best-played, and much stress was laid on nimble and graceful movements. ☞ In Hom. 24 scurrilitas is rendered by glíma.

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᚴᛚᛁᛘᛅ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements

Similar entries:

• Glíma (I)