his display of courage, and this is the king's sword. It is a fine
conception that, as Hjalti gets his new name from his ability to wield
the wonderful sword of the king, his name is a constant reminder of his
bravery. But the name of the king's sword is Skofnung; hence, as the
word has no suggestion of "hilt" in it, it is not available in this
connection. The form "hjalti" must appear in some way to suggest the
name; and since the name is to come from the king's sword the word
"hjalti" must be used in connection with it. But what kind of hilt would
the king's sword naturally have? A golden hilt, of course. So far as the
words are concerned, "iron hilt," "brass hilt," or "silver hilt" would
have served the purpose just as well, had it been appropriate to use any
of these terms. But the king's sword must have a golden hilt. Hence,
Hott says to the king, "Give me your sword Gullinhjalti, which you are
bearing, and I will kill the beast." And after the king is convinced of
Hott's bravery he says, "And now I wish him called Hott no longer, he
shall from this day be named Hjalti,--thou shalt be called after the
sword Gullinhjalti." Thus Hjalti gets his name from the king's sword;
and this, again, is proof that it is by wielding the king's sword that
Hjalti displays his courage. That "Gullinhjalti" is written as one word
and capitalized may be a late development and signify no more than the
modern treatment by some writers of "gylden hilt" (i.e., writing it
"Gyldenhilt") in _Beowulf_. Even if we assume that the original author
of the word intended "Gullinhjalti" as a proper noun and the name of the
king's sword, it does not necessarily conflict with the idea that the
name of the king's sword is Skofnung. "Gullinhjalti" would then be a
by-name, a pet-name, for Skofnung, derived from its golden hilt. It can
hardly be presumed that when the saga-man in this connection calls the
king's sword "Gullinhjalti," he has for the moment forgotten that the
name of Hrolf's famous sword is Skofnung. Nor is it in conflict with the
description of Skofnung that Gullinhjalti is given a supernatural