_In Stahlgewittern_ - Origin of Booktitle

[Bertil Haggman <bertil.haggman@helsingborg.se>]

In _Siebzig verweht V_ (1997) EJ writes
(p. 178) that he choose the title
"In Stahlgewittern" from the Edda,
the great Icelandic epic.

I decided to do some research
into the matter, highly
interesting for a Scandinavian.

Thought I had solved the riddle 
when in a Swedish translation
of the Poetic Edda (1964) I found
the phrase "Storm of Steel".
The translator had even put
this kenning in the glossary
as a synonym for battle, fight,
struggle. And in Gripe's Prophesy
used the kenning in Swedish, 
"staalstorm". But further research
revealed that the translator had 
been rather free in his use of the
phrase 'storm of steel'.

The phrase 'storm of steel' is a (loose) 
translation of a kenning in Gripe's Prophecy
that means more literally 'shower of points' 
or 'point-shower'.

So back to square one. I guess the only way
to continue the search is by finding a translation
into German of the Edda from the time when
EJ could have had access to it. So it would
have to be an edition published before the
first edition of "In Stahlgewittern".

Also always wondered why EJ did not
write 'Stahlsturm'. Why 'Stahlgewitter' ?
Gewitter is thunderstorm. Could it have
something to do with a kenning he saw
in a German translation of Edda in which
Gewitter not Sturm was used ?

Now in 1997 EJ writes that originally he
wanted to use the title _Red and Gray_
inspired by Stendahl's _Rouge et Noir_.
It would have been better to use _Red and
Gray_. Stendahl before the Edda ? EJ,
how could you do this ?

Greetings

Bertil Haggman