diff --git a/src/runtime/c/Makefile.am b/src/runtime/c/Makefile.am
index c4eea5698..bc5ad0327 100644
--- a/src/runtime/c/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/runtime/c/Makefile.am
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ guinclude_HEADERS = \
 	gu/fun.h \
 	gu/hash.h \
 	gu/in.h \
-	gu/intern.h \
 	gu/list.h \
 	gu/log.h \
 	gu/map.h \
@@ -59,7 +58,6 @@ libgu_la_SOURCES = \
 	gu/fun.c \
 	gu/hash.c \
 	gu/in.c \
-	gu/intern.c \
 	gu/list.c \
 	gu/log.c \
 	gu/map.c \
diff --git a/src/runtime/c/gu/intern.c b/src/runtime/c/gu/intern.c
deleted file mode 100644
index 35eaa1c5f..000000000
--- a/src/runtime/c/gu/intern.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,59 +0,0 @@
-#include "intern.h"
-
-struct GuIntern {
-	GuPool* str_pool;
-	GuMap* map;
-};
-
-GuIntern*
-gu_new_intern(GuPool* str_pool, GuPool* pool)
-{
-	GuIntern* intern = gu_new(GuIntern, pool);
-	intern->str_pool = str_pool;
-	intern->map = gu_new_set(const char*, gu_str_hasher, pool);
-	return intern;
-}
-
-const char*
-gu_intern_str(GuIntern* intern, const char* cstr)
-{
-	const char* const* strp = gu_map_find_key(intern->map, &cstr);
-	if (strp) {
-		return *strp;
-	}
-	const char* str = gu_strdup(cstr, intern->str_pool);
-	gu_map_insert(intern->map, &str);
-	return str;
-}
-
-
-
-
-struct GuSymTable {
-	GuPool* sym_pool;
-	GuMap* map;
-};
-
-GuSymTable*
-gu_new_symtable(GuPool* sym_pool, GuPool* pool)
-{
-	GuSymTable* tab = gu_new(GuSymTable, pool);
-	tab->sym_pool = sym_pool;
-	tab->map = gu_new_set(GuSymbol, gu_string_hasher, pool);
-	return tab;
-}
-
-GuSymbol
-gu_symtable_intern(GuSymTable* tab, GuString string)
-{
-	if (gu_string_is_stable(string)) {
-		return string;
-	}
-	const GuSymbol* symp = gu_map_find_key(tab->map, &string);
-	if (symp) {
-		return *symp;
-	}
-	GuSymbol sym = gu_string_copy(string, tab->sym_pool);
-	gu_map_insert(tab->map, &sym);
-	return sym;
-}
diff --git a/src/runtime/c/gu/intern.h b/src/runtime/c/gu/intern.h
deleted file mode 100644
index bf9e9b321..000000000
--- a/src/runtime/c/gu/intern.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,24 +0,0 @@
-#ifndef GU_INTERN_H_
-#define GU_INTERN_H_
-
-#include <gu/map.h>
-#include <gu/str.h>
-#include <gu/string.h>
-
-typedef struct GuIntern GuIntern;
-
-GuIntern* gu_new_intern(GuPool* str_pool, GuPool* pool);
-const char* gu_intern_str(GuIntern* intern, const char* cstr);
-
-
-typedef struct GuSymTable GuSymTable;
-
-typedef GuString GuSymbol;
-
-GuSymTable*
-gu_new_symtable(GuPool* sym_pool, GuPool* pool);
-
-GuSymbol
-gu_symtable_intern(GuSymTable* symtab, GuString string);
-
-#endif /* GU_INTERN_H_ */
diff --git a/src/runtime/c/pgf/expr.c b/src/runtime/c/pgf/expr.c
index b195eeea5..4b2644931 100644
--- a/src/runtime/c/pgf/expr.c
+++ b/src/runtime/c/pgf/expr.c
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 #include "pgf.h"
-#include <gu/intern.h>
 #include <gu/assert.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
diff --git a/src/runtime/c/pgf/reader.c b/src/runtime/c/pgf/reader.c
index 890749b5b..bf7207874 100644
--- a/src/runtime/c/pgf/reader.c
+++ b/src/runtime/c/pgf/reader.c
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 #include <gu/map.h>
 #include <gu/seq.h>
 #include <gu/assert.h>
-#include <gu/intern.h>
 #include <gu/in.h>
 #include <gu/bits.h>
 #include <gu/exn.h>
@@ -28,7 +27,6 @@ struct PgfReader {
 	GuExn* err;
 	GuPool* opool;
 	GuPool* tmp_pool;
-	GuSymTable* symtab;
 #ifndef ANDROID
 	PgfJitState* jit_state;
 #endif
@@ -108,11 +106,9 @@ pgf_read_cid(PgfReader* rdr)
 		GuUCS ucs = gu_in_u8(rdr->in, rdr->err);
 		gu_out_utf8(ucs, out, rdr->err);
 	}
-	GuString str = gu_string_buf_freeze(sbuf, tmp_pool);
-	
-	GuSymbol sym = gu_symtable_intern(rdr->symtab, str);
+	GuString str = gu_string_buf_freeze(sbuf, rdr->opool);
 	gu_pool_free(tmp_pool);
-	return sym;
+	return str;
 }
 
 static GuString
@@ -128,11 +124,10 @@ pgf_read_string(PgfReader* rdr)
 		GuUCS ucs = gu_in_utf8(rdr->in, rdr->err);
 		gu_out_utf8(ucs, out, rdr->err);
 	}
-	GuString str = gu_string_buf_freeze(sbuf, tmp_pool);
-	GuSymbol sym = gu_symtable_intern(rdr->symtab, str);
+	GuString str = gu_string_buf_freeze(sbuf, rdr->opool);
 	gu_pool_free(tmp_pool);
 
-	return sym;
+	return str;
 }
 
 static void
@@ -1215,7 +1210,6 @@ pgf_new_reader(GuIn* in, GuPool* opool, GuPool* tmp_pool, GuExn* err)
 	PgfReader* rdr = gu_new(PgfReader, tmp_pool);
 	rdr->opool = opool;
 	rdr->tmp_pool = tmp_pool;
-	rdr->symtab = gu_new_symtable(opool, tmp_pool);
 	rdr->err = err;
 	rdr->in = in;
 #ifndef ANDROID
diff --git a/src/ui/android/jni/Android.mk b/src/ui/android/jni/Android.mk
index febd57a65..0cfe7937b 100644
--- a/src/ui/android/jni/Android.mk
+++ b/src/ui/android/jni/Android.mk
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ include $(CLEAR_VARS)
 jni_c_files := jpgf.c
 pgf_c_files := data.c expr.c graphviz.c lexer.c linearizer.c literals.c parser.c parseval.c pgf.c printer.c reader.c reasoner.c
 gu_c_files := assert.c  choice.c  exn.c   fun.c   in.c      list.c  map.c  out.c    str.c     type.c  utf8.c \
-bits.c    defs.c    enum.c  file.c  hash.c  intern.c  log.c   mem.c  prime.c  seq.c   string.c  ucs.c   variant.c
+bits.c    defs.c    enum.c  file.c  hash.c  log.c   mem.c  prime.c  seq.c   string.c  ucs.c   variant.c
 
 LOCAL_MODULE    := jpgf
 LOCAL_SRC_FILES := $(addprefix ../../../runtime/java/, $(jni_c_files)) \