Editing Kenning (section)

==Old Norse kennings in context==
{{Unreferenced section |date=June 2024}}
In the following {{Lang|non|[[dróttkvætt]]|italic=no}} stanza, the Norwegian [[skald]] [[Eyvindr skáldaspillir]] (died ca. 990) compares the greed of King [[Harald Greycloak]] ({{langx|non|Haraldr|link=no}}) to the generosity of his predecessor, [[Haakon the Good]] ({{lang|non-latn|Hákon}}):
<poem>
{{lang|non-latn|Bárum, Ullr, of alla,
ímunlauks, á hauka
fjöllum Fýrisvalla
fræ Hákonar ævi;

nú hefr fólkstríðir Fróða
fáglýjaðra þýja
meldr í móður holdi
mellu dolgs of folginn}}
::—Eyvindr skáldaspillir, ''[[Lausavísa]]''
</poem>

A literal translation reveals several kennings: "'''[[Ullr]] of the war-[[leek]]!''' We carried the '''seed of [[Fyrisvellir|Fýrisvellir]]''' on our '''hawk-mountains''' during all of Haakon's life; now the enemy of the people has hidden the '''flour of [[Fróði]]'s hapless slaves''' in the '''flesh of the mother of the enemy of the giantess.'''"

This could be paraphrased as "O warrior, we carried gold on our arms during all of King Haakon's life; now the enemy of the people has hidden gold in the earth." The kennings are:

'''{{lang|non-latn|Ullr ... ímunlauks}}''', {{gloss|warrior}}, from ''[[Ullr]]'', the name of a god, and {{lang|non-latn|ímun-laukr}}, {{gloss|sword}} (literally {{gloss|war-leek}}). By convention, the name of any god can be associated with another word to produce a kenning for a certain type of man; here "Ullr of the sword" means {{gloss|warrior}}. ''War-leek'' is a kenning for {{gloss|sword}} that likens the shape of the sword to that of a leek. The warrior referred to may be King Harald.

'''{{lang|non-latn|Hauka fjöllum}}''', {{gloss|arms}}, from {{lang|non-latn|hauka}} {{gloss|hawk}} and {{lang|non-latn|fjöll}} {{gloss|mountain}}. This is a reference to the sport of [[falconry]], where a bird of prey is perched on the arm of the falconer. By convention, {{gloss|hawk}} combined with a term for a geographic feature forms a kenning for {{gloss|arm}}.

'''{{lang|non-latn|Fýrisvalla fræ}}''', {{gloss|gold}}, from ''[[Fyrisvellir|Fýrisvellir]]'', the plains of the river Fýri, and {{lang|non-latn|fræ}}, {{gloss|seed}}. This is an allusion to a legend retold in ''[[Skáldskaparmál]]'' and ''[[Hrólfs saga kraka]]'' in which King Hrolf and his men scattered gold on the plains ({{lang|non-latn|vellir}}) of the river Fýri south of [[Gamla Uppsala]] to delay their pursuers.

'''{{lang|non-latn|Fróða fáglýjaðra þýja meldr}}''', {{gloss|flour of Fróði's hapless slaves}}, is another kenning for {{gloss|gold}}. It alludes to the [[Grottasöngr]] legend.

'''{{lang|non-latn|Móður hold mellu dolgs}}''', {{gloss|flesh of the mother of the enemy of the giantess}}, {{gloss|earth}}. Here the earth is personified as the goddess [[Jörð]], mother of [[Thor]], enemy of the [[Jötunn|jǫtnar]].