Editing List of kennings

{{short description|None}}

{{unreferenced|date=December 2015}}
A '''kenning''' ([[Old English]] {{lang|ang|kenning}} {{IPA|non|cʰɛnːiŋɡ|}}, [[Icelandic language|Modern Icelandic]] {{IPA|is|cʰɛnːiŋk|}}) is a [[circumlocution]], an ambiguous or roundabout figure of speech, used instead of an ordinary [[noun]] in Old Norse, [[Old English]], and later [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] poetry.

This list is not intended to be comprehensive. [[Kenning]]s for a particular character are listed in that character's article. For example, the [[Odin]] article links to a [[list of names of Odin]], which include kennings. A few examples of Odin's kennings are given here. For a scholarly list of kennings see Meissner's {{lang|de|Die Kenningar der Skalden}} (1921) or some editions of [[Snorri Sturluson]]'s {{lang|non|[[Skáldskaparmál]]}}.

==Source language abbreviations==
*''OE'' – Old English
*''D'' – [[Danish language|Danish]]
*''G'' – [[Germanic languages|Germanic]]
*''Ic'' – [[Old Icelandic]]
*''N'' – Norse
*''ON'' – [[Old Norse]]
*''S'' – Swedish

==List of kennings==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Primary meaning
! Kenning translated
! Original kenning
! Explanation
! Source language
! Example
|-
| axe
| blood-ember
| {{lang|non|Blóðeisu}}
|   
| ''N'' 
| Einarr Skúlason, {{lang|non|Øxarflokkr}} 7
|-
| battle
| spear-din
|  
|  
| ''N'' 
| Snorri Sturluson, {{lang|non|[[Skaldskaparmal]]}}
|-
| blood
| dead-slave
|  
|   
| ''N'' 
|   
|-
| blood
| battle-sweat
|  
| One reference for this kenning comes from the epic poem, {{lang|ang|[[Beowulf]]}}. As Beowulf is in fierce combat with [[Grendel's mother]], he makes mention of shedding much battle-sweat.
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|ang|[[Beowulf]]}}
|-
| blood
| wound-sea
| {{lang|non|svarraði sárgymir}}
|  
| ''N'' 
| [[Eyvindr Skillir]], {{lang|non|[[Hákonarmál]]}} 7.
|-
| chieftain or king
| breaker of rings
|  
| Alludes to a ruler breaking the golden rings upon his arm and using them to reward his followers.
| ''OE'' 
| {{lang|ang|[[Beowulf]]}}
|-
| death
| sleep of the sword
|  
|  
| ''OE'' 
| {{lang|ang|[[Beowulf]]}}
|-
| death
| flame-farewelled
|  
| An implicitly honorable death.
| ''N'' 
|    
|-
| fire
| bane of wood
| {{lang|non|grand viðar}}
|  
| ''ON'' 
| Snorri Sturluson, {{lang|non|[[Skáldskaparmál]]}} 36
|-
| fire
| sun of the houses
| {{lang|non|sól húsanna}}
|  
| ''ON'' 
| [[Snorri Sturluson]], {{lang|non|[[Skáldskaparmál]]}} 36
|-
| gold
| seeds of the [[Fyris Wolds]]
| {{lang|non|Fýrisvalla fræ}}
| [[Hrólfr Kraki|Hrólf Kraki]] spread gold on the Fyris Wolds to distract the men of the Swedish king.
| ''N'' 
| [[Eyvindr Skáldaspillir]], {{lang|non|[[Lausavísa]]}} 8
|-
| gold
| serpent's lair
|  
| Serpents (and dragons) were reputed to lie upon gold in their nests.
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Skáldskaparmál]]}}
|-
| gold
| [[Sif]]'s hair
|  
| Derived from the story of when [[Loki]] cut off Sif's hair. In order to make amends for his crime, Loki had the dwarf [[Dvalin]] make new hair for Sif, a wig of gold that grew like normal hair.
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Skáldskaparmál]]}}
|-
| gold
| Kraki's seed
|  
| [[Hrólfr Kraki|Hrólf Kraki]] spread gold on the [[Fyris Wolds]] to distract the men of the Swedish king. Can also be used to imply generosity; q.v. [[Hrólfr Kraki|Hrólf Kraki]].
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Skáldskaparmál]]}}
|-
| gold, sometimes amber
| [[Freyja]]'s tears
|  
| Derived from the story of when Freyja could not find [[Óðr]], her husband, the tears she shed were [[gold]], and the trees which her tears fell upon were transmuted into [[amber]]. 
| ''N'' 
|   
|-
| [[Harald Fairhair]]
| lord of the northmen
| {{lang|non|dróttin Norðmanna}}
|   
| ''ON'' 
| Þorbjörn Hornklofi, {{lang|non|[[Hrafnsmál]]}}
|-
| honour
| mind's worth
| {{lang|ang|weorðmyndum}}
|   
| ''OE'' 
| {{lang|ang|[[Beowulf]]}}
|-
| hook
| bait-gallows
|  
|   
| ''Ic'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Flateyjarbók]]}}
|-
| kill enemies
| Feed the eagle 
|  
| Killing enemies left food for the eagles.
| ''S'' 
| [[Gripsholm Runestone]]
|-
| [[Loki]]
| wolf's father
|  
| An allusion to Loki's fathering of [[Fenrir]].
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Lokasenna]]}}
|-
| [[Loki]]
| father of the sea thread
|  
| [[Loki]] was the father of [[Jörmungandr]], the Midgard serpent.
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Þórsdrápa]]}}
|-
| mistletoe
| [[Baldr]]'s bane
|  
| The kenning derives from the story in which all plants and creatures swore never to harm Baldr save mistletoe, which, when it was overlooked, [[Loki]] used to bring about Baldr's death by tricking [[Hodur]].
| ''N'' 
|   
|-
| [[Mjollnir]], [[Thor]]'s hammer
| Hrungnir's slayer
|  
| [[Hrungnir]] was a giant whose head was smashed by a blow from Mjollnir.
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Lokasenna]]}}
|-
| [[Odin]]
| Lord of the gallows
|  
| See the separate page [[List of names of Odin]] for more Odin kennings.
| ''N'' 
|   
|-
| [[Odin]]
| Hanged god
|  
| Odin hung on the Tree of Knowledge for nine days in order to gain wisdom.
| ''N'' 
|-
| person
| voice-bearer
| {{lang|ang|reordberend}} 
| 
| ''OE'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Dream of the Rood]]}}   
|-
| poetry
| Grímnir's lip-streams
|  
| Grímnir is one of the names of [[Odin]].
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Þórsdrápa]]}}
|-
| raven
| swan of blood
|  
| Ravens ate the dead at battlefields.
| ''N'' 
|   
|-
| the sea
| whale-road
| {{lang|ang|hron-rād}}
|   
| ''N'',''OE'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Beowulf]]}} 10: "In the end, each [[clan]] on the outlying coasts beyond the whale-road had to yield to him and begin to pay [[tribute]]"
|-
| the sea
| sail road
| {{lang|ang|seġl-rād}}
|   
| ''OE'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Beowulf]]}} 1429 b
|-
| the sea
| whale's way
| {{lang|ang|hwæl-weġ}}
|   
| ''N'',''OE'' 
| [[The Seafarer (poem)|The Seafarer]] 63 a; {{lang|non|[[Beowulf]]}}
|-
| serpent
| valley-trout
|  
|   
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Skaldskaparmal]]}}
|-
| shield
| headland of swords
| {{lang|non|sverða nesi}}
| There is a connection to the word {{lang|non|nesa}} meaning subject to public ridicule/failure/shame, i.e. "the failure/shame of swords", not only "where the sword first hits/ headland of swords" Kennings can sometimes be a triple entendre.
| shield
| battle-linden
| Shields were often constructed from this sturdy wood

| ''N'' 
| [[Þorbjörn Hornklofi]], {{lang|non|[[Glymdrápa]]}} 3
|-
| ship
| wave-swine
| {{lang|non|unnsvín}}
|
| N
|
|-
| ship
| sea-steed
| {{lang|non|gjálfr-marr}}
|  
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Hervararkviða]]}} 27; {{lang|non|[[Skáldskaparmál]]}}
|-
| sky
| Ymir's skull
| {{lang|non|Ymis haus}}
| According to one of the creation accounts, sky was created from the skull of [[Ymir]], the ancestor of all [[jötnar]].
| ''N'' 
| [[Arnórr jarlaskáld]], {{lang|non|[[Magnúsdrápa]]}} 19
|-
| the sun
| heaven-candle
| {{lang|ang|heofon-candel}}
|  
| ''OE'' 
| Exodus 115 b
|-
| the sun
| heaven's jewel
| {{lang|ang|heofones ġim}}
|  
| ''OE'' 
| The Phoenix 183
|-
| the sun
| glory of elves
| {{lang|non|álf röðull}}
| {{lang|non|álf röðull}} ({{lang|non|[[alfrodull]]}}), meaning "glory-of-elves" refers both to the chariot of the sun goddess [[Sól (Sun)|Sól]] and to the rider (the sun herself).
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Skírnismál]]}}, {{lang|non|[[Vafþrúðnismál]]}}
|-
| sword
| blood-worm
|  
|   
| ''N'' 
|   
|-
| sword
| icicle of blood
|  
|   
| ''N'' 
|   
|-
| sword
| wound-hoe
| {{lang|non|ben-grefill}}
|   
| ''N'' 
| [[Egill Skallagrímsson]], {{lang|non|[[Hǫfuðlausn (Egill)|Höfuðlausn]]}} 8
|-
| sword
| leek of battle
| {{lang|non|ímun-laukr}}
| 
| ''N'' 
| [[Eyvindr Skáldaspillir]], {{lang|non|[[Lausavísa]]}} 8
|-
| [[Thor]]
| slayer of giants
| {{lang|non|felli fjörnets goða flugstalla}}
| {{lang|non|felli fjörnets goða flugstalla}} is a compound kenning. Literally ''feller of the life webs ({{lang|non|fjörnets}}) of the gods of the flight-edges'', i.e. slayer of giants, life webs ({{lang|non|fjörnets}}) is a kenning in its own right since it refers directly to the operations of the [[Norns]] in severing lives, flight-edges ({{lang|non|flugstalla}}) being the high and dangerous places inhabited by eagles and hawks, i.e. the icy mountains of [[Jotunheim]].
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Þórsdrápa]]}}
|-
| war
| weather of weapons
|  
|   
| ''N'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Skaldskaparmal]]}}
|-
| warrior
| feeder of ravens
| {{lang|non|grennir gunn-más}}
| "feeder of war-gull" = "feeder of [[raven]]" = "warrior" Ravens feed on dead bodies left after a battle.
| ''N'' 
| [[Þorbjörn Hornklofi]], {{lang|non|[[Glymdrápa]]}}
|-
| warrior
| destroyers of eagle's hunger
| {{lang|non|eyðendr arnar hungrs}}
| "destroyers of eagle's hunger" = "feeders of eagle" = "warrior" Eagles, also, feed on dead bodies left after a battle.
| ''N'' 
| [[Þorbjörn Þakkaskáld]], {{lang|non|[[Erlingsdrápa]]}} 1
|-
| waves
| [[Ægir's daughters]]
|  
| Ægir had nine daughters called [[billow maidens]] who were personifications of the waves.
| ''N'' 
|   
|-
| wind
| breaker of trees
|  
|  
| ''N'' 
| 
|-
| wolf
| Gunnr's horse
|  
| [[Gunnr]] is a [[valkyrie]].
| ''S'' 
| [[Rök Stone]]

<!-- This is a myth about the word for wrist, i.e. the Icelandic word is úlnliður, from úln, not úlf (for wolf).
|-
| wrist
| wolf's-joint
| {{lang|non|úlfliðr}}
| An allusion to [[Tyr]]'s loss of his hand when fettering the wolf [[Fenrir]]
| ''Ic'' 
| {{lang|non|[[Gylfaginning]]}}
-->

|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennings, List of}}
[[Category:Icelandic literature]]
[[Category:Old English poetry]]
[[Category:Old Norse poetry]]
[[Category:Poetic devices]]
[[Category:Epithets of Germanic deities| ]]