Encyclopedia > List of kennings
List of kennings
A key to usage is as follows: AS - Anglo-Saxon N - Norse (generic) Ic - Old Icelandic D - Danish S - Swedish Nor - Norwegian G - Germanic Ce - Celtic X - common across all tongues.
Useful sources and references for further studies of kennings:
- Meissner's "Die Kenningar der Skalden" (1921)
- Snorri Sturlusson Skáldskaparmál
NB: This is an illustrative list and does not pretend to be comprehensive. Kennings relating to a particular character in the relevant literature are associated with the appropriate article, e.g. the article relating to Odin has a list of kennings with which Odin is associated or by which he is known; only the less obvious ones are given beneath.
| Kennings | Primary meaning | Secondary/implied/allusive meaning | Source languages | Documents and sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aegir's daughters | waves | N | ||
| blood-ember | axe | N | Skaldskaparmal | |
| blood-worm | sword | N | ||
| breaker of rings | King or chieftain | Alludes to a ruler breaking the golden rings upon his arm and using them to reward his followers. | AS | Beowulf |
| breaker of trees | wind | N | ||
| feeder of ravens | warrior | N | ||
| flame-farewelled | death | Implicitly honourable death | N | |
| Freya's tears | gold | N | ||
| glory-of-elves | sun: Alfrodull | N | Skirnismal | |
| Hanged god | Odin | N | ||
| Hrugnir's slayer | Thor's hammer, Mjollnir | N | Lokasenna | |
| ice | silver | N | ||
| Kraki's seed | gold | Can also be used to imply generosity; q.v. Hrolf Kraki | N | Skaldskaparmal |
| Lord of the gallows | Odin | N | ||
| raven harvest | corpse | battle-field corpses | N | |
| serpent's lair | gold | Serpents (and dragons) were reputed to lie upon gold in their nests | N | Skaldskaparmal |
| slaughter-dew | blood | N | ||
| spear-din | battle | N | Skaldskaparmal | |
| steed of the billows | ship | N | ||
| taming wand | sword | N | Skirnismal | |
| valley-trout | serpent | N | Skaldskaparmal | |
| weather of weapons | war | N | Skaldskaparmal | |
| whale's way | the sea | N,AS | Beowulf | |
| wolf's father | Loki | an allusion to Loki's fathering of Fenrir | N | Lokasenna |
| wolf's-joint | wrist | An allusion to Tyr's loss of his hand when fettering the wolf Fenrir | Ic - úlfli›r | Gylfaginning |
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