Kennings

Level 6

Freyju tár (Freyja's tears) = gold. Ýmis blóð (Ymir's blood) = the sea. báru fákur (the wave's steed) = a ship. Kvasis blóð (Kvasir's blood) = poetry.

How It Works

How a kenning works. In báru fákur, fákur (steed) is the base word and báru (of the wave) is the determinant. A steed carries you over land, so a steed of the waves carries you over the sea. Snorri Sturluson's Skáldskaparmál lists many kennings, for example that a ship can be called the horse or animal of the sea.

Kennings from myths. Many kennings only make sense if you know the story behind them:

  • Freyju tár (Freyja's tears) = gold, because the goddess Freyja wept tears of red gold.
  • haddur Sifjar (Sif's hair) = gold, because dwarves made golden hair for Sif after Loki cut hers off.
  • Ægis eldur (Ægir's fire) = gold, because the sea giant Ægir lit his hall with gold instead of fire.
  • Ýmis blóð (Ymir's blood) = the sea, because the sea was made from the blood of the giant Ymir.
  • Kvasis blóð (Kvasir's blood) = poetry, because the mead of poetry was brewed from Kvasir's blood.

Grammar you need. The determinant is usually in the genitive case, so learn the genitives of the gods' names: Freyja → Freyju, Sif → Sifjar, Ýmir → Ýmis, Kvasir → Kvasis. It can come before or after its noun (Freyju tár or tár Freyju); see genitive before the noun. It can also be the first part of a compound, much like genitive in compounds. In old verse the two parts are often split up, so find the genitive and ask which noun it belongs to.

Kenning and heiti. A heiti is a single poetic word, such as jór for horse or mar for sea. A kenning always has at least two parts. A kenning can even contain another kenning, which makes it longer and harder to solve.

Kennings often help the poet with alliteration, since there are many ways to name the same thing.

Examples (6)

  1. Skáldið kallar gullið Freyju tár.

    The poet calls the gold Freyja's tears.

    Word by Word: The-poet calls the-gold Freyja's tears.

    Freyja wept tears of red gold, so her tears mean gold.

  2. Ýmis blóð er kenning fyrir hafið.

    Ymir's blood is a kenning for the sea.

    Word by Word: Ymir's blood is kenning for the-sea.

    In the creation story, the sea was made from the blood of the giant Ymir.

  3. Í vísunni er skipið kallað báru fákur.

    In the verse, the ship is called the steed of the wave.

    Word by Word: In the-verse is the-ship called wave's steed.

    fákur (steed) is the base word, and báru, the genitive of bára (wave), is the determinant.

  4. Haddur Sifjar er kenning fyrir gull.

    Sif's hair is a kenning for gold.

    Word by Word: Hair Sif's is kenning for gold.

    Here the genitive Sifjar comes after its noun.

  5. Kvasis blóð merkir skáldskap.

    Kvasir's blood means poetry.

    Word by Word: Kvasir's blood means poetry.

    The mead of poetry was brewed from Kvasir's blood.

  6. Heiti er eitt skáldlegt orð, til dæmis jór fyrir hest.

    A heiti is a single poetic word, for example jór for horse.

    Word by Word: Heiti is one poetic word, for example jór for horse.

    A heiti is one word, while a kenning has at least two parts.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative instead of the genitive.

    Skáldið kallar gullið Freyja tár.
    Skáldið kallar gullið Freyju tár.

    The determinant is a genitive: Freyju, not Freyja.

  • Reading a kenning literally.

    Í kvæðinu merkir Freyju tár að Freyja sé að gráta.
    Í kvæðinu merkir Freyju tár gull.

    In a poem, Freyju tár is a name for gold. Look for what the picture stands for, not for real tears.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

KenningsLevel 6

Learn This First

Kennings build on the genitive before the noun.

Words in This Pattern

kenning