A kenning is a figurative expression that replaces a name or a noun. Often it is a compound of two words and the words are hyphenated. Kennings are usually associated with Old Norse, Icelandic, and Anglo Saxon poetry.
Modern Examples of Kennings
- Ankle-biter = a very young child
- Bean counter = a CPA or accountant
- Bookworm = someone who reads a lot
- Brown noser = person who does anything to gain approval
- Fender bender = slight car accident
- First Lady – wife of the president
- Four-eyes = someone who wears glasses
- Head twister = owl
- Hot potato = something no one wants
- Mind-reader = A person who knows what you are thinking
- Motor mouth = person who talks a lot and/or fast
- Pencil pusher = person with a clerical job
- Pig-skin = a football
- Postman chaser = dog
- Rug rat = toddler or crawling baby
- Show-stopper = performance receiving long applause
- Tree hugger = an environmentalist
- Tree swinger = monkey
- Tummy slider = penguin
Kennings Related to Weather
- Boreas’s burning = snow blindness
- Elf-glory = the sun
- Feather’s fall = falling snow
- Frozen road = ice-covered river
- Northern kiss = cold wind
- Ship of night = the moon
- Sky-candle = sun
- Sky’s black cloak = nightfall
- Thor’s laughter = thunder
- Weather of wolves = harsh winter
- White death = killed by an avalanche
- Winter’s blade = cold wind
- Winter’s blanket = snow
- Winter spear = icicle
Kennings Related to Battle
- Battle metal = weapons
- Battle-sweat = blood
- Black song = reaver’s war cry
- Blood-ember = axe
- Bone-beak = axe
- Dew of slaughter = blood
- Feeding the eagle = killing enemies
- Light-of-battle = sword
- Mind’s worth = honor
- Toast of ravens = blood
- Traveling the Hel road = dying
- War needles = arrows
- Weather of weapons = large-scale battle
- Wound-hoe = sword
Kennings Related to People
- Bear shirt = berserker (Norse warrior)
- Bringer of rings = chieftain or king
- Children of battle = soldiers
- Feller of the life-webs = slayer
- Feeder of eagles/ravens = warrior
- Fire beater = smith
- Forseti’s favored = diplomat
- Girl of the houses = wife
- Lord of laughter = composer, poet or Norse god Loki
- Ring giver = chief
- Rune caller = wizard
- Shield-gnawer = berserker (Norse warrior)
- Slayer of giants = Thor
Miscellaneous Kennings
- Balder’s gift = mistletoe
- Bane of wood = fire
- Branches of fjord = ship
- Dragon’s bile = poison
- Draught of giants = sudden realization
- Forseti’s failure = unjust decisions
- Frigg’s lapse = mistletoe
- Lindworm claws = skates
- Mimir’s warning = prophecy of doom
- Mind’s worth = honor
- Odin’s furrows = runes
- Ribs of Ull = skis
- Ring-rich = a generous person
- Serpent’s lair = gold
- Sindri’s gift = wealth
- Strong brew = mistletoe as an ingredient
- Uncut thread = destiny to be fulfilled
- Wind racers = horses
- Wolf’s joint = wrist
- Ancestor’s watch = a stone circle
- Green clearing = shaman’s gathering place
- Swan-road = the sea
- Valley-trout = serpent
- Wave-swine = ship
- Whale-road = the ocean
- Whale-way = the sea
As you can see from these examples, kennings have been used, and are still used, as a form of verbal shorthand.
