v. Inverted

The inverted kenning is a type of extended kenning, usually with a simple sequence of referents, each forming the determinant of another kenning. However, one or both parts of any of the sub-kennings form part of a compound word which belongs structurally to another sub-kenning. The difficulty is that this structure produces a situation in which the boundaries of sub-kennings do not coincide with word boundaries. This can be dealt with in the prose word order by representing the boundary in the middle of the compound:

{{Hildar hjaldr}gegnir} — (UlfrU Hús 1)

{{{Endils iarmungrundar} reið}-Viðurr} — (Karlevi stone)

{{{{{Heita dýr}bliks} dyn}sæðinga} hungrdeyfi} — (Hfr Erf 20)

The prose here cannot be translated in the same order into idiomatic English. In these cases, the instruction to match the Prose order to the translation should be disregarded in favour of a word order which best represents the structure of the kenning. In the translation, the compounds cannot be translated as such while still representing the structure. Instead, translate as if the words in the compounds were independent and in a genitival relationship:

{{Hildar hjaldr}gegnir} — {the promoter {of the noise of Hildr <valkyrie>}} [BATTLE > = Óðinn]

{{{Endils iarmungrundar} reið}-Viðurr} — {the Viðurr <= Óðinn> {of the chariot {of the huge ground of Endill <sea-king>}}} [SEA > SHIP > SEAFARER]

{{{{{Heita dýr}bliks} dyn}sæðinga} hungrdeyfi} — {the hunger-diminisher {of the seagulls {of the din {of the gleam {of the animal of Heiti <sea-king>}}}}} [SHIP > SHIELD > BATTLE > RAVENS > WARRIOR]

In order to preserve the style of the original text, the literal translation should be given before the sequence of kenning referents. Note that glosses to heiti and other features are not included in the literal translation:

a.       {{Hildar hjaldr}gegnir}

b.      {the promoter {of the noise of Hildr <valkyrie>}} [(lit. 'the noise-promoter of Hildr') BATTLE > = Óðinn]

c.       the promoter of the noise of Hildr <valkyrie> [(lit. 'the noise-promoter of Hildr') BATTLE > = Óðinn]

a.       {{{Endils iarmungrundar} reið}-Viðurr}

b.      {the Viðurr <= Óðinn> {of the chariot {of the huge ground of Endill <sea-king>}}} [(lit. 'the chariot-Viðurr of the huge ground of Endill') SEA > SHIP > SEAFARER]

c.       the Viðurr <= Óðinn> of the chariot of the huge ground of Endill <sea-king> [(lit. 'the chariot-Viðurr of the huge ground of Endill') SEA > SHIP > SEAFARER]

a.       {{{{{Heita dýr}bliks} dyn}sæðinga} hungrdeyfi}

b.      {the hunger-diminisher {of the seagulls {of the din {of the gleam {of the animal of Heiti <sea-king>}}}}} [(lit. 'the hunger-diminisher of the din-seagulls of the animal-gleam of Heiti') SHIP > SHIELD > BATTLE > RAVENS > WARRIOR]

c.       the hunger-diminisher of the seagulls of the din of the gleam of the animal of Heiti <sea-king> [(lit. 'the hunger-diminisher of the din-seagulls of the animal-gleam of Heiti') SHIP > SHIELD > BATTLE > RAVENS > WARRIOR]

It should be noted that the last example constitutes probably the most complicated kenning in the corpus. Most examples of this type will be more along the lines of the first two.

References