Kennings
Kennings are circumlocutions where two nouns (as a compound or genitive(s)) refer to a third, unspoken noun. Elements can be substituted with further kennings. There are around 10,000 kennings in the corpus, most of which are unique. This is a list of the kennings in the published volumes, grouped according to Meissner’s categories where applicable.
E.g. (random): ern sili Hernar — ‘the vigorous harness-strap of Hernar <island>’ = SEA — in ESk Lv 14III
(Proper name referents, as they appear in the published edition.)
- ? Rǫgnvaldr1
- (?) Eiríkr blóðøx1
- bandamenn1
- Hǫfuðlausn1
- naðr1
- Yggs drǫslar 1
- Adam1
- Aðalsteinn5
- Agapitus and Theopistus1
- Alexander1
- Andrew1
- Angantýr1
- Angrboða1
- Arinbjǫrn6
- Arnóra2
- Arthur1
- Atli2
- Auðgísl1
- Auðr11
- Auðunn1
- Augustine5
- Aunn1
- Áli Uppdalakappi1
- Ánn1
- Ármóðr2
- Ás-gerðr1
- Ásdís8
- Ásgarðr2
- Ásgeirr1
- Ásgerðr3
- Áslaug-Randalín1
- Ásmundr3
- Ástríðr1
- Baldr3
- Barði1
- Barði Guðmundarson1
- Bárðr2
- Berg-Ǫnundr4
- Bersi3
- Birgir1
- Birgir Magnússon1
- Bjǫrn21
- Bjǫrn and Þórðr?1
- Bjǫrn?1
- Bǫðvarr2
- Bóthildr1
- Brynhildr2
- Brynjólfr1
- Búi5
- Byzantine emperor5
- Byzantine king1
- Caduallo2
- Catherine2
- Christ56
- Christ/Óláfr1
- Dalla1
- Denmark2
- Devil1
- Dionysius3
- Dómaldi1
- Dómarr1
- Edmund Ironside1
- Egill4
- Eilífr2
- Einarr1
- Einarr and Andréas1
- Einarr skálaglamm1
- Einarr, I1
- Eindriði1
- Eiríkr37
- Eiríkr blóðøx22
- Eiríkssynir2
- England1
- Englishmen1
- Erlingr5
- Eyjólfr1
- Eysteinn, Sigurðr, Ingi1
- Eyvindr skreyja1
- Falgeirr1
- Fáfnir2
- Fenja and Menja2
- Fenrir3
- Finnr1
- Flosi and his men2
- Freyja3
- Freyr2
- Friðgeirr1
- Frigg1
- Gabriel1
- Gamli Eiríksson1
- Gandvík1
- Gautr Jónsson1
- Gefjun <goddess>1
- Geirríðr1
- Geirrøðr4
- Geirviðr4
- Gestr1
- Gizurr1
- Gísli16
- Glúmr1
- Glæsir1
- God539
- God?1
- Grettir7
- Grettir, me1
- Grégóríus1
- Grímkell2
- Grímr1
- Grjótúnagarðar1
- Gróa1
- Guðbrandr1
- Guðr1
- Guðrún1
- Guðrún Gjúkadóttir1
- Gunnar and Hǫgni1
- Gunnarr4
- Gunnlaugr8
- Guthormr Eiríksson1
- Gutthormr2
- Hafliði2
- Hagbarðr2
- Hail Mary2
- Haki2
- Halldórr1
- Hallfreðr2
- Hallgerðr5
- Hallgrímr2
- Halli1
- Hallmundr1
- Hamðir and Sǫrli3
- Haraldr58
- Haraldr blátǫnn1
- Haraldr gilli1
- Haraldr gráfeldr3
- Haraldr gráfeldr?1
- Haraldr hárfagri2
- Haramsøya1
- Hákon90
- Hákon Grjótgarðsson1
- Hákon jarl21
- Hákon jarl Sigurðarson1
- Hákon jarl?1
- Hálfdan2
- Hálfr6
- Hávarðr2
- Heimdallr2
- Hel13
- Helga8
- Helga Þorfinnsdóttir1
- Helgi3
- Helgi?1
- Henry IV2
- Hildr20
- Hildr Hǫgnadóttir2
- Hjaðningar1
- Hléguðr3
- Hnoss6
- Hœnir1
- Hǫgni3
- Hǫgni (?)1
- Hordaland1
- Hordaland = Norway1
- Hǫrðr8
- Hrafn2
- Hrafn?1
- Hrókr inn svarti2
- Hrólfr1
- Hrólfr kraki1
- Hrungnir11
- Hrútr8
- Hrútr and Gunnarr1
- Hymir1
- I5
- I, Bersi1
- I, Ǫnundr1
- I, Steinarr1
- Iceland3
- Iðunn5
- Iðunn 1
- Illugi6
- Illugi Hallkelsson1
- Indriði2
- Ingi3
- Ingi and Sigurðr1
- Ingibjǫrg3
- Italy1
- Ívarr1
- Játmundr1
- Jews1
- Jǫðurr1
- John3
- Jǫrð25
- Jǫrð (jǫrð ‘earth’)4
- Jǫrmunrekkr4
- Jǫrundr1
- Jǫtunheimar ‘Giant-lands’1
- Jón1
- Karl?2
- Kálfr2
- Kálfur Hallson1
- Kári2
- Kársnautr2
- Ketill3
- Ketilríðr15
- King Aðalráðr1
- Kjartan3
- Klaufi1
- Knútr26
- Knútr Sveinsson1
- Kolbakr1
- Kolbeinn1
- Kolbeinn Þórðarson1
- Kolfinna1
- Kolli1
- Kolskeggr1
- Kormákr7
- Kraki2
- Kráka/Áslaug1
- Kristófór2
- Litr1
- Ljótr5
- Lǫgmaðr2
- Loki21
- Loptr (Hallmundr)1
- Loptr <= Loki>1
- Lýtingr1
- Magnús66
- Magnús or Óláfr Haraldsson1
- Magnús and Óláfr1
- Magnús berfœttr Óláfsson1
- Mary103
- Mary Magdalene2
- Maurice1
- Maxentius1
- Már3
- me4
- me, Bersi1
- me, Grettir2
- me, Hjálmþér1
- me, Ǫnundr1
- Merlin9
- Michael1
- Michael Kalaphates1
- Miðgarðsormr16
- Mjǫllnir2
- Mǫrðr9
- Moses2
- Nagli5
- Narfi3
- Nikulás Sveinsson1
- Njáll5
- Njáll and his sons1
- Norway5
- Norway?1
- Oddný7
- Ǫlvir1
- Ǫnundr3
- Ormr2
- Ormr inn langi2
- Ǫrvar-Oddr1
- Otto II1
- Óðinn70
- Óðinn and Baugi1
- Óðinn, Hœnir and Loki1
- Óláfr140
- Óláfr > = Haraldr1
- Óláfr Eiríksson1
- Óláfr Haraldsson4
- Óláfr sœnski1
- Óláfr Tryggvason6
- Paul1
- Perus1
- Peter8
- Philip I1
- Plácitus1
- Ragna1
- Ragnarr3
- Ragnarr loðbrók1
- Ragnfrøðr?1
- Rán3
- Rimmugýgr2
- Ríkarðr1
- Rǫgnvaldr12
- S. Oswald1
- S. Óláfr2
- Shetland1
- Sigmundr1
- Sigmundr and Skjǫldr1
- Signý2
- Sigtryggr1
- Sigurðr23
- Sigurðr jarl1
- Sigurðr munnr1
- Sigurðr munnr Haraldsson1
- Sigurðr ormr-í-auga2
- Sigurðr slefa1
- Sigurðr slembidjákn1
- Sigvaldi2
- Sjælland3
- Skaði4
- Skapti3
- Skarpheðinn1
- Skeggi1
- Skjǫlf1
- Skǫfnungr1
- Skopti3
- Skúli27
- Sleipnir1
- Snorri11
- Snorri goði2
- Snorri goði1
- Snækollr1
- Sól 1
- Sóti3
- Starkaðr1
- Steingerðr33
- Steinvǫr1
- Stórvirkr1
- Styrr1
- Suttungr2
- Sveigðir1
- Sveinn22
- Sveinn Álfífuson1
- Sveinn jarl1
- Sveinn Úlfsson1
- Sveinn/Magnús1
- Svíar1
- Svína-Grímr1
- Swedish king4
- Swedish kings1
- Sæmingr1
- Sæmundr1
- the dynasty of the Goths1
- the god Heimdallr1
- the Ribbungar1
- the six brothers of Þráinn1
- the sons of Njáll1
- Tindr1
- Torfi2
- Torfi Valbrandsson1
- Torfi Vébrandsson2
- Tófi2
- Trausti1
- Tryggvi2
- Túta1
- Tyrfingr3
- Týr1
- Ullkell1
- Ullr1
- Unnr1
- Úlfr1
- Útsteinn1
- Vagn11
- Valbrandr1
- Valhǫll6
- Váli1
- Ván (ván ‘hope’)1
- Vetr1
- Vifill1
- Vigfúss2
- Víðkunnr1
- Víga-Styrr2
- Víglundr5
- Víkarr1
- Vortigern4
- Waltheof1
- Wends1
- William1
- Yggdrasill1
- Yngvarr1
- you, Óláfr3
- Þangbrandr1
- Þjazi18
- Þjálfi2
- Þjóðrekssynir1
- Þorbjǫrg2
- Þorbjǫrn4
- Þorbjǫrn ferðalangr1
- Þorbjǫrn ǫngull1
- Þorbrandr1
- Þorfinnr11
- Þorfinnr Arnórsson1
- Þorfinnr Kársson2
- Þorfinnr Sigurðarson1
- Þorgeirr14
- Þorgeirr blundr2
- Þorgils2
- Þorgrímr5
- Þorgrímr’s supporters1
- Þorkell4
- Þorkell auðgi Þórðarson1
- Þorkell geysa1
- Þorleifr3
- Þorleifr skúma1
- Þormóðr4
- Þorsteinn4
- Þorsteinn Egilsson1
- Þorsteinn Kálfsson1
- Þorsteinn Þóruson1
- Þorvaldr5
- Þorvaldr tinteinn2
- Þorvarðr4
- Þorvarðr and Þorvaldr tinteinn1
- Þórarinn2
- Þórálfr1
- Þórdís1
- Þórðr10
- Þórðr Arndísarson2
- Þórð̃r inn huglausi1
- Þórðr, me1
- Þórðr?1
- Þórir3
- Þórir Skeggjason and his men1
- Þóroddr2
- Þórólfr4
- Þórr67
- Þórr and his companion1
- Þórr and Þjálfi2
- Þórunn1
- Þráinn1
- Þuríðr8
- Ægir3
- Ægir’s1
- Æsir1
- Æthelred2
CloseKenning referents
This page gives a list of kenning referents using Meissner’s categories (translated into English) and supplemented with some additional referents not used by Meissner. It excludes kennings with referents that are named beings or persons.
Clicking on an item in the list will give all published kennings under that category.