Wednesday 24 July 2013

SOME NORSE KENNINGS


• axe = blood-ember
• battle = spear-din
• blood = slaughter-dew
• blood = battle-sweat
• blood = wound-sea
• chieftain or king = breaker of rings (alludes to a ruler breaking the golden rings upon his arm and using them to reward his followers)
• death = sleep of the sword
• death = flame-farewelled
• fire = bane of wood
• wife = girl of the houses
• gold = serpent's lair (serpents and dragons were reputed to lie upon gold in their nests
• honour = mind's worth
• kill enemies = feed the eagle (killing enemies left food for the eagles)
• mistletoe = Baldur's bane (the kenning derives from the story in which all plants and creatures swore never to harm Baldur save mistletoe, which, when it was overlooked, Loki used to bring about Baldur's death by tricking Hodur)
• Odin = Hanged god (Odin hung on the Tree of Knowledge for nine days in order to gain wisdom). Odin has around 200 names some of which are kennings.
• raven = swan of blood (ravens ate the dead at battlefields)
• the sea = whale-road
• ship = sea-steed
• sky = Ymir’s skull
• the sun = sky-candle
• the sun = sky's jewel
• sword = blood-worm
• sword = wound-hoe
• Thor = slayer of giants, basher of trolls
• war = weather of weapons
• warrior = feeder of ravens
• wind = breaker of trees
• wolf = Gunnr's horse (Gunnr is a valkyrie)
• wrist = wolf's-joint

(source: artwork 'When I was a Viking my Friend he was the Raven' by Rick Lilley http://bit.ly/135tV8b; text http://bit.ly/11bu6Sw)


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