List of kennings
A list of kennings follows.
A key to usage is as follows: AS - Anglo-Saxon N - Norse (generic) Ic - Old Icelandic D - Danish S - Swedish Nor - Norwegian G - Germanic Ce - Celtic X - common across all tongues.
Useful sources and references for further studies of kennings:
NB: This is an illustrative list and does not pretend to be comprehensive. Kennings relating to a particular character in the relevant literature are associated with the appropriate article, e.g. the article relating to Odin has a list of kennings with which Odin is associated or by which he is known; only the less obvious ones are given beneath.
Kennings
Primary meaning
Secondary/implied/allusive meaning
Source languages
Documents and sources
Aegir's daughters
waves
N
blood-ember
axe
N
Skaldskaparmal
blood-worm
sword
N
breaker of rings
King or chieftain
Alludes to a ruler breaking the golden rings upon his arm and using them to reward his followers.
AS
Beowulf
breaker of trees
wind
N
feeder of ravens
warrior
N
flame-farewelled
death
Implicitly honourable death
N
Freya's tears
gold
N
glory-of-elves
sun: Alfrodull
N
Skirnismal
Hanged god
Odin
N
Hrugnir's slayer
Thor's hammer, Mjollnir
N
Lokasenna
ice
silver
N
Kraki's seed
gold
Can also be used to imply generosity; q.v. Hrolf Kraki
N
Skaldskaparmal
Lord of the gallows
Odin
N
raven harvest
corpse
battle-field corpses
N
serpent's lair
gold
Serpents (and dragons) were reputed to lie upon gold in their nests
N
Skaldskaparmal
slaughter-dew
blood
N
spear-din
battle
N
Skaldskaparmal
steed of the billows
ship
N
taming wand
sword
N
Skirnismal
valley-trout
serpent
N
Skaldskaparmal
weather of weapons
war
N
Skaldskaparmal
whale's way
the sea
N,AS
Beowulf
wolf's father
Loki
an allusion to Loki's fathering of Fenrir
N
Lokasenna
wolf's-joint
wrist
An allusion to Tyr's loss of his hand when fettering the wolf Fenrir
Ic - úlfli›r
Gylfaginning