Kenningin
Kenningin refers to kennings, a figure of speech widely used in Old Norse and Icelandic poetry and in medieval English verse. A kenning is a circumlocutory expression that stands in for a common noun, typically formed by two or more nouns linked in a metaphor. Instead of saying the sea, a poet might write “whale-road”; for a king, “ring-giver”; or for Danes, “spear-Danes.” Kennings are characteristic of skaldic poetry, where they help create rich imagery while fitting the required metrical and alliterative patterns.
Origins and use: Kennings developed in Norse and Icelandic poetic tradition and later appear in some medieval
Form and variety: Kennings range from simple two-element compounds to longer, more opaque phrases. Some rename
Modern relevance: Scholars study kennings as a key feature of Norse and medieval poetics and as a
See also: Epithet, metaphor, skaldic poetry, Old Norse literature.