Compound poetic circumlocution in skaldic verse, frequently in the genitive.
A kenning is a metaphorical compound of two or more words that substitutes for a simple noun. The sea is called the horse of the wave or the road of the gull, and gold is called the fire of the sea.
Kennings can be nested in multiple layers, a practice called ofljóst. Snorri Sturluson analyses kenning structure extensively in Skáldskaparmál and provides normative lists of accepted and rejected forms.
Attestations
- Snorri Sturluson, Skáldskaparmál (ca. 1220)
- The canonical textbook on kenning theory and practice.