A kenning is a figurative, usually compound expression used in place of a name or noun, especially in Old English and Old Norse poetry1.
weorðmyndum: mind’s worth (honour)
reordberend: voice-bearer (person)
hron-rād: whale-road (the sea)
heofon-candel: heaven-candle (the sun)
sundwudu: flood-timber (ship)
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“kenning.” American Heritage Dictionary. ↩︎