Old English Wordhord

Old English Word of the Day

Navigation

Skip to content
  • About
  • Wordhord Book
  • Wordhord App
  • Podcasts
  • Wordhord Wednesday
  • Goldgifa Page
  • Pronunciation
  • Not “Anglo-Saxon”
  • Medieval Resources

Category Archives: kennings

Post navigation

← Older posts

feorh-hūs

Posted on February 10, 2023 by Hana Videen

feorh-hūs, n.n: ‘life-house’, a kenning for the body. (FEH-or’h-HOOS / ˈfɛɔrx-ˌhuːs)

Posted in body + health, hord highlights, kennings, wordhord book Leave a comment

feorh-hord

Posted on October 15, 2022 by Hana Videen

feorh-hord, n.n: ‘life-treasure’, ‘life-hoard’, the soul or spirit. (FEH-or’h-HORD / ˈfɛɔrx-ˌhɔrd)

Posted in body + health, kennings, wordhord book Leave a comment

brim-hlæst

Posted on July 3, 2022 by Hana Videen

brim-hlæst, f.n: fish (‘sea-cargo’). (BRIM-H’LAST / ˈbrɪm-ˌhlæst)

Medieval manuscript depiction of Pisces, with two fish facing opposite directions within two circles, their mouths connected by a curving red line.
11th century calendar, from SE England (Canterbury?); British Library, Cotton MS Julius A VI, f. 4r. [bl.uk]
Posted in animals, hord highlights, kennings, water, wordhord book Leave a comment

heofon-colu

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Hana Videen

heofon-colu, n.n: heat of the sun, literally ‘coals of the heavens’. (HEH-oh-von-KOLL-uh / ˈhɛɔ-vɔn-ˌkɔ-lʌ)

Medieval manuscript image of a golden sun with face in a neutral expression; fifteen S-shaped rays extend from it against a blue sky.
Livre de la Vigne nostre Seigneur; France, c. 1450-70; Bodleian Library, MS Douce 134, f. 49v. [digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk]
Posted in hord highlights, kennings, weather Leave a comment

bān-cofa

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Hana Videen

bān-cofa, m.n: bone-chamber, a kenning for the body. (BAHN-KOV-ah / ˈbaːn-ˌkɔ-va)

A man's body appears on a manuscript page. His bones are drawn on top of body. The man has a bemused expression. He is cross-eyed with a disproportionately large mouth.
Treatise on the human body. England, c.1292. Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 399, f. 20r. [iiif.bodleian.ox.ac.uk]

Posted in body + health, kennings Leave a comment

swegel-candel

Posted on December 8, 2019 by Hana Videen

swegel-candel, f.n: ‘sky-candle’, the sun. (SWEH-yell-KAHN-dell / ˈswɛ-jɛl-ˌkan-dɛl)

Posted in hord highlights, kennings, weather, wordhord book Leave a comment

here-draca

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Hana Videen

here-draca, m/f.n: an arrow (lit. ‘army-dragon’). (HEH-reh-DRAH-kah)

Posted in battle, kennings Leave a comment

sund-hengest

Posted on February 16, 2019 by Hana Videen

sund-hengest, m.n: ‘sea-horse’, i.e. a ship. (SUND-HENG-gest / ˈsʌnd-ˌhɛŋ-gɛst)

Louis IX sailing on his second crusade in Les Grandes chroniques de France. France (Paris), 1332-1350. London, British Library, Royal MS 16 G VI, f. 437v. [bl.uk]
Posted in hord highlights, kennings, travel + trade, water Leave a comment

friþ-candel

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Hana Videen

friþ-candel, f.n: ‘peace-candle’, the sun. (FRITH-KAHN-dell / ˈfrɪθ-ˌkan-dɛl)

Posted in kennings, wordhord book Leave a comment

flǣsc-hord

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Hana Videen

flǣsc-hord, n.n: ‘flesh-hoard’, the body. (FLASH-HORD / ˈflæːʃ-ˌhɔrd)

Bloodletting-Zodiac Man, from a collection of astronomical, calendrical, medical and philosophical texts compiled in England (1275-1540). British Library, Harley MS 3719, ff. 158v-159r. [blogs.bl.uk]
Posted in body + health, hord highlights, kennings, wordhord book Leave a comment

Post navigation

← Older posts

Find Posts

Support

Become a Goldgifa to support my work and read Wordhord Wednesday posts.

  • Patreon

Follow

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Mastodon
Download on the App Store

Website Powered by WordPress.com.
  • Follow Following
    • Old English Wordhord
    • Join 521 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Old English Wordhord
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...