‘How should a man be referred to?’
‘He should be referred to in terms of his work, what he supplies or receives or does. He can also be referred to in terms of his possessions, both those he owns and those he gives away. Likewise in terms of the families he is descended from and those who are descended from him.
‘How should we make up a kenning for him based on these features? It is done by calling him the performer or advancer of his journeys, doings, fights, voyages, hunting expeditions, weapons or ships. Thus he is the prover [reynir] of weapons and the maker of war – the word “maker” being equivalent to “performer” [vidr]. Now the word reynir also means rowan tree and the word vidr means timber in general. With these words as a point of departure, poets have called men ash, maple, or grove or used other masculine gender words for types of tree, adding identifying attributes such as those of battles, of ships, or of property. It is also correct to refer to a man by using all the different names of the gods. Giants’ names can be used as well, but that is mostly for purposes of mockery or satire. It is considered appropriate to use the names of the elves.