Structural-semantic links of skaldic kennings compared with phraseological units using the lexico-semantic group “Fire”

Abstract

The research aims to identify the essential features of horizontal links between elements of the system of skaldic kennings. The paper discusses the structure and lexical-semantic content of skaldic kennings and the peculiarities of their usage, comparing them with existing tropes such as metaphor, metonymy, and phraseological units. Additionally, focusing on the lexico-semantic group “Fire”, the authors examine the origin and principles of building horizontal links in the system of kennings. The scientific novelty lies in introducing a new approach to describing kennings within the theory of phraseology, offering a fresh perspective on horizontal links in the system of kennings. This has led to the following findings: 1) kennings can be considered within the phraseological paradigm using theoretical models of phraseology; 2) there are complex horizontal links in the system of kennings, primarily consisting of skaldic heiti, combining both two-word kennings and kennings with multiple elements.