Tree of Germanic Languages

Old North split into separate dialects after the 9th c. in the famous Viking Age, when the Scandinavians started their raids because of the overpopulation of the fjord areas. The linguistic division into separate languages was due to the political division into Sweden, Denmark and Norway

The earliest written records in Old Danish, Old Norwegian and Old Swedish date from the 13th c. In addition to the three languages on the mainland, the North Germanic subgroup includes two more languages: Icelandic and Faroese, whose origin goes back to the Viking Age. In the Faroe Islands the West Norwegian dialects brought by the Scandinavians developed into separate language called Faroese, which nowadays is spoken by 30000 people. Iceland was practically uninhabited at the time of the first settlements. (9th c.) Their West Germanic dialect grew into an independed language, Icelandic. As compared with other North Germanic languages Icelandic has retained a more archaic system, that is why the study of Old Icelandic literature takes a central place for philologists. Modern Icelandic is very much like Old Icelandic and Old North. At present it is spoken by 200000 people. Old Icelandic written records date from the 12th and 13th c., of which the most important are:

1) Younger Edda - a textbook for young poets written by Snorri Sturluson,
2) Elder Edda - a collection of heroic songs of the 12th c.,
3) Old Icelandic sagas - the retellings of Scandinavian history and folktales in narrative form.
Jafnan er hálfsogþ saga, ef einn segir.
A tale is but half told, when only one person tells it.
(Grettis saga - The Saga of Grettir the Strong)
All Old Icelandic texts are written in the Icelandic alphabet which of course has its origins in the common Roman-type alphabet used throughout most of the western world, but the Futhark Runes have also had their considerable influence on its appearance. All those accents over the vowels and the "þ", the "ð" and the "Æ " have a profound influence on how Icelandic text looks like. First texts written in Old Icelandic date back to XII c. In XIIIc. Skaldic poetry - the collection of poems by the poets some of whom lived in IX c. was written down. These poems came down to us as quotations in the textbook of skaldic art called Younger Edda and composed by Snorri Sturluson. Snorri was a famous Icelandic scholar, poet and politician. The book has three parts. The first part gives the description of the mythological world. The second contains the commentary on the use of the poetic language and its devices among which the most representative is kenning

In the song in honour of konnung Harald kennings help to create a specific poetic code which is hard to decipher without the knowledge of the clues:

Hilmir reð a heiði, Hjaldrseiðs, þrimu, galdra Oðr við æskimeiða Ey vebrautar, heyja Aðr gnapsolar Gripnis Gnystærandi foeri Rausnarsamr til rimmu Riðviggs lagar skiðum.* (IXc.)

Князь решил на пустоши Битвы трески в сражение заклинания Непримеримый к жаждущему древу Всегда священного пути вступить; До того как возвышающегося солнца Грипнира Шума укрепитель повел Великолепный в битву Верхового жеребца моря лыжи ( line-to-line translation)

If we decipher all the kennings the meaning will be as following:
Конунг, всегда непримиримый к мужу (т.е. врагу), сражался на пустоши, до того как муж (т.е. он сам) повел, великолепный, корабли в бой.
Конунг-*hilmir - от hjalm 'шлем' т.е. наделяющий дружинников шлемами.
Lagar skið - лыжи моря

In the lines discussed we find two complicated kennings meaning 'man' or 'warrior':

1)

Hjaldr-seiðs;,  треска битвы

ve-brautar священная дорога

galdra  заклинание

æski-meiða  жаждущее древо

Жаждущее древо заклинания священного пути трески битвы

Thus we have: Треска битвы→меч, дорога меча→ щит, заклинание щита→ битва, жаждущее древо битвы→ муж

2)

Gripnis rið-viggs верховой жеребец Грипнира

gnap-solar возвышаюшееся солнце

gny-stærandi укрепитель шума