Odin's Fires

Weapons and armour shall be referred to in terms of battle and
Odin and death-maidens and war-kings, helmet called hood or
cap, and mail-coat shirt or tunic, and shield curtain; and shield-wall
is called hall and roof, wall and floor. Shields are spoken of
and referred to in terms of warships, as sun or moon or leaf or
gleam or fence of the ship. A shield is also called Ull’s ship and
referred to in terms of Hrungnir’s feet when he stood on his shield.
On ancient shields it was customary to decorate the border which
was called the circle, and shields are referred to by means of this
circle. Cutting weapons, axes or swords, are called fires of blood
or wounds. Swords are said to be Odin’s fires, and people call axes
by names of troll-wives, and refer to them in terms of blood or
wound or forest or tree. Thrusting weapons it is fine to refer to as
snakes or fish. Missiles are frequently referred to as hail or
snowfall or storm. All these kennings are varied in many ways, for
most compositions are in the form of praise poetry, where these
kennings are particularly required.


- Prose Edda, Skaldskaparmal


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A sword is Odin’s fire, as Kormak said:

Battle raged when the feeder of Grid’s steed [wolf], he who
waged war, advanced with ringing Gaut’s [Odin’s] fire.
Weird rose from the well.


- Prose Edda, Skaldskaparmal