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Sterkleikinn kemur frá miklum harðleika.

Sterkleikinn kemur frá miklum harðleika.
The strength comes from great hardness.
From Lesson 379:Forming abstract nouns (-ni, -leiki, -i)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Sterkleikinn kemur frá miklum harðleika.

Is sterkleikinn derived using the -leiki or -leikur suffix?
It uses the weak masculine suffix -leiki, which becomes sterkleikinn when the definite article is attached. If it used the strong masculine suffix -leikur, the definite form would be sterkleikurinn. Both suffixes mean the same thing, but sterkleiki is more common here.
Why does the abstract noun harðleika end in -a in this sentence?
The base noun is harðleiki (hardness), formed from the adjective harður (hard) and the weak masculine suffix -leiki. The preposition frá always takes the dative case, and weak masculine nouns ending in -i change to -a in the accusative, dative, and genitive cases.
Why is the adjective miklum in the masculine form if it describes an abstract concept like hardness?
Even though abstract concepts in English have no gender, every Icelandic noun does. Since nouns formed with the -leiki suffix are always masculine, the adjective mikill (great) must be in the masculine dative singular form miklum to match harðleika.
Are there other abstract nouns for hardness, or is harðleiki the only one?
You will also frequently see the feminine noun harka (harshness, severity, or hardness), which is formed through a vowel shift rather than a suffix. However, harðleiki is specifically used to describe the physical or literal property of being hard, which fits perfectly with physical strength.

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