Recently, we learned about a new type of poetry: kennings. Kennings are like riddles. They describe something without ever saying what it is. Each line of the poem is made of a two-word phrase. The words are joined by a hyphen.The phrase is made up of noun + verb (–ing or –er). The two-word format for a kenning relates to the Old Norse tradition of naming things like weapons, e.g. Skull-Splitter or Blood-Taker. Kennings came into our language via the Anglo-Saxon and Norse cultures. These people came from what is now Scandinavia and northern Germany. The word ‘kenning’ derives from the Old Norse word ‘kenna eitt við’, which means ‘to express a thing in terms of another’.
We even use kennings in everyday language! Examples include sky-scraper and tear-jerker. Poetic devices like alliteration can be used in kennings. They’re best when you read them out loud so you can imagine the thing being described.
We wrote kennings about ourselves and then tried to guess who had written them! Can you guess from reading below?
We even use kennings in everyday language! Examples include sky-scraper and tear-jerker. Poetic devices like alliteration can be used in kennings. They’re best when you read them out loud so you can imagine the thing being described.
We wrote kennings about ourselves and then tried to guess who had written them! Can you guess from reading below?