Kenning - Wikipedia Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English alliterative verse They continued to be a feature of Icelandic poetry (including rímur) for centuries, together with the closely related heiti
Kenning - Definition and Examples | LitCharts A kenning is a figure of speech in which two words are combined in order to form a poetic expression that refers to a person or a thing For example, "whale-road" is a kenning for the sea
Kenning - Definition and Examples of Kenning - Literary Devices A kenning is a metaphorical compound word or phrase used to name or describe something Think of it as a compressed metaphor, a poetic substitution for a concrete noun It’s especially common in Old Norse and Old English poetry, though the technique appears across many cultures and time periods
Kenning | Old Norse, Poetry, Riddle | Britannica kenning, concise compound or figurative phrase replacing a common noun, especially in Old Germanic, Old Norse, and Old English poetry A kenning is commonly a simple stock compound such as “whale-path” or “swan road” for “sea,” “God’s beacon” for “sun,” or “ring-giver” for “king ”
Kenning | The Poetry Foundation A figurative compound word that takes the place of an ordinary noun Many kennings rely on myths or legends to make meaning and are found in Old Germanic, Norse, and English poetry, including The Seafarer, in which the ocean is called a “whale-path ” (See Ezra Pound’s translation)
Kennings! | The English Language Today, Yesterday, Tomorrow A kenning is a characteristic rhetorical device of Old English poetry (and Old Norse) The typical kenning is a compound in which each element identifies an attribute through the figures of metaphor, synecdoche, and metonymy
Examples of Kenning - YourDictionary The Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse traditions have a word for a compound expression with a metaphorical meaning: kenning Simply put, in poetry, a kenning is when you take two words and combine them as a mild translation or metaphor for something else
Kenning Examples and Definition - Literary Devices A kenning is a metaphorical compound phrase that replaces a single, concrete noun A kenning employs figurative language to represent the simpler concept, such as using the phrase “battle-sweat” to refer to blood Kennings are plentiful in Old Norse and Old English poetry and prose
KENNING – Word of the Day – The English Nook A kenning replaces a simple noun with a more descriptive phrase, usually made up of two words This poetic technique enhances imagery and adds layers of meaning to the text