A kenning is a type of figurative language that describes a person, place, or thing using a compound noun phrase in the place of a single noun. In Old Norse literature, kennings were commonly used in poetry as a way to add depth and complexity to language. Modern kennings, on the other hand, are not as common in everyday language, but they can still be found in literature and poetry.
One example of a modern kenning can be found in the title of the science fiction novel "Dune," by Frank Herbert. In the novel, the planet Arrakis is referred to as the "desert planet," using a kenning to describe the planet's barren and inhospitable landscape.
Kennings can also be found in modern poetry. For example, the poet Sylvia Plath uses the kenning "moon-flower" to describe the moon in her poem "Full Moon and Little Frieda." The use of the kenning adds a sense of mystery and magic to the description of the moon.
Kennings can also be used for humorous effect. For example, a kenning for a person who is always hungry might be "food-fiend," while a kenning for a clumsy person might be "foot-fumble." These examples show that modern kennings can be used to add wit and humor to language.
In conclusion, while kennings may not be as common in modern language as they were in the past, they can still be found in literature and poetry. Kennings add depth and complexity to language, and can be used for various purposes such as adding mystery, humor, or wit to a description.
What is an example of a modern day kenning?
The poem above is obviously about an onion, but it makes a series of comparisons to a man's penis. I lose you again. Because the primary sound-device of Anglo-Saxon poetry was alliteration, the repetition of letter sounds. One of the most commonly read versions was translated by Ezra Pound, the well-known In this poem, there are also good examples of kennings. The kenning ''fair-minded'' evokes a calm temper, intelligence, and sense of justice.
This practice comes from the Old Norse phrase ''kenna eitt við'' to express one thing in terms of another from which the kenning takes its name. No, they're sapped and NOW-swept as my sea-wolf's love-cry. The Difference Between Riddles and Kennings: The Anglo-Saxon scops were accomplished riddlers and kenners. Contemporary poets often use kennings to create evocative imagery or to be faithful to the works that they are translating. Unfortunately, from the gouges and round stains on t he cover, it appears this precious book was used as a cutting board and coaster for beer mugs! These alternate terms for a clerical worker and an environmentalist are both examples of kennings. It is usually found as a two-word combination.
This new word is usually far more descriptive and interesting than others available to the writer. Thanks to the Exeter Book, a good number of these poems have survived. In some cases, metaphors were extended into poems of considerable length and complexity, anticipating the work of metaphysical poets to come several centuries later, such as John Donne, Andrew Marvell, George Herbert and Henry Vaughan. Jennings is an alternate form of Jenkin Flemish. But sometimes the lines blur, because when we finish a riddle, if we are able to solve it correctly, we may understand the subject better! OE death sleep of the sword OE death flame-farewelled Implicitly honorable death N fire bane of wood grand viðar ON Snorri Sturluson, fire sun of the houses sól húsanna ON gold seeds of the Fýrisvalla fræ N gold serpent's lair Serpents and dragons were reputed to lie upon gold in their nests. As such, some elements, phrases, and kennings have survived to the modern day. The Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Vikings, Icelanders and Teutons had a rich riddle-poem tradition, known as enigmata think "enigma".
There are around 100 riddles and kennings in the Exeter Book, the oldest surviving poetry anthology in the English language. Evenings, I rinse from my face the city's grime, its fried oils. The Angles, from whom England derives its name, were a Germanic tribe, as were the Saxons and Jutes. The two words in a kenning do not have to be nouns, but nouns are by far the most common. For example, in the Old English translation of the Old Testament, the moment in which waves crush the Pharaoh and his army who are currently pursuing the fleeing Hebrew slaves is described as waelmist, or ''slaughter-mist. Extended kennings of up to seven elements can be found in skaldic verse.
A person who talks constantly: chatterbox 9. Then it had no bone. Writers use kennings to make their descriptions more interesting and easier to understand. N gold Derived from the story of when N gold Kraki's seed N gold, sometimes amber Derived from the story of when Freyja could not find N lord of the northmen dróttin Norðmanna ON Þorbjörn Hornklofi, honour mind's worth weorðmyndum OE hook bait-gallows Ic kill enemies Feed the eagle Killing enemies left food for the eagles S wolf's father an allusion to Loki's fathering of N father of the sea thread N mistletoe The kenning derives from the story in which all plants and creatures swore never to harm Baldr save mistletoe, which, when it was overlooked, N Hrungnir's slayer N Lord of the gallows See the separate page N Hanged god Odin hung on the Tree of Knowledge for nine days in order to gain wisdom. For example, the "Water Become Bone" poem above contains four "w" sounds and two "b" sounds. After defeating him, he then combats Grendel's nameless mother who, quite understandably, seeks to avenge the death of her son. Random House, 1982 "The poets loved kennings because they were opportunities to vary their descriptions when they told long stories of heroes and battles.
Lesson Summary A kenning is a concise often two-word metaphorical representation of one person, place, or thing through its associations with another. Mythweaver This fragment contains no context, but it is likely a kenning for ''storyteller'' or perhaps ''poet. I hope you have enjoyed my translations from the dawn of the English language. Upon seeing it, he thanks God that, though he may die, his people will be enriched and live happily onward. Despite the fact that they can be categorized as a circumlocution, kennings add more to the text than they take away.
For instance, the kenning "sea-steed" for "ship" appears in both Norse and Anglo-Saxon poetry. It, too, is without an author or a determined date of composition. Calling a car crash a ''fender bender'' or calling someone who loves to read a ''book worm'' are both examples of kennings. This made them extremely useful for inserting in larger poetic works to provide colorful and artistic representations of everyday things. The oldest extant epic poem, Gilgamesh, contains a riddle: the "Riddle of the Springs of Dilmun. That is a wickedly funny ending! A kenning poem is a type of riddle that lists several kennings in a row that are all describing the same thing. I grow erect in bed.
Modern examples of extended metaphors include Donne's holy sonnets, Marvell's famous carpe diem poem "To His Coy Mistress," and Herbert's devotional poems "The Collar" and "The Pulley. N person voice-bearer reordberend OE poetry Grímnir's lip-streams Grímnir is one of the names of N raven swan of blood Ravens ate the dead at battlefields. Bolton, A Living Language: The History and Structure of English. No one suffers because of me, except my slayer. A person who rides wild horses:. The epic poem Beowulf is chock full of kennings.
If the Abrahamic God can wield glory, so too can he grant it. Kenning Definition Kennings are a type of metaphor that are used in poetry and in everyday speech. Kenning Defined Have you ever heard someone with a desk job referred to as a ''pencil-pusher''? When wounded, however, the dragon spews forth ''battle-fire. She is without longing! Whan the brere was unbred, When the briar was unborn, Thanne hadde it no rinde; Then it had no skin; Whan the maiden hath that she loveth, And when a maiden has her mate, She is withoute longinge. In this poem, ''sea-wolf'' is a kenning for sailor, and ''love-cry'' is a kenning for a romantic poem.
N ship wave-swine unnsvín N ship sea-steed gjálfr-marr N sky Ymir's skull Ymis haus According to one of the creation accounts, sky was created from the skull of N the sun heaven-candle heofon-candel OE Exodus 115 b the sun heaven's jewel heofones ġim OE The Phoenix 183 the sun glory of elves álf röðull álf röðull N sword blood-worm N sword icicle of blood N sword wound-hoe ben-grefill N sword leek of battle ímun-laukr N slayer of giants felli fjörnets goða flugstalla felli fjörnets goða flugstalla is a compound kenning. Riddle examples: What is so delicate that saying its name breaks it? Common Examples of Kenning Couch-potato: someone who is lazy and sits in front of the TV often. Kenning Defined Have you ever heard someone with a desk job referred to as a ''pencil-pusher''? Battle-grim, dragon-din, safe-world win. He floats in the ocean like a regal rock; men mistake him for an island; some try to dock, seldom with any luck. The debt the gannet owes to these seas implies each possesses awareness. For example, ''helmet-bearer'' for ''warrior.
