(from the Vikings to the present day) kennings (from the Vikings to the present day)

On the BBC Radio program ‘Word of Mouth,’ the poet Laurence Sail defined kennings as ‘a way of describing something indirectly’ They are a kind of ‘mini riddle’ - but one which is very much aimed at listeners rather than readers.

A kenning is an Anglo-Saxon literary device. Essentially a metaphorical circumlocution (something said using more words than necessary) Describes a well-known noun in new ways which provides info about its characteristics and qualities Forces displacement of the familiar and invites deeper thinking of how to describe the ordinary

noun/noun (swan-road = river) noun/verb (skull-splitter = axe) At their simplest, kennings are just two words fused together with a hyphen to make a new noun. The two words can be: noun/noun (swan-road = river) noun/verb (skull-splitter = axe) used to make a list describing an object, emotion, quality, or animal in any combination.

An example of this kind of simple kenning is: Round-facer No-smiler Still-stander Two-hander Night-friendly Heart-beater Time-keeper Sudden-shrieker What am I? An alarm clock

(The national flag of Norway) The word kenning is derived from the Old Norse phrase kenna eitt við, which means "to express a thing in terms of another” and is found throughout Norse, Anglo-Saxon, and Celtic literature. (The national flag of Norway)

Now let’s look at some modern versions of kennings and see if we can work out what they’re about….. Ready?

A famous kenning from 1970s advertising Lipsmackin' thirstquenchin' acetastin' motivatin' goodbuzzin' cooltalkin' highwalkin' fastlivin' evergivin' coolfizzin' What is it?

Don’t let this picture fool you! Think hard about this one! I go through the wood in silence And come out onto the snow Where I leave my print although I have no footsteps Where I speak your heart although I cannot breathe What am I? I’m the lead in a pencil!

Let me give you a clue about the next one! Grab the beast by the horns Wrestle it down the narrow streets ‘til you break its will to skitter its own way Subdue it, burden its ribcage Let your children ride and then let it stray Who cares? They’ll send a herdsman to round it up at the end of the day What is it?

A grocery cart!

1. Define what a kenning is? So now can you: 1. Define what a kenning is? 2. Say something about the history of kennings (where could I find a book full of them?) 3. Try some of the simple ones yourself. Writing them about animals is a good place to start Over to you……