Kennings

A kenning is a characteristic rhetorical device of Old English poetry, which English continues to use today. The typical kenning is a compound in which each element identifies an attribute through the figures of metaphor, synecdoche, and metonymy. It works by indirection. An Old English poem, for example, might call the human body a “bone-house” (ban-hus), where “bone” works by synecdoche and “house” by metaphor.  Or it might call a sword a “battle-light” (hilde-leoma), because the polished steel gleams like a light (metaphor) and it is used for fighting (metonymy). Hello, Luke Skywalker! Note that neither part of the kenning refers directly to the thing it indicates. For example, a pothole is a hole and a helicopter parent is a parent, so neither phrase is a kenning. Luke's light saber is a saber (sort of), so it's not a kenning, either.

Modern English has its share of kennings, especially if we expand the pool to include two-word phrases. Print out the attached word document, which asks you to identify some kennings and come up with a few additional ones. Bring the completed worksheet to section.