A kenning is a figurative compound expression, often used in Old English and Old Norse poetry to describe something, like 'whale road' for ocean. The term comes from the Norse word for 'to know.'
A kenning is a figurative compound expression used in poetry, such as 'whale road' for the ocean or 'oar steed' for a ship. These expressions were common in Old Norse and Old English poetry and originate from the Norse word for 'to know.'
| Back | kenning /KEN-ing/ |
|---|---|
| Front | noun A figurative, usually compound, expression used to describe something. For example, 'whale road' for an ocean and 'oar steed' for a ship. [From Old Norse kenna (to know). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gno- (to know), which is also the source of know, recognize, acquaint, ignore, diagnosis, notice, normal, prosopagnosia, gnomon, anagnorisis, and agnosia. Earliest documented use: 1320. Kennings were used especially in Old Norse and Old English poetry.] “The hero, Beewolf (a kenning for bear, named the ‘bee wolf’ for its plundering of hives), heads to the Golden Hall.” - John Garth; Monster Munch; New Statesman (London, UK); May 30, 2014. “In the dawn of the English language the earliest poets or scops invented words like ‘battleflash’ to describe a sword, or they would identify a boat by its function with a kenning like ‘wave-skimmer’.” - Samuel Hazo; What’s in a Name?; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Feb 17, 2008. |
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