View source for Kenning

A '''kenning''' is a device used in [[Norse poetry|Norse]] and [[Anglo-Saxon Poetry|Anglo-Saxon]] [[poetry]]. It is a metaphor of a distinctly Germanic heroic variety. A kenning frequently used in Anglo-Saxon Poetry is ''The Whale Road''. This means the road on which the whale travels, namely the ocean. A memorable Norse kenning is the [[alliteration]] ''Sword Sweat''. This means a liquid that appears on a [[sword]] when it is at work, which is [[blood]].

Anglo-Saxon poets seem to have been comfortable using kennings that had already been used elsewhere, whereas Norse poetry valued originality more.

[[category: poetry]]