There are numerous examples listed in the powerpoint at the end of this post, but here are a few others:
- breaker-of-trees = wind
- winter-spear = icicle
- bone-beak = axe
- wave-swine = ship
Kennings are used mostly in Old Norse and Old English poetry, most likely as a way to make certain ideas fit into the poetic structure of the epic, but also as a metaphor of sorts. It draws a circle around an idea and forces the reader to focus on both the idea and that circle.
In other words, it reinforces a particular aspect of the idea. For instance, the term winter-spear makes icicles seem dangerous rather than beautiful natural features of ice. Wave-swine makes a ship seem somewhat dirty, uncomfortable, or even "bloated" possibly with sailors.
As a class, we completed the handout below. Part 1 is a practice in creating kennings on your own. Consider what we typically associate each of these individuals with and how you view them. If you need some additional help, there are some examples listed in one of the powerpoint slides.
Next, in Part Two, we looked at some actual kennings we will see in Beowulf. Some of the answers are actually listed in the powerpoint!
Finally, in Part Three, we read some passages from Beowulf and tried to find the kenning in each excerpt.
Just a few notes about these passages before you begin reading them:
- In the first excerpt, our hero, Beowulf, is speaking to Hrothgar who is king of the Danes. He is literally speaking to a king/lord. He is talking about how he will help Hrothgar by killing the monster, Grendel.
- In the second excerpt, Grendel is killing the Danes and taking over their mead hall, Herot. He is almost like the embodiment of pure evil, having been born of Hell. He does not, however, try to challenge or get rid of Hrothgar as king, despite having taken over Herot. Focus on why that might be.
- In the third excerpt, Grendel is residing in Herot, which has been deserted by the Danes. How long has it been empty?
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