kenning

Thân thiện

A poet uses a kenning to describe the sea as a "whale-road."

Definition

Noun: 1. A conventional, metaphorical compound expression used as a poetic name for a person or thing, especially in Old English and Old Norse poetry. A kenning is a stylistic device where a common noun is described in an indirect, figurative way, often consisting of two or more words. It functions as a riddle-like circumlocution that requires the audience to interpret the metaphor.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • In the epic poem Beowulf, the sea is often called the "whale-road." This kenning evokes the image of whales traveling as if on a highway.
  • "Sky-candle" is a classic kenning for the sun, suggesting a light that illuminates the heavens.
  • The poet used the kenning "battle-sweat" to refer to blood, creating a vivid and powerful image.

Advanced Usage

• Structure and Interpretation: Kennings typically follow a formula of Base Word + Determinant (e.g., in "whale-road," "road" is the base word and "whale" is the determinant that specifies it). Understanding a kenning requires solving the metaphor: a "whale-road" is a road for whales, hence, the sea.
• Modern Literary Use: While rooted in ancient poetry, the concept of a kenning is sometimes used in modern literary analysis to describe similar metaphorical compound phrases or inventive epithets.

Variants and Related Words

• Ken (verb): This is a distinct, unrelated word meaning to know, recognize, or understand. It is chiefly used in Scottish English and some dialects. (e.g., "I don't ken what you mean.").
• Epithet: A descriptive term or phrase expressing a quality of the person or thing mentioned. While similar, an epithet is not necessarily a compound metaphor (e.g., "Alexander the Great").
• Periphrasis: The use of indirect and circumlocutory speech or writing. A kenning is a specific type of periphrasis.

Synonyms

• Metaphorical compound
• Poetic circumlocution
• Figurative epithet

Related Idioms or Phrases

• There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs using the word kenning. It is a specific literary term.

Học thuật

Noun

1. conventional metaphoric name for something, used especially in Old English and Old Norse poetry