Poem writing, Brain hurting, Thought provoking
Learning Objectives:
To learn what a Kenning is.
To be able to write our own Viking
Kennings.
Here is an example of a Kenning –
what do you think it is about?
A paw licker
A day dreamer
A milk drinker
A stroke lover
A dog hater
A mouse chaser
What do you think the subject of
this kenning is?
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
ball chaser
crowd pleaser
fast runner
sneaky diver
mate hugger
corner taker
goal scorer
What is this Kenning about?
A
A
A
A
A
A
word holder
story teller
best seller
page turner
cliff hanger
fantasy gateway
A kenning is a way of describing something
using clues rather than just saying what it is.
Each line is usually two words long.
A heat giver
A light maker
What type of words make up a
Kenning?
What word is missing?
The word kenning comes from a viking
phrase which means:
"to express a thing in terms of
another“
It is like a ‘mini riddle’ used to describe
something

The language of Beowulf
Beowulf is much admired for the richness of its poetry - for the
beautiful sounds of the words and the imaginative quality of the
description. About a third of the words in Beowulf are words
known as kennings. Kennings are words that are in themselves
metaphorical descriptions, and were a typical feature of Anglo
Saxon poetry. Kennings combine two words to create an
imaginative alternative word. By linking words in this way, the
poets were able to experiment with the rhythm, sounds and
imagery of the poetry. Beowulf contains over a thousand
kennings.
Some well-known Anglo-Saxon kennings include:
 bone-house - the human body
 battle-light - sword
 wave-floater – ship
Descriptions of the sea included:
 hronrad- whale road
 fiscesethel - fish home
 seolbæp - seal bath
These are Kennings found in Michael
Morpurgo’s version Beowulf – what are
they describing?
Sky
candle
These are Kennings found in Beowulf –
what are they describing?
Battle
sweat
These are Kennings found in Beowulf –
what are they describing?
Wave
rider
These are Kennings found in Beowulf –
what are they describing?
Sleep
of the sword
These are Kennings found in Beowulf –
what are they describing?
Father
protector
Remember:
Do not use the name or noun about which your kenning is
based upon
You can start a sentence with A .......... But you do not have to.
Use two words or a short phrase to describe the subject.
A ......................
.................
Each a group will now have a
short time to brainstorm ideas
about the subject they will write
their Kenning about.
Now you need to write your own Kenning
Remember:
To use verbs to describe the subject further
Think about what the subject does….
And if you want a challenge use alliteration
A night flyer,
A mouse eater,
A silent swooper