Search results
Kennings in Beowulf. Summary: The epic poem Beowulf is rich with kennings, a stylistic feature of Anglo-Saxon poetry that creatively renames or describes objects using metaphorical phrases....
Kennings play an important role throughout Beowulf as they not only help the audience visualize the poet's imagery but also provide additional metaphorical meaning and context to the world. For example, "world-honor" is a kenning for "fame," which tells us that Scyld is known over great distances and greatly respected.
The style of Beowulf is plain-spoken and inventive. The poem’s language is richly physical, with a particular emphasis on bodies and their fragility: “flames wrought havoc in the hot bone-house” (l.3148). Here, “bone-house,” meaning “body,” is an example of a “kenning.”
3 paź 2024 · A fine example of a kenning, or a complex metaphor, usually linking two nouns, occurs when the poet reports Beowulf’s plan “to sail the swan’s road” in order to help the beleaguered...
Quick answer: This exchange of names between Beowulf and his strange host Hrothgar, the King of the Danes, is an example of kennings. Kennings are metaphors used in place of direct...
21 lis 2023 · Kennings were a staple of the Anglo-Saxon poetic tradition from which Beowulf sprung. Poets found kennings useful due to their ability to create extremely evocative phrases and poetic imagery...