ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -The Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse traditions have a word for a compound expression with a metaphorical meaning: kenning. Simply put, in poetry, a kenning is when you take two words and combine them as a mild translation or metaphor for something else.

Detailed explanation-2: -A kenning is a special kind of metaphor considered artful in Anglo-Saxon poetry. It is a picturesque metaphoric compound in Old English that stands for a simple noun. You might think of them almost as riddles, which Anglo-Saxon people loved.

Detailed explanation-3: -A kenning is a metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place, thing, or event indirectly.

Detailed explanation-4: -A kenning, in literature, is a word or phrase that is a metaphor for something simpler. Calling a ship a “sea-steed, ” for example, is a kenning. You’re most likely to hear the term kenning in a literature class, especially if you happen to be studying Old Norse or Old English poetry.