KENNINGS WHAT AM I Night flyer Eater of

KENNINGS

WHAT AM I? Night flyer, Eater of mice, Silent swooper, Head twister, Taloned taker.

AN OWL An owl!

WHAT AM I? Round facer No smiler Stand stiller Two hander Heart beater Time’s keeper Sudden shrieker

ALARM CLOCK

CAN YOU THINK OF SOME KENNINGS WE USE TODAY? A tall building S_ _ s_ _ _

HOW ABOUT THIS? Someone who breaks up with their boyfriend or girlfriend is a… H_ _ b_ _ _

ONE MORE! If you lie on the sofa all day watching TV, you’re a……. . ______

Poem writing, Brain hurting, Thought provoking Learning Objectives: • To learn what a kenning is • To write examples of our own kennings • To find them in Beowulf

A kenning is a way of describing something using clues rather than just saying what it is. Each line is generally two words long. Heat-giver Maker of light

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

Definition of a kenning A metaphorical, usually compound expression used in place of a name or noun Write this definition down!

Definition of a kenning A metaphorical, usually compound expression used in place of a name or noun What does metaphorical mean? What does compound expression mean?

Here is an example of a kenning about a cat: Licker of paws Day dreamer Milk-drinker Ball’s chaser Dog hater Mouse chaser Lover of strokes

Let’s see if you can guess what these kennings are describing Great jumper Water-drinker Straw-eater Strong walker Runner of races

What about this one? Word-holder Storyteller Bestseller Page-turner Cliffhanger Fantasy gateway

In order to create your own, think about what the subject does…. For example a wolf ü Comes out at night ü Eats meat ü Hunts its prey ü Lives in the woods ü Howls at the moon

ü Comes out at night ü Eats meat ü Hunts its prey ü Lives in the woods ü Howls at the moon Ø Night mover Ø Eater of meat Ø Hunter of prey Ø Wood dweller Ø Moon howler

4 types of kennings (write this down!) • • Open compound : wakeful sleeper Hyphenated compound : sea-road Possessive : mankind’s enemy Prepositional Phrase : shadow of death

You will need to introduce yourself! • You need four kennings about yourself, one of each type (open compound, hyphenated compound, possessive, prepositional phrase) • Example: Lucy’s aunt, former Cavalier, dog-lover, teacher of students