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Name________________________________Date___________Period____
Beowulf- Fun with Kennings!
One of the literary devices popular in the Anglo- Saxon Old English poetry tradition is the kenning. Read the
definition below and ready yourself to take a stab at this delightfully metaphorical way of speaking, writing, and
thinking.
Kenning- A literary device in which a noun is renamed in a creative way using a compound word or union of
two separate words to combine ideas. Example: School – “ a scholar’s home”, Parents- “car loaners”
Part 1 Task: Carefully consider how you could creatively rename each of the following through the use of the
kenning technique. Write your kenning in an original sentence.
Example: She was completely surprised when her boyfriend gave her a circle promise for Valentine’s Day. (A
ring)
Noun
A Teacher
A Bus Driver
Firemen
Television
Babysitter
Police
Oreos
Music
Love
Computer
Kenning
Sentence
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Part 2 Task: Kennings are used often in Anglo Saxon poetry, but they are also still used in speaking and
writing today. See how many of the following modern kennings you can identify!
1. A person involved in a sport that doesn’t get to play much.
2. An impolite name for a convict.
3. A person who reads a lot.
4. The wife of the President.
5. A person who wears eyeglasses.
6. A person who talks constantly.
7. A sad story.
8. A football.
9. A person who is nice to the teacher in order to get good grades (The G-rated version please!).
10. The teacher’s favorite student.
11. Someone at a dance that doesn’t dance much.
12. The way news travels- through the _________________
13. A person who dates or marries someone much younger.
14. A small car accident.
15. Someone who knows what you are thinking.