Kenning

What is a Kenning?

A Kenning is a compressed metaphor or description using two nouns to describe a subject, place or object.

Examples of using a Kenning:

• Story keeper - Book
• Word fisher - Poet
• Web maker - Spider
• Sky climber - Mountain

A kenning is used in poetry to create different effects. They can be combined to make a poem called a Kennings in which a collection of kenning lines are combined to describe an object.

Why don’t you try writing a Kennings poem and enter it into one of our writing competitions,  we'd love to read your work!