This week, at Poetry Club we are going to create some ‘riddles’ known as ‘kennings.’ Kennings are derived from Norse and Anglo-Saxon poetry. They are written by using two-word phrases in the place of a one-word noun.
Kennings could be used to describe everyday objects, animals, hobbies or people. For example:
Dog – face-licker
Baby – noise-maker
Computer – data-giver
Footballer – ball-kicker
Lion – prey-stalker
If you then put together a collection of two-word phrases, you can build up your kennings poem on a chosen subject;
Pets or animals are great subjects for kennings. Here’s my kennings poem for a cat:
Bowl-licker,
Tail-chaser,
Sofa-scratcher,
Mouse-hunter,
Ball-bopper,
Dog-teaser.
You could also choose a hobby or an occupation. Here’s my kenning for a gardener; Kennings certainly don’t have to rhyme, but I’ve decided to round this kenning off with a rhyming pair;
Hedge-trimmer,
Rose-pruner,
Lawn-mower,
Weed-remover,
Hose-sprayer,
Slug-hater,
Leaf-raker,
Compost-maker.
You could write a kenning about a famous person. Here’s my kenning on The Queen!
Crown-wearer,
Hand-waver,
Corgi-lover,
Swan-owner,
Coin-poser,
Stamp-definer,
Speech-maker.
And, as one of the original aims of our Poetry Club was to write poems that might cheer our loved ones up (particularly grandparents or great-grandparents), a family member could easily be the subject of your kenning:
Here’s one for grand-dad; I’ve chosen to use four pairs of rhyming kennings for this poem.
Story-teller,
Rose-smeller,
Soup-maker,
Scone-baker,
Bird-feeder,
Garden-weeder,
Slipper-chooser,
Armchair-snoozer.
So, hopefully now you get the idea of how to write a kenning.
Have fun, and remember to send me your kennings at head@skyswood.herts.sch.uk