The compound metaphorical name for a thing, such as 'whale-road' for the sea, is known as what?
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Correct answer: Kenning
A kenning is a specialized metaphor used in Old English and Old Norse poetry to describe objects in creative, compressed ways. Common examples include 'bone-house' for the human body or 'sky-candle' for the sun.
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More Anglo-Saxon Poetry questions
- Which of the following manuscripts is the primary source for the epic poem Beowulf?
- In Anglo-Saxon culture, what was the 'wergild'?
- Which poem is often cited as the earliest recorded poem in the English language?
- What is the primary theme of the 'elegies' found in the Exeter Book, such as 'The Wanderer' and 'The Seafarer'?
- How many stressed syllables are typically found in a standard line of Anglo-Saxon alliterative verse?
- In 'The Dream of the Rood,' who or what is the primary narrator of the central section of the poem?