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kenning| In Anglo-Saxon and Norse literature, a figure of speech in which a descriptive phrase is used to refer to people or objects. Well-known examples (from the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf) include banhus (bone house) for body, hron rad (whale road) for sea, and helmberend (helmet carrier) meaning warrior. Although many kennings were widely used and are easily understood, some (particularly those used in Norse literature) were very subtle and are now difficult to interpret. |
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