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 This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
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This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. If it falls this year (2024), then I may stop the whole blogging thing, but that's all a "wait and see" scenario. An index of topics can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"  Feel free to comment and interact. |
| Kenning This was suggested by Kåre เลียม Enga, and it was something I came across at university, but it had really passed me by, so I thought I would look at it. Kenning (plural: kenningar) is a form of word play from Old Norse and Old English poetry where a single noun is replaced by a different noun with a modifier, these two words often joined by a hyphen. This means something like a boat being called a “wave-traveller” is a kenning. Other old examples include:- Whale-road: ocean Battle-sweat: blood Weapon-din: battle Sun’s bane: snow While it is poetic, it is something that, as Kåre เลียม Enga said to me, can be used to avoid clichéd descriptions and metaphors. And it is something still continued to be used to this day. “Tree-hugger” for nature lover, “pencil-pusher” for white collar worker, “ambulance-chaser” for lawyer – there is no shortage of kenningar we use. Notice something, though? The modern examples I just gave are terms used derisively (although tree-hugger is being reclaimed by some). And a look through the online space shows me that most kenningar are almost insults. But why not use them in your writing? Of course, they might fit well in a fantasy setting, and many fantasy writers use them as a par for the course. And they are poetic, so poetry uses them; maybe sparingly today, but they are still there. But why not in other writing? Kåre เลียม Enga gave these examples:- Light-bright: dawn Heart’s fire: lover Cushioned-coffin: bed Mine are not as good, but:- Chest-jump: scare Flowing-mind: teacher I think it is definitely something worth thinking about, as these words double as descriptors within the context of the story itself. So, something new for me to really look into and it has given me, at least, food for thought. |
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