Literary Terms from Beowulf

Kenning A Kenning is a metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place, thing, or event indirectly. Examples: “Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar, king Of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door By hell-forged hands.” ( Beowulf, 147-149) The word in bold red print is an example of a kenning. The word hell-forged is a compound word that is describing what type of hands have brought sorrow to Hrothgar. Hrothgar’s gold-ringed …

…the wild Marshes, and made his home in a hell Not hell but earth. He was spawned in that slime, Conceived by a pair of those monsters born Of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God, punished forever for the crime Of Abel’s death.” (Beowulf, 102-108) This is another example of a metaphor in that it compares Grendel to Cain from the Bible. That they are both murderous creatures and are both banished by people.