Old English - Beowulf - language use

5 important questions on Old English - Beowulf - language use

Why was alliteration used in Beowulf?

Made such a long poem easier to remember.

What is a kenning?

A type of literary feature which occurs in the form os a compound (usually two words, often hyphenated) that employs figurative descriptions in a text.

What are the kennings associated with?

Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse (and later icelandic) poetry.
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Why were kennings used (form)?

To satisfy the need for alliteration in a line or to help the metrical structure.

How many kennings are used in Beowulf?

There are over a thousand of them, making up a third of the entire text.

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