What is a Kenning?

Kennings were used a lot in Celtic and Viking stories. A kenning is a way of describing something without saying what it is. In poetry it's a list of kennings, usually made up of lots of two-word descriptions. They often use lots of alliteration. An example is:

a bird-dresser
a wind-presser
a pillow-filler
a poet-quiller
an arrow-aimer
a dust tamer
a cobweb-breaker
a tickle-maker
a headdress-sticker
a pocket-pricker
put these together,
I'm a -------

Tony Mitton 'Feather' (kenning)
from Fluff , Orchard Books, 2000.

(Taken from www.poetrysociety.org.uk)