Riddle 66 from the exeter book, read in the original old english. It should be noted that e mailcoat is a translation of aldhelms riddle 33 see lapidge and rosier 1985, p. Exeter book riddles riddle numbers are taken from muirs exeter anthology 1994, though i follow williamson in considering the first three as parts of a single riddle riddle songs of the storm. Exeter book riddles 1, 2, 3, 25, 44, 45, 47, 72 summary and. The original exeter book resides in you guessed it exeter castle in the united kingdom. In addition to approximately 95 old english riddles from the exeter book, we have hundreds of latin poetic and prose enigmata by anglosaxon authors that survive in english and european manuscripts. D clothes make no sound when i tread ground or dwell in dwellings or disturb the flow. The best anglosaxon riddles and kennings kenning definition, history and examples. Its interpretation has occasioned a range of scholarly investigations, but it is taken to mean oregoldmetal, with most commentators preferring precious metal or gold, and john d. This is a translation of the 96 anglosaxon poems from the 11thcentury exeter book. Shielded behind glass it will be a little hard to place ones pint of guinness on its covers once more.
Translated and introduced by kevin crossleyholland. In the exeter book is preserved a collection of some ninety riddles in alliterative verse. The exeter book, an important collection of anglosaxon poetry from the 10 th century. Having recently translated exeter book riddle 7 in my recent blog on esotericism in a sequence of old english riddles encoded references in exeter book bird riddles, i have decided to add my translation and recitation of this poetic enigma for our ongoing medieval poetry translation and recitation project. The exeter books riddles were never published with the answers. In analyzing riddle 12, i am hoping to contribute meaningfully to our understanding of anglosaxon england as a whole, the riddles in the exeter book, and the ox riddle.
Ic eom wunderlicu wiht, wifum on hyhte, neahbuendum nyt. So prepare yourself to read the word phallus more times in one post than perhaps you would prefer. The anthropomorphism that serves as the birds disguise reveals social commentary regarding the practice of fostering, which may cast light on the heros childhood in. Riddle 75 kd 26 74 kd 25 im a wonderful thing, a joy to women, to neighbors useful. Exeter book riddle 7 medieval studies research blog. Straight from the inappropriate touching of root vegetables to animal martyrs and religious book making in one fell swoopno one ever said the exeter book compiler was a person of limited interests. If youve already read riddle 25s translation, youre probably aware.
The 17 lines of riddle 60 do not contain the contradictions that are found in the other riddles of the exeter book which are seemingly meant to confound the reader. At the end of the exeter book, there are almost a hundred riddles or enigmata, a dozen or so. The exeter book riddles of the four surviving old english poetic codices, only the exeter book contains anglosaxon riddles, 95 in all. Riddlesare generally thought to end once a solution has been found, but exeter book riddle 9, although apparently straightforward and only twelve lines long, has more to offer than a disguised description of a cuckoo. Widsith is an idealized selfportrait of a scop minstrel of the germanic heroic age who wandered widely and was welcomed in many mead halls, where he. There are around 100 riddles and kennings in the exeter book, the oldest surviving poetry anthology in the english language. Widsith, old english poem, probably from the 7th century, that is preserved in the exeter book, a 10thcentury collection of old english poetry. Here are two of these anglosaxon riddles, both in old english and translated into modern english. The somewhat enigmatic character of this poem has given rise to various conjectures. In fact, this form of poetry is one of the oldest in english literature. While the poetry of the exeter book is mainly anonymous, some of the authors composing latin riddles are named. In many cases, answers are just provisional, and still the subject of some discussion. I also read the riddle in translation, since i am not an oe scholar. Both of these blogs note how certain riddles contained in the exeter book exeter cathedral library.
Exeter book project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. And depending on who in the scholarly world you talk to, the numbers of riddles, and the translation of those riddles. Produced at some point in the late 10th century, the manuscript written mainly in old english and exclusively in verse brings together poems as short as one line and as long as 25 pages. I injure no one who lives in a village save only my slayer. Jul 01, 2008 the ninetysix anglosaxon riddles in the eleventhcentury exeter book are poems of great charm, zest, and subtlety. From wikisource oct 08, 2012 in fact, this form of poetry is one of the oldest in english literature. Riddle hero play and poetry in the exeter book riddles eric.
The husbands message project gutenberg selfpublishing. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book74 wikisource. If youve already read riddle 25 s translation, youre probably aware that theres some pretty obvious body humour going on in this poem. However, the exact number is unknown because some pages are illegible or missing. Here are ten things you should know about the exeter book. These riddles are descriptions or characterizations of objects, from which the object itself, which is not named, must be guessed. Exeter book riddles anglosaxon narrative poetry project.
This list of work on the riddles attempts to be comprehensive after 1977, the publication of craig williamsons the old english riddles of the exeter book, chapel hill. While most latin riddles of the period are preserved with their answers, no answers accompany the exeter book riddles, and many scholars have found it a pleasurable occupation to puzzle out the solutions to the more obscure ones. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book, 1963 online. Every time a work is analyzed or interpreted, we get a little closer to figuring it out simply by producing new ideas and applying different lenses. The riddle is one of a number to include runes as clues. The ninetysix anglosaxon riddles in the eleventhcentury exeter book are poems of great charm, zest, and subtlety.
While the answers to latin riddles were given by their titles the latin riddles being rhetorical word games rather than true enigmas, few of the old english riddles provide solutions. Ideology and figuration in the sexual riddles of the exeter book in britton j. I am a wonderful thing, a pleasure to women, useful to the neighbors. Exeter book study guide contains literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis of the poems in. Some comments on anglosaxon attitudes toward sexuality in women based on four exeter book riddles, texas quarterly 181975, 4655. I accept the old english solution swon swan as the poems solution based. Exeter book riddle 24 according to the numbering of the anglosaxon poetic records is one of the old english riddles found in the later tenthcentury exeter book.
Exeter book riddle 25 according to the numbering of the anglosaxon poetic records is one of the old english riddles found in the later tenthcentury exeter book. Riddle 73 riddles of the exeter book 1963 translated by paull franklin baum. Suggested solutions have included hemp, leek, onion, rosehip, mustard and phallus, but the consensus is that the solution is onion. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book25 wikisource, the. The best anglosaxon riddles interesting literature. This is the 26th riddle from the exeter book translation an enemy came, claiming my life. Ranging from natural phenomena such as icebergs and storms at sea to animal and bird life, from the christian concept of the creation to prosaic domestic objects such as a rake and a pair of bellows, and from weaponry to the peaceful pursuits of music and writing, they are. There may have been an attempt to assemble 100 riddles in the exeter book like in some latin collections. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book74 wikisource, the. If youve already read riddle 25s translation, youre probably aware that theres some pretty obvious body humour going on in this poem. Niles riddle 74 is one of a handful of old english riddles of the exeter book that have stubbornly resisted a. The exeter book riddles in context the british library. Two historical riddles of the old english exeter book. Thomas klein, the old english translation of aldhelms riddle lorica, res, 48 1997, 345.
Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the. Though some of the best have been translated in scattered places, and there is a prose lineforline translation in the e. The riddles in the exeter book were probably authored by multiple people and are difficult to date. Perhaps it is plausible i am merely reading these double entendres into the text.
Exeter book riddles 1, 2, 3, 25, 44, 45, 47, 72 summary. This riddle is from the exeter book, circa 960990 a. Some of them have been dated as far back as the 7 th century. On riddle 12 see williamson, the old english riddles of the exeter book, 1667.
Jan 09, 20 perhaps it is plausible i am merely reading these double entendres into the text. Exeter book riddle 74 and the play of the text anglosaxon. Thorpe, the first editor of the exeter book, recognizing the similarity between the opening of the poem and many of the riddles, interpreted the first portion to l. The four strange beings, if you were wondering, are a pen and the three fingers which hold it. Aug, 2014 riddle from the exeter book translation an enemy came, claiming my life. The article on the exeter book focuses on its origin, time of production, and contents, providing basic background information for audiences of all ages and education levels. In my my most recent blog, encoded references in the exeter book bird riddles, i discuss arcane references in the exeter book riddles and build on a previous piece, reading runes in the exeter book riddles, which explores the cryptic use of runes in this old english riddle collection.
Notably, riddle 25 is not an i saw riddle but an example of prosopopoeia. The riddle or, as they are sometimes called by academics, enigmatica is a developed form in anglosaxon poetry, the most important collection of riddles being the exeter book. This is one of the 95 riddles found in the exeter book exeter, cathedral library ms 3501, a book of old english poetry which was given to exeter cathedral by bishop leofric in the eleventh century and has remained there ever since. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book25 wikisource, the free. Below, ive included some of the best anglosaxon riddles from the exeter book, followed by the most commonly proposed solutions. The texts transcription emulates the insular script, a style of the latin alphabet of irish origin, used in most old english manuscripts. Jul 03, 2014 just a little content warning to begin with. But why, oh why, are you so sure were dealing with religious book. Some critics think the poem is part of a pair along with the husbands message, another anglosaxon poem, and others think it may actually not be a poem at all, but a riddle. The riddler pokes fun at the pedantic worm, transformed into wordwolf or midnight marauder, who devours the substance without the spirit. Sep 01, 2010 riddle 66 from the exeter book, read in the original old english. The exeter book contains almost 100 riddles and several saints lives. The isidorian context of aldhems lorica and exeter riddle 35 abstract exeter riddle 35, a translation of aldhelms engima 33, lorica, has attracted much attention from scholars interested in anglosaxon practices of translation. Some of them are double entendres, such as riddle 25 below.
Riddle numbers are taken from muirs exeter anthology 1994, though i. The modern english translation of the riddle is a rendering into alliterative verse by charles w. For the full text of the exeter book and an english translation, thorpe 1842. Exeter book riddle 83 according to the numbering of the anglosaxon poetic records is one of the old english riddles found in the later tenthcentury exeter book. It seems likely they were composed in the 700s when riddles were popular in english monasteries. The exeter book, the largest and probably the best known of the four great miscellanies of anglosaxon poetry, receives its name from the fact that it is preserved in the library of exeter cathedral, having been given to the cathedral by leofric, the fist bishop of exeter, who died in 1072. The exeter book, exeter cathedral library ms 3501, also known as the codex exoniensis, is a tenthcentury book or codex which is an anthology of anglosaxon poetry. Riddle 74 is one of a handful of old english riddles of the exeter book that have stubbornly resisted a solution. There is much to be gained from interpreting the tenthcentury exeter book riddles as a characteristically biographical group of texts. Reading the exeter book riddles as lifewriting the. There has, therefore, been little debate about the solution. Overing eds, class and gender in early english literature. Jun 26, 2014 anglosaxon exeter book old english riddle 25 riddles solutions.
Ive numbered them first, second, third, and so on, for the sake of matching riddle to solution, but in the exeter book they have different numbers. This is a riddle from the year old exeter book manuscript in exeter cathedral in devonshire. Jan 31, 2018 the bookworm riddle can be found in the exeter book, one of the greatest literary treasures to survive from anglosaxon england. Mother tongue wrung exeter book riddle translation. Its inclusion in exeter book with 92 other riddles offers some support for this viewpoint, although the evidence is not strong. Within the starvationlevel living conditions for most. Megan cavells translation of this riddle has provided the wonderfully specific, bodily doubleentendre for sexual intercourse from the peniss perspective. Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative poetry. The isidorian context of aldhems lorica and exeter riddle 35. Thus, the answers in this book are not necessarily what the anglosaxons intended, but just accepted answers.
The author discusses the exeter book riddles, some of the earliest poems in english. Use the buttons on the right to navigate to each set of riddles. They are written in the style of anglosaxon poetry and range in topics from the religious to the mundane. Exeter book riddles solutions here is a list of solutions for the exeter book riddles as numbered in the translation.
It is one of the four major anglosaxon literature codices, along with the vercelli book, nowell codex and the c. Ranging from natural phenomena to animal and bird life, from the christian concept of creation to prosaic domestic objects, the riddles are full of sharp observation and earthy humour. Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative. Old english riddles swarthmore home swarthmore college. In his 1842 edition and translation of the exeter book, for example. Riddle 63 in the exeter book is a companion onion riddle without the bawdy overtones.
Here is a list of solutions for the exeter book riddles as numbered in the translation. The riddles are of particular interest to students of old english poetry and anglosaxon culture, to archeologists, anthropologists, and folklorists. The bibliography in that volume is adequate for anyone undertaking to read everything relevant to the riddles. Exeter book riddle 74 and the play of the text john d.
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