The riddles are of particular interest to students of old english poetry and anglo saxon culture, to archeologists, anthropologists, and folklorists. The first stage of this part of the angosaxonriddles provides the anglosaxon texts of all the riddles in the exeter book, accompanied by translations, as those appear in craig williamsons two important books. In some very few instances, my idea of the solution differs from the generally accepted range. Most of the editors have been shy about their double meanings. Exeter book, the largest extant collection of old english poetry. A few of them are poetical in the best sense of anglosaxon poetic style, as good as anything outside the heroic style of the beowulf. He talks about the assumed dual solution to the double entendre. The old english riddles of the exeter book and the anglo latin riddle tradition toronto. Exeter book riddle 74 and the play of the text anglosaxon. Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative poetry. Murphy, unriddling the exeter riddles university park.
Riddle 23 of the exeter book text agob is min noma eft onhwyrfed. Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative. There is no list of upsidedown answers at the end of the exeter book where these riddles are found. The original exeter book resides in you guessed it exeter castle in the united kingdom. Jul 01, 2008 the ninetysix anglo saxon riddles in the eleventhcentury exeter book are poems of great charm, zest, and subtlety. The most famous anglosaxon riddles are in old english riddles and found in the tenthcentury exeter book, while the preeminent composer of latin riddles was the seventh to eighthcentury scholar aldhelm. Anglosaxon riddles are part of anglosaxon literature. I became a translator of anglo saxon riddles and kennings after falling in love with wulf and eadwacer, a stunning ancient poem from the exeter book. The riddles in the exeter book were probably authored by multiple people and are difficult to date. The exeter book, a late tenthcentury manuscript of early old english poetry, is an anthology of religious homiletic verse, elegiac poetry, and ninetyone lyric riddles.
Some of them are double entendres, such as riddle 25 below. If multiple possibilities are possible, ill give the best or most likely. They were mysteriously never dated or signed by their author. Jan 30, 2017 recent extended treatments of the riddles as a whole include dieter bitterli, say what i am called. It is one of the four major anglosaxon literature codices, along with the vercelli book, nowell codex and the c. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the free. In terms of creation and structure, it is believed that anglo saxon poetry was composed by a scop and delivered orally because most of it is written in alliterative voice. The riddles could contain the following literary devices. She likens them to the charms, in particular, as well as to the.
The old english riddles of the exeter book and the anglolatin riddle tradition toronto. The exeter book of riddles is a relatively recent anglosaxon book it was discovered when another book was taken apart for rebinding, these riddles had been preserved by being destroyed by being recycled into book binding materials. Nearly all the riddles that have survived are preserved in the exeter book, a tenth century miscelaney including such old english masterpieces as the seafarer and the wanderer. Clever, challenging, and notoriously obscure, the riddles have fascinated readers for centuries and provided crucial insight into the period. Use the buttons on the right to navigate to each set of riddles. In addition, the exeter book preserves 95 riddles, a genre that would otherwise have been represented by a solitary example. The elements of anglosaxon wisdom poetry in the exeter. I became a translator of anglosaxon riddles and kennings after falling in love with wulf and eadwacer, a stunning ancient poem from the exeter book. The best anglosaxon riddles interesting literature. The 10th century exeter book is one of the most significant anglosaxon works of literature, and contains a fascinating mix of poetic texts and riddles.
The elements of anglosaxon wisdom poetry in the exeter book. Among the collections of riddles we have are those made by aldhelm d. The book was donated to the library of exeter cathedral by leofric, the first bishop of. I imagine the compiler of this collection transcribed or copied both oral and written riddles, perhaps adding some of his own in. Jan 09, 20 working with the anglosaxon riddles proved to be quite a challenge compared to some other old english text i have encounter throughout my course of study. The exeter book riddles in my anglo saxon literature recommendations blog post, i gave an overview of the exeter book riddles and included some of my favourites. The old english riddles of the exeter book chapel hill. The riddle was a major, prestigious literary genre in anglosaxon england, and riddles were written both in latin and old english verse. Here are two of these anglosaxon riddles, both in old english and. 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.
Two historical riddles of the old english exeter book. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The ninetysix anglo saxon riddles in the eleventhcentury exeter book are poems of great charm, zest, and subtlety. Working with the anglosaxon riddles proved to be quite a challenge compared to some other old english text i have encounter throughout my course of study. 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.
A couple of months ago, i mentioned that i had translated some riddles from the anglosaxon exeter book in order to publicise the anglian strand of the york festival of ideas. Obscene is a troublesome word for both legal and lay minds, but there is nothing uncertain about these few anglosaxon riddles which go under that name. The exeter book riddles in context the british library. 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. Nevertheless, in working with the old english text of the exeter book, i chose to pay close attention to the obscene riddles and how they differ from riddles with the same answer. Although we ended up selecting three riddles for the festival, i translated ten in total, and produced five finished translations, which are below. As the oldest extant collection of vernacular riddles in western europe, the ninetyfive old englishriddlesof the exeter book exeter, cathedral library, ms 3501 occupy a unique place within both the history of the genre and the literary heritage of anglosaxon england. Good riddlepoems are terse, pithy, visual, rhythmic. The most famous anglo saxon riddles are in old english and found in the tenthcentury exeter book, while the preeminent anglo saxon composer of latin riddles was the seventh to eighthcentury scholar aldhelm.
Feb 26, 2012 the obscene riddles obscene is a troublesome word for both legal and lay minds, but there is nothing uncertain about these few anglosaxon riddles which go under that name. Among the other texts in the exeter book, there are over ninety riddles. The first stage of this part of the angosaxonriddles provides the anglo saxon texts of all the riddles in the exeter book, accompanied by translations, as those appear in craig williamsons two important books. University of pennsylvania press, 1982 he included two helpful selective bibliographies, one for the riddles of the exeter book another for riddles in general. Exeter book riddles 1, 2, 3, 25, 44, 45, 47, 72 summary and. Below are links to texts of the riddles accompanied by translations. One of his works was the enigmata, which contained 100 riddles written in latin verse. Here are two of these anglo saxon riddles, both in old english and translated into modern english. The ninetysix anglosaxon riddles in the eleventhcentury exeter book are poems of great charm, zest, and subtlety. Exeter book project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks.
Aug 17, 2015 the issue of the souls control over the body was obviously very important to anglosaxon readers, as a longer soul and body poem exists in two versions, which is unusual for an oe text. Jan 31, 2018 the bookworm riddle can be found in the exeter book, one of the greatest literary treasures to survive from anglosaxon england. New york, 1936, aspr 3 henceforth cited as kd, and i shall follow common practice in referring to it by that number. It seems likely they were composed in the 700s when riddles were popular in english monasteries. They comprise a rich source of information for the study of anglosaxon concepts of life courses and life stages, but have yet to be treated as such despite current enthusiasm surrounding the study of historical life cycles.
Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book, 1963 online. The exeter book contains the largest collection of anglosaxon poetry and was given to the cathedral by leofric, exeter s first bishop. Many of the exeter book riddles, particularly the first three the storm riddles, god unleashes natures fury at his will, testing the mettle of his subjects on earth. Heres a fun party game for the meadhall that gives you a sense of anglo saxon hilarity. Riddle numbers are taken from muirs exeter anthology 1994, though i follow williamson in considering the first three as parts of a single.
This simple oneline poem is an excellent example of the riddlepoem style. There is much to be gained from interpreting the tenthcentury exeter book riddles as a characteristically biographical group of texts. Craig williamson ed, the old english riddles of the exeter book. Shielded behind glass it will be a little hard to place ones pint of guinness on its covers once more. They are written in the style of anglo saxon poetry and range in topics from the religious to the mundane. The two dumb creatures in the second line are two sticks rubbed together to make a flame or two stones struck together to make a spark. Several of these poems and riddles can only be found in the exeter book. Exeter dean and chapter manuscript 3501, usually known as the exeter book, was written down by a single scribe no doubt a monk in about 970. Exeter book riddles 1, 2, 3, 25, 44, 45, 47, 72 summary. It might not be as immediately obvious for a modern. Read the fulltext online edition of anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book 1963. The anglosaxon riddles contained in the exeter book were probably written in the early eighth century. There may have been an attempt to assemble 100 riddles in the exeter book like in some latin collections.
Riddle 43s commentary is once again by the terribly clever james paz, lecturer in early medieval english literature at the university of manchester i imagine that solving riddle 43 would have been fairly easy for most anglosaxon readers of the exeter book, especially if were to picture this riddling taking place in a monastic setting. Perhaps the most enigmatic cultural artifacts that survive from the anglo saxon period are the old english riddle poems that were preserved in the tenth century exeter book manuscript. The ninetyodd riddles in anglosaxon which have come down to us in a single manuscript are naturally a miscellaneous collection of varying merit. Elliott van kirk dobbie and george philip krapp eds, the exeter book. There is a need for convenient and soundly selective lists of special studies of the riddles. The riddle was a major, prestigious literary genre in anglo saxon england, and riddles were written both in latin and old english verse. Exeter book riddles anglosaxon narrative poetry project. The divine connection was likely how the anglosaxons dealt with the devastation they faced at natures hands. This simple, oneline poem is a good example of anglosaxon prosody and the riddle. He had broken his leg, he told us, and needed to spend several months recuperating in hospital. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book, 1963 online research. Though some of the best have been translated in scattered places, and there is a prose lineforline translation in the e. Chapel hill, nc, 1977, henceforth w in short citations.
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. Riddles were popular in the middle ages it was a tool to teach language, and a way to entertain friends. Obscene riddles of the exeter book everything english. Sep 01, 2010 riddle 66 from the exeter book, read in the original old english.
For a full site on this dubious literary genre, a medieval organization called the kalamazoo riddle group has the exeter books anglosaxon riddles. Here is a list of solutions for the exeter book riddles as numbered in the translation. Nov 27, 2016 the exeter book contains the largest collection of anglosaxon poetry and was given to the cathedral by leofric, exeters first bishop. The lack of riddles in the beowulf, junius, or vercelli manuscripts makes the interpretation of the riddles in. Copied in the south of england towards the end of the tenth century, they appear to be a compilation of poetic riddles by. In many cases, answers are just provisional, and still the subject of some discussion. When craig williams published a feast of creatures. Its from the red book of exeter, which contains many anglosaxon riddles and is one of four surviving anglosaxon prosody manuscripts. 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. The riddles are of particular interest to students of old english poetry and anglosaxon culture, to archeologists, anthropologists, and folklorists. The two dumb creatures in the second line are two sticks rubbed together to make a flame or two stones struck. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the. There is a link to my translations of the poem at the bottom of this page. The remaining part of the exeter book includes the rhyming poem, which is the only example of its kind.
Kalamazoo, michigan, hosts the nations big medieval convention every year. The bibliography in that volume is adequate for anyone undertaking to read everything relevant to the riddles. Those two versions appear in the vercelli book and in the same exeter book that contains the riddles. Below, ive included some of the best anglosaxon riddles from the exeter book, followed by the most commonly proposed solutions. Two dumb creatures make him grow bright between them. Sep 01, 2016 the language of the anglo saxon riddles is often difficult, and even those who are fairly familiar with old english cannot read them readily. Aug 03, 2016 5 the exeter book contains poems that deal with purely religious themes, as well as religious allegories and topics of everyday life in anglosaxon england. At the end of the exeter book, there are almost a hundred riddles or enigmata. The translations are mine, so that the clunky literalism is preserved.
What do they reveal about anglo saxon society riddles stand out from the collection of the riddles. Reading the exeter book riddles as lifewriting the. The riddles that were recorded in the exeter book were likely extremely common in anglosaxon society, as someone deemed them important enough to physically record them into this ornate production. With all this time now on his hands he decided he would translate these anglosaxon riddles, known as the exeter book, and given to exeter cathedral library by bishop leofric in 1072.
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