A sampling of the anglosaxon riddles found in the exeter book can be found on page 2. The notion of voice was central to ancient and early medieval theories of cognition and language, and the same people who composed and compiled anglosaxon riddles also drew on the grammatical tradition to. 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. The exeter book, exeter cathedral library ms 3501, also known as the codex exoniensis, is a tenthcentury 1 book or codex which is an anthology of anglosaxon poetry. In fact, to get started, i read some of these riddles with my students. Exeter book riddles anglosaxon narrative poetry project. 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. The old english riddles of the exeter book chapel hill. She likens them to the charms, in particular, as well as to the. The lack of riddles in the beowulf, junius, or vercelli. Two historical riddles of the old english exeter book iowa state. The sexual riddle type in aldhelms enigmata, the exeter book.
Dyer anglosaxon riddles translated by michael alexander while most of anglosaxon poetry is serious or even elegiac, the ninetyfive verse riddles found in the exeter book display their interest in cleverness with words. Far from being idle brainteasers to divert people for half an hour during their lunch break or provide a topic of conversation at christmas dinner, the riddle, to the anglosaxons, was a serious and enigmatic poetic form, designed to defamiliarise and alienate by depriving a thing of its name or giving an animal a voice with which to. Exeter riddle 17 is relatively short at eleven lines and reads as. This may be the general character of anglosaxon humor, but fortunately its not the height. For a full site on this dubious literary genre, a medieval organization called the kalamazoo riddle group has the exeter books anglosaxon riddles.
It is one of the four major anglosaxon literature codices, along with the vercelli book, nowell codex and the c. Copied in the south of england towards the end of the tenth century, they appear to be a compilation of poetic riddles by. Anglosaxon riddles for use with beowulf by britlitwit tpt. The riddles of anglosaxon england offer a rich field in which to explore the nature, operation, and function of voice as a fundamental aspect of language. Exeter book project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Although we ended up selecting three riddles for the festival, i translated ten in total, and produced five finished translations, which are below. The original exeter book resides in you guessed it exeter castle in the united kingdom. The most famous anglosaxon riddles are in old english and found in the tenthcentury exeter book, while the preeminent anglosaxon composer of latin riddles was the seventh to eighth. Although the riddle form in general as well as the anglosaxon riddles in particular can he identified with broadly understood didactic functions, several of the exeter riddles appear to be especially interested in the nature of wisdom and in.
It also shows the use of caesura, a break or pause in the middle of a line of poetry, where a pause might naturally occur. The author discusses the exeter book riddles, some of the earliest poems in english. Among those who have sought to undo the gates of the treasurehouses of the exeter book riddles e. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book69 wikisource. Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative. This book contains secular and religious poems and other writings, along with a collection of 94 riddles, although there is speculation that there may have been closer to 100 riddles in the book.
Other short poems derive from the latin bestiary tradition. 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. The most famous anglosaxon riddles are found in the exeter book. 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. John donald, two historical riddles of the old english exeter book 2001. This is an uncurated book entry from our extended bookshelves, readable online now but without a stable link here. In some very few instances, my idea of the solution differs from the generally accepted range. Some of them have been dated as far back as the 7 th century. This simple one line poem is an excellent example of the riddlepoem style. Here are ten things you should know about the exeter book. The book was donated to the library of exeter cathedral by leofric, the first. This activity requires students to try to provide answers for eight anglosaxon riddles along with the thought process they used to arrive at the answer.
Its from a very old manuscript called the red book of exeter, which contains a treasury of anglosaxon riddles. Several of these poems and riddles can only be found in the exeter book. Students are free to model their riddles after the anglosaxon riddles that are preserved in the exeter book. Exeter book riddle 9 in old english anglosaxon youtube.
Tells the story of how the idea of anglosaxon england evolved from the anglosaxons themselves to the victorians, serving as a myth of origins for the english people, their. 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. In the last line, nobody knows where the plunderer. The anglosaxon riddles, in their original manuscript, are not a spectator. The language of the anglosaxon riddles is often difficult, and even those who are fairly familiar with old english cannot read them readily. Use the buttons on the right to navigate to each set of riddles. The riddles are of particular interest to students of old english poetry and anglosaxon culture, to archeologists, anthropologists, and folklorists. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book, 1963 online.
Below are links to texts of the riddles accompanied by translations. They often battled one another with riddle contests. The paper investigates the parallels between the old english wisdom poetry and a group of riddles contained in the exeter book. The exeter book contains six riddles with explicit sexual content. The exeter book riddles include four items in old english consisting of no more than a single verse or line krappdobbie nos. Shielded behind glass it will be a little hard to place ones pint of guinness on its covers once more. We have got to keep the torch of these traditions alive. In the exeter book we find the socalled sexual riddles,1 whose classification. The ninetysix anglosaxon riddles in the eleventhcentury exeter book are poems of great charm, zest, and subtlety. Two dumb creatures make him grow bright between them. Anglosaxon poetry donated to exeter cathedral in the 11th century by leofric, exeters first bishop. What are some of the themes of the riddles in the exeter book.
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. For further references in postanglosaxon literature, see d. Two historical riddles of the old english exeter book. Two historical riddles of the old english exeter book john donald hosler. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the. Anglosaxon riddles are part of anglosaxon literature. 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. The elements of anglosaxon wisdom poetry in the exeter. Thus the ancient custom of riddling was a popular entertainment among anglosaxons. Riddle hero play and poetry in the exeter book riddles eric. Not only do we have a good time, students learn and get to hear what constitutes an appropriate riddle. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Essays on medieval english language and literature, variations, 5 bern, 2004, 95114. Whoever has unlocked with the power of the key the clasps of the chest which held the riddle cunningly hidden from the learned in runes now is revealed to them here as they drink. The exeter book this anonymous collection of anglosaxon riddles has inspired poets and contains its riddling selfdescription in craig. The best anglosaxon riddles interesting literature.
Riddle 66 from the exeter book, read in the original old english. Reading the exeter book riddles as lifewriting the. Here is a modern english translation of a simple riddle poem, over a thousand years old. The riddle was a major, prestigious literary genre in anglosaxon england, and riddles were written both in latin and old english verse. During the middle ages, scandinavians prided themselves on their intelligence and wit. There is much to be gained from interpreting the tenthcentury exeter book riddles as a characteristically biographical group of texts. The exeter book was a handwritten manuscript bequeathed to the exeter cathedral library by a bishop named leofric who died in 1072 a. 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. The book was donated to the library of exeter cathedral by leofric, the first bishop. In many cases, answers are just provisional, and still the subject of some discussion.
If multiple possibilities are possible, ill give the best or most likely. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book10 wikisource. 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. John porters sparkling translations retain all the vigour and subtly of the original old english poems, transporting us back over a thousand years to the roots of our language and literature. Experts have dated the book itself it to around 970 to 990 a. Though some of the best have been translated in scattered places, and there is a prose line for line translation in the e. Mimicry, subjectivity, and the embodied voice in anglo. Edited with introduction, notes, and glossary, by frederick tupper by tupper, frederick, 18711950. Gashed by the iron, gored by the point of it, sick of battlework, battered and scarred. 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. Reading the exeter book riddles as lifewriting oxford academic.
The texts can be found to yield references to repeated, potentially culturally. Riddle 7 the exeter book anthony wilson september 7, 20 october 5, 2017 education. The oneliners among the exeter book riddles springerlink. Some examples include the panther, the whale and the partridge. The two dumb creatures in the second line are two sticks rubbed together to make a flame or two stones struck.