Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article requires login. The exeter book riddles in context the british library. The runes possibly spell out minus the vowel the word hland, the old english word for piss riddle 76. If multiple possibilities are possible, ill give the best or most likely. Craig williamson ed, the old english riddles of the exeter book. Mar 12, 2019 the exeter books riddle 33 depicts its subject, an iceberg, as a warrior woman who can cause damage to ships with her physical prowess and powerful curses. The riddles survive through the exeter book, a manuscript dating back to the year, left to exeter cathedral by its. Riddle numbers are taken from muirs exeter anthology 1994, though i follow williamson in considering the first three as parts of a single riddle. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. The exeter book, compiled by 10thcentury clerics, contains a number of surprisingly euphemistic riddles. The sea raised me, covered by the helmet of surf, blanketed by the waves, near the bottom. Solutions storm numbered as aspr, but taken as one poem.
Shielded behind glass it will be a little hard to place ones pint of guinness on its covers once more. Copied in the south of england towards the end of the tenth century, they appear to be a compilation of poetic riddles by perhaps. Thus, the answers in this book are not necessarily what the anglosaxons intended, but just accepted answers. Most of the editors have been shy about their double meanings. The old english riddles of the exeter book and the anglolatin. In 970 ad, one of the uks greatest literary treasures was written.
Exeter book riddle 44 is one of the old english riddles found in the later tenth century exeter book. Peter thomas cathedral librarian gives a short introduction to ms 3501, more commonly known as the exeter book. Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative poetry. 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.
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. Exeter book riddles 1, 2, 3, 25, 44, 45, 47, 72 summary. Jan 31, 2018 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. The language of the anglosaxon riddles is often difficult, and even those who are fairly familiar with old english cannot read them readily. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the free. Three exeter book riddles are printed in introduction to old english as minitexts i and l.
The lack of riddles in the beowulf, junius, or vercelli manuscripts makes the interpretation of the riddles in. Exeter book riddles an open companion for british literature i. Only four collections of old english verse exist, out of which the exeter book is the largest and most impressive. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the. The exeter book varied collection of old english poetry authorship and dating of the riddles unclear. Riddles 1 to 3 are quite clearly thematically linked, and it is because of this that they have also been read as one very long riddle especially because riddle 2 and the sections of riddle 3 begin with the same word. The exeter book, a late tenthcentury manuscript of early old english poetry, is an anthology of religious homiletic verse, elegiac poetry, and ninetyone lyric. Riddle 66 is the second of the three creation riddles in the exeter book riddles 40, 66 and 94.
Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book21 wikisource, the. Exeter book, or the codex exoniensis, is a 10th century book, or codex, that contains most of the surviving anglosaxon poetry. Buy the old english riddles of the exeter book 1 by craig williamson isbn. In addition, it is important to recognize when the author is playing with the reader as in riddles 74 and 75 versus taking a straightforward approach in riddles 39 and 33. This is a translation of the 96 anglosaxon poems from the 11thcentury exeter book. The exeter book is the largest known collection of old english literature still in existence. Use the buttons on the right to navigate to each set of riddles.
Publication date 1910 topics riddles, english old publisher boston ginn collection robarts. Two historical riddles of the old english exeter book. The original exeter book resides in you guessed it exeter castle in the united kingdom. Riddle numbers are taken from muirs exeter anthology 1994, though i follow williamson in.
And depending on who in the scholarly world you talk to, the numbers of riddles, and the translation of those riddles. The elegies of the exeter book the british library. The old english riddles of the exeter book by craig. We do not have the names of any of these poets, though there is no reason to doubt that some may have cunningly hidden their names in the text. Although its common to find several riddles with the same answer or which seem to have the same answer the creation riddles are unusual because they are all versions of the same riddle, just edited a bit.
Housed in exeter cathedral since it was given to the institution by its first bishop, leofric, in the 11th century, the exeter book was written around 970. 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. Jun 22, 2016 poetic manuscripts in old english are extremely rare only four survive in the world and the exeter book is the most varied, the best preserved and probably the oldest of them, said. The riddle was a major, prestigious literary genre in anglosaxon england, and riddles were written both in latin. It is one of the four major anglosaxon literature codices, along with the vercelli book, nowell codex and the c. The riddles are of particular interest to students of old english poetry and anglosaxon culture, to archeologists, anthropologists, and folklorists. Scholars believe that a number were composed in the the exeter book riddles. 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. And its the exeter book that yields a whole host of smaller masterpieces of old english verse, from the dream of the rood to the battle of maldon to the ruin to the wanderer and the seafarer and the celebrated riddles. The riddles survive through the exeter book, a manuscript dating back to the year, left to exeter cathedral by its first bishop, leofric.
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. Elliott van kirk dobbie and george philip krapp eds, the exeter book. It is probably the oldest surviving book of poetry from anglosaxon england, and contains a fascinating array of old english works, from christian and elegaic poems, to riddles. The best anglosaxon riddles interesting literature. Jan 31, 2018 the poems in the exeter book known as the old english elegies focus on loss, separation and the transience of earthly things. The exeter book is a 10 thcentury anthology of poetry in old english and is of major importance to exeter cathedral, the cathedral library and english literature itself exeter dean and chapter manuscript 3501, usually known as the exeter book, was written down by. Many of the riddles in the exeter book bear this out and i am indebted to michael alexander, and his excellent pocket translation of anglosaxon verse, the earliest english poems penguin classics, for this observation. Old english riddles from the exeter book book, 1982. Reading the exeter book riddles as lifewriting the. Made by the artist michael fairfax, it has alternate wings with verses from the exeter riddles which date from the circa 960ad, exeter book, the earliest known example of anglo saxon poetry in existence. The old english riddles of the exeter book and the anglolatin riddle tradition. The exeter books riddles were never published with the answers.
The translations are mine, so that the clunky literalism is preserved. 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. The verse riddles of the tenthcentury exeter book, around ninety in number, have on occasion been recognized as tending toward a form of biography. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book 1963 translated by paull franklin. D clothes make no sound when i tread ground or dwell in dwellings or disturb the flow. This article discusses the riddle s union of woman and iceberg from an ecofeminist perspective, exploring the deeprooted andro and anthropocentric anxieties that lie behind it. Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative. In some very few instances, my idea of the solution differs from the generally accepted range. Some are obvious particularly if you know something about the object the riddle is about and some are very obscure. It seems likely they were composed in the 700s when riddles were popular in english monasteries. In working with the old english text of the exeter book, it is important to pay attention to all the riddles and read them as a whole collection. Leofric, the first bishop of exeter, originally donated it to the library of exeter cathedral.
Of the four surviving old english poetic codices, only the exeter book contains anglosaxon riddles, 95 in all. Megan cavell explores what these bawdy puzzles tell us about sex and gender in anglosaxon england. Sep 26, 2017 riddle 66 is the second of the three creation riddles in the exeter book riddles 40, 66 and 94. The seventh and eighthcentury anglosaxon churchmen aldhelm, boniface, hw. Obscene riddles of the exeter book everything english. Some of them have been dated as far back as the 7 th century.
It explores the riddle alongside some of its analogues. Yet the poems, drawn as they were from an earlier tradition, predate the exeter book perhaps by centuries. In many cases, answers are just provisional, and still the subject of some discussion. Edited with introduction, notes, and glossary, by frederick tupper by tupper, frederick, 18711950. Williamson, the old english riddles of the exeter book, 16. Sep 09, 2010 exeter book riddle 3 in old english hwilum mec min frea f. In addition to approximately 95 old english riddles from the exeter book, we have hundreds of latin poetic and prose enigmata by. There is no list of upsidedown answers at the end of the exeter book where these riddles are found. Sep 01, 2016 the language of the anglosaxon riddles is often difficult, and even those who are fairly familiar with old english cannot read them readily. Jan 17, 2020 in my my most recent blog, encoded references in the exeter book birdriddles, 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. The old english texts used on this site appear in professor craig williamsons edition of the old english riddles of the exeter book, chapel hill. Exeter book riddles anglosaxon narrative poetry project. Encoded references in exeter book birdriddles medieval.
But this is not to say that some of the riddles arent, quite frankly, bawdy and rude. There may have been an attempt to assemble 100 riddles in the exeter book like in some latin collections. Aug, 2014 anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book 21. While the poetry of the exeter book is mainly anonymous, some of the authors composing latin riddles are named. Exeter book, the largest extant collection of old english poetry. University of north carolina press, 1977, by the university of north carolina press. Although its common to find several riddles with the same answer or which seem to have the same answer the creation riddles are unusual because they are all versions of the same riddle. 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. That leaves the cotton manuscript whose anglosaxon poetry comprises beowulf and nothing more and the exeter book. The modern sculpture the riddle on exeter high street by michael fairfax, which is inscribed with texts of old english riddles and evokes how they reflect the material world. This riddle is from the exeter book, circa 960990 a.
The exeter book was created by the first bishop of exeter in the eleventh century, when he collected poetry and riddles into a single tome. Unesco lists exeter book among worlds principal cultural. Jun 09, 2010 exeter book riddle 1 in old english hwylc is h. Exeter book project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Which of you heroes is so sharpwitted and so mindcrafty, who can speak. 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.
The exeter book is a 10 thcentury anthology of poetry in old english and is of major importance to exeter cathedral, the cathedral library and english literature itself. The exeter book s riddle 33 depicts its subject, an iceberg, as a warrior woman who can cause damage to ships with her physical prowess and powerful curses. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. Aug 03, 2016 here are ten things you should know about the exeter book. Exeter book riddles 1, 2, 3, 25, 44, 45, 47, 72 summary and. In his book, bitterli analyzes the riddles from the exeter book in the lens of the latin riddles, comparing and contrasting the elements that he believes inspired some of the riddles. Dec 06, 2019 in continuing my discussion of cryptic information encoded in runes in the exeter book riddles, in which i argue runic literacy functions as a form of esotericism, i wish to expand the conversation by considering the variety of specialized information contained in a group of old english riddles featured in the collection riddles 710. Though some of the best have been translated in scattered places, and there is a prose lineforline translation in the e. Translating exeter book riddles medieval studies research. Here is a list of solutions for the exeter book riddles as numbered in the translation. 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. Join britannicas publishing partner program and our community of experts to gain a global audience for your work. The riddles in the exeter book were probably authored by multiple people and are difficult to date. Being the history of old english from its beginnings to the accession of king alfred new york, ny, 1892, 179.
The exeter book riddles of the four surviving old english poetic codices, only the exeter book contains anglosaxon riddles, 95 in all. The date of authorship of many of the riddles is unclear. This article discusses the riddles union of woman and iceberg from an ecofeminist perspective, exploring the deeprooted andro and anthropocentric anxieties that lie behind it. The lack of riddles in the beowulf, junius, or vercelli manuscripts makes the interpretation of the riddles in codex exoniensis a unique challenge. Mike bintley explores these poems, which include the wanderer and the wifes lament, and highlights the parallels between the elegies and the riddles in the exeter book. A little research has indicated to me that there might only be a few older books than the exeter book in the uk. In this new and revised edition of a popular anvil press classic, michael alexander presents a selection of these ingenious and enigmatic poemswith possible solutions given in an appendixin versions that capture their peculiar, often ribald, suggestiveness and vigor. This, of course, throws off the riddle numbering system which you should note is an editorial practice and does not appear in the exeter book manuscript.
1183 272 497 1198 292 731 395 301 1462 167 212 1217 881 897 384 1213 1022 175 1446 494 1124 1016 1008 914 746 145 1398 445 611 196 1000 1322 1221 1157 95 448 325 586 852 764 1397 1079 1393 511