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Old English Riddles from the Exeter Book
In this new and revised edition of a popular Anvil Press classic, Michael Alexander presents a selection of these ingenious and enigmatic poems—with possible “solutions” given in an appendix—in versions that capture their peculiar, often ribald, suggestiveness and vigor.
The riddles survive through the Exeter Book, a manuscript dating back to the year 1000, left to Exeter Cathedral by its first bishop, Leofric. Yet the poems, drawn as they were from an earlier tradition, predate the Exeter Book perhaps by centuries. Although scholars once believed them to be the work of one eighth-century poet, Cynewulf, the variety of styles, subject matter, and levels of literary sophistication make it likely that they were the work of many authors over many years. They provide invaluable insight into life in Anglo-Saxon England, reflecting the everyday concerns and attitudes of an essentially agricultural and pious society. Some refer to the natural environment, animals, and the climate; others describe household objects or farming implements, even weaponry. In their expressive concision, the riddles are striking poems.
Michael Alexander was, until his recent retirement, honorary professor of English at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Educated at Oxford, Perugia, and Princeton universities, he is the author of three Penguin Classic titles, The Earliest English Poets, Beowulf, and The Canterbury Tales: The First Fragment. His other works include The Poetic Achievement of Ezra Pound (1981) and A History of English Literature (2000). His latest work, Medievalism: The Middle Ages in Modern England, was published by Yale University Press in 2006.
The riddles survive through the Exeter Book, a manuscript dating back to the year 1000, left to Exeter Cathedral by its first bishop, Leofric. Yet the poems, drawn as they were from an earlier tradition, predate the Exeter Book perhaps by centuries. Although scholars once believed them to be the work of one eighth-century poet, Cynewulf, the variety of styles, subject matter, and levels of literary sophistication make it likely that they were the work of many authors over many years. They provide invaluable insight into life in Anglo-Saxon England, reflecting the everyday concerns and attitudes of an essentially agricultural and pious society. Some refer to the natural environment, animals, and the climate; others describe household objects or farming implements, even weaponry. In their expressive concision, the riddles are striking poems.
Michael Alexander was, until his recent retirement, honorary professor of English at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Educated at Oxford, Perugia, and Princeton universities, he is the author of three Penguin Classic titles, The Earliest English Poets, Beowulf, and The Canterbury Tales: The First Fragment. His other works include The Poetic Achievement of Ezra Pound (1981) and A History of English Literature (2000). His latest work, Medievalism: The Middle Ages in Modern England, was published by Yale University Press in 2006.
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First published January 1, 970
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Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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February 20, 2019I'm a strange creature, for I satisfy women,
a service to the neighbours! No one suffers
at my hands except for my slayer.
I grow very tall, erect in a bed,
I'm hairy underneath. From time to time
a beautiful girl, the brave daughter
of some churl dares to hold me,
grips my russet skin, robs me of my head
and puts me in the pantry. At once that girl
with plaited hair who has confined me
remembers our meeting. Her eye moistens.
It is good to know that even in those ancient times that in between fighting each other or the Danes there was still time to indulge in the odd double entendre. No wonder Alfred burnt the cakes. He was clearly too busy thinking up a riddle that would really puzzle the fyrd and make the Bishops laugh.
The Exeter book of Riddles is a relatively recent Anglo-saxon 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. After the Norman conquest Anglo-Saxon literary culture was widely disrespected by the new elites who valued Latin literary culture, in places even the remains of Anglo-Saxon saints were thrown out - although some were reinstated when it was realised they could generate revenue from pilgrims still keen to revere the bones of saints familiar to them. But that is all neither here nor there, The Exeter book of Riddles is a rare survival of the humour and wit of an earlier age.
a service to the neighbours! No one suffers
at my hands except for my slayer.
I grow very tall, erect in a bed,
I'm hairy underneath. From time to time
a beautiful girl, the brave daughter
of some churl dares to hold me,
grips my russet skin, robs me of my head
and puts me in the pantry. At once that girl
with plaited hair who has confined me
remembers our meeting. Her eye moistens.
It is good to know that even in those ancient times that in between fighting each other or the Danes there was still time to indulge in the odd double entendre. No wonder Alfred burnt the cakes. He was clearly too busy thinking up a riddle that would really puzzle the fyrd and make the Bishops laugh.
The Exeter book of Riddles is a relatively recent Anglo-saxon 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. After the Norman conquest Anglo-Saxon literary culture was widely disrespected by the new elites who valued Latin literary culture, in places even the remains of Anglo-Saxon saints were thrown out - although some were reinstated when it was realised they could generate revenue from pilgrims still keen to revere the bones of saints familiar to them. But that is all neither here nor there, The Exeter book of Riddles is a rare survival of the humour and wit of an earlier age.
October 19, 2024
I stretch beyond the bounds of the world,
I'm smaller than a worm, clearer than the moon,
swifter than the sun. Swelling seas,
and the lap of the earth, the green fields,
are within my clasp. I cover the depths,
and plunge beneath hell; I ascend above heaven,
highland of glory; I stretch across
the region of angels; I fill the earth
with myself—this whole middle-earth
and the ocean streams. Say what my name is.
I'm smaller than a worm, clearer than the moon,
swifter than the sun. Swelling seas,
and the lap of the earth, the green fields,
are within my clasp. I cover the depths,
and plunge beneath hell; I ascend above heaven,
highland of glory; I stretch across
the region of angels; I fill the earth
with myself—this whole middle-earth
and the ocean streams. Say what my name is.
August 30, 2015
Anglo-saxon riddle poems. Some easy to work out the solution, some damn near impossible to the modern mind.
Beautifully translated and full of rich imagery.
Beautifully translated and full of rich imagery.
January 4, 2022
The go to book for anyone who enjoyed the riddle competition between Bilbo Baggins and Gollum as well as anyone who would like a powerful case study in the resilience of English humour.
Very playful and clever with this edition having genuinely helpful notes.
Very playful and clever with this edition having genuinely helpful notes.
November 30, 2016
Il libro dei "Riddles of Exeter". La parola inglese “riddle” significa ‘indovinello’. Io preferisco tradurla con “enigma” perché il termine ha un non so che di complesso, oscuro e misterioso. Complessità, oscurità e mistero sono elementi che vengono da lontano, dalle origini del tempo, allorquando iniziò l’affascinante storia delle parole e dei nomi: la Creazione. Fu allora che nacque la storia degli inganni, in quel giardino dell’Eden dove gli uomini, perpetrata la disubbidienza e perduta l’innocenza, vennero forniti di intelletto e cominciarono ad imbrogliarsi tra di loro. D’allora continuano a farlo in vari modi, con metafore, similitudini, tensioni, con l’uso del colore giallo, i travestimenti, la voce artefatta al telefono, le parole incrociate, i quiz, i rompicapo e così via, di interrogativi in interrogativi. Tutti cerchiamo di rappresentare le cose in maniera diversa da come effettivamente sono, interpretando, quindi, la vita come un grande enigma e gli uomini come i suoi attori.
Fu Aristotele che per primo indicò la somiglianza tra l’ “indovinello” e la “metafora”. Nella sua “Retorica” scrisse che, mentre la metafora è uno strumento usato spesso dai così detti eruditi, altra cosa è l’illusione, poiché la gente è più consapevole di avere imparato qualcosa dal suo stesso senso di sorpresa, per il modo con il quale la frase si chiude. Il loro animo sembra dire: “E’ vero, ma mi sfugge il senso”. Anche questo è il risultato del piacere che si prova di fronte ad enigmi intelligenti: essi sono istruttivi e metaforici nella loro espressione”. Non si può non essere d’accordo con Aristotele specialmente se si pensa che molti suoi concittadini persero la vita per non essere stati in grado di rispondere a questo indovinello: “Che cosa è che ha una voce e va su quattro gambe al mattino, due nel pomeriggio e tre di sera?”
E’, ovviamente, il famoso enigma della Sfinge, la mitica bestia alata con la testa di donna ed il corpo di un leone. Essa faceva domande ad ogni passante sull’orlo di un precipizio, fuori della città di Tebe. Chi non dava una risposta veniva strangolato oppure gettato dalla rupe. E quando Edipo si offrì volontario per dare la sua risposta dicendo: “E’ l’uomo che cammina sulle quattro zampe durante l’infanzia, cammina dritto dopo e cammina zoppicando aiutandosi col bastone in vecchiaia”, la Sfinge, in preda alla rabbia, si buttò giù dal precipizio.
Sappiamo che agli antichi Egizi, come ai Greci, piacevano gli enigmi. Tracce di questi ne troviamo nel primo libro sacro del Bramanesimo, il Rig Veda, nella letteratura Persiana, nel Corano ed anche nella Bibbia. La parola inglese “riddle” deriva dall’antico inglese “raedan”, “dar consigli”, spiegare, guidare. E, in senso lato, il riddle insegna in quanto presenta il ‘vecchio’ in modo nuovo. Agli uomini che siedono al tavolo a bere e ad ascoltare la voce del poeta, oppure mentre suonano l’arpa e essi stessi improvvisano poesie, il riddle riformulava il testo originario. La forma mentale anglo-sassone e lo stile letterario sembra che ben si adattassero alla metafora del riddle se si pensa che l’intero corpus della poesia dell’antico inglese è piena di mini-riddle, noti col nome di "kennings" i quali non sono altro che metafore condensate. Il mare è descritto come “il luogo dove scivolano i cigni”, la “strada della nave” e il “sentiero della balena”. Una vela è detta “il vestito del mare”, un poeta “il fabbro del riso” e una moglie “tessitrice di pace”.
Exeter è un città dell’Inghilterra sud-orientale con un’antica cattedrale ed una moderna università. Il primo vescovo fu Leofric. Egli morì nel 1072 e, tra le cose che lasciò alla biblioteca della cattedrale, ci fu un grosso libro in versi, in inglese, su diversi argomenti. E’ passato alla storia col nome di “Codex Exoniensis” o “Libro di Exeter”, uno dei quattro libri superstiti dell’antica poesia inglese. Il libro fu probabilmente copiato da uno scrivano nell’ultimo quarto del decimo secolo. Il manoscritto è formato da 131 fogli e contiene una vasta gamma di poesie. Poesie cristiane, un gruppo denominato appunto “Cristo”; poesie elegiache dal tono cristiano e germanico; poesie di tradizione germanico-pagana risalenti agli Angli, ai Sassoni, ai Frisi e agli Iuti, i primi invasori dell’Inghilterra; e poi dei “riddles”, gli “indovinelli” o “enigmi”.
Il manoscritto sembra essere sopravissuto a diverse esperienze. Ci sono spazi vuoti nel testo narrativo il che lascia supporre diversi fogli mancanti. Sembra accertato che il manoscritto sia stato usato come tavolo o piano per tagliare il pane o per poggiarvi la birra. Ci sono macchie circolari, segni di tagli e anche tracce di bruciature. Il manoscritto contiene 96 “riddles” suddivisi in tre gruppi: enigmi 1-59, enigmi 30b-60, enigmi 61-95. Si pensa che siano stati in tutto 100, sul modello di altre raccolte poetiche del tempo scritte in latino. Un foglio è mancante il che fa pensare alla perdita di 5 enigmi. Gli studiosi non concordano sul nome dell’autore di questi testi poetici. Molti pensano che siano stati scritti da diverse persone in tempi diversi. E’ possibile, comunque, dire che la data risale a partire dagli inizi dell’ottavo secolo allorquando era piuttosto diffusa la moda di scrivere enigmi in latino.
Non bisogna credere che questi componimenti siano dei semplici rifacimenti di composizioni poetiche scritte in latino. Gli enigmi di Exeter hanno, invece, un grande fascino, una spiccata immaginazione, una decisa originalità e spesso una straordinaria acutezza di pensiero. Caratteristiche di scrittura queste che ci permettono di entrare agevolmente nel mondo anglosassone. Alcuni hanno un sapore popolare, altri caratteristiche letterarie ed altri ancora entrambi gli elementi. Gli argomenti vanno dall’osservazione della natura, dei suoi fenomeni, dei suoi abitatori come gli uccelli e gli alberi, altre volte trattano di cose di casa, degli oggetti quotidiani, attrezzi e strumenti della vita di tutti i giorni.
Sia il mondo germanico che quello cristiano sono presenti e in molti casi si avverte la lenta e sottile penetrazione degli insegnamenti cristiani in un ambiente diffidente, crudo e crudele ma che vuole cambiare, tentato com’è dalle luci che provengono dalla nuova religione. Mi piace qui riportate le note parole di uno dei consiglieri del re Edwin come sono riferite dal Venerabile Beda allorquando il re stava considerando se seguire la nuova fede. Dice il consigliere al suo sovrano: “ O re, immaginate di stare seduto ad un banchetto coi vostri consiglierei e cavalieri durante una serata d’inverno. Il camino è acceso e la sala riscaldata. Fuori l’inverno infuria con le sue tempeste. Entra un passerotto da una porta ed esce da un’altra. Dentro è al sicuro, ma dopo pochi minuti lascia questo posto sicuro e ritorna all’inverno fuori e scompare. Alla stessa maniera questa vita mortale sembra solo un breve intervallo, ciò che può essere venuto prima, o può venire dopo, non lo sappiamo. Perciò, mio re, se questi nuovi insegnamenti cristiani portano una maggiore certezza potremmo seguirli. E il re lo fece”.
I secoli settimo e ottavo videro una ricca produzione di manoscritti che i missionari usavano in patria o all’estero sul continente per esercitare la loro missione. Diverse poesie parlano degli scrivani, delle illustrazioni dei manoscritti, della custodia dei libri, degli strumenti musicali in uso nel tempo e nei luoghi. La vita di ogni giorno è l’argomento caratterizzante della raccolta, l’uomo e il suo futuro nella quotidianità del suo percorso terreno, consapevole del suo destino e della presenza di Dio. Egli si dibatte continuamente nel tentativo di far conciliare le due realtà, anche se la sua ha un riferimento prevalente alla sua terra e i suoi raccolti, piuttosto che a elaborazioni di concetto.
Gli Anglosassoni erano legati all’agricoltura e questi componenti poetici rappresentano un inno al lavoratore della terra mai cantato prima. Sei enigmi hanno un riferimento alle rune, le lettere dell’alfabeto usato, in varie forme, dagli Scandinavi e dagli Anglosassoni, ottenuto modificando i segni degli alfabeti greco e latino per facilitarne l’incisione su pietra e legno. La parola “runa” significa “mistero” o “segreto”. Si ritiene che l’alfabeto runico abbia avuto origine con l’era cristiana. E’ proprio con gli indovinelli runici che i testi poetici del “Libro di Exeter” cominciano a diffondersi e restano nel tempo e nella cultura anglosassone. I bambini li imparano appena cominciano a parlare perché permette loro di giocare più con le parole che col contenuto. La fama degli enigmi del Libro di Exeter continua perché quei testi poetici continuano ad essere sia poesie che enigmi.
https://goo.gl/uv2Bva
Fu Aristotele che per primo indicò la somiglianza tra l’ “indovinello” e la “metafora”. Nella sua “Retorica” scrisse che, mentre la metafora è uno strumento usato spesso dai così detti eruditi, altra cosa è l’illusione, poiché la gente è più consapevole di avere imparato qualcosa dal suo stesso senso di sorpresa, per il modo con il quale la frase si chiude. Il loro animo sembra dire: “E’ vero, ma mi sfugge il senso”. Anche questo è il risultato del piacere che si prova di fronte ad enigmi intelligenti: essi sono istruttivi e metaforici nella loro espressione”. Non si può non essere d’accordo con Aristotele specialmente se si pensa che molti suoi concittadini persero la vita per non essere stati in grado di rispondere a questo indovinello: “Che cosa è che ha una voce e va su quattro gambe al mattino, due nel pomeriggio e tre di sera?”
E’, ovviamente, il famoso enigma della Sfinge, la mitica bestia alata con la testa di donna ed il corpo di un leone. Essa faceva domande ad ogni passante sull’orlo di un precipizio, fuori della città di Tebe. Chi non dava una risposta veniva strangolato oppure gettato dalla rupe. E quando Edipo si offrì volontario per dare la sua risposta dicendo: “E’ l’uomo che cammina sulle quattro zampe durante l’infanzia, cammina dritto dopo e cammina zoppicando aiutandosi col bastone in vecchiaia”, la Sfinge, in preda alla rabbia, si buttò giù dal precipizio.
Sappiamo che agli antichi Egizi, come ai Greci, piacevano gli enigmi. Tracce di questi ne troviamo nel primo libro sacro del Bramanesimo, il Rig Veda, nella letteratura Persiana, nel Corano ed anche nella Bibbia. La parola inglese “riddle” deriva dall’antico inglese “raedan”, “dar consigli”, spiegare, guidare. E, in senso lato, il riddle insegna in quanto presenta il ‘vecchio’ in modo nuovo. Agli uomini che siedono al tavolo a bere e ad ascoltare la voce del poeta, oppure mentre suonano l’arpa e essi stessi improvvisano poesie, il riddle riformulava il testo originario. La forma mentale anglo-sassone e lo stile letterario sembra che ben si adattassero alla metafora del riddle se si pensa che l’intero corpus della poesia dell’antico inglese è piena di mini-riddle, noti col nome di "kennings" i quali non sono altro che metafore condensate. Il mare è descritto come “il luogo dove scivolano i cigni”, la “strada della nave” e il “sentiero della balena”. Una vela è detta “il vestito del mare”, un poeta “il fabbro del riso” e una moglie “tessitrice di pace”.
Exeter è un città dell’Inghilterra sud-orientale con un’antica cattedrale ed una moderna università. Il primo vescovo fu Leofric. Egli morì nel 1072 e, tra le cose che lasciò alla biblioteca della cattedrale, ci fu un grosso libro in versi, in inglese, su diversi argomenti. E’ passato alla storia col nome di “Codex Exoniensis” o “Libro di Exeter”, uno dei quattro libri superstiti dell’antica poesia inglese. Il libro fu probabilmente copiato da uno scrivano nell’ultimo quarto del decimo secolo. Il manoscritto è formato da 131 fogli e contiene una vasta gamma di poesie. Poesie cristiane, un gruppo denominato appunto “Cristo”; poesie elegiache dal tono cristiano e germanico; poesie di tradizione germanico-pagana risalenti agli Angli, ai Sassoni, ai Frisi e agli Iuti, i primi invasori dell’Inghilterra; e poi dei “riddles”, gli “indovinelli” o “enigmi”.
Il manoscritto sembra essere sopravissuto a diverse esperienze. Ci sono spazi vuoti nel testo narrativo il che lascia supporre diversi fogli mancanti. Sembra accertato che il manoscritto sia stato usato come tavolo o piano per tagliare il pane o per poggiarvi la birra. Ci sono macchie circolari, segni di tagli e anche tracce di bruciature. Il manoscritto contiene 96 “riddles” suddivisi in tre gruppi: enigmi 1-59, enigmi 30b-60, enigmi 61-95. Si pensa che siano stati in tutto 100, sul modello di altre raccolte poetiche del tempo scritte in latino. Un foglio è mancante il che fa pensare alla perdita di 5 enigmi. Gli studiosi non concordano sul nome dell’autore di questi testi poetici. Molti pensano che siano stati scritti da diverse persone in tempi diversi. E’ possibile, comunque, dire che la data risale a partire dagli inizi dell’ottavo secolo allorquando era piuttosto diffusa la moda di scrivere enigmi in latino.
Non bisogna credere che questi componimenti siano dei semplici rifacimenti di composizioni poetiche scritte in latino. Gli enigmi di Exeter hanno, invece, un grande fascino, una spiccata immaginazione, una decisa originalità e spesso una straordinaria acutezza di pensiero. Caratteristiche di scrittura queste che ci permettono di entrare agevolmente nel mondo anglosassone. Alcuni hanno un sapore popolare, altri caratteristiche letterarie ed altri ancora entrambi gli elementi. Gli argomenti vanno dall’osservazione della natura, dei suoi fenomeni, dei suoi abitatori come gli uccelli e gli alberi, altre volte trattano di cose di casa, degli oggetti quotidiani, attrezzi e strumenti della vita di tutti i giorni.
Sia il mondo germanico che quello cristiano sono presenti e in molti casi si avverte la lenta e sottile penetrazione degli insegnamenti cristiani in un ambiente diffidente, crudo e crudele ma che vuole cambiare, tentato com’è dalle luci che provengono dalla nuova religione. Mi piace qui riportate le note parole di uno dei consiglieri del re Edwin come sono riferite dal Venerabile Beda allorquando il re stava considerando se seguire la nuova fede. Dice il consigliere al suo sovrano: “ O re, immaginate di stare seduto ad un banchetto coi vostri consiglierei e cavalieri durante una serata d’inverno. Il camino è acceso e la sala riscaldata. Fuori l’inverno infuria con le sue tempeste. Entra un passerotto da una porta ed esce da un’altra. Dentro è al sicuro, ma dopo pochi minuti lascia questo posto sicuro e ritorna all’inverno fuori e scompare. Alla stessa maniera questa vita mortale sembra solo un breve intervallo, ciò che può essere venuto prima, o può venire dopo, non lo sappiamo. Perciò, mio re, se questi nuovi insegnamenti cristiani portano una maggiore certezza potremmo seguirli. E il re lo fece”.
I secoli settimo e ottavo videro una ricca produzione di manoscritti che i missionari usavano in patria o all’estero sul continente per esercitare la loro missione. Diverse poesie parlano degli scrivani, delle illustrazioni dei manoscritti, della custodia dei libri, degli strumenti musicali in uso nel tempo e nei luoghi. La vita di ogni giorno è l’argomento caratterizzante della raccolta, l’uomo e il suo futuro nella quotidianità del suo percorso terreno, consapevole del suo destino e della presenza di Dio. Egli si dibatte continuamente nel tentativo di far conciliare le due realtà, anche se la sua ha un riferimento prevalente alla sua terra e i suoi raccolti, piuttosto che a elaborazioni di concetto.
Gli Anglosassoni erano legati all’agricoltura e questi componenti poetici rappresentano un inno al lavoratore della terra mai cantato prima. Sei enigmi hanno un riferimento alle rune, le lettere dell’alfabeto usato, in varie forme, dagli Scandinavi e dagli Anglosassoni, ottenuto modificando i segni degli alfabeti greco e latino per facilitarne l’incisione su pietra e legno. La parola “runa” significa “mistero” o “segreto”. Si ritiene che l’alfabeto runico abbia avuto origine con l’era cristiana. E’ proprio con gli indovinelli runici che i testi poetici del “Libro di Exeter” cominciano a diffondersi e restano nel tempo e nella cultura anglosassone. I bambini li imparano appena cominciano a parlare perché permette loro di giocare più con le parole che col contenuto. La fama degli enigmi del Libro di Exeter continua perché quei testi poetici continuano ad essere sia poesie che enigmi.
https://goo.gl/uv2Bva
August 3, 2025
The Wanderer is basically LOTR lol
Tolkien copied a lot from Ancient English lit.
Tolkien copied a lot from Ancient English lit.
May 10, 2022
In my life, I have found that riddles are generally well-liked — I certainly can't think of anyone who actively dislikes them. They are very important culturally, appearing in great works such as the Oedipus Cycle and The Hobbit. The riddles found in the Exeter Book, translated by Kevin Crossley-Holland, are brilliant examples of historical riddles, and it is a shame that they are not well-known.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading and puzzling over these riddles. All of the riddles are poems, and evoke wonderful imagery of the natural world. The subjects are diverse: they range from animals to the environment, the physical to the abstract. They capture a variety of moods effectively; some are sombre, dealing with warfare, while some are much more playful, even going as far as innuendo!
There were a couple of riddles where I wasn't able to see how the solution corresponded to the riddle (namely riddle 40 and 66), but I defer to the experts on that. Also, some riddles have the same answers and are a little repetitive. However, this is not a big problem, and most of them are entirely original.
This edition translates 75 of the 96 riddles in the main body of the work: Crossley-Holland selected the ones that are mostly complete and that can be answered. At the end of the book is a short commentary on each riddle with its answer. What I particularly like is that there is commentary for every riddle, including the ones not translated in the main body. Often Crossley-Holland translates the omitted ones in this section if they have memorable imagery. Overall, very few of the 96 have no translation at all. I respect this depth of translation, and the commentary definitely helped my understanding.
Overall, I would highly recommend The Exeter Book Riddles to anyone interested in riddles or Old English. In particular, I would recommend Crossley-Holland's translation. Unfortunately, it seems to be out of print, though I have seen 2nd hand copies online.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading and puzzling over these riddles. All of the riddles are poems, and evoke wonderful imagery of the natural world. The subjects are diverse: they range from animals to the environment, the physical to the abstract. They capture a variety of moods effectively; some are sombre, dealing with warfare, while some are much more playful, even going as far as innuendo!
There were a couple of riddles where I wasn't able to see how the solution corresponded to the riddle (namely riddle 40 and 66), but I defer to the experts on that. Also, some riddles have the same answers and are a little repetitive. However, this is not a big problem, and most of them are entirely original.
This edition translates 75 of the 96 riddles in the main body of the work: Crossley-Holland selected the ones that are mostly complete and that can be answered. At the end of the book is a short commentary on each riddle with its answer. What I particularly like is that there is commentary for every riddle, including the ones not translated in the main body. Often Crossley-Holland translates the omitted ones in this section if they have memorable imagery. Overall, very few of the 96 have no translation at all. I respect this depth of translation, and the commentary definitely helped my understanding.
Overall, I would highly recommend The Exeter Book Riddles to anyone interested in riddles or Old English. In particular, I would recommend Crossley-Holland's translation. Unfortunately, it seems to be out of print, though I have seen 2nd hand copies online.
December 24, 2017
This is a collection of Old English riddles, from around the time of Beowulf. They are each one-page poems, rather than simply a couple of lines, like you might think of a riddle (e.g. what's black and white and read all over?)
The riddles are interesting because the first time you read each riddle, it is describing some nebulous monster. The monster may have impossible, contradictory, or magical properties. Then you read the solution (provided in the notes) and reread the riddle, and see the other meaning in each statement. So it's kind of like an optical illusion for the mind. The more explicit riddles are elaborate double entendres, but through most of the book the overt meaning is simply strange, like a spirit or a monster, rather than something obscene. The hidden meanings might be animals, or household items, or abstract concepts. So on the one side you have the most vivid medieval imaginings, beyond any bestiary, and on the other a kind of picture of everyday life for the Anglo-Saxons by the items they choose to riddle about. It might be interesting to try to illustrate the book with illusions that can be viewed in either manner.
I read it in a parallel text, and the original is clearly more poetically constrained-- each half of the line (on either side of the caesura) is usually only two words. But the version I read had a pleasantly archaic feel to the modern English, at least. You can find it here for free: en.wikisource.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_Ri...
It got me to thinking how the ability to do well on IQ tests is mainly a matter of either being able to figure out, or to remember a previously learned solution to a series of riddles, looking for the clues to the hidden pattern.
The riddles are interesting because the first time you read each riddle, it is describing some nebulous monster. The monster may have impossible, contradictory, or magical properties. Then you read the solution (provided in the notes) and reread the riddle, and see the other meaning in each statement. So it's kind of like an optical illusion for the mind. The more explicit riddles are elaborate double entendres, but through most of the book the overt meaning is simply strange, like a spirit or a monster, rather than something obscene. The hidden meanings might be animals, or household items, or abstract concepts. So on the one side you have the most vivid medieval imaginings, beyond any bestiary, and on the other a kind of picture of everyday life for the Anglo-Saxons by the items they choose to riddle about. It might be interesting to try to illustrate the book with illusions that can be viewed in either manner.
I read it in a parallel text, and the original is clearly more poetically constrained-- each half of the line (on either side of the caesura) is usually only two words. But the version I read had a pleasantly archaic feel to the modern English, at least. You can find it here for free: en.wikisource.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_Ri...
It got me to thinking how the ability to do well on IQ tests is mainly a matter of either being able to figure out, or to remember a previously learned solution to a series of riddles, looking for the clues to the hidden pattern.
December 30, 2021
These riddles are not necessarily like modern riddles where the sole purpose is to be puzzling. These are poems, and the main purpose of them is to focus on the lived experiences of their subjects, whether those be personifications of natural phenomena or human or animal experiences. As riddles, the narrator is ambiguous and anonymous, and most of them have a discernable awnser to the problem. However, the best way to appreciate these poems is to not treat them as puzzles to solve, but to appreciate the experiences of their narrators. In fact, generally the identity of the narrator isn't especially important. The general tone here is a love of life and nature and empathy for every day people and things. This is a beautiful read. Some poems are duds or incomplete. Also there's dick jokes.
February 14, 2025
"The wet ground, wondrously freezing,
first brought me forth of its bowels.
I know myself in my thoughts
to be not crafted from fleeces of wool,
or from hairs through excellent skill;
the weft is not twisted for me, nor do I have a warp;
nor through the crush of violent throngs does the thread resound for me;
nor does the shuttle glide to me, resounding;
nor should the reed knock against me anywhere.
Worms do not weave me by the craft of the Fates,
which adorn with ornament the yellow divine weave.
Yet nevertheless, man desires to call me widely over earth
before warriors a noble shroud.
Say, by true things, by contrived thoughts, prudent man,
by words, judicious man, what this shroud be."
first brought me forth of its bowels.
I know myself in my thoughts
to be not crafted from fleeces of wool,
or from hairs through excellent skill;
the weft is not twisted for me, nor do I have a warp;
nor through the crush of violent throngs does the thread resound for me;
nor does the shuttle glide to me, resounding;
nor should the reed knock against me anywhere.
Worms do not weave me by the craft of the Fates,
which adorn with ornament the yellow divine weave.
Yet nevertheless, man desires to call me widely over earth
before warriors a noble shroud.
Say, by true things, by contrived thoughts, prudent man,
by words, judicious man, what this shroud be."
July 18, 2025
This one is considered a companion piece to another Anglo-Saxon poem, 'Wife's Lament'. The speaker seems like answering his wife, saying that he will reunite with her someday by the shore. There is a beautiful natural imagery here. As it always happens, there are common themes of Anglo-Saxon elegy found here: longing, exile, loyalty, and hope. (Also found in the Exeter book)
Riddles, I believe heavily inspired by Tolkien in his Middle-earth universe; there is an interesting one. This one is particularly pretty:
"When I am alive I do not speak.
Anyone who wants to takes me captive and cuts off my head.
They bite my bare body
I do no harm to anyone unless they cut me first.
Then I soon make them cry."
Answer: an onion.
Riddles, I believe heavily inspired by Tolkien in his Middle-earth universe; there is an interesting one. This one is particularly pretty:
"When I am alive I do not speak.
Anyone who wants to takes me captive and cuts off my head.
They bite my bare body
I do no harm to anyone unless they cut me first.
Then I soon make them cry."
Answer: an onion.
November 24, 2025
This is a fascinating book, written in about 900 A.D., and beautifully translated into modern English. The riddles are varied, the subjects cover a wide variety of things both natural and man made, and give an insight into Saxon daily life. A few of them are deliberately ambiguous, innuendo was evidently popular with the Saxons. All are charming. There are notes at the back of the book explaining what the riddles mean (more than one possible answer is suggested for some of them). Pay a visit to Saxon England and you will be delighted.
March 8, 2021
A very interesting genre of texts to read and think about from hermeneutic, metatextual, metalinguistic, posthuman, (new) materialist, and gender perspectives. Robert Douglas-Fairhurst's paraphrase of Clifford Geertz comes to mind here: 'It is on its porous and contested edges that a culture most intensively and recreates and renegotiates its understanding of itself'.
August 8, 2023
It’s ok
The notes at the back have more answers to riddles than there are riddles at the front.
The numbers skip so it appears some are missing?
I found that annoying but as this is an ancient found text republished and interpreted I’m not surprised by this.
Good insight to how Middle Ages peoples thought though.
The notes at the back have more answers to riddles than there are riddles at the front.
The numbers skip so it appears some are missing?
I found that annoying but as this is an ancient found text republished and interpreted I’m not surprised by this.
Good insight to how Middle Ages peoples thought though.
August 14, 2018
This is a Good book. A selection of poems in the form of riddles, this ancient literature is captivating. It requires thought and dedication to work through though. I suggest it to someone who has time and interest in the time period.
June 28, 2017
Beautifully translated (and he was kind enough to sign my copy with 'ic wiht geseah').
January 4, 2020
A witty interpretation of the riddles. I loved the playful use of language and the use of unusual or archaic words where relevant. Makes a good reference for translations as well.
November 13, 2021
Small and fragmentary, nonetheless these are wonderful and clever examples of wit and poetry. I even managed to guess one or two, but some are ingenious!
April 21, 2024
so hyperfixated on the riddler i read this
Want to read
May 1, 2024Old English Literature Recommended Reading List by Benjamin McEvoy in How to Get an Oxford Education from Free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Q2J...
July 6, 2024
riddle 47 my beloved
December 31, 2024
EVERYONE... I found my favorite class... and it started with this!
September 10, 2014
"My head is forged with the hammer,hurt with sharp tools, smoothed by files. I take in my mouth what is set before me when girded with rings I am forced to strike, hard against hard, pierced from behind, must draw forth what protects at midnight the heart’s delight of my own lord. Sometimes I turn backwards my beak, when, protector of treasure, my lord wishes to hold the leavings of those he had driven from life by battle-craft for his own desire.
(Key)"
"Me the wet ground, exceeding cold, first brought forth from within itself.Neither am I wrought of woolen fleece nor of hairs, with skill; I know it in my mind. I have no winding wefts nor any warp in me; nor with strong rods does the thread resound for me, nor the whirring shuttle move across me, nor the weaver’s rods anywhere smite me.
Worms do not weave me with fatal wiles which fairly adorn the fine yellow web.Yet nevertheless the wide world over one will call me a joyful garment for heroes. Say now truly, you cunning sage,learned in language, what this garment may be.
(Coat of Mail)"
(Key)"
"Me the wet ground, exceeding cold, first brought forth from within itself.Neither am I wrought of woolen fleece nor of hairs, with skill; I know it in my mind. I have no winding wefts nor any warp in me; nor with strong rods does the thread resound for me, nor the whirring shuttle move across me, nor the weaver’s rods anywhere smite me.
Worms do not weave me with fatal wiles which fairly adorn the fine yellow web.Yet nevertheless the wide world over one will call me a joyful garment for heroes. Say now truly, you cunning sage,learned in language, what this garment may be.
(Coat of Mail)"
May 4, 2010
This collection has some (not all, but a lot of) the poems from the Exeter Book. Some of the translations are, I think, a little bit suspect -- I certainly wouldn't translate things the same way, anyway. In one or two places there seems to be a line added that I don't remember from doing my own translations.
Still, for getting an idea of the breadth of the riddles -- from ridiculously hard ones like the One-eyed Garlic Seller to the lovely ones like the Swan and the double entendres like the Onion and the Key.
Also, have a go at this one:
I was in one hour an ashen crone
A fair-faced man, a fresh girl,
Floated on foam, flew with birds,
Under the wave dived, dead among fish,
And walked upon land a living soul.
I know what a proposed solution is, but it seems we're not sure... or we weren't in 1980, anyway. Gotta love how this is modern in terms of what was available in the library on the Old English stuff.
Still, for getting an idea of the breadth of the riddles -- from ridiculously hard ones like the One-eyed Garlic Seller to the lovely ones like the Swan and the double entendres like the Onion and the Key.
Also, have a go at this one:
I was in one hour an ashen crone
A fair-faced man, a fresh girl,
Floated on foam, flew with birds,
Under the wave dived, dead among fish,
And walked upon land a living soul.
I know what a proposed solution is, but it seems we're not sure... or we weren't in 1980, anyway. Gotta love how this is modern in terms of what was available in the library on the Old English stuff.
Read
September 27, 2018I was greatly helped by Kevin Crossley-Holland's introduction to this edition and was particularly interested in the parallel that he notes between riddle and instruction. Crossley Holland writes, "The word ‘riddle’ derives from the Old English rædan, to advise, to counsel, to guide, to explain. And in a wide sense a riddle does teach: it presents the old in new ways. To men sitting at the mead-bench, listening to the professional poet or taking the harp and themselves improvising, the riddle redefined the familiar” (viii).
All of that said, perhaps the best instruction one can receive from this book now is that the very first works written in English were dirty, dirty, poem-riddles. Many of these riddles appear to be written by some sort of medieval Samantha Jones - onions that are really penises, virgin maids sexually accosting men in the pantry, and a lot of erection metaphors. This book makes me proud of the English language.
All of that said, perhaps the best instruction one can receive from this book now is that the very first works written in English were dirty, dirty, poem-riddles. Many of these riddles appear to be written by some sort of medieval Samantha Jones - onions that are really penises, virgin maids sexually accosting men in the pantry, and a lot of erection metaphors. This book makes me proud of the English language.
January 27, 2013
Wow. Talk about a serious mindbender. If you think you're good at puzzles and riddles, then you need to read The Exeter Book of Riddles translated by Kevin Crossley-Holland. This took me a long time to read because I tried to figure out all the riddles, which were nearly impossible.
April 21, 2007
Nothing better than reading these riddles aloud. Deviant or saint, monk to laity, it's all here.
November 1, 2008
Some of these are hilarious.
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