Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Which of you heroes is so sharpwitted and so mindcrafty, who can speak aloud about who impels me on this. Full text of the riddles of the exeter book internet archive. The old english riddles of the exeter book magdalena gracka, janmichael stube. 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. 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. Riddles tend to be metaphorical indeed, the trick is to discern what the metaphor signifies and, in that. Join britannicas publishing partner program and our community of experts to gain a global audience for your work. In contrast to the fireravaged leaves of beowulf and. Translating exeter book riddles medieval studies research. Here is a list of solutions for the exeter book riddles as numbered in the translation. He had broken his leg, he told us, and needed to spend several months recuperating in hospital. Exeter book riddles an open companion for british literature i. The elegies of the exeter book the british library.
However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. A selection of riddles from the exeter book riddles. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the free. 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. Scholars believe that a number were composed in the the 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. The riddles from the exeter book are almost unique within the wider genre, because they are written in the vernacular in old english, rather than latin apart from one latin riddle, which sits towards the end of the book.
It was not feasible to arrange them by types, because the typical forms of the riddle are not clearly fixed and the anglosaxon riddles are too few to illustrate many types. The riddle sculpture by michael fairfax, which stands in exeters high street, incorporates some of the books riddles. 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. There is no list of upsidedown answers at the end of the exeter book where these riddles are found.
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. Performed by jefferson reardon produced by timmie vitz. Aug 17, 2015 riddle 43s commentary is once again by the terribly clever james paz, lecturer in early medieval english literature at the university of manchester. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article requires login. 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. Some of them are double entendres, such as riddle 25 below. May 12, 2016 pause the video each time the screen fades to black to try to guess the answers to the riddles. Exeter book, the oldest book of english literature, contains religious poetry and smutty riddles. The bookworm riddle can be found in the exeter book, one of the greatest literary treasures to survive from anglosaxon england.
If multiple possibilities are possible, ill give the best or most likely. Encoded references in exeter book birdriddles medieval. 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. Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative poetry. Jan 09, 20 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. Among the other texts in the exeter book, there are over ninety riddles. In addition, the exeter book preserves 95 riddles, a genre that would otherwise have been represented by a solitary example. Definition of exeter book from the largest extant collection of old english poetry. The original exeter book resides in you guessed it exeter castle in the united kingdom. 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.
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. Most of the editors have been shy about their double meanings. The date of authorship of many of the riddles is unclear. Obscene riddles of the exeter book everything english. George phillip krapp and elliot van kirk dobbie, the exeter book. 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. Pause the video each time the screen fades to black to try to guess the answers to the riddles. In some very few instances, my idea of the solution differs from the generally accepted range.
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. 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. Some of them have been dated as far back as the 7 th century. Riddle 43s commentary is once again by the terribly clever james paz, lecturer in early medieval english literature at the university of manchester. 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. Use the buttons on the right to navigate to each set of riddles. The best anglosaxon riddles interesting literature. Many of them have bawdy double meanings and some still remain unsolved to this day. Shielded behind glass it will be a little hard to place ones pint of guinness on its covers once more. The following translations have been grouped according to subject.
Here are ten things you should know about the exeter book. Here are two of these anglosaxon riddles, both in old english and. Jul 01, 2008 the ninetysix anglosaxon riddles in the eleventhcentury exeter book are poems of great charm, zest, and subtlety. The earliest attested riddles in anglosaxon england are in latin. The obscene riddles encompass an area of study littered with double meanings throughout the text. The earliest attested riddles in anglosaxon england are in latin, where they are known as enigmata enigmas and formed a thriving literary genre which is likely to have inspired the later collection of vernacular riddles in the exeter book.
Aug 03, 2016 here are ten things you should know about the exeter book. This is a translation of the 96 anglosaxon poems from the 11thcentury exeter book. Reading runes in the exeter book riddles medieval studies. 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. There is much to be gained from interpreting the tenthcentury exeter book riddles as a characteristically biographical group of texts. Though some of the best have been translated in scattered places, and there is a prose lineforline translation in the e. Only four collections of old english verse exist, out of which the exeter book is the largest and most impressive. The translations are mine, so that the clunky literalism is preserved. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the. The riddles in the exeter book were probably authored by multiple people and are difficult to date. As with tolkiens moonletters, runes found in the exeter book riddles serve to both obscure and illuminate their riddle and its solution. There are about 95 riddles included in exeter book the number sometimes changes when translators group multiple riddles into one. This may be the general character of anglosaxon humor, but fortunately its not the height.
In analyzing riddle 12, i am hoping to contribute meaningfully to our understanding of anglosaxon england as a whole. 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 riddles in my anglosaxon literature recommendations blog post, i gave an overview of the exeter book riddles and included some of my favourites. The lack of riddles in the beowulf, junius, or vercelli manuscripts makes the interpretation of the riddles in codex exoniensis a unique challenge. The ninetysix anglosaxon riddles in the eleventhcentury exeter book are poems of great charm, zest, and subtlety. The riddles are of particular interest to students of old english poetry and anglosaxon culture, to archeologists, anthropologists, and folklorists. The exeter book project college of humanities university. The poems in the exeter book known as the old english elegies focus on loss, separation and the transience of earthly things. Edited with introduction, notes, and glossary, by frederick tupper by tupper, frederick, 18711950. In many cases, answers are just provisional, and still the subject of some discussion.
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. 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. They are written in the style of anglosaxon poetry and range in topics from the religious to the mundane. The exeter book riddles in context the british library. Frederick tupper, the riddles of the exeter book new york, 1911. The language of the anglosaxon riddles is often difficult, and even those who are fairly familiar with old english cannot read them readily. 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. Riddles 44 and 45 are perfect examples of the double entendre, where the reader is intended to believe that the answer is something obscene.
Exeter book riddles 1, 2, 3, 25, 44, 45, 47, 72 summary. 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. Exeter book project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. 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. It is one of the four major anglosaxon literature codices, along with the vercelli book, nowell codex and the c. 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. 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 remaining part of the exeter book includes the rhyming poem, which is the only example of its kind. The exeter book riddles of the four surviving old english poetic codices, only the exeter book contains anglosaxon riddles, 95 in all.
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. Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative. Unesco lists exeter book among worlds principal cultural. It seems likely they were composed in the 700s when riddles were popular in english monasteries. Exeter book, or the codex exoniensis, is a 10th century book, or codex, that contains most of the surviving anglosaxon poetry. Exeter book riddles 1, 2, 3, 25, 44, 45, 47, 72 summary and. Jan 31, 2018 the riddles from the exeter book are almost unique within the wider genre, because they are written in the vernacular in old english, rather than latin apart from one latin riddle, which sits towards the end of the book. Here are two of these anglosaxon riddles, both in old english and translated into modern english. Below, ive included some of the best anglosaxon riddles from the exeter book, followed by the most commonly proposed solutions. The riddles are one of the most wellknown works in the exeter book, and they focus on an eclectic mix of themes. Judith, the exeter book is almost entirely preserved.
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