However, the exact number is unknown because some pages are illegible or missing. The bookworm riddle can be found in the exeter book, one of the greatest literary treasures to survive from anglosaxon england. Though some of the best have been translated in scattered places, and there is a prose lineforline translation in the e. Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative. Well, whoever composed riddle 61 sure seems to have done. In fact, to get started, i read some of these riddles with my students. We cant say with any certainty who composed them, or when, or how, or for what purpose. It is believed originally to have contained 1 leaves, of which the first 8. The riddler pokes fun at the pedantic worm, transformed into wordwolf or midnight marauder, who devours the substance without the spirit.
At just 53 lines, this is one of the shortest works of anglo saxon literature included in this list. Exeter book, the oldest book of english literature, contains religious. Exeter book riddles anglosaxon narrative poetry project. Below are links to texts of the riddles accompanied by translations. 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 exeter book medieval studies oxford bibliographies. Give or take a few short poems, whether or not theyre riddles is an open question. Among the other texts in the exeter book, there are over ninety riddles. Riddle 74 is one of a handful of old english riddles of the exeter book that have stubbornly resisted a solution.
There may have been an attempt to assemble 100 riddles in the exeter book like in some latin collections. Riddle 66 from the exeter book, read in the original old english. Those two versions appear in the vercelli book and in the same exeter book that contains the riddles. Copied in the south of england towards the end of the tenth century, they appear to be a compilation of poetic riddles by. This is a riddle from the year old exeter book manuscript in exeter cathedral in devonshire. The ninetyodd riddles in anglo saxon which have come down to us in a single manuscript are naturally a miscellaneous collection of varying merit. 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 anglo saxon england. 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. Obscene riddles of the exeter book a little over ninety anglosaxon riddles come down in a single manuscript. 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. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the. They are written in the style of anglo saxon poetry and range in topics from the religious to the mundane.
The original exeter book resides in you guessed it exeter castle in the united kingdom. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book, 1963 online research. The exeter book christ a, b, c guthlac a, b azarias the phoenix juliana the wanderer the gifts of men precepts the seafarer vainglory widsith the fortunes of men. To the anglo saxons stories, riddles, songsthe wisdom of a. Several of these poems and riddles can only be found in the exeter book. The old english riddles of the exeter book chapel hill. 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 a single scribe no doubt a monk in about 970. Students are free to model their riddles after the anglosaxon riddles that are preserved in the exeter book. The poem is preserved only in the exeter book, one of the few surviving poetic compilations from the anglo saxon period. Advent lyrics christ i the ascension christ ii the final judgment christ iii daniel. The riddles are one of the most wellknown works in the exeter book, and they focus on an eclectic mix of themes. They comprise a rich source of information for the study of anglo saxon 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. The anglosaxon riddles contained in the exeter book were probably written in the early eighth century.
Perhaps the most enigmatic cultural artifacts that survive from the anglosaxon period are the old english riddle poems that were preserved in the tenth century. Kalamazoo, michigan, hosts the nations big medieval convention every year. Among the collections of riddles we have are those made by aldhelm d. 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.
The ninetyodd riddles in anglosaxon which have come down to us in a single manuscript are naturally a miscellaneous collection of varying merit. Shielded behind glass it will be a little hard to place ones pint of guinness on its covers once more. Exeter book riddles 1, 2, 3, 25, 44, 45, 47, 72 summary. 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. Some of them are double entendres, such as riddle 25 below. With thoughts on the anglo saxon riddle as a threshold genre, and how can the morethanhuman speak in our rather human poems. Just under a hundred anglosaxon riddles have come down to us. Here are two of these anglo saxon riddles, both in old english and translated into modern english. The best anglosaxon riddles interesting literature. The book contains over 90 riddles as well as many other poetic works.
The elements of anglosaxon wisdom poetry in the exeter book riddles. 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. Use the buttons on the right to navigate to each set of riddles. A few of them are poetical in the best sense of anglo saxon poetic style, as good as anything outside the heroic style of the beowulf. From wikisource anglo saxon riddles of the exeter book.
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 riddles in context the british library. The solution to riddle 61 hasnt proved as problematic as some of the other exeter book poems. Obscene riddles of the exeter book everything english. Below, ive included some of the best anglosaxon riddles from the exeter book, followed by the most commonly proposed solutions. Anglosaxon poetry, the seafarer and the wanderer, the wifes lament.
At the end of the exeter book, there are almost a hundred riddles or enigmata. Many of the riddles are ambiguous in nature calling for the reader to solve them. 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 book was donated to the library of exeter cathedral by leofric, the first bishop of exeter, in 1072. Riddles were popular in the middle ages it was a tool to teach language, and a way to entertain friends. The verse riddles of the tenthcentury exeter book, around ninety in number.
For a full site on this dubious literary genre, a medieval organization called the kalamazoo riddle group has the exeter books anglosaxon riddles. The riddle or, as they are sometimes called by academics, enigmatica is a developed form in anglo saxon poetry, the most important collection of riddles being the exeter book. Here are two of these anglosaxon riddles, both in old english and. 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. 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. Anglosaxon riddles heres a fun party game for the meadhall that gives you a sense of anglosaxon hilarity. The husbands message project gutenberg selfpublishing. Reading the exeter book riddles as lifewriting the. The exeter book came into existence some time in the 10th century, with some estimates placing the origin of the book as early as 970. There is much to be gained from interpreting the tenthcentury exeter book riddles as a characteristically biographical group of texts. It seems likely they were composed in the 700s when riddles were popular in english monasteries. The translations are mine, so that the clunky literalism is preserved. Exeter book project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Anglosaxon poetry, the seafarer and the wanderer, the.
The riddles are of particular interest to students of old english poetry and anglosaxon culture, to archeologists, anthropologists, and folklorists. Robinson remark, scholars have suggested answersbut none satisfies all the conditions set forth in the poem. The wanderer also deals with the coldness of winter at sea. 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 divine connection was likely how the anglo saxons dealt with the devastation they faced at natures hands.
Exeter book riddle 74 and the play of the text anglo. The complete corpus of anglosaxon poetry genesis a, b exodus daniel christ and satan andreas the fates of the apostles soul and body i homiletic fragment i dream of the rood elene. The exeter book, an anglo saxon poetry anthology dating back more than 1,000 years, which has inspired writers from wh auden to jrr tolkien, has. Not only do we have a good time, students learn and get to hear what constitutes an appropriate riddle. 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.
Riddle numbers are taken from muirs exeter anthology 1994, though i follow williamson in considering the first three as parts of a single. The husbands message introduction the husbands message is a 54line poem contained in a mid 10thcentury manuscript called the exeter book, a collection of anonymous poems written in old english a. There is no list of upsidedown answers at the end of the exeter book where these riddles are found. All things from the chart of anglo saxon poetry learn with flashcards, games, and more for free.
Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book, 1963 online. 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. Unesco lists exeter book among worlds principal cultural. Before the frenchspeaking normans invaded england in 1066, the people living there spoke an entirely germanic language. The exeter book is comprised solely of poetry excepting the contents of eight leaves added to the codex after it was written and, unlike the other anglo saxon manuscript containing poetry aloneoxford, bodleian library, ms junius 11, the junius manuscriptwhich is dedicated to biblically inspired items, the exeter book is noted for. There are ninetyfive riddle poems in the exeter book. 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. The elements of anglosaxon wisdom poetry in the exeter. The riddles in the exeter book were probably authored by multiple people and are difficult to date.
All the extant anglo saxon lyrics, or elegies, as they are usually calledthe wanderer, the seafarer, the wifes lament, the husbands message, and the ruinare found here. Besides the texts and some notes from williamsons edition of the riddles the old english riddles of the exeter book, chapel hill, 1977 his introduction is also now available. The ninetysix anglosaxon riddles in the eleventhcentury exeter book are poems of great charm, zest, and subtlety. Analyze several riddles in terms of kennings, caesura, and alliteration in preparation for the students. Read the fulltext online edition of anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book 1963. This is one of a number of riddles found in the exeter book, one of the jewels in the crown of anglo saxon literature.
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