Exeter book project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Exeter book riddles 1, 2, 3, 25, 44, 45, 47, 72 summary. Jul 01, 2008 the ninetysix anglosaxon riddles in the eleventhcentury exeter book are poems of great charm, zest, and subtlety. The book was donated to the library of exeter cathedral by leofric, the first bishop.
Copied in the south of england towards the end of the tenth century, they appear to be a compilation of poetic riddles by. Edited with introduction, notes, and glossary, by frederick tupper by tupper, frederick, 18711950. It may work as a book of contemporary poetry where the poems have a double purpose i. The riddle was a major, prestigious literary genre in anglosaxon england, and riddles were written both in latin and old english verse. Anglosaxon riddles are part of anglosaxon literature. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the free. Exeter book riddles 1, 2, 3, 25, 44, 45, 47, 72 summary and. 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. The verse riddles of the tenthcentury exeter book, around ninety in number, have on occasion been recognized as tending toward a form of biography. The new exeter book of riddles, compiled and edited by kevin crossleyholland and lawrence sail, is a lively and intriguing riposte to the famous collection of anglosaxon riddles in the original exeter book. While the poetry of the exeter book is mainly anonymous, some of the authors composing latin riddles are named. The best anglosaxon riddles interesting literature. Its poems and elegies such as the wanderer and the seafarer are among its best known compositions, and have inspired writers from ezra pound to j. 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.
It certainly cannot fairly be described as a riposte to the original exeter book of riddles. Exeter book riddle 8, exeter cathedral library ms3051, f. 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 is available to view in person at the cathedral in devon, but facsimile and dvd copies have also been made. The ninetyodd riddles in anglosaxon which have come down to us in a single manuscript are naturally a miscellaneous collection of varying merit. 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. A selection of riddles from the exeter book riddles.
Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative. Riddles tend to be metaphorical indeed, the trick is to discern what the metaphor signifies and, in that. In some very few instances, my idea of the solution differs from the generally accepted range. 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. Exeter book riddle 69 according to the numbering of the anglosaxon poetic records is one of the old english riddles found in the later tenthcentury exeter book. May 12, 2016 pause the video each time the screen fades to black to try to guess the answers to the riddles. Use the buttons on the right to navigate to each set of riddles. Emphasis on this aspect exceeds even its treatment in the previous riddle. Riddle 23 is one of the rare riddles of the exeter book that gives its answer. 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. Several of these poems and riddles can only be found in the exeter book. Widsith, the heroic narrative of a fictitious bard. As ive remarked before, its a sobering thought that all of the anglosaxon poetry that has survived is found in just four manuscripts which escaped the ravages of time, the pillaging of the vikings, and the censorship of the church.
Exeter book riddles anglosaxon narrative poetry project. Shielded behind glass it will be a little hard to place ones pint of guinness on its covers once more. A hundred contemporary poets, among them alan brownjohn, gillian clarke. If were to do so with riddle 43, one half of the answer should correspond to the masculine noun hlaford i. 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. There may have been an attempt to assemble 100 riddles in the exeter book like in some latin collections. In this weeks dispatches from the secret library, dr oliver tearle ponders some of the best of the anglosaxon riddles from the exeter book. Mar 07, 2014 a selection of riddles from the exeter book riddles. Below, ive included some of the best anglosaxon riddles from the exeter book, followed by the most commonly proposed solutions. Here is a list of solutions for the exeter book riddles as numbered in the translation. The exeter book riddles in context the british library.
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. The anglosaxon riddles contained in the exeter book were probably written in the early eighth century. Riddle 7 the exeter book sometime in 1997 i went to hear kevin crossleyholland give a reading at exeter central library. If multiple possibilities are possible, ill give the best or most likely. The original exeter book resides in you guessed it exeter castle in the united kingdom. It is one of the four major anglosaxon literature codices, along with the vercelli book, nowell codex and the c. Translating exeter book riddles medieval studies research. Translating a medieval riddle can be especially tricky because these poetic projects double as verbal puzzles, and therefore coded language is crucial to their.
Encoded references in exeter book birdriddles medieval. The exeter book medieval studies oxford bibliographies. 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. 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. They are written in the style of anglosaxon poetry and range in. The exeter book contains one of largest collection of old english literature and anglosaxon poetry written in the middle ages consisting of mainly poems, elegies and riddles.
The book was donated to the library of exeter cathedral by leofric, the first. Then typical features of the riddles shall be discussed. There is much to be gained from interpreting the tenthcentury exeter book riddles as a characteristically biographical group of texts. 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. It seems likely they were composed in the 700s when riddles were popular in english monasteries. Like riddle 7, the speaker of exeter book riddle 8 is clearly also some kind of songbird. 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.
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 the exeter book also contains ninetyfive riddles. Exeter book contains elegies, laments, animal poems, gnomic verses, and religious works, including the wanderer, the seafarer, the ruin, deor, the wifes lament, the husbands message, and over ninety riddles. Unesco lists exeter book among worlds principal cultural.
In addition, the exeter book preserves 95 riddles, a genre that would otherwise have been represented by a solitary example. Most of the editors have been shy about their double meanings. Feb 26, 2012 the obscene riddles 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. Reading runes in the exeter book riddles medieval studies. 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 eighthcentury scholar. For a full site on this dubious literary genre, a medieval organization called the kalamazoo riddle group has the exeter book s anglosaxon riddles. It includes contributions from a hundred contemporary poets, among them alan brownjohn, gillian clarke, vicki feaver, michael longley, roger mcgough and kit wright. 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 riddle sculpture by michael fairfax, which stands in exeter s high street, incorporates some of the book s riddles. Poems found in the book of exeter include the wanderer and the wifes lament greenblatt and abrams. Tupper, for example, puts the matter delicately, saying of 74 below, that the solution is not the chief concern of the jest. The riddles in the exeter book were probably authored by multiple people and are difficult to date.
Audens poem the wanderer is inspired by the poem the wanderer found in 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. Riddle numbers are taken from muirs exeter anthology 1994, though i follow williamson in considering the first three as parts of a single. Copied in the south of england towards the end of the tenth century, they. Its interpretation has occasioned a range of scholarly investigations, but clearly has something to do with ice and is likely indeed to have the solution ice. Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative poetry. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. While the answers to latin riddles were given by their titles the latin riddles being rhetorical word games rather than true enigmas, few of the old english riddles provide solutions. Though some of the best have been translated in scattered places, and there is a prose lineforline translation in the e. The ninetysix anglosaxon riddles in the eleventhcentury exeter book are poems of great charm, zest, and subtlety. An intriguing riposte to the famous collection of anglosaxon riddles in the original exeter book. Kalamazoo, michigan, hosts the nations big medieval convention every year.
Scholars believe that a number were composed in the the exeter book riddles. Performed by jefferson reardon produced by timmie vitz. 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. Full text of the riddles of the exeter book internet archive. Interpreting natural history allegorically has clear precedents, both within and without the exeter book, and the idea of continuing the interpretive process past an initial answer can be seen both to underlie the enigmata of the anglolatin tradition and to play an important role in current understanding of the runic riddles of the exeter book. Niles has recently encouraged us to answer the exeter book riddles in their own old english, though sometimes latin tongue whenever possible.
Jan 09, 20 working with the anglosaxon riddles proved to be quite a challenge compared to some other old english text i have encounter throughout my course of study. Reading the exeter book riddles as lifewriting the. Solutions storm numbered as aspr, but taken as one poem 4 bell. In many cases, answers are just provisional, and still the subject of some discussion. Apr 12, 2017 the verse riddles of the tenthcentury exeter book, around ninety in number, have on occasion been recognized as tending toward a form of biography. The date of authorship of many of the riddles is unclear. A hundred contemporary poets, among them alan brownjohn, gillian clarke, vicki feaver, michael longley, roger mcgough and kit wright. The lack of riddles in the beowulf, junius, or vercelli manuscripts makes the interpretation of the riddles in. Among those who have sought to undo the gates of the treasurehouses of the exeter book riddles e. Peter thomas cathedral librarian gives a short introduction to ms 3501, more commonly known as the exeter book. 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.
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. While certainly not every exeter book riddle contains runes, and indeed most do not, there is a higher frequency of runes in riddles than elsewhere in the extant corpus of old english poetry, suggesting that perhaps runes offered something useful to the playful, puzzling, at times comical, old english riddle. Among the other texts in the exeter book, there are over ninety riddles. Unlike the exeter book riddles, the anglosaxon enigmata are presented in manuscripts with their. Oct 08, 2012 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.
Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the. The exeter book, compiled by 10thcentury clerics, contains a number of surprisingly euphemistic riddles. First their history and transmission will the thematised by having a closer look at the exeter cathedral, its library and the exeter book. Obscene riddles of the exeter book everything english.