.CD
THE ALBION SERIES
and
J. W. BRIGHT AND G. L. KITTREDGE
GENERAL EDITORS
Ube Hlbion Series
This series will comprise the most
important Anglo-Saxon and Middle
English poems in editions designed to
meet the wants of both the scholar
and the student. Each volume will
ordinarily contain a single poem,
critically edited, and provided with
an introduction, notes, and a full
glossary.
THE RIDDLES OF
THE EXETER BOOK
EDITED
WITH INTRODUCTION, NOTES, AND GLOSSARY
BY
FREDERICK TUPPER, JR.
PROFESSOR OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
IN THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
GINN AND COMPANY
BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO LONDON
IQIO
COPYRIGHT, 1910, BY
FREDERICK TUPPER, JR.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
JUL 25 J957
gbt fltbtnaum grt
G1NN AND COMPANY PRO-
PRIETORS BOSTON U.S.A.
TO THE MEMORY OF
JULIAN HUGUENIN
WHO LOVED OLD ENGLISH LIFE AND LITERATURE
WITH A BOY'S ENTHUSIASM
AND WITH A SCHOLAR'S KNOWLEDGE
PREFACE
The preparation of this first separate edition of The Riddles of the
Exeter Hook, certainly the most difficult text in the field of Anglo-Saxon,
has been to me a work of very real delight. Both in matter and manner
these poems present so many engaging problems which, when read
aright, reveal at once the loftiest and lowest in older England's thought,
and open up a hundred vistas of early word and action that I count as
great gain the years spent in their study. May it be my good fortune to
impart to others a generous share of this pleasure and profit !
A few words of my purposes in this edition are in place here. I have
striven to set forth the principles that govern the comparative study of
riddles, and to trace the relation of these Anglo-Saxon enigmas to the
Latin art-riddles of nearly the same period and to the folk-products of
many lands and times. In the chapter upon the authorship of these
poems and their place in the history of the Cynewulf question, I have
tried to weigh all the evidence with a higher regard for reason and the
probabilities than for the mere weight of authority, which in the case of
these riddles has often been fatal to free investigation and opinion. In
the presentation of solutions in the Introduction and in the later discus-
sion of these in the Notes, I have also sought to ' prove all things and
hold fast that which is good.' As aids to definite conclusions, the testi-
mony of analogues and the light thrown by Old English life and customs
have been of far higher worth than the random guesses of modern critics.
But to Dietrich's illuminating treatment of each of the Exeter Book Rid-
dles and to the essays of more recent scholars I gladly admit a large
debt. I have closely analyzed the form and structure of the poems with
the hope of bringing them nearer to the reader's understanding. But,
above all, I have aimed, through elaborate annotation, so to illustrate the
' veined humanity ' of these remarkable productions, so to show forth
their closeness to every phase of the life of their day, that this book
might be a guide to much of the folk-lore and culture of Englishmen
before the Conquest.
This text of the Riddles is based upon a collation of the original manu-
script at Exeter with the faithful reproduction in the British Museum,
viii PREFACE
with the texts of Thorpe, Grein, and Assmann (Grein-Wiilker), and with
various versions of single riddles. According to the usage of this series,
all departures from the manuscript which originate with the editor are
printed in italics. I have conservatively avoided daring conjectures, and
have proposed no new readings that were not dictated to me by the
demands of the context and by the precedent of author's use and of
contemporary idiom and meter. At first I wished to distinguish the
many resolved vowels and diphthongs in the verse by diaereses. The
general editors did not assent to this method of marking, believing
very wisely, as I now think that a lavish use of diacritics gives an air
of freakishness to a text and that such resolution might better be in-
dicated in the textual notes.
As in the other Albion editions of Anglo-Saxon poems, the Glossary
is intended to be a complete verbal and grammatical index to the Rid-
dles, with the exception of a few of the commoner forms of the pronoun,
the article, and the conjunction. The Index of Solutions, at the very
close of the volume, records all the answers proposed at any time by
commentators.
It is a pleasure to express my gratitude and appreciation to all who
have aided me in the preparation of this book : to Canon W. J. Edmonds,
Chancellor of Exeter Cathedral, who, by his many kindnesses, made de-
lightful my days in the chapter library ; to Dr. Otto J. Schlutter, whose
intimate first-hand knowledge of the text of the Leiden Riddle was gen-
erously placed at my disposal ; and to Professor George Philip Krapp,
Who freely gave to several chapters of my introduction keen and helpful
criticism. I am particularly indebted to the general editors of the series,
Professors Bright and Kittredge, who have carefully read the proof and
have offered more advice than I could acknowledge in detail. Finally,
my thanks are due to Mr. S. T. Byington of Ginn and Company, for
many valuable suggestions.
FREDERICK TUPPER, JR.
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
September, 1909
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION : PAGE
I. THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RIDDLES xi
II. ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES
SYMPHOSIUS xxviii
ALDHELM xxxi
TATWINE xxxiii
EUSEBIUS . . . xxxiv
LATIN ENIGMAS AND THE EXETER BOOK xxxvii
BONIFACE xliv
BERN RIDDLES xlvi
LORSCH RIDDLES xlvii
PSEUDO-BEDE xlviii
FOLK-RlDDLES H
III. THE AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES
THE RIDDLES AND CYNEWULF liii
UNITY OF AUTHORSHIP Ixiii
IV. SOLUTIONS OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixxix
V. THE FORM AND STRUCTURE OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixxxiv
VI. THE MANUSCRIPTS xcvi
BIBLIOGRAPHY ci
ABBREVIATIONS . . . . cix
TEXT i
NOTES 69
GLOSSARY 241
INDEX OF SOLUTIONS '291
INTRODUCTION
THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RIDDLES
What is a riddle ? Many scholars have sought to answer this ques-
tion, and to define accurately the functions of enigmatic composition.*
* Only during the past few years has the popular riddle received its meed of
critical attention from scholars (M.L.N. XVIII, i). Until this very recent time,
investigators were generally content with presenting without historical comment
and sometimes even, as in Simrock's well-known Riitselbuch, without regard to
the home of their contributions the results of more or less accurate observation.
(For a resume of work in the German field, see Hayn, ' Die deutsche Ratsel-
Litteratur. Versuch einer bibliographischen Uebersicht bis zur Neuzeit,' Central-
blatt fiir Bibliothekswescn VII, 1890, pp. 516-556). There were, it is true, a few
noteworthy exceptions to the prevailing rule of neglect of comparative study
a neglect well illustrated by Friedreich, Geschichte des Rdtsels, Dresden, 1860,
which is, at its best, but a collection of widely scattered material, and makes no
pretensions to scientific classification. As early as 1855, Mullenhoff made an inter-
esting comparison of German, English, and Norse riddles ( Wolfs und Mannhardts
Zeitschrift fiir deutsche Mythologie III, if.); Kohler, about the same period,
traced carefully the originals and analogues of some forty riddles in a Weimar
MS. of the middle of the fifteenth century ( Weimar Jahrbuch V, 1856, 329-356) ;
Rolland noted many parallels to the French riddles of his collection (Devinettcs ou
Enigmes populaires de la France. Avec une preface de M. Gaston Paris. Paris,
1877); and finally Ohlert, in a monograph of admirable thoroughness (Rtitsel und
Gesellschaftsspiele der alien Griechen. Berlin, 1886), followed the riddles of the
Greek world through the centuries of their early and later history. An epoch in
the history of our subject was created, however, in 1897 by two monumental
works : Richard Wossidlo's collection of over a thousand carefully localized North
German riddles (Afecklenbztrgische Volksuberlieferungen, Part I, Wisrnar, 1897), in
which the work of the accurate tabulator was supplemented by the labor of the
painstaking philologist ; and Giuseppe Pitre's edition of Indovinelli, Dubbi, Sciogli-
lingua del Popolo Siciliano (Bibl. delle Trad. Pop. Sic. XX), Torino- Palermo, 1897,
in which the literary sources and popular origins of riddles are closely considered.
Petsch has turned the material of Wossidlo, Rolland, and others to good account
in his study of the forms and the style of the popular riddle (A r eue Beitrdge zur
Kenntnis des Volksrdtsels. Palaestra IV, Berlin, 1899). Heusler in his illuminating
1
x jj INTRODUCTION
Friedreich tells us * that the riddle is ' a roundabout description of an un-
named object, so worded as to arouse the reflection of reader or hearer
to the discovery of this.' Pitre's definition in his elaborate Introduction f
is at once more scholarly and more inclusive : 'JThe riddle is an arrange-
ment of words by which is understood^orsugges'ted something that is not
expressed ; or else it is an ingenious and witty description of this unex-
pressed thing by means of qualities and general traits that can be attributed
quite as well to other things having no likeness or analogy to the subject.
This description is always vague, so vague indeed that he whose task it
is to solve the riddle runs in his mind to one or the other signification
in vain attempt to reach the solution. Often the interpretation is hidden
under the veil of a very remote allegory or under graceful and happy
images.' J The mental attitudes of riddler and beriddled are charmingly
pictured by Goethe in an oft-cited passage of Alexis ynd Dora :
So legt der Dichter ein Rathsel,
Kiinstlich mit Worten verschrankt, oft der Versammlung ins Ohr.
Jeden freuet die seltne, der zierlichen Bilder Verkniipfung,
Aber noch fehlet das Wort, das die Bedeutung verwahrt.
1st es endlich entdeckt, dann heitert sich jedes Gemiith auf,
Und erblickt im Gedicht doppelt erfreulichen Sinn.
Aristotle was the first to point out the close relation between riddles
and metaphors : ' While metaphor is a very frequent instrument of f~
article upon the Heifrreks Gdtur of the Hervarar Saga (Zeitschrift des Vereins
fur Volkskunde XI, 1901, H7f.) has applied the comparative method to these
thirty-five Old Norse riddles. And I have tried to adduce and apply certain rules
for riddle-study in five articles : ' The Comparative Study of Riddles,' M. L. N.
XVIII, 1903, 1-8 ; ' Originals and Analogues of the Exeter Book Riddles? ib. 97-
106; 'The Holme Riddles (MS. Harl. 1960),' P.M.L.A. XVIII, 1903, 211-272;
Riddles of the Bede Tradition,' Mod. Phil. II, 1905, 561-572 ; ' Solutions of the
Exeter Book Riddles? M. L. N. XXI, 1906, 97-105. As all these essays of mine
were merely preparatory to the present edition, I have drawn freely upon them
in this Introduction. * P. 2. t P. xviii.
} Not very different is the definition of Wolf, Poetischer Hansschatz des deutschen
Volkes, 6. Aufl., Leipzig, 1844, p. 1138 : ' Das Rathsel ist ein Spiel des Verstandes,
der sich bemiiht einen Gegenstand so darzustellen dass er alle Merkmale und
Eigenschaften desselben schildert, so vviedersprechend dieselben an und fur sich
betrachtet auch sein mogen, ohne jedoch den Gegenstand selbst zu nennen.'
Groos defines the riddle in almost the same words, Die Spiele der Menschen
(1899), p. 194.
Rhetoric iii, n (Welldon's translation, London, 1886, p. 264).
THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RIDDLES xiii
clever sayings, another or an additional instrument is deception, as people
are more clearly conscious of having learnt something from their sense
of surprise at the way in which the sentence ends and their soul seems
to say, " Quite true and I had missed the point." This, too, is the result
of pleasure afforded by clever riddles; they are instructiye_andjmeta-
.phorical in their expression.' It is Aristotle's opinion that not only are
metaphors the germs of riddles, but that enigmatic elements appear in
all metaphors, since these are derived from ' objects which are closely
related to the thing itself but which are not immediately obvious.'
Gaston Paris defines the riddle as ' a metaphor or a group of meta-
phors, the employment of which has not passed into common use,
and the explanation of which is not self-evident.' * Indeed, many rid-
dles go back to a time when external objects impressed the human
mind very differently from their present effect and consequently sug-
gested metaphors which at first seem to us almost incomprehensible,
but which charm us when we have the clue to their meaning. ' The
making of riddles,' says Tylor,| ' requires a fair power of ideal compari-
son, and knowledge must have made considerable advance before the
process could become so familiar as to fall from earnest into sport.'
Lindley notes t that ' Riddles play upon analogies among things per- f
ceived. Essentially the primitive mode of invention is as follows : Some 1
one discovers a new analogy among natural objects, formulates a ques- /
1 tion, concerning this, and thus a new riddle is born. ... And, having
its deepest roots in the perception of the analogies of nature, the riddle
,is brother to the metaphor, which has been so important in the develop-
Iment of languages and myths.' Gummere points out in his Beginnings
of Poetry \ that ' metaphors of the substantive may well have been
the origin of the riddle, since ejujy kennings _of ten read like riddles :
in Finnish, the sunshine is called " the contents of Wainamoinen's
* Introduction to Rolland, Devinettes, p. viii.
t Primitive Culture, edition of 1903, I, 90-91.
\ American Journal of Psychology, VIII (1896-1897), 484.
Lindley remarks with acuteness : ' While the most primitive forms have chief
\ reference to natural objects, the evolution of the riddle reflects the shifting of
man's chief interest from external nature to man himself. Some of the most
famous riddles among the Greeks have this human focus.' So with our Anglo-
Saxon riddles.
|| New York, 1901, pp. 451-452. Cf. Scherer, Gtsch. der deutsth. Lit. pp. 7, 15,
and R. M. Meyer, Altgermanische Poesie, p. 160 (cited by Gummere); and note
illustrations in Groos, Die Spiele der Menschen, p. 195.
xiv INTRODUCTION
milk-bowl." ' Hardly a riddle is without its elements of metaphor.* A few
examples will serve as well as a hundred. In one of the most famous
of the riddles of Symphosius (No. n)t Flood and Fish appear as noisy
house and quiet guest. In the popular Old German riddle, ' Es flog ein
Vogel federlos, u. s. w.,'t the featherless bird is the Snow, and the mouth-
less woman the Wind. And in the riddles of the Exeter Book the Pen is
called ' the joy of birds,' the Wind ' heaven's tooth ' (Rid. Sy 8 ), and
the stones of the Ballista the treasure of its womb (i8 10 ). Rid. 92 is
but a series of kennings. Sometimes the use of riddle-kennings is very
close to that of the Runic Poem.\
In its origins the riddle is closely connected not only with the meta-
phor but with mythological personification. From one to the other is but
a step. ' So thoroughly does riddle-making belong to the mythologic stage
of thought,' says Tylor,1T ' that any poet's simile, if not too far-fetched,
needs only inversion to be made at once into an enigma.' As the meta-
phor plays an immense role in the formation of mythologies, so the riddle
is early associated with imaginative conceptions of nature and the divine
spirit. Uhland is right in saying** that myths and riddles approach most \
closely to one another in the conception of the elemental forces of the
greater and more powerful natural phenomena : ' Wenn nun das Rathsel
dieselben oder ahnliche Gegenstande personlich gestaltet und in Handlung
setzt, so erscheint es selbst nach ausgesprochenem Rathwort auf gleicher
Stufe der Bildlichkeit mit der Mythen besagter Art.' The riddle, like the
I myth, arises out of the desire to invest everyday things and thoughts
.with the garb of the unusual and marvelous. So in the riddle-questions
* The words of Wackernagel, Haupts Zs. Ill, 25, have been often cited : Ver-
sinnlichung des geistigen, vergeistigung des sinnlichen, personificierung des un-
personlichen, verschonende erhebung dessen was alltaglich vor uns liegt, alles das
gehort zum wesen des rathsels, wie es zum wesen und' zu den mitteln der poesie
gehbrt ; und so mochte kaum ein volk sein das poesie besasse und keine freude
an rathseln.'
t For the history of this world-riddle, see my article M. L. N. XVIII, 3, 5 ;
and notes to Rid. 85.
\ This appears in Latin form as early as the tenth century (Reichenau MS. 205,
Miillenhoff and Scherer, Denkmaler*, 1892, p. 20). For its various versions see
Wossidlo, No. 99.
Rid. 27 7 , fugles wyn ; cf. 52*, Q3 27 .
|| See notes to Rid. 56*, 73.
\ Primitive Culture, edition of 1903, I, 93.
Schriften zur Geschichte der Dichtung und Sage, Stuttgart, 1866, III, 185.
THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RIDDLES xv
of the Vedas * the things treated are not named with their usual uni-
versally understood names but are indicated through symbolic expres-
sions or simply through mystic relations. The subjects are drawn largely
from the world of nature heaven and earth, sun and moon, the king-
dom of air, the clouds, the rain, the course of the sun, years, seasons,
months, days and nights. For instance, Night and Aurora appear in a
hymnus (I, 123) as two sisters, who wander over the same path, guided
by the gods ; they never meet and are never still. In one of the Time
riddles (I, 164), the year is pictured as a chariot bearing seven men (the
Indian seasons [?]) and drawn by seven horses; in another (I, n), as a
twelve-spoked wheel, upon which stand 720 sons of one birth (the days
and nights). This is certainly the earliest version of the Year problem,
which in one form or other appears in every land,t and is one of the
most striking of the motives in the Exeter Book collection (Rid. 23).
Uhland early pointed out \ the wealth of the Old Norse problems of
nature in mythological reference and suggestion. The waves (HetSreks
Gdtur, No. 23) are white-locked maidens working evil, and in the solu-
tion are called ' Gymir's daughters ' and ' Ran Eldir's brides ' ; in another
riddle the mist, the dark one, climbs out of Gymir's bed, while in the
final problem (No. 35) the one-eyed Odin rides upon his horse, Sleipnir.
As I have twice shown, || upon the idea of hostility between Sun and
Moon the poet of Rid. 30 and 95 builds an exquisite myth, worthy
of the Vedas, indeed not unlike the Sanskrit poems on the powers of
nature, and bearing a strong likeness to the famous Ossianic address
to the Sun. Of the riddle of the Month (Rid. 23) I have spoken. Many
traits of the early attitude to nature are found in the Storm riddles (Rid.
2-4); there is a touch of mythological personification in the world-old
motif of Ice (Rid. 34) ; IT and, if my interpretation be correct, the riddle
of the Sirens (Rid. 74) is based upon a knowledge of ancient fable.**
Thus the Anglo-Saxon riddles, like the Russian enigmas printed by
* Haug, ' Vedische Ratselfragen und Ratselspriiche,' Sitzungsberichte der kiinigl.
Akad. der Wiss. su Munchett, Phil.-Hist. Classe, 1875, II, 459.
t Cf. Ohlert, pp. 122-126; Wunsche, Kochs Zs., N. F., IX (1896), 425-456;
Wossidlo, pp. 277-278; and my article M.L.N. XVIII, 102.
t Schriften III, 185.
Cf. Andreas Heusler's discussion of the riddles of the Hervarar Saga (Heifr-
reks Gdtur), Zs. d. V. f. Vk. XI, 1901, ii7f. ; and the cosmic riddles of the
frnismdl and Alvlssmdl. || M.L.N. XVIII, 104; XXI, 102, 104.
M. L. N. XVIII, 4. ** Ib. XVIII, 100 ; XXI, 103-104.
xvi INTRODUCTION
Ralston,* are sometimes condensed myths, and 'mythical formulas.'
It is certainly not without significance that the word 'enigma' is de-
rived from the Greek a'vos, which is early associated with the idea of
' fable.' t Of the R&tsdmdrchen I shall speak later.
Early in the discussion of riddle-poetry a distinction must be drawn be-
tween the Kunstratsd and the Volksrdtsel, between literary and popular
problems. This distinction is not always easy to recognize, on account
of the close connection between the two types. As I have sought to
show elsewhere,! the literary riddle may consist largely or entirely of
popular elements, may be (and often is) an elaborated version of an
original current in the mouth of the folk ; conversely, the popular riddle
is often found in germ or in full development in some product of the
study, and our task is to trace its transmission from scholar to peasant.
Through a more complicated sequence, a genuine folk-riddle may be
adapted in an artistic version, which, in a later day or in another land,
becomes again common property ; or, by a natural corollary, a literary
riddle, having passed into the stock of country-side tradition, may fail of
its popular life and survive only in some pedantic reworking that knows
nothing of the early art-form. Even after the thorough examination of
the style and the careful investigation of the history of each riddle so
urgently recommended by Petsch || and hitherto so much neglected, we
cannot be sure that this apparently popular product is not an adaptation
of some classical original, or that this enigma smelling so strongly of the
lamp is not a reshaping of some puzzle of peasants. In his excellent
discussion of the popular riddle, Petsch claims for the folk all the material
that it takes to itself, remodels in its own fashion, and stamps with its
own style and meter. After contrasting Schiller's well-known enigma of
the Ship with popular treatments of the same theme, and marking in folk-
products the choice of a single subject and of a few striking traits, he
notes that the typical Volksratsel is confined to a scanty framework, a
hurried statement of the germ-element, nai've description, a sudden check
in our progress to the goal of the solution, and finally a word of summary.
In literary enigmas to which class by far the greater number of the
Exeter Book Riddles belong IF all these divisions may and do appear,
* Songs of the Russian People, London, 1872, chap. VI (cited by Pitre, p. xxxviii).
t Ohlert, p. 4. t M. L. N. XVIII, 2.
Cf. Pitre's admirable Introduction, p. cxcvi.
|| Neue Beitrdge zur Kenntnis des Volksratsels, p. 45.
T M. L. N. XVIII, 97.
THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RIDDLES xvii
but each of them is patiently elaborated with a conscious delight in work-
manship and rhythm, with a regard for detail that overlooks no aspect
of the theme however trivial in a word, with a poetic subordination of
the end in view to the finish of the several parts.
I may illustrate the derivation of literary enigmas from popular puzzles
by examples cited in the first of my articles.* Symphosius, in one sense
the father of the riddles of our era, uses in many enigmas for example,
those of Smoke, Vine, Ball, Saw, and Sleep (17, 53, 59, 60,96) the que-
ries of the Palatine Anthology current in the mouths of men for centu-
ries before his day.f The enigmatograph Lorichius Hadamarius, whose'
Latin riddles are among the best in the early seventeenth-century collec-
tion of Reusner, $ borrows all his material from the widely-known Strass-
burg Book of Riddles. \ Indeed, though scholars have hitherto overlooked
this obvious connection, his enigmas are merely classical versions of the
German originals. The famous folk-riddles of the Oak (Sir. 12), Dew
(Str. 51), Bellows (Sir. 202), Egg (Str. 139), Hazelnut (Str. 172), Lot's
Wife (Str. 273), Cain (Str. 284), and dozens of others are twisted into
hexameters. Nor was this old pedant alone in his methods of borrowing.
His contemporary, Joachim Camerarius of Papenberg, presents, by the
side of the German form, the widely extended Sun and Snow riddle in
Latin and Greek dress, || and Hadrian JuniuslI fossilizes in like fashion the
genuinely popular riddle of the Cherry. Therander, whose Aenigmato-
graphia of 420 numbers purports to be a Germanizing of ' the most
famous and excellent Latin writers ancient and modern,' ** is usually in-
debted either indirectly or, despite his assertion of sources, directly
to current versions in the vernacular. His themes of Script (227), Pen
* M. L. N. XVIII, 2-3. t Ohlert, pp. 138 f.
t Nicholas Reusner, Aenigmatographia sive Sylloge Atnigmatnm et Griphorum
Convivalium. Two volumes in one. Frankfort, 1602.
\Strassbnrger Rdtselbuch. Die erste zu Strassburg. urns Jahr 1505 gedruckte
deutsche Ratselsammlung, neu hersg. von A. F. Butsch, Strassburg, 1876. As
Hoffmann von Fallersleben has shown, Weimar Jhrb. II (1855), 2 3 r f-> *his little
book of 336 numbers is the chief source of later popular collections of German
riddles. || Reusner I, 254, 258. 1 Reusner I, 243.
** Huldrich Therander, Aenigmatographia Rytkmica, Magdeburg, 1605. Theran-
der, or Johann Sommer, for such was his true name, tells us in his preface that
he ' had read the Sphinx Philosophica of Joh. Heidfeld, the Aenigmatographia of
Nic. Reusner, and the Libri Tres Aenigmatum of Joh. Pincier, and in order not to
sit idle at home when others were working in the fields, had turned these into
German rimes.'
INTRODUCTION
(236), Weathercock (304, 306), Haw (307), Poppy (320), Oak (325),
Stork (354), Ten Birds (356), Two-legs (401), Egg (405), and Year (41 1)
to cite a few out of many were favorite possessions of the folk-
riddle at the beginning of the seventeenth century ; and we can hardly
doubt that Sommer had heard these puzzles on the lips of peasants or
met them in the riddle-books then popular.* But whether the connection
between his little poem-problems and the more naive versions of the folk
be mediate or immediate, his book brings everywhere strong proof of
the close interdependence of art-riddles and those of the people.
The distinction between the riddle of the study and the riddle of the
cottage represents only one of many overlapping divisions that present
themselves in any extensive consideration of the various kinds of riddles.
In his introduction to Holland's collection,! Gaston Paris marks the dif-
ference between ' e'nigmes de mots ' and ' enigmes de choses ' ; Wos-
sidlo divides the riddles of his famous collection into the three groups of
riddles proper, i.e. complete problems or riddles of things (Sachenratsd),
jest-riddles or riddle-questions (Ratselfragcn), and finally, riddle-stories or
riddle-fables (Ratselmarchen) and Petsch distinguishes $ between unreal
(' unwirkliche ') and real (' wirkliche ') riddles. In the former class he
rightly includes all those questions which are addressed rather to knowl-
edge and learning than to reason and understanding, IVeisheitsproben,
Halslosungsrdfsel, and Scherzfragen. The manifold divisions of Fried-
reich into riddle-questions, word-riddles, syllable-riddles, letter-riddles,
number-riddles, etc., are based upon no scientific principle, and, for the
present, may be disregarded.
Tests of knowledge, in enigmatic phrasings, have played a very im-
portant part in the evolution of the riddle. The Queen of Sheba came to
the court of Solomon to prove the wisdom of the great king by queries.
Legend attributes to her several that take their place among world-
riddles^ Of these questions of Queen Bilqis, preserved in the Midrash
Mishle and the Second Targum to the Book of Esther, the best-known
is the enigma of Lot's Daughters, which is found in our collection (Rid.
47). Another riddle-strife attributed to Solomon is that with Hiram of
* It is, however, going too far to declare with Miillenhoff, Wolfs Zs.f. d. M. Ill,
130, that Therander's riddles are simply expansions of those in the Reterbuchlein,
Frankfort, 1562. See Hoffmann, Monatschrift -von u. fiir Schlesien I (1829), 160;
Mones Anzeiger II, 310. t P. viii. J P. 5.
Hertz, Haupts Zs. XXVII, 1-33 ; Wunsche, Rdtselweisheit bei den Hebrdern,
p. 15; Ohlert, pp. 5-6; Friedreich, p. 98; Folk-Lore I, p. 354.
THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RIDDLES xix
Tyre, described by Flavius Josephus.* These are the first of a long
series of such word-contests which assume two main forms of great
importance in riddle-literature : the Ratsehvettkampf, or matching of
wits for some heavy stake, and the ' Colloquy ' or ' Dialogue.' These
two classes of questions are not always distinct ; but the former be-
longs rather to the region of story or fable, the second to the field of
didactic or wisdom literature. In an excellent discussion of the first
class, Professor Child f subdivides the Wettkampf into the struggle for
a huge wager, usually life itself, and the contest for the hand of a loved
lady or knight. Many examples of each may be mentioned. The game
of riddle-forfeits is as old as the enigma of the Sphinx \ or as the story
of Samson (Judges xiv, 12), and appears in Germanic literatures in
the Hervarar Saga \ and in the VafferuSnismdl^ ; in the ballad of ' King
John and the Abbot ' ** and its continental analogues ft ; in the famous
Wartburgkrieg, \\ in which Klingsor and Wolfram contend ; and in the
' Tragemundslied,' in which a host tests a wandering stranger, to
whom seventy-two lands are known. Not the least important of such
riddle-contests are the modern Halslosungriitsel, those gruesome prob-
lems by means of which a condemned criminal is supposed to save
himself from the extreme penalty. || ||
* Antiquities viii, 5 ; Contra Apionem I, 17, 18. See Wiinsche, p. 24 ; Ohlert, p. 6.
t English and Scottish Popular Ballads I, i (' Riddles Wisely Expounded ').
t Gyraldus (Reusner I, 10), Friedreich, p. 84 ; Ohlert, pp. 31-35 ; Laistner, Das
Ratsel der Sphinx, Grundzuge einer Alythengeschichte, Berlin, 1889.
Friedreich, pp. 151-155 ; Wiinsche, pp. 11-13; P-M.L.A. XVIII (1903), 262.
|| Bugge, Norr0ne Skrifter, pp. 203 f. ; Vigfusson and Powell, Corpus Poet.
Boreale I, 86 f. These riddles of King HerSrek are genuine problems rather than
tests of wisdom and knowledge of cosmogony like the VafJ>rud"nismdl and the
Alvissmdl (Petsch, p. 1 5).
IT Eddalieder, Jonsson, Halle (1888), I, 26-31 ; Friedreich, pp. 112-123.
** Child I, 403.
ft Strieker's 'Tale of Amis and the Bishop,' Lambel's second edition, Erzdh-
lungen etc., 1883, p. n ; and ' Ein Spil von einem Kaiser und eim Apt' (Fast-
nachtspiele aus dem 15. Jahrhundert I, 199, No. 22). Cf. Child, I.e.
Jt Plotz, Der Sdngerkrieg auf der Wartburg, Weimar, 1851. The Introduction
contains a bibliography of riddle-collections and Streitgedichte.
Altdeutsche Wtilder, 18 1 5, II, 27 ; Mullenhoff & Scherer, Denkmaler* I, No. 48 ;
Friedreich, pp. 135-138. Uhland, Schriften III, 189, points out that this is a genuine
folk-product in its wealth of ' Eigenschaftworter besonders der Farbe.'
|| || See the collections of Wossidlo, pp. 191-222, and Frischbier, Am Urquell IV,
gf.; and the careful discussion by Petsch, pp. 15-22. The most famous of such
xx INTRODUCTION
The econd form of Wettkampf, the contest in which the stake is the
hand of the beloved, finds equally abundant illustration. We meet it in
the Persian story of Prince Calaf,* the ultimate source of Schiller's
Turandot; in the AlvissmdlJ where the dwarf Alvis wins by his wis-
dom the god Thor's daughter; in the English ballads of 'Captain
Wedderburn's Courtship ' and ' Proud Lady Margaret ' ; $ in the story
of Apollonius of Tyre, which is later incorporated into the Gesta
Romanorum || ; and in those most charming of word-struggles, the
Weidspruche and Kranzlieder of older German folk-song. IF
The contest, as it takes form in Colloquy or Dialogue, is closely con-
nected with wisdom-literature. Tylor asserts ** that ' riddles start near
I proverbs in the history of civilization, and they travel on long together,
though at last towards different ends ' ; and Wunscheft points out that
many of the number-proverbs of Solomon (xxx, 18-33, e ^ c -) are nothing
more than riddles. 89 the Dialogue, which holds so important a place in
the literature of the Middle Ages, is at once enigmatic in its phrasing and
didactic in its purpose. Born of Greek philosophy, it was early adopted
by the Christian church as a means of instruction, \\ and leads a dull
but healthy life in various groups of queries. Among the chief of these
are the Salomon and Saturn, the Flares of the Pseudo-Bede, || || the
Halsldsungrdtsel is certainly the ' Ilo riddle,' known in England, Germany, and
many countries of Southern Europe (Pitre, pp. Ixxx-lxxxvii).
* Haft Paikar of Nizami, cited by Friedreich, p. 52.
t Eddalieder, J6nsson, 1888, I, 64 f. \ Child I, 414, 423.
Weismann, Alexander vom Pfaffen Lamprecht, 1850, I, 473; Hagen, Roman
von Konig Apoll. -von Tyrus, 1878, pp. II f.
|| Chapter 153 (Oesterley, p. 383). If Uhland III, 200.
** Primitive Culture, 1903, I, 90. ft Ratsel-weisheit etc., pp. 24-30.
it For an interesting summary of the material upon this subject, see Fb'rster,
O. E. Miscellany (Dedicated to Furnivall, 1901), pp. 86 f.
For the English versions of this colloquy, both in verse and prose, see
Kemble, Salomon and Saturn, 1848. Derived forms are the Adrianus and Ritheus
(Kemble, pp. 198 f.) and the Middle English 'Questions between the Maister of
Oxenford and his Clerke ' (Engl. Stud. VIII, 284 f.). The history of the widely-
spread Salomon and Marcolf saga, so fruitful in the production of dialogues, has
been traced by Vogt, Die deutschen Dichtungen von Salomon und Markolf, Halle,
1880, vol. i, and by Vincenti, Drei altengli sche Dialoge von Salomon und Saturn,
Naumburg, 1901 ; but a consideration of this lies without my present purpose.
Such productions often cross the border of the riddle (compare the enigmatic
queries of Book ' and ' Age,' and the use of the riddle-form, in the O.E. poetical
Salomon and Saturn, 229-236, 281 f.).
Illl This I have discussed, Mod. Phil. II, 561-565. See infra.
THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RIDDLES xxi
Altercatio Hadriani et Epicteti* the Disputatio Pippini cum Albino* and
the Schlettstadt Dialogue. ,f These questions can hardly be regarded as
riddles at all ; for, as I have already noted, they are rather tests of knowl-
edge than of the understanding, and at all points display their clerkly
origin. | They consist of ' odd ends from Holy Writ,' eked out by monk-
ish additions to scriptural lore, scraps of proverbial philosophy, bits of
pseudo-science, fragments of fable and allegory, gleanings from the folk-
lore of the time. Two derived forms of the Dialogue have each an exten-
sive range. The prose Colloquy is represented by the Lucidary, which,
in its typical form, the Elucidarium of Honorius, was known among
every people of Europe ; the poetic Dialogue, on the other hand, be-
comes the Streitgedicht or Conflict-poem, which, beginning with Alcuin's
Conflictus Veris et Hiemis,\ and chronicling the contests of Water and
Wine and of Sheep and Wool, reaches its highest development at the
skilled hands of Walter Map. IT Ultimately the Colloquy loses its serious
purpose and is degraded into series of questions of coarse jest ** which
range from the mocking humor of the Pfaffe Amis (cited supra) to the
unsavory queries of the Demaundes Joyous.^
Closely associated with the Wettkampf, or struggle for a wager, is the
Riitselmarchen, or riddle-story : indeed, the Apollonius enigma of incest
and the ghastly Ilo-riddle of the dead love may be accepted as typical
specimens of both groups. In each case the stake can only be won by
knowledge of hidden relations that demand a narrative for their unfold-
ing. Such connection between the enigma and the fable is found not
only in the embodiment of early myths in old cosmic riddles, already
considered under another head, but in almost every legend that finds its
motif in the seemingly impossible. Uhland is therefore right in regard-
ing \ \ the story of Birnam Wood in Macbeth as an excellent example of
the Ratselmarchen ; and the so-called ' First Riddle ' of the Exeter Book,
* Wilmanns, Hatipts Zs. XIV, 530.
t Wolfflin-Troll, Alonatsberichte der konigl. preuss. Akademie der Wissenschaftett
zu Berlin, 1872, p. 116.
\ Cf. the tiny Pharaoh query-poem of the Exeter Book, Gn.-W. Bibl. Ill, 82.
Compare Schorbach, Studien iiber das deuische Volksbtich Lucidarius, Quellen
und ForscJningen, 1894, vol. LXXIV.
|| Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Poetae Latini I, 270.
1f Jantzen, Geschichte des deutschen Streitgedichtes im Mittelalter ( Weinholds
Germanistische Abhandlungen), Breslau, 1896, pp. 5 f .
** Compare Petsch's discussion of Scherzfragen, pp. 22 f.
ft Compare Kemble, Salomon and Saturn, p. 285. \\ Schriften III, 221.
xxii INTRODUCTION
in its enigmatic suggestions of some story quite unknown to us, but
latent in the memory of early Englishmen, may possibly be assigned to
this genus. Of such riddle-stories Friedreich, Petsch, and Pitre offer
many specimens ; but these authorities hardly refer to that species of the
class which had the greatest vogue in the Middle Ages, the Liigenmarchen*
Of this special riddle-product, which has been traced by Uhlandf to the
tenth century, an apt illustration may be found in the analogue to the
Anglo-Saxon enigma of the Month (Rid. 23) which appears among
the Liigenmdrchen of Vienna MS. 2705, f. 145. \
I have already noted Gas ton Paris 's distinction between ' enigmes de
mots ' and ' enigmes de choses.' By word-riddles ( Wortratsel} are under-
stood that large class of problems which are concerned with the form of
the word and its components, letters, syllables, etc., rather than with the
object which it portrays. The commonest form of word-riddle is un-
doubtedly the logogriph, which consists of arranging the letters or shift-
ing the syllables of a word, so as to form other words. This species of
puzzle, closely akin to our anagram, was well known to the Greeks, and
had a wide vogue in the Middle Ages. The earliest collection on English
ground are the word-puzzles in the eleventh century Cambridge MS. Gg.
V. 35, 418 b 419 a, which I have printed and discussed elsewhere. || The
persistence of logogriphs in many English and continental manuscripts H"
* Says Wackemagel, Haupts Zs. Ill, 25 : ' Das Ratsel streift dem Inhalte wie
der Form nach an das Liigenmarchen, das Sprichwort, die Priamel, die gnomische
Poesie iiberhaupt, ja es giebt Ratsel, die man ebensowohl Marchen nennen kann ;
in Marchen, Sagen, altertiimlichen Rechtsgebrauchen unseres Volkes wiederholen
sich Fragen und Bestimmungen von absichtlich ratselhafter Schwierigkeit.'
tie.
} Wackemagel, Haupts Zs. II, 562 ; my article in M. L. N. XVIII, 102.
Compare Friedreich, p. 20; Ohlert, pp. 174, i8of.
|| Mod. Phil. II, 5651-. See infra.
If I class with their continental analogues a few examples from material gathered
among the MSS. of the British Museum (see J/. Z. .V. XVIII, 7, note). Castanea :
Arundel 248 (i4th cent.), f. 67 b ; Cott. Cleop. B. IX (i4th cent.), f. 10 b, No. 6 ;
Sloane 955 (ca. 1612), f. 3 a, No. 2 ; also in MSS. of Brussels, Laon, Ghent, and
Heidelberg (Mone, Anz. VII, 42 f., Nos. 42, 56, 138, 119). Paries: Arundel
248, f.67b; Arundel 292 (i3th cent.), f. n 3 b (Wright, Altd. Blatter II, 148);
Brussels MS. 34 (Mone, p. 43); Reims MS. 743 (Mone, p. 45) ; Reusner II, 116.
Formica: Arundel 248, f. 67 b ; Arundel 292, f. ii3b; Innsbruck MS. 120,
I4th cent. (Anz. f. d. A. XV, 1889, 143); Reusner II, 106. Dopes: Arundel
248,f.67b; Cott. Cleop. B. IX, f. lob, No. 5; MSS. of Brussels and Ghent (Mone,
pp. 42, 49). Lux: Arundel 248, f. 67 b; Arundel 292, f. H3b; Cott. Cleop. B.
THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RIDDLES xxiii
shows the long-continued vogue of these playthings of pedantic scholar-
ship. None of the Exeter Book riddles are logogriphs in the strict sense ;
but such problems as Nos. 20, 24, 25, 37, 43, 65, 75, show the early
enigmatograph's fondness for juggling with letters, and Aldhelm, whose
liking for the acrostic is seen in the introduction to his enigmas, turns
to good account the ' Paries ' logogriph in his word-play upon ' Aries.'
The attempts to interpret Rid. i and 90 as ' Cynewulf ' logogriphs (which
have so seriously affected the proper understanding of the whole collec-
tion) will be later considered.
At the very outset of our study of origins, of our comparison of the
riddles of different authors or of various folks, we are met by a dangerous
pitfall to the unwary, the association of problems through their solutions
rather than through their treatment of motives.* Riddles totally unlike
in form, and yet dealing with the same theme, exist in different MSS. of
nearly the same period, or even side by side in the same collection. The
subjects in the interesting group of sixty-three Latin enigmas in the Bern
MS. 611 of the ninth century (also Vienna MS. 67) are often those of
Symphosius and Aldhelm, but only in a few cases can we detect similarity
of treatment. Within the collection itself ,f as in the Symphosius group, one
subject receives a second handling of quite another sort: 23, 57, ' Fire,'
and 34, 52, 'Rose.' Had Prehn realized this very obvious truth, that
similarity of solutions is often coexistent with entire independence of
treatment, he would not have erred so often in tracing the riddles of the
Exeter Book to Latin sources with which they have naught in common ;
but oLthis much more later.
After thus marking that the same subjects are developed by different
motives, we must note, too, that the converse is equally common, and
that the same motives are often accorded to different subjects. For this
there are at least four reasons that seem to deserve attention : (a) We
are struck by the manifold use of motives appealing to men through the
antithetical statement of an apparent impossibility. Wossidlo | shows
IX, f. iob, No. 4; Sloane 513, f. 57 b, No. I ; German Book-cover of i6th cen-
tury (Mone, Anz. VIII, 317, No. 87); developed at end of I3th century into a
German Knnstratsel by Heinrich von Neuenstadt, Apollonius of Tyre, Rid. 6
(Schrb'ter, Mitth. der deutschen Gesellschafl zur JErforschting vaterl. Sprache und
Alterthiimer V, Heft 2 (Leipzig, 1872).
* The discussion that follows is drawn from my article M. L. A r . XVIII, 4f.
t Later in the Introduction this MS. and its analogues will be carefully
considered. J No. 78, p. 282.
INTRODUCTION
that the contrast of dead and living appears in many riddles : Oak and
Ship, Ashes and Fire, Tallow and Flame, Brush and Lice, Bed and
Man. Again, the motive of 'the child begetting its parent' is found
not only in the riddle of Ice * but in the Greek enigma of Day and
Night t and in the art-riddle of Smoke and Fire, t () The riddle is re-
tained in memory, but the answer is forgotten and is eventually supplied
with an inevitable loss of force. Symphosius's fine Bookmoth riddle
(No. 1 6) appears in The Royal Riddle Book (p. 14) with the tame solu-
tion ' Mouse in a Study '; and in Holme Riddles, Nos. 61, 62, and 51, the
weak answers ' Egg in a Duck's Belly,' ' Penny in a Man's Purse,' and
' Custards in an Oven ' are given to the excellent folk-riddles of ' Maid
on Bridge with Pail of Water on her Head,' ' Blast of a Horn,' || and
' Boats on Water. 'IT The cleverness of a riddle in cunningly suggesting a
false solution sometimes overreaches itself, and the true answer is in
course of time crowded out by. the usurper. Certain recently proposed
answers to our Exeter Book Riddles are surely emendations of Baruch.
Biblical riddles furnish strong proof of this lapse of solutions. The rid-
dle of Lot's Daughters, perhaps the most widely known of ' relationship
problems,' is found at many periods and among many peoples with the
proper answer.** Only in Germany (Wossidlo 983) appears a general so-
lution that reveals an ignorance or forgetfulness of the scriptural story.
Petsch (p. 1 4) is doubtless right in his statement that ' after the school-time
of the German peasant he troubles himself little about the Old Testament,
not hearing each Sunday his First Lesson like men of his class in Eng-
land ' ; but this critic's conclusions regarding the riddle before us must be
modified in view of its extensive range only the answer, not the ques-
tion, is wanting. To this disregard of the Bible is due the Tyrolese solu-
tion of the old problem of a dozen countries,!! ' A water lock and a wooden
key ; the hunter is captured and the game escapes.' In Renk's collection
from the Tyrol Jt this riddle of 'the Red Sea, Moses's Rod, and the
* See notes to Rid. 34. t Ohlert, p. 31.
\ Symphosius, No. 7 ; Sloane MS. 848 (early ijth cent.), f. 32 ; Holme Riddles,
No. 14; Therander, Aenigmatographia, No. 31 (Zs.f. d. M. Ill, 130).
.Votes and Queries, 3d Ser. VIII, 492.
II Bk. Merry Riddles, No. 68 (Brandl,//4r. der deutsch. Sh.-Gesellsch., XLII, 1906,
P- '9>- 1 Notes and Queries, 3d Ser. VIII, 503.
** I shall present in detail the history of this interesting riddle in my notes to
K ' J - 47- tt Traced by Ohlert, p. 155 ; and Wossidlo, p. 304, No. 413.
\\Zs.d. r.f. l'k. V, 154. No. i2i.
THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RIDDLES xxv
Destruction of Pharaoh's Hosts ' is found only in its first part, with the
answer ' Sea and Boat.' (V) A motive long connected with a certain solu-
tion may in a later time, or among another folk, become attached to other
subjects and do double or triple duty. The well-known English Cherry
riddle has much in common with three German puzzles those of the
Cherry, Arbutus, and Haw (' Hagebutte ').* Side by side with this may
be placed the Onion-Pepper motive of early Latin and English riddles, t
These totally distinct motives have been strangely confounded by Traut-
mann in his ' Rosenbutz ' solution of the Exeter Book ' Onion ' riddle
(No. 26). \ (d) By far the most numerous of all riddles of lapsing or
varying solutions are those distinctively popular and unrefined problems
whose sole excuse for being (or lack of excuse) lies in double meaning
and coarse suggestion. And the reason for this uncertainty of answer is
at once apparent. The formally stated solution is so overshadowed by the
obscene subject implicitly presented in each limited motive of the riddle,
that little attention is paid to the aptness of this. It is after all only a
pretense, not the chief concern of the jest. Almost any other answer
will serve equally well as a grave and decent anti-climax to the smut
and horse-laughter of the riddle ; so every country, indeed every section,
supplies different tags to the same repulsive queries. Wossidlo's material
garnered directly from the folk furnishes a dozen examples : Dough and
Spinning-wheel (No. 7 1 a, p. 43) ; Kettle and Pike, Yarn and Weaver,
Frying-pan and Hare (No. 434 a-e, p. 131) ; Soot-pole, Butcher, Bosom,
and Fish on the Hook (No. 434 i*, p. 309) ; Trunk-key and Beer-keg
(No. 434 n*, p. 309) ; Stocking and Mower in Grass (No. 434 s*, p. 310) ;
Butter-cask and Bread-scoop (No. 434 u*, p. 3 1 o). These instances abun-
dantly prove the absurdity of dogmatizing over the answers to the Anglo-
Saxon riddles of this class.
I pass now to the likeness of motives in riddles of different times or
localities. Three hypotheses in explanation of this similarity have been
advanced by Gaston Paris in his suggestive Introduction to Rolland :
* Holme Rid. 29 ; Halliwell, Nursery Rhymes, p. 75, No. cxxx ; Chambers, Pop.
Rhymes of Scotland, 1870, p. 109; Gregor, Folk-Lore of N. E. of Scotland, 1881,
p. 80; Lincoln Riddles, No. 6 (Notes and Queries, 3d Ser., VIII, 503) all with
Cherry motive. German : Lorichius, Reusner I, 281 (Arbutus) ; Frischbier, Zs. f.
d. Ph. IX, 67, No. it, and Wossidlo, No. 181 (Cherry) ; Wossidlo, No. 209, notes,
p. 295, many references (Haw).
t Symphosius, No. 44 (Onion); Rid. 26, 66 (Onion); Bern MS. 611, No. 37
(Pepper). See also Royal Riddle Book, p. 1 1. \ B. B. XIX, 185. P. ix.
INTRODUCTION
(A) common origin; (J3) transmission; (C} identity of processes of the
human mind.
(A) COMMON ORIGIN, (a) Foremost among problems of like ancestry
are ' world-riddles,' those puzzles that may be traced for thousands of
years through the traditions of every people. In this list are the riddle of
the Sphinx,* the queries of the Year,t Louse, t Fire, Sun and SnowJ
Cow,H and Sow with Pigs.** Heusler ft notes that ' the material of world-
riddles, like proverbs and fables and tales, belongs to the class of " Wan-
dermotiven," and underwent exchanges before the time of literary barter.'
(b) Of a narrower range than the riddles of our first class are those of
one race in its various branches. Distinctively Teutonic examples are the
German-English problems of Chestnut and Nettle and Rose. $t (V) Less
extensive still are the riddles of one folk in its many sections and dialects :
for example, the German queries of Ten Birds (Wossidlo 170; known
for centuries in every corner of the Fatherland), Mirror (Wossidlo 63),
and Alphabet (Wossidlo 469) ; or the peculiarly English problems of
Leaves, Rope, and Andrew.
(B) TRANSMISSION. Extensive range, particularly of a modern riddle,
is not in itself a proof of ' common origin,' but often merely an indica-
tion that it has been borrowed by neighboring nations from the land of
its birth. Adjoining races, though but distantly related, possess in com-
mon far more riddles than widely separated people of one stock. In
France and Germany appear so often versions of the- same problem
(Rolland and Wossidlo, passim) that we can only suppose that legions
of puzzles have at one time or other crossed the Rhine and Moselle and
found ready adoption in the new land and speech. And Schleicher's list
of Lithuanian riddles || || includes a score of correspondences to Germanic
queries, which surely cannot all be traceable to the cradle of the two
races. But the best proofs of borrowing are these. Sometimes we are
able to observe the very act of transmission. The Demaundes Joyous
* Friedreich p. 87 ; Ohlert pp. 31-35. t Notes to Rid. 23.
\ M. L. N. XVIII, 3-4. Ohlert, pp. 60, 72.
|| Arnason, Islenzkar Gdtur, 1887, Introd. ; Wossidlo, No. 99, p. 283 ; supra.
1 Rolland, No. 44, p. 22 ; No. 400, p. 152 ; Wossidlo, No. 165, p. 291.
* Heusler, Zs. d. V.f. Vk. XI, 141.
ttlb. 126.
\\ M. L. N. XVIII, 7, note ; notes to Holme Rid. Nos. 31, 32, 144.
M. L. N. \. c. ; notes to Holme Rid. Nos. 57, 105, 1 1 1, 115.
till Litauische Marc/ten, Sprichworte, Rdtsel nnd Lieder, Weimar, 1857, pp. 193 f.
THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RIDDLES xxvii
printed by Wynkyn de Worde (1511)* is, in the main, but a series of
selections from the Demaundes Joyeuses en maniere de quolibetz,\ as
Kemble has shown. % Then, too, the riddles that in the Middle Ages had
the widest vogue, at least in manuscript, if we may judge from the
scanty evidence of extant mediaeval collections, were not Volksratsel
at all, but Latin logogriphs which are ever the product of the study.
There is, of course, no possibility of ' common origin ' with such com-
positions as these : they must perforce be directly lent or borrowed.
Even, however, with riddles of different periods or sections of one coun-
try, genuine folk-products though they may appear, we must often be
prepared to find direct transmission through either literature or tradi-
tion. The few parallels between the thirty-five HetSreks Gdtur in the
Hervarar Saga and the modern Icelandic folk-riddles (Islenzkar Gdtur
1194 numbers) are rightly regarded by Heusler as due to the im-
mediate literary working of the Old Norse queries.
(C) IDENTITY OF MENTAL PROCESSES. The third cause of the simi-
larity of riddles must always be taken into account, after careful study
of origins and comparison of motives have eliminated all possibilities of
a common source and of direct or indirect transmission. When the
counterpart of the 'Flood and Fish' riddle of Symphosius (No. 12)
meets us among Turkish queries, || we are naturally inclined to believe
that this widely known riddle has penetrated even to the Bosphorus ;
but we can hardly explain thus the similarity of the motives in the
Persian 'Ship' problem of Nakkash, d. 938 A.D.,1T 'It makes its
way only upon its belly, cutting, though footless, through the girdle of
the earth ' to those in the 1 5 1 st riddle of the Islenzkar Gdtur or the
surprising likeness of many Sanskrit riddles ** to our modern charades ;
or even the parallels between the Anglo-Saxon problems of musical in-
struments (Rid. 32, 70) and the Lithuanian ' Geige ' riddles.ft Indeed,
* This interesting collection was reprinted in Hartshome's Ancient Metrical
Tales, London, 1829, pp. i-S.
t A copy of the French text a very rare little octavo is in the British
Museum. It bears no date, hut is assigned by the Catalogue to 1520, by Kemble
with greater probability to 1500 or before.
t Salomon and Salnrmts, p. 286. Compare T>randl,///r. der d. Sh.-Gesell. XLII
(1906), 2-3. Zr. d. V.f. Vk. XI, 128.
|| Urquell IV, 22, No. 10. If Friedreich, p. 164.
** Fiihrer, Zs. der detitschen morgenl. Gesellschaft XXXV, 1885, 99-102.
tt Schleicher, p. 200.
xxviii INTRODUCTION
the case seems to be this. While, as we have seen, similarity of subject
does not necessarily imply similarity of motives, there are of course
certain themes that, from their limited nature, prescribe a particular
treatment. However unaided may be the act of composition, essential
traits of these subjects must be named, described, disguised, or sum-
marized. Surely all likeness entailed by the very nature of the topic
cannot be regarded as irreconcilable with a perfectly independent crea-
tion. Riddles, remote and unrelated though they be, must, after all, say
somewhat the same things of the commonplaces of life. At times indeed
and now I must point to my present heading this correspondence
is carried far beyond the necessities of the subject through many combi-
nations and permutations of motives, for riddle-literature, like every other,
has its striking coincidences ; but these instances are comparatively rare,
since diversity of development, unlikeness in likeness, is here as else-
where the badge of independence. The rarity of cases of complete re-
semblance between two riddles with no historical kinship gives them a
peculiar value for us ; and the evidence of such Doppelgdnger for a solu-
tion is surely of far more weight than the random guesses of a modern
interpreter.
In discussing the originals and analogues of the Exeter Book Riddles
I shall seek to apply the principles adduced in the present chapter.
II
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES OF THE
EXETER BOOK RIDDLES
SYMPHOSIUS
August Heumann, in his excellent edition of the Enigmatica of
Symphosius,* set up the thesis that ' Symphosius ' was the lost Sym-
posium of Lactantiusf mentioned by Jerome. \ Other editors, notably
Migne and FritzcheJ follow Heumann in including these 100 riddles
* Hanover, 1722.
t Goetz, Rheinisches Museum XLI, 318, shows on the evidence of a gloss in the
tenth-century Codex Cassinus 90, ' simposium vel simphosium (MS. simphonium)
aenigma quod Firmianus (MS. et) Lactantius composuit (MS. composuerunt),'
that the enigmas were at an early time attributed to Lactantius.
\ De Viris Illustribus, cap. 80. P. L. VII, 2*5. || II, 298.
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES xxix
in editions of Lactantius. Heumann's contention was opposed by Werns-
dorff * on two grounds : (a) The prologue of seventeen hexameters in-
troducing the enigmas mentions our poet by name, ' Haec quoque
Symposius | de carmine lusit inepto.' (<) Symphosius is named by
several early writers, among them Aldhelm {Epistola ad Acircium) :
' Symp(h)osius poeta metricae artis peritia praeditus occultas aenigmatum
prppositiones exili materia sumtas ludibundus apicibus legitur cecinisse
et singulas quasque propositiones formulas tribus versibus terminasse.'
The conclusion of Pithoeus, \ cited with approval by Wernsdorff , that our
author was ' Caelius Firmianus Symphosius,' the maker of other poems of
the Latin Anthology, has, however, been abandoned by recent scholars.
Yet all modern editors unite in accepting for these enigmas an author
called ' Symphosius.' Such is the view of Paul || and Schenkl,1F and of
the editor of the oldest manuscript of the riddles (the Codex Salmasianus),
Riese in the Latin Anthology.**
Regarding the date of Symphosius, there has been much dispute.
Wernsdorff ft would assign him to the fourth century; Paultt and
SchenklH to the fourth or fifth ; L. Miiller to the second or third, on
account of his metrical skill; and Hagen|||| follows Riese (1868) in as-
cribing him to the same period as the collector of the poems of the Latin
Anthology, the end of the fifth and the beginning of the sixth centuries.
The text of the riddles is contained in numerous manuscripts, which
range from the eighth to the eleventh century and are divided between
two recensions.lTII Since the edition of Perionius*** there have been
various editions and commentaries upon these enigmas discussed by
Friedreich, ftt Riese, and Teuffel. The best of these is that of Riese. **
The enigmas of Symphosius consist each of three hexameter lines of
good Latinity, and are one hundred in number. Their metrical preface
connects them with the festival of the Saturnalia (' Annua Saturni dum
* Poetae Latini Minores, Helmstadt, 1799, VI, 424.
t Riese, Anth. Lat. I, 221, ' Symphosius.'
\ Poematia Vetera, Paris, 1 590.
Cf. Teuffel, Hist, of Roman Literature, 1892, 449, I.
|| Dissertatio de Symposii Aenigmatis (Part I), Berlin, 1854, p. 14.
^Sitzungsber. der phil.-hist. Kl. der Wiener A kad. XLIII (1863), P- I2 -
** Anthologia Latina, 1894, I, 221-246. tt P. 414. \\ P. 36.
De Re Metrica, p. 55 (cited by Schenkl).
Illl Ahtike u. Mittelalterliche Rathselpoesie, Bern, 1877, p. 23.
f. Riese, 1. c. and Teuffel, 1. c. *** Paris, 1533. ttt Pp. 187-188.
xxx INTRODUCTION
tempora festa redirent ') ; and, while this association is more than doubt-
ful, they are thoroughly pagan in character. Ebert * divides them, accord-
ing to subject, into six categories : (i) living things, especially beasts, less
frequently man in strange aspects ; (2) plants as flowers or food ; (3)
clothing and ornaments ; (4) domestic implements ; (5) structures the
ship, the bridge, the ladder ; (6) meteorological phenomena mist, rain,
snow. ' The subjects,' he remarks, ' are drawn from the external world,
and include for the most part objects which are closely associated with
man in his daily life.'
The enigmas of Symphosius have dominated all riddles, both artistic and
popular, since his day. To be sure, some of the problems to which he
gave a wide vogue had been current in the mouths of men for centuries
before his time.t Others became immediately and widely popular. But I
at no place and time were they in greater favor than in England of the
eighth century. Aldhelm not only hails Symphosius as a model in his'
Epistola ad Acircium (supra) and draws freely upon his verses, t but in
his enigmas borrows subjects (Nos. 51, Mola\ 92, Mulier quae gemi-
nos pariebaf) and attaches himself to the older riddler both in matter
and form (infra). In the Flores of the Pseudo-Bede, || five riddles from
Symphosius (Nos. i, 7, 4, n, 10) are quoted in full.lf And in the Dis-
putatio Pippini cum Albino ** Alcuin paraphrases seven riddles from the
earlier writer (Nos. 75, 30, 14, 98, 99, n, 96). The other Anglo-Latin
collections of enigmas exhibit a slight connection with Symphosius (infra)
and, as I shall show later, the Exeter Book Riddles owe him an important
debt. Very close is the relation of the enigmas of Symphosius to the
Apollonius of Tyre story, so popular in the Middle Ages. ft Various ver-
sions of this tale contain a larger, or smaller number of enigmas, until in
* Ber. iiber die Verh. der k. sacks. Gesellsch. der Wiss. zu Leipzig, Phil.-Hist.
Classe, 1877, p. 21.
t Ohlert, pp. 138 ., has pointed out that Symphosius uses in many enigmas, those
of Smoke, Vine, Ball, Saw, Sleep (17, 53, 59, 60, 96), the queries of the Palatine
Anthology (supra), and such world-old riddles as that of the Louse (see my articles
in M. L.N. XVIII, 3) receive his guinea-stamp (No. 30, Pediculus).
t Manitius, Zu Aldhelm und Baeda, 1886, p. 5 1, fully illustrates this indebtedness.
Ebert, Ber. d. s. G., p. 22.
II Migne, P. L. XCIV, 539 f. See infra.
If Manitius, p. 82 ; my article in Mod. Phil. II, 561.
* Wilmanns, Haupts Zs. XIV, ^30.
ttCf. Weismann, Alexander, Frankfort, 1850, I, 473 f. ; Schrbter, Mitth. der
deutschen Gesellsch. zur Erf. der voter 1. Sprache etc., Leipzig, V, 2 (1872), p. xiv.
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES xxxi
the Middle German Vblksbuch * form we encounter translations of no
less than ten problems (Nos. 89, 61, 63, 11,2, 13, 69, 77, 78, 59) into the
vernacular. At least three of the Symphosius riddles (Nos. n, 89, 13)
passed from the Apollonius story into the Gesta Romanorum, chap. 153.
In the sixteenth century the enigmas were translated into Greek by
Joachim Camerarius (ca. 1540), and expanded by many others of
Reusner's pedants. |
ALDHELM
From Aldhelm of Malmesbury (640-709), Bishop of Sherburne, we
possess one hundred riddles in . hexameters. \ Of these William of
Malmesbury tells us : ' Extat et codex ejus non ignobilis " de Enigmati-
bus " poetae Simphosii emulus centum titulis et versibus mille distinctus.'
In this last phrase, as William's next words show, he is simply accepting
the description of the enigmas furnished by the acrostic which the first
and last letters of the thirty-six lines of Aldhelm 's poetical preface com-
pose, ' Aldhelmus cecinit millenis versibus odas,' a description not
strictly correct, as only eight hundred hexameters appear. Unlike the
enigmas of Symphosius, the hundred poems of Aldhelm are of varying
length : nineteen tetrastichs, fifteen pentastichs, thirteen hexastichs, nine-
teen heptastichs, ten octostichs, eleven enneastichs, four decastichs, four
hendecastichs, one dodecastich, one triscaedecastich, one pentecaedeca-
stich, one heccaedecastich, and one polystichon (De Creatura). The in-
debtedness of these to Symphosius is sometimes greatly overstated. ||
Indeed, Aldhelm's chief debt is found not in his enigmas but in the
Epistola ad Acirdum or Liber de Septenario, which serves as a prose
preface to his riddles.lf In this tractate upon prosody, which was sent
to Ealdferth, King of Deira and Bernicia, in the tenth year of his reign,
695, and which was perhaps originally an independent work,** he ac-
knowledges his indebtedness to Aristotle and to the books of the Old
Testament, but chiefly to Symphosius, from whom he draws at least a
dozen illustrations. ft It is interesting to note that this treatise on meter
* Schrbter, p. Ixxv.
t Reusner, A enigma tographia sive Sylloge Aenigmatum etc. Frankfort, 1602.
t J. A. Giles, S. Aldhelmi Opera, 1844, pp. 249-270.
Gesta Pontificum Anglorum V, 196, Rolls Series, 1870, pp. 343-344.
|| Cf. authorities cited by Friedreich, p. 191.
If Giles, S. Aldhelmi Opera, pp. 2i6f.
** Bonhoff, Aldfiflm von Malmesbury, Dresden, 1894, p. 114.
ft These are cited in full by Manitius, Aldhelm und Baeda, p. 51.
xxxii INTRODUCTION
contains one of the best known of world-riddles, that of the Ice, ' Mater
me genuit, eadem mox gignitur ex me,' which does not appear in Sym-
phosius, but is found in the Exeter Book, 34 9 - 11 .*
Between the enigmas of Aldhelm and Symphosius the verbal resem-
blances are not great. t Indeed, the same subjects are often treated by the
two in very different fashion. Like Symphosius, Aldhelm makes the dumb
nature of inanimate things speak, but for this personification he pleads
the precedent of the Bible. \ Ebert has noted the chief differences be-
tween the poets. To the categories of subjects which are treated by
Symphosius and which receive further elaboration from Aldhelm, the
younger writer adds new themes : the heavenly bodies, the elements, and
such abstractions as Nature, Fate, The Creation. As Bonhoff well ex-
presses it, || ' Bei Aldhelm iiberwiegt mehr das dem Germanen so eigene
sinniganschauliche Sichversenken in die Natur, ihre Wunder und Werke,
wahrend Symphosius als ein Romane lieber das verstandnismassige und
espritvolle Spielen und Tandem in Wort und Ausdruck sucht.' Ebert
also points to the presence in these enigmas of the Christian element,
which is totally lacking in the riddles of Symphosius. IF This is seen not
only in the problems of Fate (i, 7) and Creation (xiii), but in those of
the Dove (Hi, 9), Apple-tree (iv, 15), Fig-tree (iv, 16), and Lucifer
(vii, 3), all of which are based upon Jewish-Christian story. Other
Christian traces are marked by Ebert (ii, 14; vi, 4; viii, 3). And yet
there are many references to classical mythology : to the Minotaur (ii, 1 1),
to the threads of the Parcae (iv, 7), to Jove's eagle and Ganymede
(v, 2), to Scylla (x), and frequently in his polystich, the De Creatura.
Against all such heathen fables he inveighs in his enigma on the Sun
and Moon (viii, 3).
All critics have noted the larger scale and freer treatment of Aldhelm 's
enigmas compared with those of his model ; but, while the writer of
Malmesbury has obviously gained in romantic breadth, he has lost not
a little. ^Expanding in the joy of creation, he often forgets his riddle's
For history of this riddle, see M. L. N. XVIII, 4, and notes to Rid. 34.
t These parallels are cited by Paul, Dissertatio de Symposii Aenigmatibus, 1854,
p. 19, and by Manitius, pp. 78!, who greatly overstates likenesses. Two enigmas
are borrowed (i, 10, Sym. 92 ; iv, 12, Sym. 51), and occasionally a striking motive,
like that of 'the biter bitten,' ' mordeo mordentes' (Sym. 44!), which Aldhelm,
iii, 1 5, transfers from the Onion, adapting it to the Nettle, ' torqueo torquentes.'
\ Epistola ad Acircium, Giles, p. 229. Pp. 22-23. II P- 11 5-
T See also Manitius, Christl. Lat. Poesie, p. 489.
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES xxxiii
excuse for being, and lifts the veil of his mystery (Ebert). Or else he
falls into the opposite fault of needlessly complicating and obscuring his
meaning. That his contemporaries found many lines difficult is shown
by the large number of Latin and English glosses which we meet in the
British Museum manuscripts of his enigmas.*
TATWINE
Of Tatwine, the author of the third collection of enigmas with which
we have to do, we know little more than we are told by Bede.f He was '
a Mercian out of the district of the Hwiccas, and succeeded Berhtwald (d.
January 13, 73 1 ) as Archbishop of Canterbury. He was consecrated June
10, 731, but did not receive the pallium until 733. Almost nothing is
known of his rule. He died July 30, 734. As both Ebert and Hahn
point out, he was a philosopher, a theologian, and a grammarian. And,
what is more to our present purpose, he was an enigmatograph, the
author of forty Latin riddles, t That the manuscripts preserve the origi-
nal order of the enigmas is proved by the double acrostic formed from
the first and last letters of the first lines of the poems corresponding
to the introductory distich
Sub deno quater haec diverse enigmata torquens
Stamine metrorum exstructor conserta retexit.
Of the forty riddles, twenty-two consist of five hexameters, nine of four,
seven of six, one of seven, and one of twelve. Both Ebert and Hahn
point to the revelation of Tatwine's personality in these enigmas. That
he is a theologian is shown by his choice of religious or churchly themes
in one third of his riddles : church furniture, the Christian virtues, topics
*MS. Royal 15, A. XVI; MS. Royal 12, C. XXIII. Cf. comments of Wright,
Biog. Brit. Lit. I, 78, and Bonhoff, p. 115. For the glosses themselves see
Wright's edition of the enigmas {Anglo-Latin Satirical Poets, Rolls Series, 1872,
11, 533-573) and Napier, O. E. Glosses, pp. 191 f.
t Eccl. Hist, v, cap. 23, 24. Compare Ebert, p. 25 ; Hahn, Forsch. zur deutschen
Gesch. XXVI (1886), 603 f.
J These are preserved in two MSS. in company with the enigmas of Eusebius
(infra) ; the one at Cambridge, MS. Gg. V, 35 ; the other in the B. M., MS. Royal
12, C. XXIII. The enigmas of both poets were edited from the Cambridge MS.
by Giles (Anecdota Bedae, Lanfranci et Aliorum, Caxton Society, 1851); those
of Tatwine, from* the London MS. by Wright {Anglo-Latin Satirical Poets, Rolls
Series, 1872, II, 525-534), who knew nothing of the other manuscript or of the
earlier edition ; and finally from both texts by Ebert, Ber. tiber die Verh. der k.
sacks. Gesellsch. der Wiss. zu Leipzig, Phil.-Hist. Classe, 1877, pp. 20 ff.
xxx i v INTRODUCTION
of dogma. That he is a philosopher becomes at once apparent in his
first and longest problem, De Philosophia, and is further indicated by
his love of abstractions and of speculation.* That he is a grammarian
is attested not only by the selection of such a topic as ' Prepositions
governing both cases' (No. 16), but by the narrow range of his fancy
and the sobriety of his style, t
Tatwine owes very little to his predecessors. Unlike Ebert, \ and like
Hahn, I can detect no striking resemblances between his enigmas and
those of Symphosius on similar or kindred themes. In the six riddles
(Nos. 6, 7, 1 1, 20, 28, 32) that invite comparison with the earlier enigmas,
the very slight likenesses seem to me to lie rather in the coincidence of
subjects than in actual borrowing. To Aldhelm he may acknowledge
perhaps a small debt, which has been greatly overstated by Manitius in
his list of alleged parallels between the Anglo-Latin riddlers || and even by
Ebert. In the eight riddles cited by Hahn as suggesting a slight resem-
blance to the older collection IF we sometimes have motives common to
all the Anglo-Latin riddles (4, 5, 6) and very possibly the possession
of the folk. But an occasional lifting of Aldhelm's phrases, not only
when he is dealing with like subjects (12, 31, 39), but elsewhere in
the group (T. n 1 , A. iv, 3 1 ; T. 17*, A. i, 14"; T. 24*, A. De Creatura
21, etc.) puts beyond doubt a direct relation. Hahn observes with not
a little plausibility:** 'Bei der grossen Neigung der Gelehrten des 8.
Jahrh. zur wirklichen Ausbeutung ihrer litterarischen Vorbilder ist der
Wegfall solcher Pliinderung eigentlich fur die Unabhangigkeit zweier
Schriftsteller von einander bedeutungsvoll.' Yet when we remember
that Aldhelm himself, ordinarily a mighty lifter, greatly restricted his
borrowings from his model Symphosius, Hahn's argument loses much
of its weight.
EUSEBIUS
Over the identity of Eusebius, the author of the sixty riddles which
accompany those of Tatwine in the Cambridge and British Museum
manuscripts, there has been much discussion. Ebert ft declares that 'we
know nothing of him, because the conjecture of Giles \\ that he is the
* See Manitius, Christl. Lat. Poeste, p. 503.
t See Ebert, Lift, des Mitt, im Abendlande 1, 651. \ Ber. d. s. G., p. 26.
P- 6 1 1. || Aldhelm und Baeda, pp. 79-82. *
If Tatwine 4, Aldhelm iv,i; 7.5, A.v,9; T. 6, A.v.j; T. 12, A.vi, 4; 7.30,
A.iv,io; T. 31, A.vii, 4; T. 33, A.v, 10; T-39, A. ii, 10.
** P. 612. ft Ber. d. s. G., p. 27. f$ Anecdote, Preface, p. x.
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES xxxv
Eusebius to whom Bede dedicated his commentary upon the Apocalypse
is without support.' Ebert admits, however, that nothing in his riddles
militates against the theory that he was a contemporary of Tatwine.
Hahn * follows Giles in identifying the author of our enigmas with
Eusebius, the friend of Bede. He had previously proved beyond all
doubt | that this friend was Hwaetbert, Abbot of Wearmouth in North-
umbria. t Hwaetbert-Eusebius is clearly revealed by Hahn ; but that the
great abbot of the North is the maker of our enigmas, is merely a happy
conjecture incapable of positive proof. The conjecture rests, however,
on such high probabilities of time and place that a brief sketch of
Hwaetbert may be drawn from Hahn's ample material. He was born
about 680 (his early teacher, Sigfrid, died in 688, and Hwaetbert was
young enough to be called ' juvenis ' in 716), and was in his young man-
hood at Rome under Pope Sergius (687-701). He was ordained priest
in 704, and chosen Abbot of Wearmouth on June 4, 716. That he
was a scholar is evidenced by Bede's tribute (supra). He was honored
by the dedication not only of his friend's commentary upon the Apoca-
lypse but of his scientific work of 726, De Ratione Temporum.\ He
was probably the author of the anonymous ' Life ' of his predecessor in
the abbacy, Ceolfrid, whom, in an admirable letter still extant, he com-
mends to the kindly offices of Gregory II. H That he was still living in
the forties of the eighth century is proved by a letter addressed to him
by the missionary bishop Boniface between 744 and 747.**
Other things speak for his authorship of our enigmas, besides favor-
able conditions of time and place. In favor of this view is the internal
evidence of the enigmas themselves; although upon this we must not
lay undue stress, as his enigmas are not nearly so distinctive as those of
Tatwine. The riddler Eusebius seems to have been a theologian and
divine (Nos. 1-5), although, unlike Tatwine, he avoids subjects of the
* Forsch. zur deutschen Geschichte XXVI (1886), 601 f. Cf. Erlemann, Herrigs
Archrv CXI (1903), 58.
t Bonifaz und Z/, Leipzig, 1883, pp. 213-218.
| Bede thus speaks of him in his remarks upon the first book of Samuel the
prophet (Giles, Opera Bedae VIII, 162), ' Huetbertum juvenem cui amor studi-
umque pietatis jam olim Eusebii cognomen indidit.'
The identification is accepted by Ebert, Litt. des Mitt, im Abendlande I, 1889,
p. 652, and Manitius, Christl. Lat. Poesie, p. 502.
|| Giles, Opera VI, 139-140. 1" Hahn, pp. 216-217.
** Jaffe, Bibliotheca III, 180, No. 62; discussed by Hahn, Bonifaz, p. 213.
xxxv i INTRODUCTION
Christian cult:* he shows a keen interest in chronology (Nos. 26, 29)
and grammar (Nos. 9, 19, 39, 42) tastes befitting a friend of Bede ;
and in his later enigmas (Nos. 41-60), which were perhaps written, as
Ebert suggests, for use in the school, he displays an accurate knowledge
of the great textbook of his time, Isidore's Etymologies.^ A striking
characteristic of his enigmas is his love of contrasts (Nos. 8, 15, 18, 21,
24 27, 48).$ Ebert rightly regards his literary workmanship as inferior
to that of Tatwine. The first forty of his enigmas consist each of four
hexameters ; the last twenty, so different from their predecessors in
origin, matter, and form, are of varying lengths.
Now, what is the relation of the enigmas of Eusebius to those of
Tatwine, which they accompany ? Ebert advanced the opinion that
Eusebius sought, by supplementing Tatwine's forty riddles with sixty
others, to make a new riddle-book of one hundred queries like the
groups of Symphosius and Aldhelm (compare also the ninety-five prob-
lems of the Exeter Book). That we may not assume the reverse relation
seems evident for two reasons : Tatwine firmly establishes the number
of his problems by his acrostic ; Eusebius is hard put to it to raise his
own number to sixty and is driven to new sources (supra). From the
internal evidence of the single enigmas we can draw no valuable con-
clusion regarding the relation of the two groups, as, with one exception,
there is no likeness in thought and word between the problems that
handle like themes (E. 7, T. 4 ; E. 8, T. 33 ; .17, T. 9 ; E. 24, T. 23 ;
E. 27, T. 25 ; E. 32, T. 5 ; E. 36, T. 30). In the 'Pen' problems (E. 35,
T. 6), where we have at least one common motive, not only are both
writers in the wake of Aldhelm (v. 3), but both are employing ideas cur-
rent in all riddle poetry of the time. || Though the manner of Eusebius is
not unlike that of Symphosius, there is little trace of direct borrowing from
the earlier and wittier writer. The resemblances (E. 16, S. 81 ; .34,
S. 1 1 ; E. 38, S. 14 ; E. 43, S. 38) are not striking, and may well be en-
tailed by the demands of like subjects. Of the first forty riddles of
Cf. Ebert, Ber. d. s. G., p. 28.
t Bucheler, Rhein. Mus. XXXVI, 340, and Hahn, pp. 619-624, give abundant
proof that Eusebius did not go directly to Pliny and Solinus, as Ebert supposed,
but derived from these authors through Isidore. See also Ebert, Litt. des Mitt.
im Abendl. I, 1889, p. 652, N.
\ See Manitius, Christl. Lot. Poesie, p. 504. Ber. d. s. G., p. 27.
II Cf. Ebert, Haupts Zs. XXIII, 200; the writer, M.L.N. XXI, 102, and notes
to Rid. 52.
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES xxxvii
Eusebius, sixteen invite comparison with Aldhelm through their treat-
ment of similar subjects.* Of these, eight are totally independent (E. 4,
A. xiii, i; .5, A.vi, 2; .7, A. iv, i ; E. 10, A. viii,-3 ; E. u, A. i, 6 ;
.15, A. iii, i; .28, A.v, i; .36, A. iv, 10); fou,r display a slight
connection (E. 6, A. i, i ; E. 8, A. i, 2 ; .32, A.v, 9; .33, A. ii, 14);
two show a still more marked relation (E. 31, A.v, 9 ; E. 35, A.v, 3) ;
and two are very closely bound to their prototypes (.37, De Vitulo,
A. iii, 1 1 ; E. 40, De Pisce, A. iii, i o). On account of the last few exam-
ples, Hahn is inclined, with Ebert, to believe in a direct employment by
Eusebius of Aldhelm's enigmas ; but he sanely distinguishes ' between
collective and individual use, between transmission by book and by tra-
dition.' ' It is very possible that single riddles of Aldhelm and of others
were transmitted, as themes of wit and entertainment, from monastery
to monastery, and from mouth to mouth ; and thus arose the use of
particular riddles and not of the whole collection.' Though only three of
the last twenty enigmas of Eusebius bear any resemblance even of topic
to Aldhelm's (.48, A. xii ; .56, A. iv, 2 ; .57, A. iii, 7), yet these
latter riddles approach far more closely to his manner, and may be the
additions of another hand than that of Eusebius.
LATIN ENIGMAS AND THE EXETER BOOK
The relation between the Exeter Book Riddles and the Latin enigmas
current in the eighth century was first touched upon by Thorpe in his
Preface t : ' Collections of Aenigmata have been left us by Symphosius,
Aldhelm, Beda and others ; but these are, generally speaking, extremely
short, and although they may have occasionally suggested a subject to
our scop whereon to exercise his skill, yet are those in the present collec-
tion too essentially Anglo-Saxon to justify the belief that they are other
than original productions.' In his first article | Dietrich indicates the
indebtedness of the Anglo-Saxon collection to certain models. Once or
twice we have a direct reference to learned sources. Among these
sources are Symphosius and Aldhelm. According to Dietrich, || Rid. 17,
* Hahn, pp. 628-629. t P. 10. \ Haupts Zs. XI, 450 f.
We can, however, lay very little stress upon such phrases as Kid. 43 7 , t>dm
he bee ivitan (a reference to the knowledge of runes), and 4O 13 , gewritu secgafr, as
neither of these riddles (40 or 43) seems to owe aught to the Latin enigmas ; and
the words, Rid. 3Q 5 , Mon mafrelade se J>e me ges&gde introduce a riddle-motive uni-
versally popular at this period (M. L. N. XVIII, 99). || XI, 251 f. ; XII, 241.
xxxviii INTRODUCTION
48, and 6 1 show close verbal borrowings from Symphosius ; while Rid. 36,
39, and 41 are derived sentence for sentence from Aldhelm. In Rid. 6, 14,
29, 37, 51, 54, individual points are borrowed from the Latin enigmas.*
In the 'so-called second series Dietrich notes a freer employment of Sym-
phosius (Rid. 66, 84, 85, 86, 91), and a few traits from Aldhelm (Rid. 64,
71, 84). He draws from his very doubtful premises the conclusion that ' a
closer dependence upon Latin models is a constant trait of the first series,
a freer movement predominates in the second.' From the references to
' writings ' in Rid. 40, from the C and B runes which precede Rid. 9 and
1 8 and which may stand for the Lat. camena and ballista, Dietrich con-
jectures a third Latin source, but ' none has been discovered which casts
any light upon the problems in question.' Dietrich also points out the pop-
ular elements in such riddles as Rid. 23, 14, 52, 34, 43, 10, etc., and
notes parallels among the German f oik-riddles, t M tiller's contribution
to the Cothener Programm (1861) adds nothing to Dietrich's treatment
of sources. But in 1877 Ebert, in his essay upon the riddle-poetry of
the Anglo-Saxons, \ seeks to show that our riddler, whom he identifies
with Cynewulf, probably used Tatwine's enigmas, and certainly those of
Eusebius. The English riddles which he believes to be indebted to the
Latin are Rid. 7 (E. 10) ; 14 (T. 4, E. 7) ; 15, 93 (E. 30) ; 21 (T. 30) ;
27 (T. 5, 6 ; .31, 32) ; 30 (E. 1 1) ; 39 (E. 37) ; but, as I shall show,
there is in none of these cases any conclusive proof of a direct literary
connection.
In a monograph which, by its perversion of method and unwarranted! '
conclusions, has done no little harm to the proper understanding of
Exeter Book problems and their relations, Prehn aims to find for nearly
every Anglo-Saxon riddle a Latin prototype among the enigmas of Sym-
phosius, Aldhelm, Tatwine, and Eusebius. He thus summarizes his re-
sults : || 'An exclusive use of Symphosius is found in twelve riddles, of
Aldhelm in seventeen, of Eusebius in five, while Tatwine is never used
* All of Dietrich's statements regarding sources must be considerably modified
and discounted in the light of my investigations (M.L.JV. XVIII, 98 f.). See
infra, and notes to separate riddles.
t Dietrich's treatment of the connection between the poems of our collection
and popular riddles is confined to a single paragraph (XI, 457-458) and must be
supplemented at every point (see my article in M.L.N. XVIII, 98 f., my discus-
sion infra, and the notes to the several problems). \ Ber. d. s. G., p. 29.
Composition und Quellen der Rdtsel des Exeterbuches. Paderborn, 1883.
II P. 158-
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES xxxix
alone.' But, according to Prehn, our author frequently builds up his rid-
dle by suggestions and plunderings from more than one author : he thus
employs Symphosius and Aldhelm six times, Symphosius and Tatwine
twice, Aldhelm and Tatwine once, Aldhelm and Eusebius four times,
Aldhelm, Tatwine, and Eusebius three times, but never Tatwine and
Eusebius alone together. Sometimes he employs more than one riddle
of the same author : he thus uses Symphosius twice and Aldhelm once.*
Against these results of Prehn's too fruitful source-hunt there have been
more than one protest from scholars. Zupitza.f a year later, took issue
with Prehn's conclusions of wholesale borrowings from learned sources,
and affirmed his belief in the popular origin of many Exeter Book puz-
zles. Holthaus \ also thinks that Prehn has failed to establish the great
dependence of the Anglo-Saxon riddles. He points to the popularity of
such compositions among monks and laymen. The number of universally
known riddles was far larger than those extant ; and these, in form and
expression, were naturally much alike. Only the true poets gave them a
new dress. Regarding the vogue of this riddle-material, he believes, as
does Ten Brink of the epic, that ' the product of poetic activity was not
the possession, the performance, of an individual but of the community.'
Other arguments of Holthaus will be considered later. So Herzfeld ||
declares that ' in the case of the Exeter Book Riddles one cannot speak
of a constantly close adherence to definite models. Previous investiga-
tions IT show* that some few of these are literal translations of the Latin,
others are related to the Latin riddles only in single traits and turns of
thought, while the majority have their roots in popular tradition, from
which the poets of both the Latin and the Old English riddles have
drawn independently.'
Brooke ** quotes the whole of Aldhelm 's riddle De Luscinia side by
side with Rid. 9, ' in order to confound those who say that Cynewulf in
his Riddles is a mere imitator of the Latin. In the Latin there is not a
trace of imagination, of creation. In the English both are clear. In the
*Even in cases where Prehn is unable to demonstrate borrowing, he declares
(p. 269) : ' Indessen beschrankt sich ihre Selbstandigkeit nur auf die Wahl der
Stoffe, wahrend der Inhalt dieselben typischen Ziige aufweist, welche wir bei den
Vorbildern kennen gelernt haben.' t Deutsche Littztg., 1884, p. 872.
J Anglia VII, Anz. 124. Geschichte der Engl. Lift., p. 17. || Pp. 26-27.
f Herzfeld compares J. H. Kirkland, A Study of the Anglo-Saxon Poem, The
Harrorving of Hell, Halle, 1885, pp. 25 f. But in what respect this reference es-
tablishes large results, I fail to see. ** E. E. Lit., p. 149, footnote.
xl INTRODUCTION
one a scholar is at play, in the other a poet is making. Almost every
riddle, the subject of which Cynewulf took from Aldhelm, Symphosius or
Eusebius, is as little really imitated as that. Even the Riddle De Crea-
tura, the most closely followed of them all, is continually altered towards
imaginative work.'
Erlemann* discusses the close relation of the Riddles to the Latin
enigmas of the early eighth century. 'All of these enigmatographs,
Aldhelm, Tatwine, and Eusebius, were contemporaries of Bede ; and, as
Hahn has shown,! Eusebius is identical with Hwaetbert-Eusebius, Abbot
of Wearmouth, to whom Bede submitted his work of 727, De Temporum \
Ratione. The Anglo-Saxon poet [so Erlemann] knew all the Latin collec-
tions of riddles and employed Eusebius in particular. There is no small
probability that the Anglo-Saxon poet, through school instruction, was
familiar with the works of Bede as well as with the riddle-poems of
Eusebius, Tatwine, and Aldhelm. It is indeed possible that he obtained
his scholarly training in one of the monasteries Wearmouth and Jarrow.'
Erlemann believes that this aids us in fixing the date of our collection.
Eusebius employed the riddle-collection of Tatwine, which falls in 732 ;
and therefore composed between that date and the middle of the forties
when he died. His sixty enigmas probably supplement Tatwine's forty, 1
so they are close to them in time. Now, if the Anglo-Saxon problems
are due to the awakened interest in riddles, they may be placed between
732 and 740, in any case before 750, in Northumbria the time and
place to which Sievers and Madert (infra) would assign them. But all
these arguments fall to the ground if we deny direct literary connection
with Tatwine and Eusebius.
Let us now examine the riddles. In the four riddles that owe most to
the collection of Symphosius, Rid. 48, 61, 85, 86, the relation is not
nearly as close as that of Rid. 36, 41, to Aldhelm. It is certainly not
correct to say with Herzfeld \ that to each line of Symphosius 1 6,
Tinea, two lines of Rid. 48 correspond. The six lines of the English
version represent a very unfortunate expansion, in which the answer is
betrayed at the outset, no new ideas except that of the holiness of the
book are added, and the sharp contrasts of the Latin are sacrificed.
The three motives of the ' Arundo ' enigma of Symphosius (No. 2) are
admirably developed in the seventeen lines of Rid. 61, as Dietrich has
Herrigs Archiv CXI (1903), 58.
t Forsch. zu deutsch. Gesch. XXVI, 597. J P. 29.
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES xli
shown in parallel columns.* Here the Latin simply suggests. Rid. 85
follows only in its first lines the ' Flumen et Piscis ' problem (Sym. 12) :
the remainder of the short poem is an independent development in which
new motives are added. Only the second line of the Symphosius enigma
Luscus allium tenens (No. 94) is used in the monster-riddle of seven
lines (Rid. 86) which thus lavishly employs the hint. The four English
riddles, though somewhat dissimilar in method of borrowing, resemble
each other in free handling of sources ; Nos. 85 and 86, in the manner
of development from a suggestion in the original ; Nos. 48 and 85, in
the introduction of Christian elements. But the treatment of sources
differs entirely from that in the small Aldhelm group (Rid. 36, 41), where
the Latin (A. vi, 3, and De Creaturd) is closely followed (Notes).
A dozen riddles employ motives of Symphosius and Aldhelm in such
fashion as to suggest direct borrowing from the Latin enigmas, f In Rid.
10 the riddler gives evidence of his use of Symphosius 100 (not in Riese)
in his description of the desertion of the cuckoo by parents before birth
and its adoption by another mother ; but the added motive of the cuckoo's
ingratitude, as indeed the whole treatment, shows an intimate acquaint-
ance with the folk-lore of the time. The three motives of Symphosius
6 1 appear in the 'Anchor' riddle (Rid. 17), but only the second is so
closely followed as to indicate actual indebtedness. The leitmotif <A Sym-
phosius 73 is not introduced into the ' Bellows ' riddle, Rid. 38, until its
fifth line, and then, after receiving a three-line treatment, is dismissed by
the popular motive that closes the problem : in the second fragmentary
version of the English riddle (Rid. 87) the Symphosius theme is not
reached. The two closing lines of Rid. 66 (compare 26), ' Onion,' seem
to be verbally indebted to the ' Cepa ' enigma of Symphosius (No. 44),
but this ' biter bitten ' motive is a commonplace of riddle-poetry and well
known to contemporary enigmatographs. ,
A motive from Aldhelm v, 3, and yet another from v, 9, seem to be the
sources of several lines of Rid. 27, ' Book ' ; and Aldhelm v, 3, and iv, i,
suggest the striking themes of Rid. 52, ' Pen ' ; but in both English rid-
dles we are dealing with the common property of very many enigmas
of that day. Rid. 13 and 39, ' Young Ox,' may claim as analogues
not only Aldhelm iii, 1 1 ; v, 8, and Symphosius 56, but many other Latin
* XI, 452-
t/to/. 10 (S. 100); 17(8.61); 38(8.73): 66(8.44); 27 (A. v, 3, 9) ; 52(A,v,3;
i y > 0; 37 ( A - y i> I0 ); T 3> 39 ( A - "i " ; v 8; S. 56); 50 (A. ii, 14); 64 (A. vi, 9).
xlii INTRODUCTION
riddles of the time; and the two English problems cling to the tradi-
tional motives, but with a certain freedom of literary treatment. Rid. 50,
' Bookcase,' is connected through its last lines, and particularly through
the word unwita (na), with Aldhelm ii, I4 1 ' 8 , Area Libraria; but it
is noteworthy that this is the very motive which we meet in the ' Book-
moth ' problem (Sym. 1 6 ; Rid. 4S 5 - 6 ). Rid. 64 owes its ruling idea to
Aldhelm vi, g 6 " 9 , though it is no slavish copy of the Latin theme, ' the
kiss of the wine-cup,' which appears not only in Anglo-Latin riddles
(supra) but in the modern English Holme riddle, No. 128. Aldhelm's
' Water ' enigmas, iii, i and especially iv, 1 4, are freely followed in their
main outlines by the writer of Rid. 84 ; but that long poem during its
larger part declares its independence of Latin sources. To summarize,
the motives of the Latin enigmas are so widely diffused throughout riddle-
poetry, and moreover these themes are so freely handled in the English
versions, that it is impossible to deduce any but the most general con-
clusion regarding either relation to sources or the identity of the author.
Only this much may be safely said : that the English riddles just con-
sidered are alike in combining a certain dependence in their leading
ideas with originality of expression and freedom of development.
Yet another group of riddles bear to Symphosius and Aldhelm only a
very slight resemblance perhaps in a single phrase or line so slight
indeed that the likeness may often be accidental or else produced by
identity of topic.* Edmund Erlemann has pointed outf that the
' Storm ' riddles, Rid. 2-4, are indebted for one of their central ideas,
not to Aldhelm's line (i, 2 1 ) ' Cernere me nulli possunt nee prendere
palmis,' which appears in both the Bern Riddles and Bede's Flores
(supra], but to the scriptural sources of this (see Notes) ; and I regard
the other alleged parallels of Prehn \ as very natural coincidences. The
resemblance between Rid. 6 and Aldhelm iv, 13, Clypeus, is very slight
and the mere outcome of a common theme : each shield speaks of its
wounds. It is barely possible that the author of Rid. 9 owed some-
thing to Aldhelm's ' Luscinia ' enigma (ii, 5), but I do not believe that
the Anglo-Saxon poet had the nightingale in mind. It is a far cry from
Aldhelm's Famfaluca (iv, n) to the ' Barnacle Goose' of Rid. ii ; so
* Rid. 2-4 (A. i, 2) ; 6 (A. iv, 13) ; 9 (A. ii, 5) ; n (A. iv, 1 1) ; 12 (A. xii, 9) ;
21 (A. iv, 10) ; 28 (A. vi, 9) ; 29 (A. vii, 2) ; 35 (S. 60) ; 49, 60 (A. vi, 4) ; 54 (A.
v . 8 ) : 57 (S. i? : A. iv, 3, 7) ; 58 (A. vi, i) ; 71 (A. iv, 10) ; 73 (A. vi, 8) ; 83 (S.
91) ; 91 (S. 4). t Herrigs Archiv CXI, 55. \ Pp. 159-163.
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES xliii
the likeness between the opening lines of the two, which is very slight,
is obviously accidental. There is certainly a resemblance between a sin-
gle passage in Aldhelm's 'Nox' enigma (xii, 9) and Rid. I2 7 " 8 ; but
this is not sufficient to establish any direct connection between the Latin
and the Anglo-Saxon. Rid. 21, 'Sword,' is developed in a totally dif-
ferent fashion from Aldhelm's enigma (iv, i o) on the same topic ; any
parallels of thought and these are few are inherent in the subject.
The motive of ' wine, the overthrower ' (Aldhelm vi, 9), which also ap-
pears in Rid. 28, is found not only in other Latin enigmas of the time
(MS. Bern. 611, No. 63 s " 6 ), but in folk-riddles remote from learned
sources (see Notes). As the companion piece, Rid. 29, bears in two
of its motives a general likeness to Aldhelm vii, 2, it is possible that
the Latin may have been consulted by the author of these bibulous
problems, but it is difficult to see how his themes could have been de-
veloped without mention of these traits. The slight likeness between
the ' Rake ' riddle (Rid. 35) and Symphosius 60, Serra, may easily be
explained by the demands of similar subjects. Dietrich * finds the germ
of Rid. 49, 60, in Aldhelm vi, 4, De Crismale ; but the likeness, being
practically limited to the ' red gold ' of both the Latin and English ves-
sels, and consequently an inevitable result of identity of themes, is not
irreconcilable with complete independence. Only in two lines of Rid.
54, ' Battering-ram,' is found any analogue to Aldhelm v, 8, which has
a far different purpose, a pun upon ' Aries.' The ' Loom ' riddle, Rid.
57, bears only a very faint resemblance to the enigmas of Symphosius
(No. 17) and Aldhelm (iv, 3, 7) : like subjects could hardly be treated
with greater difference of method. Rid. 58 has certainly two traits in
common with Aldhelm vi, i ; but no descriptions of the ' Swallow ' could
fail to mention its wood-haunts and its garrulous note. The origin
of the 'Sword' or 'Dagger' (Rid. 7I 2 " 8 ) recalls Aldhelm iv, lo 1 , De
Pugione ; but the two enigmas are of very diverse sort. The ' Lance '
riddle (Rid. 73) surely owes little to Aldhelm (vi, 8) in the picture of
its origin and its delight in battle. The general likeness in riddle-motive
change of condition by fire between Rid. 83 and Symphosius 91
may well arise from the demands of the topic, ' Ore.' And, finally, there
is but a dim suggestion of the lively metaphors of Rid. 91, ' Key,' in the
bald ' Clavis ' enigma of Symphosius (No. 4), which simply states the
subject's sphere of action. In none of the twenty riddles just considered
* XI, 474-
xliv INTRODUCTION
is it possible to establish direct literary connection with the Latin enigmas.
In the preceding group, popular transmission of motives, in this, like
conditions of common subjects, go far towards explaining all resem-
blances. In other riddles that treat the same themes as the Latin
enigmas, even this faint likeness is lacking.*
I have already registered my protest f against the claims of Tatwine
and Eusebius as creditors of the Exeter Book Riddles. In a few cases I
notice a resemblance between the Riddles and these Latin enigmas. |
Yet in all these, except Rid. 15 and 44, the English and Latin writers
are both working with motives employed not only by Symphosius or
Aldhelm, but by other early enigmatographs whose direct connection
with Tatwine and Eusebius is more than doubtful. The ' Horn ' riddle
(Rid. 15) has in common with Eusebius 30 its first thought, which is re-
peated in different form in Rid. 88 (contrast however No. 15'$ companion
piece, Rid. 80, which does not refer to the Horn's origin) ; and the ' Body
and Soul ' problem (Rid. 44) is strikingly different in motive from Euse-
bius's treatment of the same familiar theme (No. 25). I cannot there-
fore agree with Ebert and Prehn (passim) that these Anglo-Latin enigmas
influenced the Anglo-Saxon in matter and form.
BONIFACE
An interesting place among eighth-century Latin enigmas is occupied
by the twenty riddle-poems of the great missionary bishop Boniface.||
Here the riddle has taken on a purely Christian and theological charac-
ter. Ten vices and ten virtues personify and characterize themselves
Rid. 7 (A. viii, 3) ; 24 (S. 65) ; 33 (S. 13) ; 34 (S. 10) ; 59 (S. 71, 72).
t M. L. N. XVIII, 99.
\Rid. 15 (E. 30); 21 (T. 30, E. 36); 27 (T. 5, 6; E. 31, 32); 39 (E. 37); 44
(E. 25) ; 52 (T. 6, E. 35) ; 84 (E. 23).
Holthaus (Anglia VII, Anz. 125) says very sanely: ' Besonders in den Fallen
wo Prehn Ahnlichkeiten der englischen Ratsel mit zwei oder drei lateinischen
Dichtern nachweist, waren wirgeneigt nicht an unmittelbare Entlehnung zu denken
sondern zu glauben dass sowol die Gegenstande, wie auch die Art der Betrach-
tung Gemeingut des Volkes geworden war und somit der Dichter nur bekanntes
aufgenommen hatte, aber es doch eigenartig wiedergab.' This view is certainly
supported by the likenesses to the Latin in the English riddles of ' Book,' ' Ox," and
'Pen' (Kid. 27, 39, 52) : these traits are commonplaces in early enigmas (supra).
II Nine of these were printed by Wright, Biog. Brit. Lit. I, 332, from the in-
complete version in MS. Royal 15, B. XIX, f. 204 r. Later the complete collection
was published by Bock, Freiburger Diocesan-Archiv III (1868), 232, and by Diimm-
ler, Poetae Lat. Carolini etc. (Man. Hist. Germ.), I (1881), i f.
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES xlv
like the beasts' and birds of the older enigmas.* Caritas, Fides Catho-
lica, Spes, Justitia, Veritas, Misericordia, Patientia, Pax Christiana,
Humilitas Christiana, Virginitas, offset the frailties of Cupiditas, Super-
bia. ( 'rapula Gulae, Ebrietas, Luxuria, Invidia, Ignorantia, Vana Gloria,
Negligentia, and Iracundia. These allegorical enigmas are introduced by
a dedication to his 'sister,' the Abbess of Bischofsheim twenty hex-
ameters, in which the virtues are compared to the golden apples of the
I tree of life, the Cross of Christ, the vices to the bitter fruit of the tree of
I which Adam ate. The whole composes 388 hexameters, and the several
poems are of varying length.
The acrostic employed by both Aldhelm and Tatwine is here used for
purposes of solution. The subject of each enigma is plainly indicated by
the initial letters of its lines. But Boniface goes farther than this. With
his well-known fondness for playing upon names, f he introduces into
his first enigma a double acrostic, c, s, a, a, r, t, /, i, /, r, a, a, s, c, thus sport-
ing rather heavily with the Latin equivalent of the name of the Abbess,
Liofa or Leobgyth.J Here then is a parallel for those who. claim that
the lupus of the Latin riddle (Rid. 90) refers to the name of Cynewulf.
As Ebert has pointed out, these enigmas have but small literary merit.
Their vocabulary is small, their meter halting, the treatment stiff and
awkward. The traits of his abstractions are seldom significant. Written
in Germany (1. 323), the poems, particularly those upon Ignorance of
God and Drunkenness, give forth now and then a gleam of apostolic
fire; but in the main they seem dull and uninspired.
Bock has, I think, exaggerated their indebtedness to Aldhelm, which
is slight ; and I discover in them no trace of Tatwine or of Eusebius.
The influence of Virgil's Aeneid, which affected his style, as it did that
of his contemporaries, was not strong enough to lift his moralizings into
the region of poetry. I see in these didactic hexameters nothing that con-
nects them even remotely with the spirited riddles of the Exeter Book. \
* Ebert, Lit. des Mitt, im Abendl. I (1889), 653.
t Compare Hahn, Bonifaz und Lul, 1883, p. 242; Ewald, Wetter Arc/ttvVII, 196;
and my notes to Rid. go (infra). \ See Manitius, Christl. Lat. Poesie, p. 507.
The spicula lita veneno of the Introduction points to the last section of Aid-
helm's poetic tract De Octo Princip. Vitiis, 130, and certain lines in the Luxury '
enigma (No. 15) to the Creatura, 31, 53. But I find little more than that. Mani-
tius, Christl. Lat. Poesie, p. 506, notes that for his general motives Boniface is in-
debted to Prudentius's Psychomachia and to Aldhelm's De Laudibus Virginian.
|| Contrast Boniface's picture of Ebrietas with the delightful genre sketch of
the tipsiness of the 'old churl' in Rid. 28.
xlvi INTRODUCTION
BERN RIDDLES
A very important group of Latin enigmas is a collection of sixty-three
riddles preserved in several early manuscripts.* These consist of ' hexa-
sticha rhythmica barbaric horrida ' (Riese). Hagen overrates them t in
ranking them above the riddles of Symphosius in ' feine und gemiitliche
Charakteristik ' ; but they are certainly not without merit; they treat
the common things of life with clever ingenuity. Yet in range of sub-
jects, in power of imagination, and particularly in width and depth of
scholarship, they are inferior to the Anglo-Latin riddles. We meet only
one reference to the Christian-Jewish cultus (9*, ' Eua '), only one to
classical mythology (4i 6 , ' Macedo nee Liber . . . nee Hercules'), only
one to history (28 s , ' Caesares '). A striking trait is their originality.
They deal often with the same themes as Symphosius (Bern 2, S. 67 ;
B. 9 , 8.51; B. 10, 8.78; B. n, S. 13; B. 13, 8.53; B. 18, 8.79;
6.32, 8.63; B. 34, 8.45; B. 4 8, 8.19; B. 58, 8.77), but in totally
different fashion. On the two occasions when these riddles invite close
comparison with the older enigmas, it is significant that the author is
using motives dear to riddle tradition : ' the fish and his moving house '
(6.30, S. 12) and 'the biter bitten,' ' mordeo mordentem ' (6.37, De
Pipere, S. 44, De Cepa). \ So in his relation to Aldhelm, he is either
entirely independent (6.3, A. iv, 8 ; B. 21, A. ii, 3 ; 6.45, A. i, i), or
else he employs motives that are the common stock of riddle-poetry
(B. 6, A. vi, 9, De Calice; 6.23, A. v, 10, De Igne; 6.24, A. v, 9,
De Membrana; 6.25, A. iv, i, De ZJtferis). Yet the sequence of
these riddles (B. 23, 24, 25), and certain likenesses in phraseology,
*As early as 1839, Mone edited a version of these from Vienna MS. 67 in
Anzeiger fur A'unde tier deutschen Vorzeit VIII, 219 f. In 1869 Hagen produced
in Riese's Anthologia Latina I, 296, thirty-five of these enigmas from a manu-
script of eighth to ninth century, Bern 611, f. 73r.-8ov. The next year Riese,
in the second volume of his Anthology (p. Ixvi), showed the identity of the Vienna
and Bern enigmas, and derived variants from Mone's text. Finally, in the last
edition of the Anthology (1894, pp. 351-370) Riese collated with the already
published manuscripts three other versions, Lipsiensis Rep. I, 74 of ninth to
tenth century, f. I5v.-24r., and two Paris MSS. of the ninth century, 5596 and
8071 (each containing a few enigmas). For a discussion of this group of enigmas,
cf. Hagen, Antike und Mitteldlterliche Ratselpoesie, 1877, pp. 26, 46. t P. 46.
J For the vogue of these two riddles, see M. L. N. XVIII, 3, 5, XXI, 101, and
my notes to Rid. 85, 66. Other world-riddles are those of the Ice (B. 38) and
the Rose (B. 34). Cf. Manitius, Aldhelm und Baeda, pp. 79-82.
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES xlvii
undoubtedly suggest a direct literary connection.* Ebert and Manitius
seem to me to exaggerate greatly the resemblances between the Bern
enigmas and those of Tatwine and Eusebius ; and therefore to be totally
unjustified in their conclusion that the former is one of the sources of
the latter. Indeed, in all cases of alleged resemblance save one, the
enigmatographs are drawing upon common stores of riddle-tradition
(B. 2, E. 28, compare A. v, i, Sym. 67, Lorsch 10 ; B. 24, E. 31, T. 5,
compare A. v, 9 ; B. 25, T. 4, E. 7, compare A. iv, i) ; and even under
these conditions the likenesses are very slight, never amounting to any-
thing more than general parallels of motive. Bern No. 5 has much in
common with Tatwine No. 29, De Mensa,\ but even this likeness may
be explained by the restricted demands of the topic. There is, however,
no doubt that the Bern enigmas belong to the same circle of thought
as the Anglo-Latin problems ; and, although no English manuscript of
them exists, we are not surprised to find them followed by riddles of Aid-
helm in Paris MS. 5596. Yet, whatever may be the probability, we have
no convincing evidence that they are from the hand of an English author.
LORSCH RIDDLES
A small but valuable group of enigmas is the collection of twelve
Latin riddles of varying lengths, in poor hexameters, preserved in the
ninth century Vatican MS. Palatinus 1753, which was brought from
the famous monastery of Lorsch. \ It has a twofold connection with
the Latin enigmas of England. In the manuscript it appears in close
company with the riddles of Symphosius and Aldhelm, the Prosody of
Boniface, and the epitaph of a priest, Domberht, one of that band of
scholars which came to Germany with Boniface ; and Diimmler is in-
clined to believe that our group of twelve problems was brought over
from England with the remaining contents of the manuscript. Ebert ||
goes even farther, and claims that the riddles were composed in Eng-
land, since their author is indebted not only to Aldhelm, whose works
were widely known on the continent, but to Tatwine and Eusebius. The
* Manitius goes too far (Christl. Lat. Poesie, pp. 488-489) in regarding these as
the chief source of Aldhelm's enigmas ; and he gives no reason for attributing them
to an Irishman of the sixth and seventh centuries. t Cf. Ebert, p. 39.
J These riddles were printed by Diimmler in Haupts Zs. XXII, 258-263, dis-
cussed by Ebert, ib. XXIII, 200-202, and included by Diimmler in his Poetae
Latini Aevi Carolini (Mon. Hist. Germ.), Berlin, 1881, pp. 2of.
% Haupts Zs. XXII, 262. || Ib. XXIII, 200.
xlviii INTRODUCTION
Lorsch riddle No. 9, Penna, is, Ebert thinks, merely a compilation of
three enigmas, Aldhelm v, 3,Tatwine 6, and Eusebius 35. If the verbal
resemblances were not so strong, we might infer a common debt to the
folk, as the motives of ' the weeping pen ' and ' black seed in a white
field' are commonplaces of riddle-poetry.* Lorsch No. n, Bos, is in-
debted to Aldhelm iii, n, and perhaps to Eusebius 37 ; but again we
have motives universally known among the Anglo-Saxons. f The paral-
lels given by Manitius \ are, as usual, strained. Although ' the kiss of the
wine-cup ' is a common motive, yet the verbal likenesses of Lorsch
No. 5, Poculum et Vinum, to Aldhelm vi, 9 and Tatwine 4 2 are so strong
as to convince us of direct literary connection. In Lorsch No. 4, Glades,
we meet a world-old motive, || which the author certainly did not derive
from Tatwine 15. But he is undoubtedly employing Aldhelm v, i in
No. 10, Lucerna, and A. i, 2 4 in No. 2 6 , ' et rura peragro.' Diimmler and
Ebert are justified in assigning to these problems an English home. Two
other slight links bind the Lorsch enigmas to England : in No. 8 appears
the motive of ' pen, glove, and fingers ' of Ttede^s^F/ores and Rid. 14,
and in No. 7 the famous ' Castanea ' logogriph, so frequent in English
manuscripts of the Middle Ages ; If but both motives are found on the
continent as well.
PSEUDO-BEDE
Riddles of the Bede tradition are represented by three interesting
groups of problems.** Among the works doubtfully attributed to the
Venerable scholar, the so-called Flares^ holds a place of some note. This
varied assortment of queries falls roughly into three divisions, (i) The
first and by far the largest of these belongs to dialogue literature (supra}
and has much in common with other well-known groups of knowledge-
tests. (2) The second class of problems consists of direct citation of
Cf. my articles, Mod. Phil. II, 563 ; M. L. N. XXI, 102 ; and notes to Rid. 52
(infra). \ M. L. N. XXIII, 99. J Pp. 79-82.
Notes to Rid. 64 (infra). \\ Notes to Rid. 34. 1 M. L. N. XVIII, 7.
** These have been discussed by me in Mod. Phil. II, 1905, 561 f. I condense
that discussion here.
tt The full title of this melange is Excerptiones Patrum, collectanea, flores ex
diversis, quaestiones et parabolae. Included in the Basel edition of Bede's Opera
of 1563 and in the Cologne edition of 1612, the Flares was reprinted partially
and incorrectly from the second in Kemble's Salomon and Saturn (1848), pp. 322-
326, but appears in complete and accurate form in Migne's Patrologia Latino
(1850), XC, 539.
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES xlix
famous Latir enigmas. Five riddles from Symphosius (i, 7, 4, n, 10)
and five from Aldhelm (i, 3, 10, 2, 4, n) * are quoted in full. (3) There
remain a dozen riddles rich in popular motives and abounding in ana-
logues, t The first reappears among the queries of St. Gall MS. No. 196
of the tenth century ; t the second is paralleled by ' Fingers ' enigmas of
St. Gall and Lorsch (No. 8) ; the fifth is indebted to the first line of Aid-
helm's ' Ventus ' problem (i, 2) ; the seventh is the world-riddle of Ice ;
the eighth contains the Ox motive, common property of all the riddle-
groups of the Anglo-Saxon period ; the ninth is the embryo of the uni-
versal riddle of ' Two-legs and three-legs ' ; the explanation of the tenth
lies in the ' Pullus ' and ' Ovum ' problems of Symphosius, No. 1 4, Euse-
bius, No. 38, and MS. Bern. 611, No. 8 ; the eleventh appears in the
Disputatio Pippini cum Albino \ and the St. Gall MS. ; the twelfth query
can be compared with the close of Aldhelm 's octostich De Penna Scrip-
toria (v, 3). This collection touches the Exeter Book Riddles at several
points of meeting : not only in the popular motives of Fingers and Ice
and Bull,1T but in the idea of hostility between Day and Night.**
The second group of Pseudo-Bede riddles is the Enigmata or Joco-
seria, as I have called the puzzles of Cambridge MS. Gg. V, 35, 418 b,
419 a. ft This codex is of prime importance to the student of Latin
enigmas, as it contains the riddle-groups of Symphosius, Boniface, Ald-
helm, Tatwine, and Eusebius. Our Enigmata are attributed to Bede in
the table of contents. Of the nineteen, a dozen may be classed as logo-
griphs, a form of word-riddle very popular in the later Middle Ages and
occasionally furnishing diversion before the Conquest. Mel, Os, Amor,
Apes, Bonus, and Navis are among the puzzle-words. The ' Digiti ' query
(xix) contains a motive not dissimilar to one used in older ' Finger '
enigmas. Inadequate diction, awkward syntax, incorrect grammar, and
halting meter attest the author's literary limitations. Yet the author is
not so important as the glossator. These enigmas are accompanied by
an interlinear commentary, which is unique among glosses in casting a
* Cf. Manitius, Zu Aldhelm und Baeda, p. 82.
t These riddles I have printed in full in the Mod. Phil, article.
J Schenkl, Sitzungsberichte der Phil.-Hist. Classe der kais. Akademie der Wissen-
schaften (Wien, 1863) XXXIV, 18.
See my note to Holme Riddles, No. 50.
|| Wilmanns, Haupts Zs. XIV, 552.
\ Flares, 2, 7, 8; Rid. 14, 34, 13, and 39. Compare M. L. N. XVIII, 104.
** Flares, 6 ; Rid. 30 (see notes). tt Edited by me, Mod. Phil. II, 565.
1 INTRODUCTION
powerful light upon the peculiar esteem in which art-riddles were held
in the Anglo-Saxon time. After the manner of his kind the commenta-
tor takes his pleasure very sadly : every line, indeed every word, of his
author must be weighed as gravely as the phrases of Scripture or the
rubrics of liturgy. We are thus brought to comprehend the ready wel-
come accorded by pedantic leisure to the serio-comic products of pedantic
scholarship, and to understand the continued vogue of these in the clois-
ters of England. By the mediaeval reader queries which so often seem
to us drearily dull and flat were evidently deemed miracles of ingenuity,
inviting and repaying his utmost subtlety.
The third group, the Propositiones ad Aeuendos Juvenes, which are
number-problems rather than riddles, appeared in the Basel edition of
Bede, 1563 (p. 133), and, under protest, are included in his works in the
Patrologia Latina* They are not mentioned by Bede in his enumera-
tion of his writings ; and Alcuin's editor in the Patrologia f finds two
good reasons x for ascribing them to that scholar. They are assigned to
him in at least one old MS., and are specifically mentioned by him
in a letter to Charlemagne (Epistle 101): ' aliquas figuras arithmeticae
subtilitatis causa.' These number-puzzles were for a long time popular.
I find Alcuin's fifty-three Propositiones under our rubric in MS. Burney
59 (eleventh century), f. 7 b n a, and many similar arithmetical riddles
in MS. Cott. Cleop. B. IX (fourteenth century), f. 1 70-21 a. Alcuin's
river-crossing problem (No. 18), ' De homine efcapra et lupo,' is found,
somewhat modified, in later English and continental MSS.t This group,
which I discuss for the sake of completeness, presents, of course, no
analogues to the Exeter Book Riddles.
Interesting analogues to the Exeter Book enigmas are found in the
Anglo-Latin prose queries of St. Gall MS. 196 (tenth century), in the
solitary 'Bull' query of Brit. Mus. MS. Burney 59 (eleventh century),
f. nb, || and in the unique Anglo-Saxon relationship riddle of MS.
Vitellius E. XVIII, i6b.H But our poems have no connection, either
direct or indirect, with the enigmatic Versus Scott de Alfabeto, a series
P. L. XC, 655. t Ib. CI, 1 143.
\ MS. Sloane 1489 (seventeenth century), f. 16, unpublished; MS. Reims 743
(fourteenth century), Mone, Anz. VII, 45, No. 105 ; MS. Argentoratensis, Sem.
c. 14, 15 (eleventh century), f. 176, Haupts Zs. XVI, p. 323.
Edited by Schenkl (Wien, 1863) and discussed by me under Flares (supra).
See notes to Rid. 14.
|| Quoted in full, notes to Rid. 13. If See notes to Rid. 44".
ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES li
of skillful hexameters, in which an Irish riddler, a contemporary of
Aldhelm, -taking Symphosius as his guide, has told the story of the
Letters.*
FOLK-RlDDLJES
Let us now consider the use of popular material in the Exeter Book
Riddles. We pass at once to those riddles which, in their form and
substance, are so evidently popular products as to suggest that the poet
has yielded in large measure to the collector; the puzzles of double
meaning, and coarse suggestion. To these we should naturally expect
to find many parallels in folk-literature, and we are not disappointed. f
Again, it is probable that the motives of such ' world-riddles ' as those of
the Month (No. 23), Ice (No. 34), Bullock (Nos. 13, 39), and Lot's Wife
(No. 47), were derived not from a literary source but from tradition ;
and the same may be true of such wide-spread themes as the ingrati-
tude of the Cuckoo (No. 10), the food of the Bookmoth (No. 48), the
bite of the Onion (No. 66), and the running of Flood and Fish (No. 85),
even though these four motives are prominent among the enigmas of
Symphosius (supra). Analogues seem to show that certain leading ideas
in the riddles of Fingers and Gloves (No. 14), Pen and Fingers (No.
52), Moon (Nos. 30, 40 ?, 95), Ram, and Lance (Nos. 54 and 73) were
traditional. \ Barnacle Goose (No. n) and Siren (No. 74) belong to the
folk-lore of riddlers.
Not only in those riddles that bear in form and style the distinct im-
press of the folk do we find popular elements. Many enigmas of the
Exeter Book literary though their manner proclaims them are in-
debted to that stock of commonplace domestic traditions, that simple
lore of little things, which we recognize as the joint property of kindred
races. Though the Anglo-Saxon puzzles are often entirely individual
and isolated in their treatment of familar themes, yet the likeness of
their motives to those of other Germanic queries is surely as remarkable
as their differences. Let us compare these problems of early England
* These are preserved in company with the enigmas of Tatwine and Eusebius
in the Cambridge MS. Gg. V, 35, and in Brit. Mus. MS. Royal 12, C. XXIII, and
are printed in Wright and Halliwell's Reliquiae Antiquae I, 164, and by L. Muller,
Rhein. Mus. XX, 357 (XXII, 500). For a full discussion of these see Biicheler,
Rhein. Mus. XXXVI, 340, and Manitius, Christ. Lot. Poesie, pp. 484-485.
t For analogues to Rid. 26, 45, 46, 55, 64, see M. L. N. XVIII, 103, and the
notes to the several riddles. | Cf. notes to each of these.
lii INTRODUCTION
with those of Scandinavia. Heusler has invited attention to the corre-
spondences between the themes and motives of the Exeter Book and of
the Heidreks Gdtur; but these parallels are surprisingly slight. Several
riddles of the two groups treat the same topics, but in a totally differ-
ent fashion.* With the modern folk-riddles of the Ishnzkar Gdtur our
problems yield an interesting comparison. Rid. 27 (' Book '), 33 (' Ship '),
35 (' Rake '), 38 and 87 (' Bellows '), 57 (< Web and Loom '), and 68
(' Bible ') may be annotated throughout by various Icelandic riddles of
like subjects.t On the whole the likeness between the queries of the
two groups is too general i .ray any very intimate connection ; but
the appearance of such similar elements in the Islenzkar Gdtur furnishes
no slight proof of the popular character of Exeter Book riddle-germs.
I add a few continental parallels to the queries in our collection. The
fearfully-made creatures in the Anglo-Saxon poems of musical instru-
ments (Nos. 32, 70) are not unlike the prodigies in the Lithuanian and
Mecklenburg Geige riddles \ ; the Onion of Rid. 66 is ' a biter when
bitten ' as in the German riddle ; the Communion Cup of Rid. 60 is
closely akin to the subject of the Tyrolese problem || ; and finally, the
motive of the highly imaginative query of the Ox (Rid. 72) appears again
far afield in the riddles of Lithuania and Bukowina.lf
Among the modern folk-riddles of England the number of parallels
to the Exeter Book Riddles is not at all large. Unlike the influence of
Symphosius throughout Europe or the direct literary working of the
Heidreks Gdtur in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, the motives that
appear in the Anglo-Saxon collection, if we may draw a conclusion from
the scanty evidence at our command, seem to have affected little the
current of native riddle-tradition. A few English riddles of the present
resemble in theme and treatment the Exeter Book Riddles ; ** and, more
noteworthy yet, two or three of these are unique among recent puzzles
in this resemblance. In the latter case we may safely regard the mod-
ern riddle-stuff not as a new creation, but as a survival of the old.
Enough has been said, I hope, to establish the Exeter Book problems
in their proper place in riddle-literature. I have sought not only to
See M. L. A'. XVIII, 103, n. 32. t M. L. N. XVIII, 104 and notes.
\ Schleicher, p. 200; Wossidlo, No. 230 a.
Wossidlo, No. 190; Petsch, pp. 95-96.
II Renk, Zs.d. V.f. Vk. V, 149, No. 17.
t Schleicher, pp. 207, 211 ; Kaindl, Zs.d. V.f. Vk. VIII, 319.
**See M.L.N. XVIII, 105-106; and notes to Rid. 20, 26, 28, 29, 65, 77, 88.
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES liii
indicate, more accurately than has before been done, their relation to liter-
ary enigmas, but also to trace what has hitherto passed almost unnoticed,
their indebtedness to popular motives.
Ill
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES
THE RIDDLES AND CYNEWULF
Any discussion of the authorship 01 v' Riddles naturally finds its
starting-point in Leo's interpretation of the so-called ' First Riddle.'
Upon this I need not dwell at length, because it has already been care-
fully considered in another volume of this series.* But it is necessary
to indicate, more briefly than Cook and Jansen, the place of (Leo^s solu-
tion in the Cynewulf story. According to that scholar's Halle Program
of 1857,1 the first poem of the collection is a charade or syllable-riddle,
1 whose answer is found in the name Cyne(cene,ciKn,ceri)-wulf. Thence
Leo drew the conclusion that this poet was the author of all or most of
the problems of the Exeter Book, To Leo's solution Dietrich gave the
full weight of his approval, t Indeed he went still farther, finding in the
lupus of Rid. 90 yet another reference to the poet's name, and in Rid.
95 a sketch of his vocation, that of ' Wandering Singer.' Here, he be-
lieved, were strong grounds for attributing the whole collection to Cyne-
wulf. For more than twenty years all scholars accepted the contentions
of Leo and Dietrich, with the solitary exception of Rieger, || who recog-
nized the difficulties inherent in the solution of the ' First Riddle,' but
offered no other answer. In an essay of 18831! Trautmann rejected
Leo and Dietrich's answers of the first and last riddles, proposing for
both the solution 'Riddle.' The new interpretations found less favor than
the old,** but there were not wanting scholars who followed Trautmann
* Cook, ' The Riddles and Cynewulf,' The Christ of Cynewulf (1900), pp. lii-
lix; see Jansen, Die Cynewulf -Forsc/ning, BB. XXIV, 93-99.
t H. Leo, Qitae de se if so Cynewulf us, poeta Anglo-Saxonicus, tradiderit.
\ Lift. Centralbl. (1858), p. 191 ; Ebert's Jahrb. f. Rom. und Eng. Lit. I (1859),
241 f. ; ' Die Ratsel des Exeterbuches,' Haupts Zs. XI, 448-490, XII, 232.
Cook, p. Ivi; Jansen, p. 94. || Zs.f. d. Ph. I, 215-219. ^
1' Cynewulf und die Ratsel,' Anglia VI, Anz., pp. 158-169.
**See articles by Nuck, Anglia X, 390, and Hicketier, ib., 564 f.
liv INTRODUCTION
in discarding this supposed proof of Cynewulfian authorship ; * and in
an important article of 1891 f Sievers presented conclusive linguistic
reasons for abandoning Leo's far-fetched and fanciful hypothesis.
Three years before Sievers's essay, Bradley t advanced the view that
' the so-called (first) riddle is not a riddle at all, but a fragment of a dra-
matic soliloquy, like Dear and The Banished Wife's Complaint, to the
latter of which it bears, both in motive and in treatment, a strong re-
semblance'.' This opinion has found wide acceptance, and is almost
certainly correct. It has been favored by Herzfeld, by Holthausen, ||
and by Gollancz.lf Upon this hypothesis Lawrence and Schofield** built
up their interesting and ingenious theory that the ' First Riddle ' is of
Norse origin, and is connected with the Volsung Saga; and Imelmannft
his claim that the lyric belongs to the Odoacer story. But these theories \
are too far from the field of riddle-poetry to concern us now, and will, i
moreover, be carefully weighed in a promised edition of Old English
Lyrics.
Though the ' First Riddle ' is thus unquestionably a lyrical monologue, ^
I have included it in my text, not only on account of its historical associa-
tion with the enigmas of our collection, but because of the elements of
Ratselmarchen that render its interpretation so difficult.
Other contributions to this phase of the association of the Riddles
with Cynewulf are the articles of the Erlemanns,^ who have attempted
to prove that the Latin Riddle (90) is a charade upon the poet's name
and therefore points to Cynewulf as collector of the enigmas, and my
evidence that the last of the Riddles refers neither to ' Wandering
Singer' nor to 'Riddle,' but, like its companion-piece Rid. 30, to the
journeys of the Moon.
The identification of the author of the Riddles was, however, made to
rest on other grounds than the evidence of Rid. i and 90. In his first
article || || Dietrich was inclined to think that the first series (1-60) was
* Holthaus, Anglia VII, Anz., p. 120 ; Morley, English Writers II, 21 1, 217, 222.
t Anglia XIII, 19-21. t Academy XXXIII (1888), 197 f.
Die Rdtseldes Exeterbuches (1890), p. 67. || Deutsche Littztg., 1891, p. 1097.
\Academy XLIV (1896), 572. Gollancz regards the poem as ' a life-drama in
five acts.' **P.M.L.A. XVII (1902), 247-261, 262-295.
^^ Die Altenglische Odoaker-Dichtung, Berlin, 1907. See Gollancz, Athenaum,
I52, p. 551 ; Bradley, ib., p. 758.
tt Herrigs Archiv CXI, 59 ; CXV, 391. See notes to Rid. 90.
M. L. i\ T . XXI, 1906, 104-105. See notes to Rid. 95. || || Haupts Zs. XI, 488.
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Iv
by Cynewulf ; the second (61-95) by other hand or hands ; but that
perhaps the collector of the problems of the latter group had before
him a source which contained single riddles of Cynewulf. In his second
article * he was led to modify this view, and to claim not only that all
the riddles in both groups were from one hand, but that the hand was
Cynewulf's. He went even further, and assigned, somewhat doubtfully,
the first series to the youth of the poet and to his beginnings in riddle-
poetry, the second to his later period. Signs of a young poet are seen
in the first group in (i) his mistakes in translation (4i 65 , pernex) ; (2)
the very youthful cadence of the verse ; (3) the obscene pieces (26, 43,
45, 46, 55), which he conjectures to be the very poems regretted by
Cynewulf in his supposed retractation. To the first argument it may
be answered that we have no opportunity to compare the knowledge or
ignorance of Latin displayed in the first group with that in the second,
as it is only in the earlier group that we have very close translations of
Latin enigmas (Rid. 36, 41) ; to the second, that such a subjective esti-
mate of verse-values so far removed from us can carry no weight; to
the third, that obscene problems meet us at the very threshold of the
second series (Rid. 62, 63, 64). Dietrich seeks to sustain this ascription
of the Riddles to Cynewulf by a comparison of the thoughts and ex-
pressions of our poems with those of the Cynewulfian works ; t but it
may be answered first with Holthaus \ that the relation of the various
riddles among themselves and to the poems of Cynewulf must be main-
tained on more convincing grounds than in Dietrich's article, and
secondly that the larger number of his parallels (granting that such
parallelism carries any weight) are drawn from a text of such doubtful
authorship as the Andreas.
Prehn accepts without question, as the starting-point of his investiga-
tion, Dietrich's belief in the Cynewulfian authorship of the Riddles. The
arguments of Herzfeld in favor of the ascription of the problems to
Cynewulf || have now only an historical interest, as they have been
abandoned even by Herzfeld himself. IT In his earlier monograph he
goes beyond Dietrich's contention and claims that all the Riddles are
from the hand of a young poet, on the ground of their keen interest in
*XII, 241, 251. t Xn, 245-248. \ Anglia VII, Am., p. 122.
Komposition und Quellen der Rathsel des Exeterbuches, 1883.
|| Die Rathsel des Exeterbuches etc., 1890.
\Herrigs Archiv CVI (N. S. VI), 1901, p. 390.
everything in the world, and their joy of life,* which does not shrink
from naively sensuous expressions.! Another sign of youthful author-
ship Herzfeld discovers in the large number of hapax-legomena in the
Riddles, \ because ' a young poet is fond of choosing rare words which
may seem to his audience new and surprising.' To show that this youth-
ful poet is Cynewulf , Herzfeld advanced many arguments : the likeness
of the vocabulary of the Riddles to that of the Cynewulfian poems,
among which he includes the Andreas ; a similar treatment of sources ;
a like attitude to the sea and to war, to social relations and to religion ;
a like use of figures of speech ; and finally, a like handling of metrical
types. While none of thes : arguments in the least convince us of Herz-
feld's main contention, still they are not without illustrative value in cast-
ing light on both the matter and the manner of the poems before us, and
they will be cited in connection with different phases of our study.
A year after Herzf eld's monograph (1891) Sievers discussed the age
of the Riddles, and reached the conclusion that they belong to the
first half of the eighth century, a period anterior to the time of Cyne-
wulf. These are his reasons :
(i) 'The Leiden Riddle, the Northumbrian version of Rid. 36, con-
tains many forms with unstressed /, instead of later e : ni, bigidoncum
(corrupted from hygidoncum), giftrctec, hlimmith, hrlsil, uirdi, <?i, heliSum
(by the side of ne, giuciide, and a doubtful ceres f). The change from
unstressed / to e probably took place about 750.']! The value of this
*This is the view of Brooke, English Lit. from the Beginning etc., 1898,
pp. 160-161.
t Herzfeld remarks, p. 9 : ' Einen so offenen Blick und ein so lebendiges In-
teresse filr alles, das Grosste wie das Kleinste in der ihn umgebenden Welt, diese
Lebenslust, die auch vor naiv sinnlichen Aeusserungen nicht zuriickscheut darf
man nur bei einem jugendlichen Dichter zu finden erwarten.' (See Dietrich XI,
489; XII, 241 ; Fritzsche, Anglia II, 465.)
J Herzfeld (pp. 10-12) records 262 words which occur only in the Riddles.
Though this might seem to speak against his claims for Cynewulf, yet he noted
that there are in the Christ 196 such words, and in the Juliana and the Phcenix,
respectively, appear 129 and 196 new compounds. Herzf eld's results must be
somewhat modified and increased in the light of the vocabulary of the Riddle-
fragments printed in Grein-Wulker. Anglia XIII, 15.
|| This e and / canon of date seems to me a hasty generalization based upon
insufficient data. Indeed the very evidence derived by Sievers from Sweet's Old-
est English Texts often refutes itself. If unstressed e appears twice in an Essex
charter of 692 (O. E. T., p. 426), if unstressed i is found in the Northumbrian
Genealogies of 811-814 (O. E. T., p. 167) in the very names (efril- compounds) that
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ivii
evidence, such as it is, is lessened by the rather striking circumstance
that Rid. 36 stands apart from the other riddles (except Rid. 41) both in
its relation to its sources and in its employment of motives. It is there-
fore hardly fair to apply to the whole collection any argument based
upon forms in this isolated problem.
(2) ' In Rid. 24 * Agof must have been originally Agob, the inversion
of Boga. This final b, which in this case a later scribe has changed tof,
is not found later than the middle of the eighth century.' * It is hard to
feel the weight of this argument. Are we to believe that a riddler in the
latter part of the eighth or even in the ninth and tenth centuries was
prevented by phonetic laws from inverting any word with an initial b
and thus forming a nonsense-word with an uncouth ending ? f Agob is as
possible at any period of Old English as To^>\aTr60par (Ar. Ran. 1286 ff.)
is in Attic Greek. To some it may have significance that Barnouw \
regards Rid. 24 as very late on account of its four articles before
simple substantives.
(3) ' From the runes in Rid. 43, two N's, one >, two A's and two
H's (the names are written out, nyd, cesc, dcas, and tuzgelas) are derived
the two words hana and keen. A instead of o before nasals, and ce as an
umlaut of this a, point to the beginning of the eighth century.' For
many reasons, this argument is not conclusive : (a) That the date of
Rid. 43 is very late rather than early, Barnouw seeks to show by
pointing to the large number of articles seven in seventeen verses
and to the use of articles instead of demonstratives, frees hordgates,
bear an unstressed e (afrel-) in a Kentish charter of 740 (p. 428), if a Mercian
grant of 769 (p. 430) employs always the unstressed /, and if, moreover, all North-
umbrian poems, including the Ruthwell Cross inscription (which Cook, P. M. L. A.
XVII, 367-390 ; Dream of the Rood, p. xv, assigns to the tenth century), and if
the glosses to the later chapters of John in the Lindisfarne Gospels after 950
(Cook, P.M.L.A. XVII, 385) employ that form, how can we infer with good
reason that the Leiden Riddle, which admits both / and e, was written before 750 ?
Scholars have as yet found no sure footing on the slippery ground of Anglo-
Saxon chronology.
*This statement Sievers elsewhere applies to ob {Leiden Rid. 2, 14); but he
admits (XIII, 16) that this b is twice found in the Liber Vitae of the ninth century
(335' Cnobwalch; 339, Leobhelni). I note it in Kentish charters of 831 (Sweet,
O. E. T., 445, No. 39, 1. 2), ob frem lande, and 832 (ib. 446, No. 40, 1. 17), ob mlnem
erfelande. Such peculiarities are not mere matters of date.
t See the nonsense-words of the Charms (Lchd. Ill, 10, 58, 62).
IP. 214. P. 215.
Iviii INTRODUCTION
foa radellan (contrast 56", foisses gieddes). (b) A and a may indicate a
very late quite as well as an early date for our version of the runes of
this riddle, as hana and keen are well established West Saxon forms.
This circumstance naturally destroys any value as proof which the
assertion of their early Northumbrian origin might have. Instead of
proceeding like Sievers from the assumption of early authorship for the
riddle, it would be just as easy to proceed from the assumption of late
authorship.* (c) My opinion is strikingly supported by the appearance
of such a West Saxon form as Eh(r/i~) among the runic words of Rid.
65.1 Sievers himself admits \ that MON (2o 5 ) is a late product.
(4) 'In the runic riddle 20, the runes give us the form COFOAH
(the inversion of HAOFOC). Since ao is found nowhe're else as the
2/-umlaut of a, hafoc is to be substituted. This form with unumlauted a
indicates the first half of the eighth century.' Now, although we may
reject with Sievers the AO of HAOFOC, and although Rid. 65" H and A
speak against an original HEAFOC and for an original HAFOC in our
version, yet let us note that the word hafoc is not only Northumbrian
but good West Saxon ; that, as such, it appears in Rid. 25 8 and 4i 67 and
in many other poetical passages, consequently in our text of the runes.
Therefore the argument that Sievers bases upon this form falls to the
ground.
Professor Sievers's four arguments seem, therefore, to have small
probative value. But, while questioning the weight of his premises,
I think that he may not be far wrong in his conclusion that the Riddles
are the product of the first half of the eighth century, as this was the
golden age of English riddle-poetry. That the Riddles belong to this
period, and therefore antedate Cynewulf , is, however, only a surmise, which
is perhaps incapable of proof. Sievers certainly has not proved it.
* Sievers's deductions from these runes carry as little weight as Trautmann's
conclusions as to dialect, based upon the supposedly Northumbrian form ewu in
the Juliana rune-passage (Kynewulf, p. 73), and refuted by Klaeber (Journal of
Germanic Philology IV, 1902, 103), who points to 'the forms ewo, Ine's Laws 55
(MS. E) ; nua (ace. pi.), O.E. Martyrol. (Herzfeld), 36, 17 ; ewede, ib. 170, 26; and
to Sievers, Gr?, 73, n. i ; 1 56, n. 5 ; 258, n. 2.' I mention all this in order to
anticipate the equally false claims that may be founded upon the ewu form de-
manded by the Erlemann solution of Rid. go (note).
t In my notes to that riddle the reading Ek(r/i) is established beyond doubt.
| Anglia XIII, 17.
Yet, as we have seen, it is impossible to connect them directly with either
Tatwine or Eusebius.
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES lix
In Madert's monograph* the final blow is dealt to the theory of
Cynewulfian authorship of the Riddles. Madert takes direct issue with
Herzfeld, and devotes his thesis to showing that the Riddles have little
in common with the poems of Cynewulf. He rightly believes that no
comparison can be instituted between the varying use of sources in the
Riddles and Cynewulf's adherence to one text. In style and word-
use the Riddles bear no closer resemblance to the undisputed works of
Cynewulf than to many other Anglo-Saxon poems. f Among the phrases
cited by Herzfeld t as common to the Riddles and Cynewulf, there is
hardly one that does not appear elsewhere. So the synonyms adduced
for the same purpose are seen to be commonplaces of the poetry. The
greater part of Madert's dissertation is devoted to the language of the
Riddles. On account of many noteworthy differences between the speech
of the problems and that of Cynewulf, he reaches the conclusion not only
that these poems are not the work of that writer, but that they are the
products of an earlier period probably the beginning of the eighth
century.
IThe evidence of meter, language, and style certainly speaks against
the theory of Cynewulfian authorship. In the consideration of this, we
are met by a double difficulty : the absence of any trustworthy Cynewulf
canon, on account of the widely differing opinions of scholars regarding
the authenticity of such poems as the Andreas, and of the larger part
of the Christ (1-440 ; 867-1693) ; and secondly, the obvious difference
between the matter and tone of such products of the profane muse as
the Riddles and the loftier temper of religious verse, a difference that
compels quite another manner of expression. Yet Sievers, Trautmann,
and Madert have noted in the Riddles points of variance from the un-
doubted poems of Cynewulf : points which, slight though they be, invite
consideration, because they are independent of all questions of genre
* Die Sprache der altenglischen Rdtsel des Exeterbuches und die Cynewulffrage,
Marburg, 1900.
t Cf. Madert's examples (pp. 10-1 1), and the parallels cited by Sarrazin, Bemmilf-
Studien, pp. 1 13, 159, 202 ; Kail, Anglia XII, 24 f. ; and Buttenwieser, Studien iiber
die Verfasserschaft des Andreas, pp. 22 f. % P. 17.
This latter conclusion, which is obviously dictated by Sievers's article (su^ra),
is reached in strange fashion. To cite but one of Madert's arguments (p. 128):
in 57 2 -wido appears for West Saxon -wudit. 'der u-Umlaut des i ist also hier
noch unterblieben, was mindestens in den Anfang des 8. Jahrhunderts zuriick-
weist.' Strange then that we should meet -widu in Alfred's Meters I3 56 , which is
not suspected to be an early Northumbrian text!
l x INTRODUCTION
and tone-quality. Even Herzfeld, though arguing for Cynewulf s author-
ship, was forced to note at least one important variation from that poet's
metrical usage. Both in the first and second half -lines, the Riddles afford
several examples of the appearance of a stressed short syllable in the
second foot of type A, when no secondary stress precedes.* Although
Sievers has remarked t several occurrences of this verse in the poetry,
it is noteworthy that not one of these appears in Cynewulfian work.
Herzfeld also notes \ variations from Cynewulf's forms of C and D
types ; but these seem far less conclusive.
A record of the more striking differences in language between the
Riddles and the accepted poems of Cynewulf may justify itself as an
historical survey, inasmuch as such discussion has been in bulk the most
important part of the criticism of the Riddles.
(1) Trautmann has correctly observed (Kyneivulf, pp. 29-30) that Cynewulf
seldom, if ever, expands contracted forms for the sake of his verse. Other
Anglo-Saxon poets freely permit themselves this liberty (Sievers, PBB. X,
475 f.); and the Riddles in particular abound in examples (Sievers, 1. c. ; Herz-
feld, pp. 60-61 ; Madert, p. 53): 4 66 , mines frean ; 23 7 , ofras hea; 6 3 , oft ic
wig seo ; 2Q 13 , 32 24 , 33 14 , 4O 1 , 42 9 , hwaet seo wiht sy (sle) ; 63", hwllum ut tyfrS ;
64 2 , faegre onbeon ; 64 s , Her wit tu beo"$ ; etc.
(2) Trautmann argues that in the ^-less forms of feorh, asfeores, feore,
the penult is always short in Cynewulfian verse ; while Herzfeld || and Madert T[
have pointed out that in the Riddles it is always long. Unfortunately for the
full force of the implied argument, Trautmann not only draws his examples
largely from the Andreas, but changes the Juliana verses 191, 508, that
oppose his view; yet the difference in use has some slight probative value.
Wealas in Rid. i3 4a , swearte Wealas, has a long penult (Sievers, PBB. X,
488) -, but Wale ( Wala) in the Riddles is almost certainly regarded as ^ x
(Herzfeld, p. 58).
(3) According to Trautmann,** Cynewulf uses only ham in dative, since
he regards Chr. 293, to heofonhame, as non-Cynewulfian. Hatne is found in
the Riddles, 30*, hfthe to ham ham\e\ (Herzfeld, p. 59, Madert, p. 61).
* Instances of JL X | ^ X in the first half-line are found Rid. 15", wicge wegaS ;
i8 n , men gemunan ; 47 6 , earn ond nefa; Q3 10 , strong on staepe ; in the second
half-line, Kid. 3Q 6 , duna bricefi ; 39% bindeft cwice ; 432, ute plegan (?). For ex-
amples of_.x x(x) | ^x in first half-line, see Rid. i6 2 , sldan swa some; 28 13 ,
strengo bistolen ; 28 U , maegene binumen ; 43", haegelas swa some ; 64*, Hwllum
mec on cofan ; 84 21 , wundrum bewrej>ed ; S4 22 , hordum gehroden ; in second half-
line, 59", hry sind in naman ; 84", wistum gehladen (Herzfeld, pp. 44, 49, 56).
t PBB. X, 454. { P. 56. P. 27. H P. 58. 1 P. 127. ** P. 79.
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixi
(4) Cynewulf uses the inflected forms of numerals if no substantive follows,
but the uninflected before a substantive immediately following (Trautmann,
83). This is not the case in the Riddles (Madert, pp. 61-62) : I4 1 , tyn wairon
ealra ; 37 3 , haefde feowere f et under wombe. Not much stress can be laid upon
the second example, since the uninflected form is metrically possible, and since
in the same riddle other attributive adjectives are uninflected, 37 7 " 8 , Haefde tu
fi>ru ond twelf eagan | ond siex heafdu (cf. 86 4 , ond twegen fet). This argu-
ment has, therefore, little force.
(5) Cynewulf wrote both feeder and fcedder (Trautmann, p. 77); but only
the shorter form is found in the Riddles (Madert, p. 26). Upon this no great
stress can be laid, for the three reasons that the longer form is exceptional in
Cynewulf, and that it appears elsewhere in the poetry (Beo'w. 459, 2049 ; Gen.
1074, 2696; Met. 2O 26S , etc.), and, finally, that any argument drawn from the
absence of a word or form is vain.
(6) The stem-syllables in bit(f)er and snot(t)or are always long in Cynewulf
(Trautmann, p. 76). In the Riddles they are sometimes long, 86 2 , gs 7 (Herz-
feld, p. 58); sometimes short, 34, biter beadoweorca; S4 34 , mon mode snottor
(Sievers, PBB. X, 508 ; Herzfeld, p. 58 ; Madert, p. 57). But neither of these
examples is decisive.
(7) Long-stemmed words ending in -el, -ol, -er, -or, -en, -urn (tungol, ivun-
dor, hleahtor, tdcen, etc.) are regarded by Cynewulf as dissyllables (Traut-
mann, p. 28), whereas in the Riddles they are often monosyllabic (Madert,
PP- 54-55)-
(8) Herzfeld * and Madert f note certain variations in the use of single
words, which seem to me to have very little significance :
(a) Cynewulf uses both gierwan andgearwz'an (Trautmann, p. 85). In the
Riddles only forms of the first are found (2i 2 * 9 , 27 13 , 2Q 1 , so 3 , 37 2 , 68 17 , 6g 2 ).
(b) Cynewulf uses fylgan (Trautmann, p. 86) ; the Riddles, like the Andreas,
673, folgian: ^,^,J>egnfolgade.
(c) Only uncontracted forms of the present participle of buan are found in
Cynewulf, whereas the meter clearly establishes contraction in Rid. a6 2 , neah-
bundum nyt (Sievers, PBB. X, 480).
(</) It may be added that <zr[0r] (24^ does not occur in the undoubted
Cynewulfian poems, but in Beowulf.
(9) Following the investigations of Lichtenheld \ Madert has pointed out
that in the use of the definite article the Riddles (117 articles in 1 290 verses)
belong rather to the time of Seowu/fthan to that of Juliana.
(10) Barnouw || discovers in Cynewulf only one example of weak adjective
with instrumental, Christ 510, beorhtan reorde; but m the Riddles several
*P. 63. t P. 129. t ffaupts Zs. XVI, 325.
P. 128. || Der bestimmte Artikel, etc., p. 222.
Ixii INTRODUCTION
instances: 4 44a , blacan lige; 41", leohtan leoman; 4I 94 , siveartan syne (perhaps
sweart ansyne); 4I 90 , ecan meahtum; 57 9 ' 10 , torhtan leafum.
(u) Barnouw * says of the Riddles : ' They are popular only in respect to
their vocabulary; in regard to style, they are not different from the other
poetic monuments. Their only striking peculiarity is the repeated use of the
article before terms of " dwelling." ' Compare Rid. 8 2 , ka wic ; so 4 , on J>am
wlcum ; ya 28 , ofj>am wicum ; 3O 4 , to l>am ham\e\
(12) Madertf notes that the dative after comparatives instead of J>onne
phrase is not found in Cynewulf, but appears frequently in Rid. 41 : 4I 18 - 38 -
46.50,56.57,70,78,80,82_
(13) SarrazinJ marks that in the older poetry (Gen. A, Dan.} words like
tacn, ivuldr, are customarily monosyllabic, while in Cynewulf's works tacen,
ivuldor, are regularly dissyllables (supra). Both usages appear in the Riddles :
56*, and rode tacn ; 6o,goldes tacen ; %4,swaJ>&t'wuld(o)rwifa(M.S. wtfefr);
84 25 , tvynsum wuldorgimm ; etc.
(14) Sarrazin also observes that words like ne ivolde, ne iviste, ne was,
are uncontracted in older poems, but that in Cynewulf nolde, niste, nas, domi-
nate. These premises can have little value on account of the numerous excep-
tions to this rule, but it is certain that the Riddles prefer the uncontracted
forms. Indeed nces and nolde do not appear ; contrast, however, 24 16 nelle,
i6 16 nele.
According to Sarrazin, many of these traits that we have marked in the
Riddles (notably (i) and (2)) are characteristics of poems of an older period
than that of Cynewulf. That is probably true, but the personality of the poet,
as well as the date, must be considered in such cases. The archaistic spellings
of glosses in the later chapters of the Lindisfarne John stand as a warning to
the too rigid and minute interpreter of internal evidence, and remind us, in the
words of Professor Skeat, || that ' large theories are constantly being built up,
like an inverted cone, upon very slender bases.'
Not much value can be attached to any single variation from Cyne-
wulf's usage, or indeed to the accumulative force of all that have been
cited ; but, in the absence of one jot of evidence connecting the Riddles
with this poet, these differences add slightly to the heavy burden of proof
resting upon him who seeks to revive the moribund claim of Cynewulfian
authorship.lT
* P- 216. f Pp. 69, 128. J Eng. Stud. XXXVIII, 160.
L - c - || Preface to St. John's Gospel, p. xi.
IT One is surprised to meet this statement in Brooke's E. E. Lit. from the Be-
ginning, p. 160, as late as 1898: 'There is a general agreement that we may
attribute the best [Riddles] to Cynewulf.' So far is this from being the case, that
with the exception of the Erlemanns, who interpret Rid. 90 as a Cynewulf charade
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Lxiii
In his second article,* Dietrich notes, as one point against his final
thesis of the unity of the whole collection, that the Riddles are not
written as a continuous whole. He believes that the collector drew
from different manuscripts, which represent two series of riddles : 1-60
(or 61) and 62^-95. He has already doubted in his first article t
whether the second series was by the same author as the first, be-
cause several of the subjects are repeated, and a good poet does
not repeat himself. That Series i has throughout unity, Dietrich seeks
to showj by three traits of these poems: (i) inner relation between
subjects ; (2) like employment of Latin sources ; (3) agreement in
treatment.
(1) Dietrich admits that there is no definite plan of arrangement,
but declares that the poet avoids placing together nearly-related subjects
because they are too easy to find. But there can be a connection resting
upon association of ideas and a certain poetic purpose in this connection.
He seeks to defend this assertion by an outline of the topics discussed
in Series i , and in this he is followed by Prehn || ; but Holthaus is clearly
right in his contention H that ' it is no very difficult thing, out of a great
mass of subjects which follow one another in purely arbitrary fashion,
to select and bring together those that have a certain likeness.' My
analysis (infra) shows that the final order is in a few cases the order of
composition. There is certainly no single idea in this group of riddles.
Very little stress can be laid upon this first argument ; indeed, Wiilker
does not think it worth while to class it with the other arguments in his
summary of Dietrich's views.**
(2) Upon the second argument, the like use of Latin sources,
Dietrich lays some stress. ft But the evidence that he presents is too
(supra), hardly any one now believes that the poet had aught to do with these
problems. (Brandl, who accepts the Erlemann solution, Pauls Grundriss* II, 972,
thinks that the writer of the Latin enigma may have been another Cynewulf or
else an admirer of ^he poet. This person, he thinks, may have been the editor of
the second series (61-95) or even of both series.) Wiilker, however, holds (Anglta,
Bb. XIX,. 1908, 356) that 'a part of the collection is from Cynewulfs hand' ; but
he brings nothing to sustain his view.
* Hatipts Zs. XII, 234. t XI, 488. t XII, 235. XII, 236.
II P. 150. ^Anglia VII, Anz. 121.
** Grundriss, pp. 168-169. tt See also Herzfeld, p. 5.
INTRODUCTION
slight* to warrant the sweeping assertion that a greater dependence
upon Latin models marks the first group, a freer movement charac-
terizes the second. This difference, however, is to be explained, so
Dietrich thinks, not by difference in authorship, but by the personal
inclination of one poet. Holthaus f objects that Dietrich's very examples
mark a distinct unlikeness in the relation of different riddles to their
Latin prototypes and analogues.
(3) Dietrich t finds a third argument for unity of authorship in the
treatment (' behandlung ') particularly in the use of opening and clos-
ing formulas. He examines in detail the various forms, and notes the
far greater elaboration of those in the first series compared with those of
the second ; and secondly infers from the likeness between the formulas of
the earlier group a single author. Herzf eld, || arguing for the unity of the
whole collection, points out that sixteen out of the first sixty (this result
must be modified) lack formulas, and that six others have the short
closing formulas of the second group. While the mere use of such con-
ventional forms would hardly serve to establish identity of authorship,
as these can be employed so readily by an imitator, IT still a careful con-
sideration of these formulas is not without value. Of the so-called first
* Dietrich, Haupts Zs. XII, 241, notes that in 17, 48, 61, we meet with verbatim
borrowings from Symphosius ; 36, 39, 41, are taken sentence for sentence from
Aldhelm : in 6, 14, 29, 37, 51, 54, certain matter is borrowed. In the second series
he marks a freer employment of Symphosius (Rid. 66, 84, 85, 86, 91), and a few
traits from Aldhelm. In particular riddles, Dietrich's conclusions regarding
sources must be corrected by the light of my study of origins (supra).
t L. c. t XII, 241.
Dietrich, Haupts Zs. XII, 241, marks the use of opening formulas in old
Germanic riddles, particularly in the Hervarar Saga. In these Gdlur we meet such
beginnings as these : ' What kind of wonder is that which I saw without before
the doors of the prince,' ' When I journeyed from home, I saw on the way,' ' I
saw in summer upon the mountains,' or ' I saw faring this and that.' It is inter-
esting to note that Heusler, Zs. d. V. f. Vk. XI, 133, cites, as an indication of
unlikeness between the different numbers of the Heifrreks Gdtur, the quite differ-
ent forms of their beginnings. Petsch discusses at length (pp. 51-58) introductory
formulas which have nought to do with the germ or central thdught of the popu-
lar riddle. We meet similar introductions in the English Holme Riddles, P. M.L.A.
XVIII, 211 ff. : Nos. 51, 53, 'As I went on my way, I heard a great wonder';
No. 52, 'As I went through the fields'; No. in, ' As I went by the way.' But
these are mere commonplaces of riddle-poetry.
II Die Rathsel des Exeterbuches, p. 8.
f Cf. Holthaus, Anglia VII, Anz. 122.
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixv
group (1-60) some twenty-nine lack opening formulas (Rid. 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9, 10, ix, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 31, 36, 40,
41, 45, 47, 55, 58) ; of the second group (61-95), twenty-six (Rid. 61,
62, 63, 64, 66, 67, 71, 72, 73, 74, 77, 78, 7-9, 80, 81, 82, 83, 85, 86, 88,
89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95). The absence of opening formulas from the later
riddles is not less significant than the lack of these in the first seventeen
problems of the collection. Thirty-three of the riddles of the first group
have no formal closing (Rid. 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23,
26, 30, 31, 34, 35, 38, 39, 41, 45-55, 57, 59) ; so with twenty-four of the
second group, of which many are incomplete (Rid. 64, 65, 66, 69, 70, 71,
72, 74, 75, 7 6 , 77, 7&, 79, 81, 82, 85, 87-89, 91-95)- Thus in the first
group fifteen riddles lack all formulas (Rid. 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18,
22, 23, 31, 41, 45, 47, 55); in the second, eighteen, five of which have
defective endings, are without them (Rid. 64, 66, 71, 72, 74, 77, 78, 79,
81, 82, 85, 88, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95). If we are tempted by a similar
absence of opening or of closing formulas in many successive riddles
(compare Rid, 3-18 ; 45-55) to draw the inference that in such cases
the order of the Exeter Book does not depart from the order of composi-
tion, we have strong evidence that the formulas employed are not the
additions of a collector, but belong in nearly every case to the original
fabric of the problem. The formula is usually bound to the riddle-germ
by alliteration, grammar, or syntax, often by all three. Among the more
striking of opening formulas thus deeply inwrought into the poems are
the following : ic eom wunderllcu wiht (Rid. 19, 21, 24 (wrcetllc), 25, 26) ;
ic (ge)seah (Rid. 20, 32", 33", 53, 54, 56, 57, 60, 65, 75, 76) ; ic wiht
geseah, and its variations (Rid. 30, 35, 39, 43, 52, 87) ; ic wat (Rid. 44,
50, 59) ; ic gefrcegn (Rid. 46, 48 2 , 49, 68). Note tnat the first two and
the last of these opening formulas are mainly found in successive riddles
of certain parts of the collection. The closing formulas are also closely
connected with the body of the riddle by alliteration, and often by se-
quence of thought. Among the more important of these formal closings
are Saga hwcet ic hatte either alone (Rid. n, 20, 24, 63, 67, 73, 80, 83,
86) or with an additional thought (Rid. 4, 9, 13) ; Saga with a question
(Rid. 2, 3, 36) ; Frige hwcet ic hatte alone (Rid. 15, 17) or with some
addition (Rid. 27, 28) ; Micel is to hycganne . . . hwcet seo wiht sy (Rid.
29, 32 ; compare variations of this final formula, 33, 36, 42, 68) ; Reed
hwcet ic mcene(Rid. 62) ; Nemna^hy sylfe (Rid. 58) ; and yet more elabo-
rate endings (Rid. 5, 37, 43, 56, 84). It is interesting that each portion
Ixvi INTRODUCTION
of the collection seems to have its favorite formulas, and that, just as in
their common dislike of formal openings, so the earlier riddles of the first
group seem to fall in the same category with the problems of the second
group either in their entire avoidance of formulas at the close or in their
use of Saga hwcet ic hatte. Only a very few formulas are independent of
the thought and structure of the problem as is so often the case in the
Heffireks Gdtur. Examples of such an independent opening formula
are found in the two first lines of Rid. 32, 33; but in each case this
beginning is followed by the common convention, ic seah. So the inde-
pendent beginning of Rid. 37 is prefixed to Rid. 69, a folk-riddle with
a formula of its own. The last two lines of Rid. 40 are unconnected
with the riddle, but these are preceded by an elaborate formula woven
closely into sense and syntax. The formula, when it appears, is thus
evidently regarded not as a vain and isolated supplement to the riddle,
but as an essential and vital part of its structure.
Agreement of treatment throughout the collection can be best tested,
however, by a careful examination and comparison of the motives and
diction of the various riddles. I shall therefore make a cursory survey
of the problems from this point of view.
The Storm Riddles (Rid. 2, 3, 4) are strikingly differentiated from
the other riddles in their sustained loftiness of tone. And yet in these
poems in which the riddle is the least part of itself, poems which recall
rather the sea-passages of the Andreas, we find points in common with
the smaller problems. Rid. 2 8 , foonne ic wudu hrere (see 4 7 ' 8 ), explains the
central thought of Rid. 8i 7 , se fee wudu hrereft; and 3 6 , streamas stafru
beatafi, suggests 8i 8 , mec stondende streamas beatafii Rid. 3 7 , on stealc
hleofea, and 4 26 , steal c*stanhleof>u, find their only parallel in 93 7 , stealc hli/>o,
a riddle which has something in common with 81 (8i 6 , 93 21 ). The
picture of tottering walls (4 7 ' 10 ) is matched by the defective lines
84 41 " 44 . 4 16 , fee me wegas tacne'd, is found elsewhere only in 52", se him
wegas txcnefe. 3 18 , of brimes fcefemum, appears again Rid. n 6 " 7 ; compare
3 15 , 77 2 . Slighter parallels are indicated in the notes. In 6 8b the Sword
is described as hondweorc smi/>a as in 2i 7 (compare 27", weorc smifea,
Book). Rid. 6 and 7 resemble each other in the spirit of battle. Prehn *
points out that 7 1 ' 2 , Mec gesette . . . Crist to compe, is paralleled in Rid. 30,
where the Sun appears as a fighter against the Moon. The Bird riddles,
8, 9, 10, , 25, 5 8 , are closely bound together. The many likenesses
P. 167, note.
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixvii
between the poems of the Swan (8) and the Barnacle Goose (n) go far
towards establishing the latter solution. In both hyrste is used of ' wings '
(8 4 , ii 8 ) and hrcegl of ' coat of feathers ' (8 1 , 1 1 7 ) ; the air raises both birds
and bears them widely (S 8 " 6 , n 9 ' 11 ; compare 58*, Swallows); and the
word getenge is found in both problems (8 8 , n 4 ). Trede (8 1 ) appears again
in the ' Swallows ' riddle (s8 5 , tredaff), which in turn recalls the ' Higora '
rune-puzzle in its use of nemna&(5& 6 , 25"). Rid. 9 closely resembles Rid.
2 S (9 1 " 2 * 2 5 l '> 9 4 > 2 5 5 ; 9 10 > 2 5 4 ) an d ma y have the same solution, ' Jay ' ;
while its half-line hlude rirme (g 8 ) finds its parallel in 58*, hlude rirmad
(see also 49 2 " 8 ). Compare the ' Cuckoo ' riddle, io 10a , ofifiezt ic aweox\e\,
with n 8b , on sunde awox. After such comparison of these six riddles, can
it be doubted that they all belong to a Bird group, and that they are all
from one hand ? And yet the group is not isolated but is closely associ-
ated with other problems, particularly with its neighbors in the Exeter
Book. Rid. n 1 , Neb wees mln on nearwe, invites comparison with 22 1 ,
32 6 , 35 8 ; ii* a , ufan yfrim freaht, with I7 8a , yfium feeaht ; i i te , hafdefeorh
cwico, with I4 8 and 74 5 ; II 6 " 7 , of fcedmum . . . brimes, with 3 18 (supra).
Hrcegl and hyrste (supra} both appear in the first line of Rid. 12, the
companion piece of Rid. 28 ; and hrcegl in 14. Yet another likeness
with the Wine or Mead group (12, 28, 29) is found in the two pictures
of the haunts of the Swallows and of the Bees (s8 2 , ofer beorghleofra ;
28 2 , of burghleofeuni). Rid. 12 and 28 are obviously mates, as are 13
and 39 (compare also 72). Rid. 13 is associated slightly with the riddle
of Night-debauch (Rid. 12) by its ninth line, dol druncmennen deorcum
nihtum; through i3 8b , wege'S ond f>y3, with 22 5 , wegeft mec ond f>y'8\ by
the introduction of the wonfeax Wale (8 a), with 53^, wonfah Wale ;
and by the peculiar idiom in I3 13a with 26". I have already noted close
parallels between the vocabulary of Rid. 14 and preceding riddles (i4 9 ~ 10 ,
hr(egl,frcetwe, 8 1 - 6 ; I4 8 , n 6 ; i4 llU , turf tredan, 8 1 , hrusan trede). I4 4b ,
Sweotol ond gesyne, reappears 4O 8 . Rid. 15 has no points of likeness to
the neighboring riddles, save to them all in its lack of opening formula,
and to 17 in its close ; but, as E. M tiller * early pointed out, it closely re-
sembles Rid. 80, which has the same theme (see notes under 80 for
common traits), and suggests the 'Beam' and 'Beaker' riddles (31 6 , 64 4 ).
Compare also is 12 with 2i 12 , 56 1 , 57", 64", 68 17 . Rid. 16 contains not only
many hapax-legomena,t but many expressions found only here and in
* Cbtkener Programm, 1861, p. 18.
t Herzfeld, pp. 10-12; McLean, Old and Middle English Reader, 1893, p. xxxi.
Ixviii INTRODUCTION
close companions in the Exeter Book : 16*, beadowapen^W, beadowcepnum) ;
16", tosizlel* (i7 6 ) ; i6 28 , hildepilum (i8 6 , hyldep'ilas). Other similarities in
word-use are 16", him bid dead witod (cf. i6 6 , 2i 24 , 8s 7 ) ; 16*, mcegburge
(cf. 2I 20 ); i6 12 , eaforan (2i 21 ); i6 8 , wic buge (8 2 ). ./</. 17 has phrases
in common with n and 16 (supra). Rid. 18, in the phrasing of three
of its motives (i8 4 , 24 s - 9 ; iS 5 - 6 , 24*; i8 6 , 24 12b ), closely resembles 24,
' Bow.'* Rid. 20 and 65 form a riddle-pair, associated as they are not
only by likeness of runes but by their very phrasing (2O 1 ' 3 , 6s 1 ; com-
pare here another runic riddle, 75 1 ). Hygeu>loncne is found only here
(2O 2a ) and 46* (hygewlonc). Rid. 21 has many points of contact with
other problems of like subject; notably with 24 (2I 1 reappears very
slightly changed, 24 2 ) ; and the motive of the relation of the weapon to
its waldend is common to both (2i 4 , 24); with 6 (2i 7 , 6 78 ; 2i 16 , 6*;
2 1", 6 10 , see Prehn, p. 187) ; with 16 (supra) ; with 56 (2I 6 - 8 , 9 - 10 , descrip-
tion of treasures, 56^; 2i 12 , 56 1 ) ; with 71 (2I 6 - 8 , 7i 6 ; 2I 23 , 7i 8 ); with
54 and 73 in the weapon's Klagelied. In its opening line Rid. 22 invites
comparison with n 1 , 32 6 , 35 8 . Still another likeness between 22 14 and
35 2 , the teeth of both, is pointed out by Prehn ; f but this is perhaps pro-
duced by the nature of the subjects. Rid. 22 5 , wege&mec ond />yf>,. is very
similar to I3 8 (supra) ; 22 7 , brungen of beanve, to 28 2 , brungen of bear-
wum ; and 22 8b , habbe (ie) wundrafela, reappears 83 lob . Rid. 23 has also
its parallels: 23 16a , n'e lagu drefde, recalls 8 2 , and 23 16b , tie on lyfte fleag,
suggests 52* ; 23 7 , yfoa ge/wac, is found only 3 2 (see 4 61 ) ; and the negative
method of the problem is also that of 40. I have already discussed the
relation of 24, ' Bow,' to the earlier weapon problems (18, 21), and of 25
to the Bird group (8, 9, 10, u, 58). Rid. 26 is not only the mate to the
later 'Onion' riddle, 66 (26 2b - 8 , 66 s - 6 ; 26 8 , 66 2b ' 3b ; 26 9a , 66 s *) $ but is the
first of the obscene riddles of the collection (26 6 * 11 , 46*, 62 6 ' 9 ). Rid. 27,
' Book,' has not a little in common with the riddles of similar theme,
52, ' Pen and Fingers ' (27 9 , 52 7 (?) ; 27", 52 2a ) ; 93, ' Inkhorn ' (27",
93 16 , 6i 12 - 14 ; 27 9 , 9s 22 ; 27 7 , 9s 26 , compare $2 4 ) ; 68, < Bible ' (27 13 , 68 17 ;
27 18f -, 68 11 ) ; and 50, ' Bookcase ' (37*, gifre, so 3 gifrum lacuni). Rid. 27
and 28 touch each other closely at one point (27 11 ' 12 , mec sifefean . . . haled,
28 s , heeled mec sif>f>an\ Rid. 28 is certainly a companion piece to 12
(supra). In the description of the bees it suggests the Bird riddles, 8, 58
* The relation of Rid. 18 to 24 has been set forth by the writer in M. L. N. XXI,
100. Trautmann, BB. XIX, 180-184, seeks to connect it with 50.
t P- 272. } Cf. M. L. N. XXI, 105.
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixix
(28 2b burghleobum, s8 2a beorghleofea ; 28 s - 5 , 8 8 , 58*) ; in its association of
Honey and Mead it explains some enigmatic lines in 80 (28 2a , brungen
of bearunim, 8o 6 , Hcebbe me on bosme foczt on bcarwe geweox) ; * in its
picture of the mead-hall it recalls 15"' 16 , 2i 12 , 57", t and furnishes a
contrast to 29 (28- 9 , 29 8 " 10 ), to which it bears a general likeness; and
in the sorrow caused by its contact it deals with a favorite motive of
these enigmas (28 9 , 7*, i6 -25 , 24, 26 9 - 10 ). \ Except in its suggested con-
trast to 28 (supra), and in the likeness of its closing formula to 32 23 ~ 24 ,
Rid. 29 has nothing in common with its fellows. Rid. 30, as I have
pointed out at length, is bound by nearly all of its motives to 95 (so 2 ' 4 ,
95 5a ; 30 5 , 95 6a ; so 8 , 95 1 - 3 ; so 13 - 14 , 95 10 ' 13 ) ; the Sun's power as a fighter
(3 9 ~ u ) reminds us of 7 1>5 , and the Moon's sad exile of 40 (infra) ; and
the last motive of the riddle is very similar to that of 83 12 ~ 14 . Only one
or two phrases in Rid. 31 suggest other riddles : 3i 4 , bearu blou<ende, re-
calls 2 9 , bearwas bledhwate; and 3i 5 , weras . . . cyssaft, the ' Horn ' and
' Beaker' enigmas (i5 8 , 64 4 ). Dietrich || finds in 31 7 ~ 9 ' Taufwasser,' the
motive of 84 38 , but this relation is more than doubtful. We have already
seen that Rid. 32 is connected through its opening formula with the
next riddle, 33 1 " 3 , and through its closing lines with 29 12 ' 13 . Its sixth
line, Niberweard wees neb hyre, closely resembles 22 J , 35 3 (supra), and its
eighth, no hwcebre fltogan mceg, tie fela gongan, 59 3 , rie fela ride's, ne
fieogan mag. Rid. 32" and 59 10 " 11 contain the same motive, and hord
warad is found only 32 21 , gg 26 . Like the Flute (6I 8 " 10 ), the subject of
this enigma speaks to men at the feast (32 12 ~ 14 ). Apart from its likeness
to 32, Rid. 33 has points of contact with many other riddles (33 5 , 4O 10 ;
33 6 > 59\ 8l3 > 86 6 , 93 25 ; 33", 95 s " 9 ). Prehn has noted IF the very close
verbal agreement between 34 9 " 10 and 42 2 ' 4 . Compare with this the
phrasing of 84 4 , a poem that contains general references to Ice (84 s5 ' 89 ),
the subject of 34 ; and mark a different expression of the same
motive, 38*. I have already pointed out the likeness of 35 8 to n 1 , 22 1 ,
and, particularly, 32 6 (supra). 35 4 bears a certain similarity to 3<> 4 , and
35 7 " 8 has 1 much in common with yi 2 " 3 . Rid. 36 occupies an isolated
position among the riddles. ^ Prehn** to the contrary, it bears no rela-
tion to 57, and only a slight resemblance to 71 ;' and even the closing
formula does not appear in the older version of the problem. It is
*E. Miiller, p. 19; Trautmann, BB. XIX, 206. t Prehn, p. 196.
\ Dietrich, Haupts Zs. XII, 245. M. L. N. XXI, .104.
||XI,469. tPp- 211, 276. **P. 207.
l xx INTRODUCTION
strikingly significant that it is linked by a single motive to 41 (36 9 ,
awiefan wyrda crceftum; 41 85 , wratfrce gewefen wundorcrcefte), to
which it is closely bound through its similar relation to Aldhelm. The
opening formula of Rid. 37 is prefixed without reason to 69 ; and the
problem has a general likeness to other monster-riddles (37 8|7 ~ 8 , 8i 2 - 5 ,
86 s " 7 ). Rid. 38 is a companion-piece to 87, which reproduces its first
lines. These lines (38 1 ' 8 ) also suggest 19* and the fragment 89 ; while
the closing line of the problem recalls the world-old motive of 34 9
(supra). Rid. 39 is nearly related to the riddles of similar import, 13,
72 (39 3 , 72^ ; 39 s " 7 , I3 1 " 4 - 14 " 15 ). Rid. 40 belongs to the group of Sun
and Moon riddles, 7, 30, 95 : the departure and dreary exile of ' the
wight ' (4O 6 " 9 ) are described 3O 9 ~ n ; the wide wanderings are pictured
4O 16 ' 17 , 95 8 ; the comfort brought to man is mentioned 4O 19 , 7 7 ; and the
silence and lore of the subject appear 4O 8 - 4 ' 12 - 21 - 22 and 95 7 ' 10 . The con-
trasts of 40 suggest the method of 41, and its many negatives that of
23. The close relation of 41 to 67 and its connection with 36 will be
discussed in the notes; with the other problems it has almost nothing
in common. Under Rid. 34 I have indicated the likeness of 42 2 - 4 to
34 9 " 10 and 84*. The closing formula of 42 binds it to 29, which it also
resembles in its use of superlatives (42 s " 4 , 29 2 ~ 8 ) and its employment of
brucen (42 7 ; see 29, bruced}. I find a few parallels to Rid. 43 : its
opening formula appears frequently in the Riddles ; equivalents of hwitloc
(43 8 ) are elsewhere used to suggest fair beauty (4i 98 , 8o 4 ) ; wlanc is em-
ployed in the same context (26 7 , modwlonc] and weorc in the same sense
(55 10 ) ; on fl ette (43 5 ) is a not uncommon phrase (s6 2 , 57", on fief) ; and
werum at wine (43 16 ) suggests wer at wine (47 1 ). A parallel to 44 1 , in-
dryhtne afeelum deorne, is found in 95 1 , indryhten ond eorlum cud; to 44 2 ,
giest, in 4*, 8 9 , 23 15 ,* etc. ; to the reference to the Earth as moddor ond
sweostor (44") in 83 5 , eorfian brofior.^ Rid. 45 is one of the group of
obscene riddles, and therefore has not a little in common with 26, 46, 55,
62, 63, 64 (45 8 , 26* ; 45 5 , 6s 7 ); its closest analogue is 55 (45", 55 5 ; 4$ 4 - 5 ,
55 s " 4 ). Rid. 46 is also bound closely to others of its class (46 la , 55 2a ;
46 lb , 55 8b , 62 9a ; 46*, 26 7 ; 46 6b , 26 6 ) ; and, in its use of hygewlonc, has a
slight connection with 2O 2 , hygewloncne, the only other occurrence of
the word. The world-riddle 47 has nothing in common with the other
Cf. Dietrich, Haupts Zs. XII, 245.
t Cf. Anglo-Saxon Prose Kiddle, Grein, Eibl. der angelsachsischen Poesie II, 410.
See note to 44".
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixxi
problems of the collection save the likeness of 47 la to 43 16a (supra).
Rid. 48 is, however, connected with other riddles: its second line is
similar to the opening formulas of 46 1 , 49 1 , and the use of stafiol (48 5 )
invites comparison with 26*, yi 2 , 8S 25 , 92" ; while its last motive (4S 4 - 5 )
is not unlike so 10 " 11 . As Dietrich long ago pointed out,* 49 is a com-
panion-piece to 60, as a likeness in all motives proclaims: it is associated
by the phrase hlude stefne ne cirmde (49 2 ~ 8 ) with the Bird riddles (g 8 ,
hlude cirme ; 58*, hlude cirma^). Rid. 50 has many analogues. Gifrum
lacum (so 8 ) and to nytte (so 9 ) connect it with the Book riddle (27 127 ' 28 ) ;
while its first and last motives may have been suggested by the well-
known problem of the Bookmoth (48 5 ~ 6 ). It bears an interesting relation
to its neighbor 51 (so 2 , dumban, si 2 , dumbum; so 9 , si 2 , to nytte; 50",
Si 8 , the ' feeding ' of both) ; and it has points of contact with 58 and 72
(SO 4 " 5 , se wonna f>egn sweart ond saloneb ; 72 10 , sweartum hyrde ; s8 8a ,
swearte salopade). Trautmann points out f like traits of the subjects of
50 and 18 : both work by day (so 2 , i8 8 ), both swallow (i8 7 , So 2 - 11 ), and
both conceal costly treasures (so 6 , i8 9 ~ 10 ). Rid. 51 is connected not only
with 50, but, through its first line Wiga is on eorfean wundrum acenned,
with 84 1 , An wiht is wundrum acenned. The likeness pointed out by
Trautmann \ between 52 and 27 has already been illustrated. 52 4b , MS.
fleotgan lyfte, recalls 23 16 on lyfte fl~eag (cf. 74 8 ) ; 52 5a , deaf under ybe,
appears again, 74 4 ; and 52 6b , se him wegas tatcnefo, reproduces 4 16b . The
wonfah Wale of 53 6a reminds us of the wonfeax Wale of i3 8a . Rid. 54
has much in common with 73 (54 8 , 73 1 " 2 ; 54* frod dagum, 73 3 , gearum
frodne, 83 1 , 93*) and 92 (infra). Its motive of wretched change of state
is the leading idea of 27, 73, 83, 93. Like the others of the group of
obscene riddles, Rid. 55 is closely associated with its fellows : its rela-
tions to 45 have been indicated ; tittle esne appears only ss 8a , 64 5a ; ss 6 ,
worhte his wi/ian, is paralleled by 64 7 , wyrcdS his willqn ; 55 2 , MS. in
wine se/e, may be corrected in the light of 46 1 , in winde; 55 10 , JHES
weorces, recalls the like use of the phrase, 43*. Rid. 56 is nearly akin,
in its first lines, to 57 10 ~ 12 ; and 56 4a , searobunden, also resembles S7 8 " 6 ,
seanuum . . . gebunden. Prehn regards 56 as a companion to 21,
' Sword ' ; though this is an overstatement, there are certain likenesses
between the two (56^, 2I 6 " 8 ' 9 - 10 ; 56 1 , 2i 12 , a common formula). Rid.
57 is not only associated with 56, but its vocabulary bears in two
*Haupts Zs. XI, 474. t BB. XIX, 183-184.
t Ib. XIX, 197. P. 279.
INTRODUCTION
lines (57 7 ~ 8 ) a distant resemblance to 52 4b>5b . Prehn* fails to establish
any connection between this and 36. The relation of 58 to the other
Bird riddles has been discussed at length (supra), and its parallels to
other problems sufficiently indicated (s8 2a , 28 2 ; 58% 5<> 5a ; s8 4b , 49 2 - 3 ).
Rid. 59 has no near anafogues; but 59 la , anfete, suggests 33 6 , 8i 8 , 93^ ;
S9 2 - 8 repeats the motive of 32", and 59 10 " 11 that of 32". The enumeration
of strange physical traits (59 7 ~ 9 ) gives it a place among monster-riddles
(cf. 33, 81, 86). As we have already seen, 60 is a mate to 49. Rid. 61
is bound to the other riddles by its companionship in the Exeter Book
(i22b-i23a) with the second form of 31. Its first lines bear a general
likeness to 77 1 " 2 ; and 6i 12 , seaxes ord, reappears, 77 6 . Prehn t has
pointed out the similarity of 6i 9 to 3 2 8 ' 12 - 14 , and of 6i 12 - 14 to 27 (cf. 93 15r ).
The first problems of the so-called second series are closely bound to
those of the first group. Rid. 62 is an obscene riddle, and, as such, is a
near kinsman of 26 and 46 (62 6 ' 9 , 26 6 - 11 , 46 1 - 8 ), and of the next coarse
enigma (62 6 , on nearo ; so 63 8 ). Rid. 63 is thus bound not only to its
precursor, but to its follower, 64 (63 5 , 64 6 , fey^}, and to the other puzzles
of double meaning (63 6 , 55 4 ; 6s 7 , 45*; 63 8 , 26 5 , nathwar, 46 1 , 55 5 , 62 9 , nat-
hwcef). The relation of the ambiguous 64 4 ~ 7 to 55 and 63 has been shown
(supra) : but 64 2h>3b , ford boren . . . ficer guman drincaff, must be com-
pared with 56* 2 , 57 11 " 12 ; and 64^, mec . . . cysseS m ufre, with the rid-
dles of 'Horn' and 'Cross,' is 3 , 3i 6 . Rid. 65 is the companion-piece to
20 (supra) ; and 66 to 26. Dietrich $ has pointed out the likeness be-
tween 66 3a , hafaft mec on headre, and 2i 13 , healdeft mec on heafeore. The
interesting connection between 41 and 67 has been already mentioned.
Rid. 67 has also something in common with the vocabulary of the frag-
ment 94 (67 2b , Teohtre feonne mono. ; 94 s " 7 , Teofre foonne feis leoht eall, leohtre
fronne w . . . ; 67 6b , heofonas oferstlge, 94 2a , hyrre foonne heofori). Rid.
68 abounds in words and phrases of the riddle-poetry : 68 1 , ic gefrcegn,
46 1 , 48 2 , 49 1 ; 68* 2 , wr&rtce iviht, 43 1 , 52 1 , 7O 1 ; 6& 9 ,fef rie f\olme\, 32 7 ,
40 10 ; 68 12 - 16 , general likeness to 27 18f - ; 68 17a , golde gegierwed, vf* gierede
mec mid golde ; 68 17h , frier guman druncon, 56 1 , 57", &4 8 ; 68 18 , since ond
seolfre, $6 4 . The opening formula of 37 precedes the one-line folk-riddle
69. Rid. 70 is related by its subject to 32, but its likeness to other rid-
dles lies chiefly in its diction, the use of single words found elsewhere in
the collection : 7O 2 , singe^ 32 8 ; 7<> 2 , sldan and sweora, 73 18 , 86 s " 7 ; 7o 8a ,
orf>oncum, 78 7a , fiurh orfoonc; 7O 8 , eaxle, 73", 86 6 ; 7O 4a , on gescyldrum,
* P- 233. t P. 237. J Haupts Zs. XII, 250.
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixxiii
4 jios . y i^ W ra>tnc(e), passim ; 7O 6b , halefeum to nytte, ay 27 , 51*, etc. 71
has many analogues: 71*, ic com rices ieht, 79*, ic eom cefeelinges ieht : ;
71% stiff and steap wong, 36 1 " 2 ; * 7I 2 " 8 , stafeol . . . wyrta wlitetorhtra,
35 7 " 8 , fea wlitigan wyrtum fceste . . . on stafeolwonge ; 7i 5 " 6 , wepeft for
gripe niinum, 93, ne for wunde weop. As a riddle of the Sword, it is
closely connected with problems having the same theme: 7i 8 " 4 , wrafera
laf,fyres ond feole, 6 7b , homera lafe (Beow. 1033, fela laf, 'sword');
7i 5 , wire geweorfead, 2i 4a ' lob - 82a ; 7i 6b , se fee gold wigeft, 2i*~ 8 , ic sincwege . . .
gold ofer geardas (' Sword ') ; 7i 8a , hringum gehyrsted, 2 1 2813 fee me hringas
geaf (' Sword '). Rid. 72 is connected by its subject (' Ox ') and two of
its motives with the pair 13 and 39 (72*"*, feower feah . . . brdfeor,
39^ 4 > feower wellan, etc. ; 72 1(M2 , I3 1 " 2 ). The misery of the subject
(72 12 ~ 13 ) is a common riddle-topic (2i 17 , 54 5 , 8i 6 , 93 21 ). I have already
noticed the likeness of 73 to 54 : save in its monster traits (see supra under
70), it has nothing in common with any other problems. Rid. n*,jleah
midfuglum, recalls 23 15 , 52 4 ; 74*% deaf under y foe, is identical with 52 5a ;
and 74 5b , hcefdeferficwicu, very similar to n 6 , i4 3 . The tiny runic riddle
75 is exactly in the manner of other runic problems, 2O 1 " 8 , 6s 1 ; while
the inversion of the runes (75 2 ) recalls 24 1 , Agof. The single line of 76
employs the opening formula of 75. Under 61 I have noted the slight
parallels between that riddle and 77 (77 1 " 2 , 6I 1 " 2 ; 77 6 , seaxes orde, 6i 12 ,
27^ 6 ). The closest analogue to 77 is the fragment 78 : 77 2 , tnec yf>a
wrugon, *j$',y/>um bewrigene (compare 3 15 ) ; 77 8a , fefeetease, 78 2 , \Te\as
cyn : 77 8b , Oft ic flode, 78 la , Oft ic flodas. Rid. 79, whose single line
may be but a variant of 8o x , recalls 71 la {supra). Miiller and Trautmann
have invited attention to the close relation between the two Horn rid-
dles, 15 and 80 (supra) : 8o 2 , fyrdrinces gefara, I5 13 , fyrdsceorp 8o 3 " 5 ,
the serving of mead by the lady, is 8 " 9 ; 8o 7 ' 8 , on wloncum ivicge ride,
J5 5-6.18-14 . 8o 8 b) hgard - s m - m tungg ^ jg4.16.18 . 8<) 8b.7a ) ^.4,6,6.^ faMum.
The mention of honey (mead), 8o 6 , hcebbe me on bosme f>cet on bearwe
geweox, recalls the mead of 28 2 , brungen of bearwum ; and So 3 "*, Cwen
. . . hwitloccedu , suggests 43 8b , hwitloc. Rid. 81 has an affinity to the
Storm riddles (8i 7 , se fee wudu hrereV (wind), 2 8 , ic wudu hrere (wind) ;
8i 8 , streamas beataft, 3 6 ) ; its monster traits (Si 2 " 5 ) invite comparison with
59 7 - 8 , 86^ 7 , 37 37 ' 8 ; and its wretchedness with 2i 17 , 54 s , 72 13 , 93 21 . The
fourth line of the fragment 82, [/]<?// ne flizsc, reminds us of 77 5 . In 83,
the Ore's sad change of state recalls the themes of 27, 54, 73, 93 ; and
*Prehn, p. 242, note.
l xx iv INTRODUCTION
its lack of redress (8s 8b , ic him yfle m mot} is akin to the Sword's and
Horn's failure to avenge (2i 17 , 93 19 ). 8s 4b , Nu me fah wara% strongly
resembles 93 26 , Nu mm hord wara8h~if>ende f~eond\ 83 10b , Hcebbe ic wun-
drafela, reproduces 22 8b , habbe wundrafela ; and 83 1 ' 2 - 14 contains exactly
the closing motive of the Sun and Moon riddles, 3O 13 -", 95 10 - 14 . Rid. 84
is more or less intimately connected with many other riddles. Its first
line is but a variant of Si 1 (supra); 84 4 - 20 , in the theme of Water and
Fish, anticipates 85, while the phrasing of 84*, Modor is monigra mcerra
wihta, recalls 42 2 , moddor monigra cynna ; S4 6 - 9 bears a general likeness
to 4O 22 " 24 . Prehn* discovers a resemblance between 84 9 ~ 10 and 4I 1 ' 8 ,
and between 84 85 and 4i 65 ; but this is faint and may well be coincidence.
And Dietrichf finds a relation between the 'Taufwasser' of 84 38 ', ftrene
dwcesced, and 3i 7 - 9 (cf. 84 28 , 3I 5 - 6 ); but this is very doubtful. The like-
ness of 84 2 - 8 - 41 - 44 to the Storm riddles, 2 2 , 3 5b , and 4 7 ' 10 , lies probably in
the demands of similar subjects. As has just been noted, Rid. 85 treats
a theme suggested in 84. While the description of Water, 8s 5b , he sceal
rinnanford, is founded upon the Latin of Symphosius (see ' Originals and
Analogues '), yet it may be compared with 84 2b , hafad ryne strongne, and
%4 5 ,fa>gerferendefunda'd<fre. 85 8 , ic eom swiftre f>onne he, is quite in
the manner of 4i 94 , ic eom swifera fionne he (cf. 4i 26 - 28 ) ; and 8s 7 , me b'ift
dead witod, reproduces i6 n , him bid deaffwitod (cf. 16), a phrase found
only here. 85 2b , unc drihten scop, parallels 88 17 , unc gescop meotud. Save
in its monster traits (cf. 32, 33, 37, 59, 81), Rid. 86 has little in common
with other riddles. Its opening formula, Wiht cwom gongan, recalls 34 1 ,
Wiht cwom . . . nfean, and 55 1 , Hyse cwom gangan ; and 86 2 , monige . . .
mode snottre, repeats 84 84 . Rid. 87 is another version of 38, repeating
many of its expressions (supra) ; while its first line, wombe hcefde micle,
connects it with 19', wide wombe, and Bg 2 , wiht wombe h<zfd\e\. Rid. 88
and 93 form a splendid pair, with the theme ' Staghorn.' The motive of
brotherly love, of which so much is made in 88, is not employed in 93 ;
but the two motives of dispossession by younger brothers and of
injuries from the knife appear in both (88 18 - 20 , 93 18 - 14 ; 88 32 - 83 , 93 15f -).
I have noted the slight likeness of the fragment 89 to 19, 38, 87. The
Latin riddle 90, in its formulas (go 1 - 8 ) and its ' monster ' characteristics,
is not very different from its neighbors. To Rid. 91 I discover no
parallels among the riddles save in the use of the comitatus motive. In
its picture of the change from tree to weapon, 92 recalls 54 (92 lb , beam
t Pp. 252, 253. t XI, 469, 485.
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixxv
on holte, 54*, on bearwe beam ; 92**, wynnstafrol, 54 2b , frcet treow wees on
wynne ; 92 5a , hildewcepen, 54 9b , hildegieste) and 73 ; and 92 la , brunra beot,
is explained by 4i 106 - 107 . Apart from its close relation to its fellow, 88,
Rid. 93 touches nearly many other problems : 93*, dcegrime frod, 54*,
frod dagum, 73*, gearum frodne, %>, f rod wees minfromcynn; 93 7 , stealc
hli/>o, 3 7 , 4 26 ; 93 10 , X3 1 , I 6 2 ' 17 , 63 1 * ; 93 15 " 18 , 27*, 6i 12 (j/ra); 93 19a , ne
for wunde w~eop, 7I 6 " 6 , Weped . . . for gripe m'mum ; 93 11 *~ 20 , lack of re-
venge, 2 1 17 , 83 8 ; 93", ic aglceca ealle frolige, 8i 6 , Aglac dreoge; 93 22 , 6 9 ;
93 22 ' 28 , Nu ic blace swelge wuda ond wcetre, 27, beamtelge swealg; 9S 27 ' 29 ,
2 7 7 " 10 5 93 26 . 83 4 " 5 (supra). I have pointed out under 67 the relation of
the fragment 94 to that ' Creation ' riddle. As has been shown, Rid. 95
is bound by nearly all of its motives to its mate, 30 (supra). Through
its closeness to men, its wanderings, its lore, and its silence, the subject
recalls a riddle of like theme, 40 (95 1 ' 8 , 4O 1 ' 8 ; 95", 4O 16 - 17 ; 95 7 - 9 , 4o 3 - 4>21 ;f ;
95 9 " 10 , 4O 12 ). Rid. 95 employs the phrases of other problems : 95 , Ic
eom indryhten ond eorlum cuty 44 1 , Ic wat indryhtne cefielum deorne ; 95' 2 ,
ricum ond heamtm, 33 18a , rice ond h~eane\ 95 7 , snottre men, 86 2 , monige . . .
mode snottre, 84 **, man mode snottor. The closing motive of 95 is found
not only in 30 18 - 14 , but in B^ 1 * (supra).
Such likenesses as I have pointed out between the various riddles are
\ sufficiently striking to establish homogeneity, and indeed they often com-
!\pel belief in the presence of a single hand in many of the problems. Bul-
oring fails completely to grasp the true character of the enigmas of the
Exeter Book when he declares : t ' Wie man bei einer Sammlung von
Volkslieder schwerlich an einen einzigen Verfasser denken wird, so darf
man es meines erachtens ebensowenig bei diesen Ratseln, die mit geringen
Ausnahmen doch auch ein Produkt der Volkspoesie sind.' It is obviously
absurd to class our riddles with folk-songs. As I have long since shown, t
they teem with popular elements and motives, but they are almost with-
out exception literary enigmas from the hand of the artist. In such com-
positions as the poems of the Storm (2, 3, 4), Badger (16), Sword (21),
Book (27), Lance (73), Water (84), and the Horn cycle (15, 80, 88, 93),
the reader soon becomes aware that the riddle is the least part of itself,
that concealment of solution has been forgotten in the joy of creation.
*
* See Prehn, p. 260, note.
t Lift. Bl. XII, 1891, Sp. 156, cited with hearty approval by Herzfeld, Herrigs
Archiv CVI (N. S. VI), 1901, p. 390.
} M. L. N. XVIII (1903), 97 f. ; see also supra. Cf. Brandl, Grundriss* II, 972.
INTRODUCTION
Even, in the shorter problems, the riddle-maker, draw though he may
from the stores of the folk, shapes anew with loving art the story of the
ingratitude of the Cuckoo (10), the fate of the Ox (13), the labors of
the Plow (22) and the Rake (35), the journeys of the Ship (33) ; or
else, by the aid of runes, converts into logogriphs or word-riddles of the
study such commonplaces of folk-poetry as the themes of the Cock (43)
and Man on Horseback with Hawk (20, 65). Even in the small number
of riddles which, in tense, terse, pointed style and absence of epic breadth,
in freedom from all that is clerkly or bookish, seem to bear clearly the
stamp of popular production (53, 58, 66, 70, etc.), the many parallels to
other problems (supra) mark the presence of the craftsman. In those
very puzzles whose smut and smiles point directly to a humble origin
(26, 45, 46, 55, 63) we detect (supra}, amid the coarseness of the cottage,
tre leer of a prurient reworker.
'Ihe Riddles, then, are homogeneous in their artistry. One of the
finest proofs of this lies in the striking circumstance that almost every
dark saying or obscure periphrase in our poems finds illuminating ex-
planation elsewhere in the collection. To indicate a few examples out
of many : 8i 7b , se fee wudu hrereft, is revealed as ' the wind ' in the light
of 2 8 , ic wudu hr'ere\ 80 6 , Hcebbe me on bosme beet on bearwe geweox, is
interpreted by reference to the description of Honey in 28' 2 ; the enig-
matic phrase brunra beat immediately becomes clear by comparison with
the picture of the swine, dark and joyous, in the beech wood, 4i 106 - 107 ;
and 95 5 , h'ibendra hyht, is seen to be but a circumlocution for huty ' booty,'
when read side by side with 3O 4 - 9 . The homogeneity of the collection is
further attested by the dominance in very many of our riddles of the
two motives of ' utility ' and ' comitatus,' which play but a small part in
other enigmas of the Old English period. These will be discussed at
length in a later chapter.
Now if certain art-riddles are found grouped in what is really a single
collection ; if, moreover, these riddles, after close analysis, are found to be
homogeneous in their diction ; if, too, large collections from single hands
were common at that period, the burden of proof rests not upon him
who argues for unity of authorship, since every precedent and presump-
tion are in his favor, but upon him who champions diversity of origin.
The need of such strong destructive evidence is totally disregarded by
Trautmann in his bald assertion : * ' Diese entstammen verschiednen
* Kyncwulf, p. 4 1 .
AUTHORSHIP OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixxvii
zeiten und dichtern.' Brandl, who holds the same view,* gives, however,
certain reasons for his opinion. The second group seems to him sepa-
rated from the first by the second appearance of Rid. 31 ; but that the
Exeter Book modernizer or scribe chose to insert in a position isolated
from both groups a variant version of a riddle already given proves, of
course, nothing against the unity of the collection. The contrast between
the edifying tone of certain enigmas and the coarseness of their near
neighbors seems at first sight to indicate different hands : but the points
of contact between the lofty and the low often forbid such a conclusion.
Runes and ribaldry meet in Rid. 43, court and cottage clash in Rid. 62 ;
the literary and the popular blend in Rid. 13 and 64 ; Rid. 66, with its
Symphosius motive, is closely related to Rid. 26, the grossest of its greasy
sort. Subject-matter is evidently small criterion of origin.
Further evidence against the unity of the collection is furnished by
Barnouw.t The Riddles differ so widely from one another in their use
of articles that if this be a trustworthy test of date, they may well be re-
garded as the products of different periods. ' Some of them that employ
'articles freely (24, 43) may be contemporary with Cynewulf, while others
that are sparing in the use of these (16, 23, etc.) are doubtless earlier in
time.' Deductions drawn from such evidence are dangerous ; and one
refuses to follow Barnouw when he goes to the length of assigning Rid.
38, 39, 69, to a later date than Rid. 30, 35, 37, because in the former
group the opening formula is ic fea wiht(e) geseah, in the latter ic wiht
geseah.\ The weak adjective without an article is to Barnouw proof of
an early date, and he differentiates the Riddles accordingly. He regards
Rid. 13 as one of the oldest of the riddles on account of the absolute use
of weak adjective without article in the phrase hygegalan hond^i^ 3 ). The
survival of an archaic form in a poetical text is surely no proof of
antiquity. ||
* Pauls Grundriss^ II, 970.
t Der bestimmte A r tike I im Altenglischen, p. 21 1.
t Barnouw (p. 211) notes that the following riddles are quite without articles:
3, 6, 9, ii, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20, 22, 37 (1-8), 51, 52, 53, 58, 59, 63, 64, 66, 67, 71, 72,
74, 80, 83, 85, 86, and the fragments 19, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 82, 87, 89, 92.
In addition to instrumental forms already cited (4**, 4187,90,9^ 57 9 - 10 ), Barnouw
records the following instances of weak adjectives without an article: 4 8 , beartn
brddan (?) ; 4 4 ' 2 , eorpan gesceafte ; 38 3 , mcrgenrofa man ; 4I 55 , hrim heoriigrimma \
49 6 , readan goldes (contrast 52", 56 s ) ; 83 13 , dyran cr&ftes; 93 11 " 12 , hdra . . .forst.
|| Note the appearance of weak adjectives without definite articles in a late
poem, Brunanburh, 61-62, salowigpsdan and hyrnednebban.
Ixxviii INTRODUCTION
Although Barnouw's arguments have been accepted by Brandl in his
Grundriss article as infallible criteria of date not only of the Riddles, but
of all other Anglo-Saxon poems, they seem to me to carry little weight.
| The normalizing of later scribes,* and ' the tendency to archaize, to use
traditional formulas and expressions, so strong in Anglo-Saxon poetry,' t
! render this test almost valueless. The use of the article in early Greek
poetry is closely analogous to that in Old English verse. But the classical
scholar, who, on account of the absence or presence of articles, assigned
the various fragments of Alcaeus to different hands, ascribed the tragic
choruses of Aeschylus to an earlier date than the non-lyric portions of
the dramas, and labeled as Homeric in time the epic conventions of
Apollonius Rhodius, would be speedily laughed out of court.
A much more important argument remains that based upon the
evidence furnished by the use of sources. We have already seen that,
with the same data, Dietrich and Holthaus reached exactly opposite
conclusions in regard to the unity of the collection. But the value of
their reasoning was impaired by the incorrectness of their data sup-
posedly close literary relations between Latin and Anglo-Saxon enigmas,
where often none at all existed. In the methods of direct and indirect
borrowing that our study of the sources of the several problems \ has
revealed, there are but few certain indications of difference of origin.
The habit of mind which either works in perfect liberty, or else, gather-
ing a useful hint here, a happy phrase there, gives delightfully fresh and
new forms to current motives and ancient traditions, but which never
yields itself slavishly to its models, is the dominant mood in the Riddles
and points rather to one poet of free spirit than to many men of many
times. And yet all the Exeter Book Riddles can hardly be from one hand.
The servilely imitative temper of Aldhelm's translator in the enigmas of
the ' Mail-coat ' and ' Creation ' (Rid. 36, 41) differs so utterly from the
prevailing tone of the collection, which is at its highest in the unchecked
range of imagination of the ' Storm ' riddles (2-4), that this inferiority
cannot be explained with Dietrich by the changing inclination of one
poet. As will be shown later in my notes to Rid. 41, there is good
* Notice the difference in this regard between the Exeter and Vercelli texts
of Soul. f See Lawrence, M. L. N. XXIV, 1 52.
t See chapter on ' Originals and Analogues.'
It is interesting to note that these two problems, which stand so widely apart
from all the others in their dependence upon learned sources, have other very dis-
tinctive features : (a) the poor technique of Rid. 41 ; (b) the isolation of the
SOLUTIONS OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixxix
reason to believe that yet another hand was at work in the later portion
of that long and dreary poem, and that this hand rewrought his crude
work in Rid. 67. But these poems are the only ones in the collection
that we can assign with any positiveness to a different author.*
Let us now summarize our results. The Riddles were not written by
Cynewulf : all evidence of the least value speaks against his claim. It
seems fairly certain that they are products of the North, f Their place
as literary compositions (not as folk-riddles) in one collection, and their
homogeneous artistry, which finds abundant vindication in a hundred
common traits, argue strongly for a single author, though a small group
,of problems brings convincing evidence against complete unity. That
their period was the beginning of the eighth century, the heyday of
'Anglo-Latin riddle-poetry, is an inviting surmise unsustained by proof.
, IV
SOLUTIONS OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES
Unlike the Latin riddles of their period, the Anglo-Saxon queries are
unaccompanied by their answers. In six problems, however, the ingen-
ious use of runes guides the solver to his goal. In two of these \ the
runic element is so elaborate and complex that it converts the poems
into intricate name-riddles ; in three others the ' open sesame ' is
found in an easy rearrangement of the runic letters ; in -the sixth || the
last two lines constitute a runic tag that confirms an already obvious
Northumbrian version of Rid. 36 from all other English riddles, and its associa-
tion in the Leiden MS. with the Anglo-Latin enigmas with which it is so closely
connected in thought ; (c) the differentiation of Rid. 36 and 41 from neighboring
queries of their group {Rid. 31-61) by the subject's use of the first person.
* Even the obscene and the runic group, which seem to fall into two distinctive
classes apparently remote from the others, reveal upon examination points of con-
tact. By recasting, the poet makes coarse folk -products his own.
t The Northumbrian dialect of the Leiden Riddle proves nothing, as its variant
version, Rid. 36, stands entirely apart from others of the collection except 41 ; but
Northern origin is attested by the large number of uncontracted and unsynco-
pated forms demanded by the meter, and by the appearance of such Anglian
usages as bag (5 8 ), sa-cce (ly 2 ), geonge (22 2 ), ehtuwe (37*), efrfra (44 16 ), J>izA (?2 8 ).
See Madert, pp. 126-127. J Rid. 20, 65.
Rid. 25, 43, 75. The third of these is but a fragment, but in the first and
second the Sachenratsel element dominates. || Rid. 59.
Ixxx INTRODUCTION
interpretation. In a seventh riddle * the Latin equivalents of preceding
English words are disguised in secret script. In three other riddles f
the marginal use of single runes obviously originated at a far later
period than that of their composition, as these are not from the hand
of the scribe. Inversion of its opening nonsense-word gives, as the rid-
dler tells us, the name of the subject of one of the spirited weapon-
riddles, t Finally, the faint letters in other writing at the end of the
long ' Creation ' enigma may be read as hit is sio creatura pr. Such
are our clews in a dozen problems. ||
These, however, were of but slight aid to the first modern scholar who
presented any solutions. Hickes inserted facsimile transcripts of five runic
riddles IF in the beginning of his Icelandic Grammar** As Conybeare
says quaintly : ft ' Hickes' opinion (of these riddles) is formed from the
} attributes ascribed to the mysterious subject, such as being appointed by
Christ to encounter warfare ; speaking in many tongues ; giving wisdom
to the simple; rejoicing in persecution; found by the worthy; and re-
ceived by those who are washed by the laver, etc. 'it Conybeare's own
attempts at solution are almost as unfortunate as those of Hickes. For
Rid. 3-4 he supplies the answer ' Sun,' for 33 ' Wagon or Cart,' for 47
' Adam, Eve, two of their sons and one daughter appear to be the five
persons intended.' He is nearer the mark in his answer to 67 : ' The
omnipresent power of the deity comprehending at once the most minute
and vast portions of his creation is intended.'
Many scholars have sought to solve the problems. L. C. M tiller ||||
offered to Rid. 6 and 27 the solutions Scutum and Liber. Thomas
*Rid. 37. t Rid. 7, 9, 18. \ Rid. 24. Rid. 41.
|| Strobl, Haupts Zs. XXXI, 55-56, claims that the so-called Husband's Message,
which follows Rid. 61 in the Exeter Book, furnishes the correct answer to that
enigma, ' Der Runenstab.' But the theory that the two poems form thus a sort of
Wettgedicht completely collapses, if, with Dietrich, we interpret the riddle, Reed,'
as I think that we must (see notes).
1 Rid. 20, 25, 37, 65, 75. From his copy of 37 Grein drew the facsimile at the
close of his Bibliothek. ** Thesaurus III, 5. tt Illustrations, p. 210.
it Hickes's comments are interesting. After a Latin analysis of each of the rid-
dles copied by him, he cites passages at random from other problems, particularly
from those of Sun, Night, Badger, and Mead (7, 12, 16, 28), to show that their
solution is Ecclesia : e.g. 28 6 , m bydene (the ' butt ' in which the Mead is prepared)
receives the surprising interpretation : in dolio, i.e. in baptisterio.
For brief summaries of the work of solvers, see Wiilker, Grundriss, pp. 166-
167, and Trautmann, Anglia, Bb. V (1894), 46 f.
Illl Collectanea Anglo-Saxonica, 1835, pp. 63-64.
SOLUTIONS OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixxxi
Wright * proposed three answers : to Rid. 14 ' Butterfly-cocoon,' to 29
' John Barleycorn,' and to 47 ' Lot with his two daughters, and their
two sons.' In the same year, 1842, Thorpe | solved the 2oth riddle
with /io/y, man, rad-uxzgn, hafoc, and the 22d with ' Plow.' Bouterwek \
suggested ' Hemp ' in Rid. 26. Leo proposed ' Cynewulf ' for Rid. i.
Grein || gave four answers : Rid. 3, ' Anchor '54,' Hurricane ' ; 48,
' Bookmoth'; 68, 'Winter.' Then followed, in 1859 and 1860, the two
epoch-making essays of Franz Dietrich,H in which he unlocked the
treasure-gates of nearly all the riddles. By far the greater number of
his solutions seem to the present editor adequate interpretations of the
several problems, and attest the fine acumen or riddle-sense which com-
pelled Dietrich to weigh each enigma not as a scholar in his study, but
as a man among men of naive minds.**
Since Dietrich's day a little has been added, here and there, to our
understanding of the queries ; but in many cases other keywords
'Open Wheat,' 'Open Rye' have been futilely substituted for his
'Open Sesame.' In his Sprachschatz (1861), Grein is more than once
happy in his guesses, ft an d Ed. Miiller's comments of the same year are
often suggestive. t$
For over twenty years the Riddles found no new solvers. In 1883
Trautmann offered the answers, Rid. i, ' Riddle,' || || and Rid. 95,
* Biographia Britannica Literaria I (1842), 7982. t Codex JSxoniensis, p. 527.
$ Ctzdmori's des Angelsachsen biblische Dichtungen, 1854, I, 310311.
Quae de se ipso Cyneivulfus tradiderit, 1857.
|| Bibl. der ags. Poesie II (1858), p. 410.
T Haupts Zs. XI, 448-490; XII, 232-252.
** Dietrich errs, I think, irThis explanations of Rid. 5, 9, n, 14, 29, 37, 42, 46,
5 1 ' 5 2 < 53' 55> 63, 65, 71, 72, 74, 80, 81, 90, 95. His answers to Rid. 31 and 40 are
more than doubtful. In his second article, which is often a palinode of his first,
he withdraws (usually at the prompting of his friend Lange, no riddle-kenner) very
suitable replies to Rid. 18, 26, 45, and 58. Each of his solutions will be discussed
in my notes.
tt Notably in his 'Bell' answer to Rid. 5 (II, 716) suggested but withdrawn
by Dietrich and in the ' Ox ' solution of Rid. 72.
\\Die Rdtsel des Exeterbuches, Programm der herzoglichen Hauptschule zu
Cothen, 1861. Miiller's remarks upon Rid. 13 and 39, 15 and 80, 2, 3, 4, 9, 28, 30,
59, 61, 63, 71, 74, 80, 85, 86, 87, merit attention. Had Trautmann known his ' Horn '
interpretation of Rid. 80, he would surely not have heralded this solution as an
original discovery forty years later (BB. XIX, 1905, 203-206).
Angha VI, Anz., pp. 158 f. See also ib. VII, Am., p. 210.
|| || The later history of the discussion of the ' First Riddle ' is sketched elsewhere
in this Introduction and will not now be considered.
Ixxxii INTRODUCTION
' Riddle.' In the same year Prehn published his discussion of the sources of
the Riddles* emphasizing Dietrich's solutions. Reviewing Prehn's work,f
Holthaus accepted Trautmann's two interpretations. Nuck \ opposed
the solutions of Trautmann, and Hicketier revived Leo's solution of
Rid. i, argued against Trautmann's answer to 95, discussed 90, and
suggested readings of the runic problems 20 and 65. According to
Henry MorleyJ the solution of Rid. i is 'The Christian Preacher,' of
61 ' Letter-beam cut from the stump of an old jetty,' of 90 ' The Lamb
of God,' and of 95 ' The Word of God.' Herzfeld IF solves Rid. 46 by
' Dough ' and 51 by 'Fire.' In his excellent versions of over a third of
the Riddles, Brooke ** accepts the answers of Dietrich and Prehn except
in Rid. n, which he interprets as ' Barnacle Goose.'
In 1894 Trautmann published ft a great number of solutions with no
further support than an ipse dixit. These answers, by reason of their
seeming remoteness from any obvious interpretations of the text, have
sometimes been regarded as random guesses. it In subsequent articles
he has withdrawn or championed several of these obiter dicta. But, as I
have pointed out, || || lack of historical method, perversion of the meaning
of the text, and arbitrary assaults upon its integrity discredit nearly all
his answers.iril
* Kompositionen und Quellen der Ratsel ties Exeterbuches.
t Anglia VII. Am., p. 120.
t Anglia X (1888), 390 f.
' Fiinf Ratsel des Exeterbuches,' Anglia X, 564.
|| English Writers II (1888), 38, 224 f.
If Die Ratsel des Exeterbuches und ihr Verfasser, 1890, p. 69.
** Early English Literature, iS()2, flasst'm.
tt Anglia, Beiblatt V, 46 f.
it Brandl, however, seriously impairs the value of his discussion of the Riddles
(Pauls Grundriss* II, 1908, 969-973) by accepting without question many of these
unsustained solutions.
\\Anglia XVII (1895), 396-4 (Rid. 53, 58, 90); Padelford's Old English
Musical Terms, 1899 (Rid. 9, 32, 61, 70, 86); BB. XVII (1905), 142 (Rid. n);
ib. XIX (1905), 167-215 (Rid. ii, 12, 14, 18, 26, 30, 31, 45, 52, 53, 58, 74, 80, 95).
|||| M. L. N. XXI (1906), 97-105.
ft Of the solutions originating with Trautmann himself only se.-^n compel
conviction (Rid. 37, ' Ship ' ; 52, ' Pen and Fingers ' ; 53, ' Flail ' ; 63, ' Poker ' ; 68,
'Bible'; 81, 'Weathercock'; and 92, 'Beech'). He is seemingly unaware that
several of his most plausible answers have been given long before by other
scholars notably 61, ' Runenstab,' by Morley and Strobl; 72, 'Ox,' by Grein
and Brooke ; 80, ' Horn,' by Ed. Miiller.
SOLUTIONS OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES Ixxxiii
Several scholars have contributed their mites to the solutions of single
queries. Walz discusses some six of these in his ' Notes on the Anglo-
Saxon Riddles,' * reaching, I think, incorrect conclusions.! Blackburn
interprets Rid. 31 as Beam,\ Frl. Sonke Rid. 25 as ' Scurra ' or
' Mime,' and Felix Liebermann || and Jordan 1[ arrive independently at
the ' Sword-rack ' solution of the ' Cross ' riddle (56). The Erlemanns
have cast much light upon the ' Storm ' riddles (Rid. 2-4) ** and upon
the Latin enigma,tt and Holthausen has once or twice turned aside
from text emendation to try riddle-locks. \\ I have already suggested
several new solutions, and shall attempt a few others in the present
work. || || All the answers indicated in this cursory sketch will receive
consideration in the notes of this edition (see also the ' Index of Solu-
tions ' at the close of the bopk).1F1T
In closing this survey, let me repeat what I have said in a previous
discussion.*** The solution of riddles is too uncertain a matter to permit
their solver ' to come to battle like a dictator from the plow.' To the
same motives different solutions are often accorded by the folk itself, as
I have shown at length.ftt It was, of course, the purpose of the riddler
* Harvard Studies V (1896), 261-268.
t His answers, 'Gold' (12), 'Porcupine' (16), 'Mustard' (26), 'Cloud and
Wind' (30), ' Yoke of Oxen led into the barn or house by a female slave ' (53),
and ' Sword ' (80) are sturdily but unconvincingly championed.
\Journal of Germanic Philology III, p. 4.
\Englische Sludien XXXVII, 313-318.
|| Herrigs Archiv CXIV, 163.
T Altenglische Saugetiernamen, p. 62.
** Edmund Erlemann, Herrigs Archiv CXI (1903), 55.
tt Ib., p. 59; Fritz Erlemann, ib. CXV, 391.
It See his solutions of Rid. n, ' Water-lily' (Anglia, Bb. XVI, 1905, 228) ; 16,
' Porcupine ' (Engl. Stud. XXXVII, 206) ; and his readings of Rid. 20 (Anglia,
Bb. IX, 357), 37 (Engl. Stud. XXXVII, 208), and 90 (ib., 210-211).
Rid. 14, 'Ten Fingers' (M. L. N. XVIII, 1903, 101-102); 74, 'Siren' (ib.,
100; XXI, 1906, 103-104) ;.and 95, 'Moon' (ib. XXI, 104-105).
|||| See particularly notes to Rid. 20, 37, 40, 42, 56, 71.
Tir In chronicling in my Notes the ' Onion ' and ' Leek ' answers for Rid. 26 and
66, I fail to remark that ' Leek ' is impossible for either riddle. ' A leek is never
" red " like the wight of 26, the bottom of the leek being blanched like celery for
use, while the top is of course green ; and a leek is always eaten in the year of
sowing or in the following winter, has never been planted out in the second spring,
and hence cannot be the wight of 66, which has been dead and lived again ' (Bying-
ton). The ' Onion ' satisfies all conditions.
***M.L.N. XXI, 97-98. tttlb. XVIII, 5-6.
Ixxxiv INTRODUCTION
to lead his hearers into many devious paths, each of which seemed, for
the moment, the only way of escape from the maze ; and his cunning
has been richly rewarded by the fate of modern solvers.* In his second
article Dietrich retracts a dozen solutions of his first,! and Trautmann
frankly and freely changes ground in many problems. Rid. n, once
solved by him ' Bubble,' is now ' Anchor ' ; 30, formerly ' Swallow and
Sparrow,' is now ' Bird and Wind ' ; 31, ' Cornfield in ear,' now becomes
Beam. In 52, ' Horse and Wagon ' is rightly replaced by ' Pen ' ; in 53,
' Broom ' by ' Flail ' ; and in 80, ' Spear ' by ' Horn.' In 58 he recants his
recantation, passing in successive articles from ' Hailstones ' to ' Rain-
drops,' and then to ' Stormclouds.' Within five years I have modified
my own views of as many problems.! Nothing, therefore, seems more
unwise than lengthy and strenuous dogmatizing over opinions which may
to-morrow be abandoned by their champion.
FORM AND STRUCTURE OF THE EXETER BOOK RIDDLES
Since the explosion of the attractive legend of Cynewulfian author-
ship, it has been obviously impossible to ascribe with confidence all the
riddles of the Exeter Book to a single enigmatograph, although many of
them must have come from one hand. They therefore belong to quite
another class than the groups of Anglo-Latin problems of the eighth
century, each of which is associated rightly with one great name, and in
each of which the order is that of composition. Attempts like that of
Prehn to establish for the English poems any unity of purpose in choice
of subjects and material have been signally unsuccessful. But it is equally
wrong to regard this collection, with Bulbring|| and Herzfeld,1T as a glean-
ing of folk-riddles, like, for example, that of Randle Holme.** As I have
already pointed out, ft our problems are art-riddles (Kunstratsel} with a
large alloy of popular elements. Their author or authors, like the Ger-
man enigmatographs of the sixteenth century, drew quite as freely from
*See Brandl, Pauls Grundriss^ II, 972.
t Rid. 9, 18, 26, 28, 38, 49, 56, 58, 74, 81, 86, 90.
\ Rid. 26, 31, 37, 42, 53. Pp. 148 f. || Litt-BL, 1891, Sp. 156.
^Herrigs Archiv CVI (N. S. VI), 1901, p. 390.
**P.M.L.A. XVIII (1903), 211 f. \\M.L.N. XVIII (1903), 97f.
FORM AND STRUCTURE OF THE RIDDLES Ixxxv
myth and tradition as from learned sources.* In the runic riddles f
appeal is made to a ' bookish ' audience ; t but the riddler, here as well
as elsewhere, composes with his eye not only on his subject but on the
puzzled faces of men who will listen to his dark sayings.
Prehn believes that oral transmission of the Riddles is firmly estab-
lished by the ' Wandering Singer ' interpretation of Rid. 95, and we may
sacrifice this solution || without abandoning his conclusion. Ample evi-
dence of the truth of this is found not only in the passage from Rid. 43
already cited, but in many other places in the poems. One indication of
such direct address certainly lies in the opening and closing formulas,
that make an immediate appeal similar to those in the f oik-riddles. If Or
let us note the thirstily hinted hope of reward near the close of the
second Horn riddle.** Frequent references to the wine-hall ft seem to
mark this as the scene of the riddles' propounding and solving. The
^different versions of Rid. 31 and 36 point to oral transmission. \\ But
the highest proof of directness of appeal lies in the epic nature of the
treatment of manifold themes, as Dietrich recognized. This will be
* Folk-lore and mythology are freely invoked in the riddler's treatment of the
singing feathers of the Swan (8), the ingratitude of the Cuckoo (10), the strange
origin of the Barnacle Goose (n), the metamorphosis of the Sirens (74).
t Nos. 20, 25, 43, 59, 65, 75.
} 43 7 , / dm J>e bee witan, means, as the context clearly shows, ' those who know
letters or rune-staves," but they are rather hearers than readers; ic on flette mag \
J>urh runstafas rincum secgan. P. 147.
|| I have proved, M. L. N. XXI (1906), 104-105, that the last riddle is a mate
to Rid. 30, and refers to the wanderings of the Moon.
T Prehn, p. 1 52, points to a 1 , ag 12 , S2 23 , 33 13 , 3& 13 , 37 12 , 4O 28 , 42*, 44", so 8 , 6o 15 .
** Oft ic wofrboran ivordleana sum \ dgyfe after giedde (So 9 " 10 ). It is significant
that ivofrboran is applied to riddle-kenners (32 124 ) and that gieddes is the word for
a riddle ' (56").
tt 43 15 ~ 16 Nit is tindyrne\ werum at wine. Cf. also ai 12 , 47 1 , 56 1 , 57 11 , 6i 9 , 64 3 ,
68 17 . In the last of these examples, J>ier guman druncon has no particular bearing
upon the subject of the riddle, and is justified only by the riddler's surroundings.
It Ago/tor Agob (24 1 ) seems a mistake of the ear.
Haupts Zs. XI, 448 : ' Wo das Epos, sei es im Gleichnis oder im unmittelbaren
Dienst seiner Geschichte, Naturgegenstande beschreibt oder durch Umschrei-
bungen andeutet, nahert es sich dem Ratsel, nur dass es den Namen dazu im
ersteren Falle nenrtf ; umgekehrt bewegt sich das wahrhaft poetische Ratsel
nach den Kreisen des Epos hin, wenn der Gegenstand des Ratsels, sei er der
elementaren Natur oder der belebten, durch Menschenhand umgeschaff enen, ange-
horig, erzahlend auftritt, und er selbst oder der Dichter in seinem Namen uns
von seiner Heimat, von Vater und Mutter, von Bruder und Schwester, von
Ixxxvi INTRODUCTION
duly discussed when the form and manner of our poems are con-
sidered. But, before such analysis is possible, the significance of sub-
ject and matter demands attention.
Nowhere does a poet or school of poets proclaim closeness to life
more plainly than in choice of themes. And it is here that the preemi-
nence of the Exeter Book Riddles over the Anglo-Latin enigmas be-
comes immediately apparent. The English poems smack far less of
abstractions and of classical and biblical lore than the problems of Aid-
helm ; * nor are they eked out with liberal borrowings from Isidore's
Etymologies, like those of Eusebius. Nothing human is deemed too high
or low for treatment, and all phases of Old English existence are re-
vealed in these poems ; f so that they stand forth as the most impor-
tant contemporary contributions to our knowledge of the everyday life
of their time. The poet does not hesitate to treat the cosmic aspects of
nature, the changing forms of sea and sky, of wind and wave, in the
greatest of the riddles, the Storm-cycle (2-4) ; nor to embody into
an exquisite myth the battle of Sun and Moon \ or the fierce onset of
the Iceberg (Rid. 34) ; but, with a few such exceptions,! the Riddles
are very close to solid earth. The larger number is devoted to man and
his works: his weapons, || his implements of home and field, IT his
seinen Schicksalen nach seiner Vertreibung aus der Heimat, von seinen Thaten
und KUnsten, von Kampfe'n und Arbeiten, von Lust und Leid in lebendiger
Schilderung berichtet.'
* It is significant that the Anglo-Saxon enigma of the Creation is a fairly close
rendering of Aldhelm's De Creatura, adapting, however, its classical allusions
to the lay understanding (see notes to Rid. 41). Rid. 44, ' Body and Soul,' and
Rid. 47, 'Lot and his Daughters,' are only apparent exceptions to the prevalent
popular choice of subjects, since the first moti/was a part of the universal belief,
and the second a commonplace of riddle-poetry.
f Brooke, Eng. Lit. from the Beginning, p. 159.
t Contrast with this human handling of elemental conflict {Rid. 30) Aldhelm's
frigid lines upon the relation of the two luminaries.
Note also the ' Creation ' cycle (41, 67, 94), the riddles of Sun and of Moon (7,
30, 40 ?, 95), and those of Water (31 ?, 42 ?, 84).
|| See the riddles of ^Shield (6), Ballista (18), Sword (21), Bow (24), Mail-coat
(36), Battering-ram (54), Sword or Dagger (71), Spear (73). The Sword plays an
important part in Rid. 56.
IF Compare the riddles of Plow (22) and Rake (35) and Flail (53), of Lock and
Ke y (45. 9i) of Loom (57), of Oven or Churn (55), of Poker (63), of Beaker (64)
and Drinking-horn (15, 80) and Leather Bottle (19 ?), of the Bellows (38, 87). We
may add to these such essentials of life as Ship (33, 37), Anchor (17), Well (59),
and Weathercock (81). The chariot or wain is introduced into Rid. 23.
FORM AND STRUCTURE OF THE RIDDLES Ixxxvii
clothes,* many of his instruments of music, f his books and script, t his
sacred emblems, and even his food and drink. || Not only man, but the
lower animals, fish, flesh, and fowl, receive ample treatment. Many
beasts, IT birds,** fishes, ft an d even insects $ t play a lively part in the
Riddles. The plant-world of tree and flower is not neglected. So wide
is the range of our poems.
*Rid. 62 is probably a song of the Shirt, and the Glove is ' the skin ' of Kid. 14.
Shoes are mentioned in Rid. 13, and the hrccgl and cyrtel in the obscene riddles
(45- 46, 55. etc.).
t See the riddles of Bell (5), JEforn (15, 80), Bagpipe (32), Reed.flute (6I 1 - 10 ),
and Shawm (70).
} Compare the two ' Book ' problems (27, 68), the enigmas of Bookmoth (48)
and Bookcase (50), and finally the riddles of Pen and Fingers (52), Reed-pen
(6i 10 - 17 ), and Inkhorn (88, 93).
See the riddles of the Cross (31 ?, 56) and those of Paten (49) and Chalice (60).
The ' Book ' problems (27, 68) refer to Holy Writ.
|| Note the ' Dough ' riddle (46) and the reference to Bread or to Butter in the
last lines of Rid. 55. There are problems of Mead (28) and Beer (29), and the
chief motif of the ' Night ' enigma (12) is vinous revel. Enigmas of the wine-cup,
and the many references to the wine-hall, have already been indicated.
IT Badger (16), Steer (13, 39), Horse (20, 65), Ox (72), Dog (75), and Lamb and
Wolf (90) are subjects of riddles; while the Stag (88, 93), the Boar (41), and the
Swine (41) are described at length. Of the uncanny things of everyday life, such
as reptiles and fungi, perhaps the only example is the fen-frog of 4i 71 .
** Closely bound together are the Bird riddles, those of Swan (8), Jay (9, 25),
Cuckoo (10), Barnacle Goose (n), and Swallows (58). Cock and Hen (43) and
Hawk (20, 65) are the themes of runic riddles. Other birds are mentioned, the
eagle, kite, goose, and sea-mew in Rid. 25, the puzzling pernex in Rid. 41 (see
note to 4I 66 ), and the raven in Rid. 93 (note to gs' 26 ).
tt Fish and Flood (85) and Oyster (77 ; cf. 78) are riddle-themes ; and the Whale
(4 1 92 - 94 ) receives passing notice.
tt The Bookmoth has a riddle to itself (48) ; a picture of the Bees introduces
the ' Mead ' riddle (28) ; and the snail, the weevil, the rain-worm, the hand-worm,
the tippula, all appear in Rid. 41, while Rid. 36 shows a knowledge of the silk-
worm. Zupitza (Haupts Zs. XXXI, 49) compares with the riddler's reference to the
tiny size of the hondwyrm (41* ; cf. Aldhelm's Latin) the close parallel in the
' Wen ' charm at the end of MS. Royal 4. A. XIV, miccle lesse, alswd dnes hand-
wurmes hupebdn ; and he recalls Shakespeare's picture of Queen Mab's wagoner
(R. &* J. i, 4, 65), 'a small gray-coated gnat, Not half so big as a round little
worm Prick'd from the lazy finger of a maid (man).'
The Beech (92, 4i 106 ) is the only tree to which an entire riddle is devoted;
but Ash and Oak are mentioned as runic names in Rid. 43 9 " 10 , and Yew, Maple,
Oak, and Holly appear in Rid. 56 ] ". The tree in the forest is pictured in 31, 54,
and 73. A general description of plants and flowers is found in Rid. 35 6 ~ 9 , 7i 2 " 8 ;
the Reed (61), the Onion (26, 66/, and the Garlic-seller (86) are riddle-subjects;
Ixxxviii INTRODUCTION
All these riddles, whether the subject be animate or inanimate, have
at least one common characteristic, their human interest. This is evinced
in a dozen striking ways : but by far the most important of these is a
trait of our problems, missing in other collections, but so strongly marked
here as to suggest a common origin for many of the riddles the trait
of utility. The riddler may neglect place and form and color of his sub-
I ject, but he constantly stresses its uses to mankind.* Indeed, men are
in the background of every riddle-picture ; f and the subject is usually
* viewed in its relation to them. The most significant expression of this
relation is found in the motif of Comitatus, or personal service of an
underling to his lord and master, that forms the dominant idea in many
of our poems, t Sometimes the relation or service is of a humbler kind.
Rid. 29 tells of the reaping and threshing of the barley ; and we hear of the sea-
weed washed up on the beach in 3 8 , 4i 49 . Into the Creation enigma (41) lily and
rose and wormwood are all introduced.
* Mark the appearances of nyt : 26-, neahbu(e)ndum nyt ; 27^, nijnim t5 nytte ;
33 9 , moncynne nyt ; 35 3 , hyre set nytte ; so 9 , him t5 nytte ; si 2 , dryhtum to nytte ;
55", 56", nyt ; SQ 5 " 6 , nyt . . . hyre [monjdryhtne ; yo 6 , haelejmm to nytte. It is cer-
tainly significant that in the translation of Aldhelm's Creatura such phrases as
leaf moncynne (4I 27 ) and mare to monnum (4I 46 ) have no equivalent in the Latin.
Leather (13), Horn (15), Book (27), Mead (28), and many other things recount
with pride their manifold uses.
1 2 8 , waelcwealm wera ; 6 6 , mid jeldum ; 7 3 , unrimu cyn ; 8 s , ofer haele^a
byht ; g 5 " 6 , eorlum ... in burgum; i8 n , men gemunan ; ig 2 , masldan for mon-
num ; 2i 12 , for mengo ; 24 10 , gumena hwylcum ; 28 1 , weoriS werum ; 3O 13 ~ 14 , nienig
. . . wera; 3i 6 , weras ond wlf ; 32", werum on wonge ; 33 12 ~ 13 , guman bruca'S |
rice ond heane ; 34 11 ' 12 , JEldum . . . firum on folce ; 35 1 , in wera burgum ; 36 12 ,
for haele^um ; etc.
t Compare Rid. 2 2 - 1 *- 15 , 3 U ~ 15 ; 4 1 , min frea ; 4 1 *- 16 ; 4 s6 , mines frean ; 4 72 - 74 (each
of these Storm-riddles closes not only with formula, but with relation to lord) ;
5 1 - 9 , tegne mlnum ; 5*, hlaford; 7 5 , mm frea (Crist') ; i8 5 , frea; 2 1 2 , frean mlnum;
2i 4 , waldend ; 2i 23 , from bam healdende }>e me hringas geaf ; 2I 24 , frean; 2I 26 ,
mlnum J>eodne ; 2I 29 " 30 ; 22 3 - 15 , hlaford mm; 22 14 , |>enaj>; 24 6 , se waldend; 38 2 ,
)>egn folgade ; 44 5 , esne )>enaS ; 44- 10 , gif Se esne | his hlaforde hyreft yfle | frean
on fore ; 45 2 , frean (= esne) ; 50*, se wonna )>egn ; 55 7 -*, )>egn . . . esne ; 56 10 , frean ;
56 18 , his mondryhtne ; 57 11 , mmum hlaforde J>iEr haeleS druncon ; sg 6 hyre [monj-
dryhtne ; 5g 13 - 14 , hlafordes gifum, hyrei? swa J>eana | >eodne sinum ; 62 s -*, frean
. . . holdum )>eodne (see notes for wifely service) ; 7i 9 , dryhtne mm . . . ; 73*,
frean mines ; So 1 " 8 , ae)>elinges eaxlgestealla, | fyrdrinces gefara, frean minum leof, \
cyninges geselda; 87 2 , J>egn folgade; gi 6 , frean mines; gi 9 , min hlaford; gtf,
Frea mm ; g3 5 , frea.
The creature is ruled by the hands of a woman in Rid. si 5 , of a lord's daughter
in Rid. 46*, of a queen or earl's daughter in Rid. So 3 - 5 , of a churl's daughter in
FORM AND STRUCTURE OF THE RIDDLES Ixxxix
Again, the immediate effect of the unknown thing upon man is described
with spirit.* Thus in one way or the other the close connection of the
riddle-subject with mankind is revealed.
In a still more potent fashion is life lent to the themes of our poems.
Not only do the subjects of over half the problems (fifty) speak in the
first person f as in the Latin enigmas, not only is grammatical gender
I sometimes invoked to the riddler's aid,t but in many riddles the subject
\is quickened into full life. The riddler points to the living souls of his
Rid. 26 6 , of a dark serving-woman ( Wale) in Rid. 13 and 53 ; it is guided by a
swart herdsman (Rid. 72 10 ),-and is turned by a priest (60).
* Rid. 26, 28,. 29.
t Rid. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, n, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27,
28, 31, 36, 41, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67, 71, 72, 73, 74, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 85, 86
(mixture of ist and 3d persons), 88, 91, 92, 93, 95. It is perhaps significant that of
the last thirty problems of the first group (Rid. 1-60) the only two that employ
the first-person subject (Rid. 36, 41) are direct translations from Aldhelm.
} The importance of grammatical gender in determining the sex of the riddles
has been greatly exaggerated by both Cosijn (PBB. XXIII, 129) and Trautmann
(BB. XIX, 181), who quite unwittingly are harking back to the mythological
theories of Max Miiller. In many Riddles, small account can be taken of this by
reason of three common conditions, (i) The wiht of the opening lines leads to
the use of feminine pronouns throughout the problem : 3o 5 ' 8 ' 10 , 32 6 , 34 5 ' 8 , 35 3>6 ' 7 >
37 2>8 > 4o 6 ' 7 . 8 ' 10>etc - 57 6 , 59 4t6 , 68 4 , 87 6 . In two cases the gender of wiht is more potent
than that of the subject, even though the creature is named explicitly : 24 7 , lengre
(24 1 , Boga) ; 25 7 , glado (25 7 ~ 9 , Higord). (2) The natural gender of the creature is
determinative : i3 13 , sweartne (Steer) ; i6 7 , onhiele (Badger mother) ; 3g 2 ' 7 , him, he
(Bull) as contrasted with 3g 6 , hio (wiht) ; j2?,yldra (Ox). (3) The masculine and
feminine genders are applied indiscriminately to the subject : 4I 27 , strengre, 4I 26 ,
wriestre, 4i 28 , betre, 4I 38 , hyrre, and 4i 42 , yldrt, 4I 50 ' 51 , brizdre and wldgielra, 4I 54 ,
keardra, 4i 57 , hdtra, 4I 58 , szvetra, etc. ; 67 1>2 ' 3 , mare, lizsse, leohtre . . . swiftre, and
67 10 , me sylfum ; 36 3 , mec beworhtne, and Leid. 3, mec biwortha; ; 7O 1 , hyre, and 70*,
his ; 8s 1 , sylfa, and 8s 8 - 4 , swiftre . . . strengra. Yet there are not lacking indica-
tions of grammatical gender upon which, however, it is unsafe to lay undue
stress, in the light of the appearance of the neuter water as modor monigra wihta
(84 4 ), to whom, however, masculine adjectives are applied (S4 85 ) ; of the relation
of masculine pronouns in 2O 1 " 8 to HORS; or of the inaptness of masculine reodne
(26 8 ) to the Old English synonyms of Onion (leac, cype, etc., none of them mascu-
line words). Why infer that the use of dnhaga (6 1 ), wapenwiga (is 1 ), eaxlgestealla
(So 1 ), mundbora (iS 1 ), has any reference to the masculine gender of Shield and
Horn and Ballista ? There remain these examples: i7 9 , mec stit>ne (Anchor) ; ai 5 ,
me widgalum (Sword) ; 22 9 ' 15 , me gongendre . . . hindeweardre (Plow, syUi) ; 38 5>fi ' 8 ,
he . . . him . . .fader (masc. in spite of wihte ; but the same subject is fern, in Rid.
87) ; so 2 , deafne dumban (Bookcase) ; si 1 ' 3 ' 4 , wiga . . . J>one . . .forstrangne (Fire);
63 5 , mec . . . ceftanweardne (Poker) ; 64, feminine (Beaker) ; 73 3 , me . . . frddne
XC INTRODUCTION
creatures,* or else he follows the far more effective method of ascribing
to beasts or even to inanimate things the traits and passions of men.f
The poems extol in their subjects such essentially human qualities as
heroic valor and prowess,! the love of family and friends, the joy of
good works, || grim hatred and malice towards mankind, IF the loneliness
of celibate and exile,** wisdom and ignorance, ft earthly fame, It and
pride of place ; or else they dwell sadly and sympathetically upon the
(Lance) ; 77 3 ' 9 , febelease . . . unsodene (Oyster) ; Si 1 - 11 , belcedsweora . . . fryrel-
wombne (Weathercock) ; 88 21>24 , dnga . . . broborleas (Horn) ; Q3 15 , mec . . . innan-
weardne (Horn) ; Q4 25 , hyrre . . . smeare (Creation ?) ; 95, masculine (Moon). As
in many of these cases we cannot know what Anglo-Saxon word the riddler had
in mind, it is hardly wise to assert even here that his choice of sex was always
determined by the grammatical gender of his subject.
* Rid. ii 6 , haefde feorh cwico ; i4 3 , hasfdon feorg cwico; 74 5 , haefde feriS
cwicu.
t Ebert (Berichte iiber die Verh. der k. sacks. Gesellsch. 1877), p. 24, rightly re-
marks : ' Was aber denselben einen hoheren poetischen Werth verleiht, jenen
Reichthum der Schilderung bedingt und ihre wahre Eigenthiimlichkeit ausmacht,
das ist dass das Moment der Personification zu einer bedeutenderen Einfaltung
gelangt, indem die Objecte der Rathsel nicht bloss nach ihren Eigenschaften sich
schildern, sondern in dramatischer Action handelnd oder leidend sich vorfiihren.
Dadurch schreitet die Personification zu menschlicher Individualisirung fort indem
Empfindungen wie Leidenschaften den Dingen verliehen werden. . . . Eine solche
lebendigere Personification findet sich wenigstens in den besten der angelsachsisch
geschriebenen Rathsel.'
\ Not only is the Badger (16) a brave fighter against her foe, ' the death-whelp,'
but Storm (2, 3, 4), Sun (7), Horn (15), Anchor (17), Moon and Sun (30), Iceberg
(34), and Loom (57) are also mighty warriors : even the Mead (28) accomplishes
'sovereign overthrow.' The Weapon riddles are naturally full of this spirit.
The Riddles pass in review the love of a mother for her children in their
pictures of Cuckoo, Badger, and Water (10, 16, 84), fraternal devotion in the ac-
count of the lonely Stag-horn (88), the love of wife for husband (62), and the
passion of the wooer in the caresses lavished upon the Beaker (64).
|| Rid. 27, 31, 35, 49, 60, 68, 84.
1 Ballista and Bow (18, 24) are full of poisonous spleen, and the Iceberg (34)
is hetegrim.
** The Sword bemourns its lack of wife and children (2I 20 - 27 ), the Ore vaunts
its aloofness (8s 12 - 14 ), and the Moon wanders sadly far from men (so 10 - 18 - 14 , 4O 8 - 9 ,
g 5 4.10f.).
tt The Moon reveals wisdom (gs 8 ' 9 ), and Bookmoth and Bookcase are unwit-
ting of the contents of books (48, 50).
\\ Both Sun and Moon are widely known to earth-dwellers (30, 95).
Battering-ram and Lance (54, 73) .chant their early beauty, and the Horn
sings of its happy days on the stag's head (93).
Qll
FORM AND STRUCTURE OF THE RIDDLES xci
sufferings of the strange creatures, and, sadder still from the Germanic
viewpoint, their inability to wreak revenge upon their foes.*
Our riddles not only thus run the gamut of the ordinary human emo-
tions, but they range from pole to pole of the English social life of their
time. Some of them move in a world of high breeding and courtly usage,
of lofty tone and temper like that of the Beowulf and the heroic verse f
a world in which warriors shake their lances in the battle \ and receive
upon their shields the brunt of falling blows, or extol their highly adorned
swords in the wine-hall ;|| in which fair-haired women of rank bear the
drinking-horn at the feast, IF arm their lords for the fight,** and chide the
swords that lay the heroes low. ft Many others are upon a plane of every-
day life and action, of humble trades and occupations,^ while a few de-
scend into the depths of greasy double entente. Yet the line between
high and low is not sufficiently distinct to indicate a different origin for
riddles of different genre, inasmuch as a transition from one class to
another sometimes takes place within the compass of a single problem. || ||
The Riddles do not confine themselves to things of earth. The
spiritual life of the early English finds expression in a few of the
poems. It is significant, as an indication of this religious feeling, that
the classical mythology of Aldhelm's De Creatura is, in every case,
Christianized and Germanized by his translator,!]"!" who exalts as shaper
The Shield (6), Sword (21), Book (27), Barley (29), Battering-ram (54), Ox
(72), Lance (73), Weathercock (81), Ore (83), and Stag-horn (88, 93), are the chief
sufferers. In Rid. 21, 83, 93, the absence of revenge is a prominent motive.
t See Brooke, Eng. Lit. from the Beginning, p. 159. Brandl, Pauls Grundriss*
II, 972, notes that the Riddles are courtly, that they are steeped in the colors of
the heroic epos.
\ Rid. 73, 92. Rid. 6, 71. || Rid. 2i 9 - 18 .
f Rid. 8o 8 6 ; cf. is 8 - 9 .
** Rid. 62. This interpretation is very doubtful (see notes).
\\Rid. 2 1 82 ' 85 .
tt Such are the riddles of Plowman (22), Oxherd. (72), Thresher (53), Onion-
parer (26), Garlic-seller (86), Bell-ringer (5), Weaver (36, 57), Smith (38, 87),
Flute-cutter (61), Bread-maker (46), Butter-maker (55). Cf. Brooke, Eng. Lit.
from the Beginning, p. 160.
\\Rid. 26, 45, 46, 55, 62, 63.
|| || For instance, Rid. 62 begins on an elevated plane, and plunges into obscene
jest, while hiultloc as applied to the Hen in Rid. 43* suggests a burlesque of epic
phrase. Yet one can hardly follow Trautmann in assigning Rid. 18, a mate in
tone anr' temper to the warlike ' Bow ' riddle (24), to the Oven.
TTT jee notes to Rid. 41. Cf. Prehn, p. 213.
xc ii INTRODUCTION
and ruler se ana god* Here, as in several other riddles,t the creation
is seemingly assigned to the Father alone ; but in one passage the work
of shaping is ascribed to the Son \ as in Cynewulf's Christ, and in
another to both the First and Second Persons. God is elsewhere
described by both usual and unusual epithets, || and, as often in the
poetry, Heaven is praised as the land of glory, the abode of the angels,
the fortress of God.1I The beauty of God's Word,** the saving grace of
prayer,tt and the wonder-working power of the Eucharist \\ are extolled.
Sacred vessels,^ Cross, and perhaps Holy Water || || are reverently im
troduced as riddle-subjects. The Body and Soul legend finds a place,iriT
and dim Apocalyptic allusions obscure the difficult Latin riddle.***
Despite this Christian element, Brooke is not wholly wrong in declar-
ing : ttt ' The Riddles are the work of a man, who, Christian in name,
was all but heathen in heart. . . . They are alive with heathen thoughts
and manners. The old nature-myths appear in the creation of the Storm-
giant, who, prisoned deep, is let loose, and passes, destroying, over land
and sea, bearing the rain on his back and lifting the sea into waves. . . .
They appear again in the ever-renewed contest between the sun and the
moon, in the iceberg shouting and driving his beak into the ships, in the
wild hunt in the clouds, in the snakes that weave [?], in the fate god-
desses [?], in the war-demons who dwell and cry in the sword, the arrow,
and the spear [?] ; in the swan, who is lifted into likeness with the swan-
maiden [?], whose feathers sing a lulling song. . . . The business of war,
*Barnouw has an interesting note (p. 219) upon the use of this phrase (4i 21 ) :
' Die bedeutung kann hier nur sein, " der Gott allein, der u. s. w.," und nicht " der
Eine Gott, der u. s. w.," weil in diesem falle nur se dn GWmoglich gewesen ware
(vgl. 84 10 an sunu, Guth. A. 3723 se an oretta; Gen. B. 235 J>one jgnne beam).
Bei dieser einzig moglichen auffassung verrat der christliche dichter seine noch
heidnisch gefarbte anschauungsweise, welche wohl nicht der einfluss seiner klassi-
schen kenntnisse, sondern die nachwirkung des alien volksglaubens sein wird.
Hochstwahrscheinlich haben wir hier also ein sehr altes ratsel.'
t 8s' 2 , unc drihten scop ; 88 17 , unc gescop meotud.
' \ 7 1 - 2 , Mec (Sunne) gesette soft sigora waldend | Crist to compe.
84 9 - 10 , fyrn forSgesceaft ; faeder ealle bewat | or ond ende, swylce an sunu.
I! 40 21 , wuldorcyninges ; 4i 3 , reccend . . . cyning . . . anwalda, etc. ; 4g 5 , helpend
gSsta ; 6o 4 , god nergende ; 6o 6 , Hielend. If Rid. 678, 6o 15 - 16 . ** Rid. 27, 68.
tt Rid. 6o 13f .
\\ Rid. 49, 60. Oblation and Consecration in these riddles recall the Canon of
the Mass in the Sarum and York Missals. Rid. 56; see Rid. 31.
|| || Rid. 31^-9 (?). Cf. S4 38 . HI Rid. 44. ** Rid. 90.
H 1 - Eng. Lit. from the Beginning, pp. 158-159.
FORM AND STRUCTURE OF THE RIDDLES xciii
of sailing the ocean, of horses, of plundering and repelling plunderers,
of the fierce work of battle, is frankly and joyfully heathen.' Brandl
goes to the other extreme : * ' Die Auffassung hat nichts heidnisches
oder antiheidnisches mehr, nicht einmal etwas mythisches.' In the first
pages of this Introduction I have indicated the place of myths in the
Riddles.
Careful analysis of our Old English art-riddles yields few indications
of adherence to any normal form or plan, such as that derived by
Petsch f from his study of riddles of the folk. Yet it is not unprofitable
to trace in our problems the appearance of each of the divisions that
compose humbler and more popular puzzles. The introductory framing
element in folk-riddles consists of three parts : simple summons to
guess, the stimulating of interest by the mention of person- or place-
names, and the indication of the place of the subject. The first of these
is represented in the Exeter Book collection by the large number of
opening formulas, elsewhere considered, and in one case by a query. $
The second is not found, but the third is very common, and takes two
forms : sometimes being limited to a phrase of little import, sometimes
extending into the body of the riddle and constituting one of its chief
motives. Of the use of proper names in the naming germ-element there
is hardly a trace, || as the Riddles make no attempt to assign to their
subjects a local habitation. But the runic riddles (see Solutions) are
partly name or word problems. Description in the enigmas is of vari-
ous kinds : in the ' monster ' riddles, H detailed enumeration of physical
peculiarities ; in the obscene poems, an indefiniteness of indication **
* Pauls Grundriss* II, 971. t Palaestra IV, 50 f.
t Rid. 2 1 " 2 , Hwylc is haelej>a J>aes horse ond t>aes hygecraeftig | )>ast }>aet maege
asecgan, etc. The formula-beginnings arouse attention by stressing the strange-
ness or importance of the subject: ai 1 , 25 1 , 26 1 , so 1 , 32 1 , 33 1 , 37 1 " 2 , 69 1 ' 2 , yo 1 , etc.
Examples of the first are 34 1 , aefter wege ; 35 1 , in wera burgum ; 37 1 , on wege ;
46 1 , on wincle; 55 1 , in \vincle ; 56 1 , Go 1 , in healle ; 86 1 , J'aer weras sieton these
phrases cast little light upon the subject. Examples of the second are the watery
home of the Barnacle Goose (n), the abodes of honey (28), the fields of barley
(29), the mines of metal (36, 71), the threshing-floor of the Flail (53), the groves
from which sprang Ram and Lance (54, 73), the marshy tidewater where the Reed
grew (61), the sea that fed the Oyster (77), the stag-head that bore proudly the
Horns (88, 93), all valuable aids to the solution.
|| 63, sJ>erne secg, and 72", mearcpafras Walas, are only seeming exceptions.
^ Rid. 32, 33, 35, 37, 59, 70, 81, 86.
** A'iaf. 26 5 , neo^an run nathwaar; 4& 1 , weaxan nathwaet ; 62 9 , ruwes nathwaet;
63**, on nearo nathwjer.
xciv INTRODUCTION
frequent in Volksratsel. Sometimes the subject is described as a whole
through one trait ; * but usually through several distinguishing features, f
As in the riddles of the Hervarar Saga,\ four characteristics of the
subject receive attention: color, formj number-relation, If and inner
nature.** A wide range of vision, quick observation, and generous sym-
pathy mark all the descriptive work of our collection.
The narrative element in the Exeter Book Riddles is far larger than
the purely descriptive. In many of the problems description is immedi-
ately succeeded by narration,! t or else is wholly superseded by this.lt So
under this head of narration, or the artistic treatment of action, may be
considered a few of the dominant motives of our collection. One or two
of these the relation of the subjects to mankind, their human traits
and poignant sufferings have already been indicated. There remain
others familiar to the student of riddle-poetry. The first of these themes
is a change of state, by which the creature is bereft of early joys and
woe is entailed upon him. So the contrasts between youth and later
* In two cases this method limits the problem to a single line : 6g 3 , Wundor
weariS on wege : waeter wearS to bane ; 75 1 " 2 , Ic swiftne geseah on swa>e feran |
D N U H. But several riddles are devoted each to the elaboration of a single
characteristic : the warlike spirit of the Anchor (17), the mimetic power of the Jay
(25), the saving grace of the Communion Cup (60).
t The ' Beech ' riddle (92) is but a series of kennings, and the ' Horn ' enigmas
(15, 80) mark out the various uses of the subject. The cruelty of the Iceberg (34)
is supplemented by an account of its mysterious origin ; and the strange traits of
the Weathercock (81) by a picture of its misery.
t See Heusler, Zs. d. V.f. Vk. XI, 147.
Notably in the pictures of the array of the Barnacle Goose (n), of Night's
garment (12), of the Badger's markings (16), and of the Swallow's coat (58).
II Cf. 19, 22 1 - llf -, 32, 33, 35, 37, 38, 45, 53, 56 (substance), 58, 81, 86, 87, 91.
T See 14, 23, 47.
**This has already been discussed at sufficient length in connection with the
human element in the Riddles.
tt Rid. 6, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 22, 26, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 39, 45, 50, 51, 52, 54, 56, 58,
59. 63. 67, 70, 71, 72, 74, 80, 81, 84, 87, 91, 95.
tt Rid. 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 13, 17, 20, 23, 27, 43, 46, 48, 55, 57, 61, 62, 66, 77, 83,
88, 93. In several riddles, pure description is limited to a single touch : 24 2 ,
wraitlic ... on gewin sceapen ; 64 8 , glaed mid golde.
The Ram and Lance, deadly weapons, extol their joyous life in the fore.st
(54> 73) I the Ox, goaded by the black herd, bewails its pleasant youth (72) ; and
Honey (28), Barley (29), Reed (61), Oyster (77), Ore (83), and Horn (8 t/ all
point to the happy days before they fell into the shaping hands of rr X ,;<i. v| V
the Parchment (27) seems reconciled to its new condition. ^ea-
FORM AND STRUCTURE OF THE RIDDLES xcv
life,* between the living and dead creature,t are forcibly stressed. This
love of surprising contrasts leads not only to striking antitheses, $ but
to that potent checking element of enigmatic personification, the fre-
quent introduction of effectless causes and causeless effects.
Above all, the Riddles delight in movement, whether it be the .rushing
of the storm (2-4) or the gliding of the iceberg (34), the swift pace of
dog (75) and horse (20), the speed of the stag (93), the rapid flight of
birds (8, n, 58), the quick motion of the fish and the ceaseless flow
of the river (85), the darting of the shuttle (57), the hurry of the pen in
the hand of a ready writer (52), or even the wide wanderings of the
Moon (30, 40, 95). The very themes impart rapidity to the poems, but
the treatment is rapid as well, abounding in dynamic words || and compact
phrases. H The note of sorrow and suffering is often struck (supra), but,
despite this, the Riddles create an impression of vivid and strenuous life
which adds greatly to their charm.
As in the folk-riddles, the final framing element in our problems is a
formula of closing. The various forms of this have been discussed else-
where ; so it is only necessary to note now that the larger number of
these satisfy the conditions of more popular puzzles in their summons
to guess, and in their insistence upon the difficulty of solution.**
* Rid. 10 (Cuckoo), xi (Barnacle Goose).
t Rid. 13, 39, 74, 85. See Wossidlo, No. 77 ; Petsch, p. 125.
J Rid. 32 7 - 8 , 40, 41, 59 10 - 12 .
Rid. ig 2 ' 3 , ne masg word sprecan, | masldan for monnum, i>eah ic mu)> haebbe ;
48 5 , Staelgiest ne waes | wihte J>y gleawra J>e he J>am wordum swealg ; 49 a ~ 2 , [Jerjen-
dean . . . butan tungan ; 6i 9 , mufileas sprecan ; 66 1 , cwico . . . ne cwaeft ic wiht.
Cf. 34 9 ' 10 , 38 8 -
H Notice the large number of these in the ' Storm ' riddles (2-4) and in dozens
of others (30, 52, 74, 85, etc.). It is not surprising that the periphrastic preterit
formed by the preterit of cuman (com(on)), + an infinitive of motion, which occurs
only twice in Cynewulf (Jul. 563, Chr. 549), appears four times in the Riddles (23 1 ,
34 1 , 55 1 , 861).
IT This is strikingly illustrated by the past participles of Rid. 29 and by the
terseness of the obscene riddles.
** Such endings as those of Rid. 5, 29, 32, 33, 36, 40, 43, 44, 56, 68, 73, 84,
recall the phrase of the folk : ' He is a wise man who can tell me that.'
xcv i INTRODUCTION
VI
THE MANUSCRIPTS
The.JSxefer Book, most famous of all Leofric's donations to the new
cathedral of the West, has already been so carefully described in another
volume of this series * that we need consider now only the place of the
Riddles in this celebrated codex. These enigmas occupy three different
portions of the manuscript : f . i oo b-i 1 5 &(Rid. 1-60 inclusive) ; f . 1 2 2 b-
\2^(Rid. 31 b, 61) ; f. i24.b-i3ob (./?/</. 62-95). Unfortunately for the
student, of the Riddles, it is these final pages of the Book, otherwise so
well-preserved, that have suffered threefold damage :
(1) The last twelve leaves have been burned through by a piece of
ignited wood which appears to have fallen upon the Book. The damaged
places have a like shape upon all the leaves, decreasing, however, in size
to the inner part of the codex, until on f: 118 b only one small burn is
visible, t This serious accident has impaired or reduced to fragments all
riddles at the middle of these injured pages : 31^(122 b), 64 7 " 16 (125 a),
68 1U (125 b), 7i 7 - 10 and 72 (126 a), 73 8 - 20 (126 b), 7f' & and 78
(127 a), Si 10 ' 12 and 82 (127 b), 8 4 n - 19 (128 a), 8 4 42 - 5 * (128 b), 87" and
88 1 - 11 (129 a), 88 s *- 85 and 89 (!2 9 b), 92" and 93 1 ' 6 (130 a), 93 28 ~ 82 and
94 (130 b).
(2) A page is certainly missing after f. 1 1 1. Rid. 41 (i 1 1 b, bottom)
breaks off suddenly in the middle of a sentence (1. 108), and Rid. 42
(ii2a, top) begins with equal abruptness. It is probable that a page
has been lost after f. 105, as Rid. 21 closes abruptly at the bottom of
the page without a closing-sign.
(3) The last leaf has been stained on its outer side (i3ob) by the
action of a fluid on the ink. A few words have thus been rendered
almost illegible (9i n , 93 22 ).
The first and greatest of these injuries has occasioned the use of
strips of vellum for binding together the damaged half-pages. In course
of time, these strips have become loosened ; and, by peering beneath
them, I have been able to read many letters and even words not visible
to Schipper and Assmann.1: These I have duly included in my text.
* Cook, The Christ of Cyneivulf, pp. xiii-xvi.
t See Schipper, Germania XIX (1874), 327 ; Trautmann, Anglia XVI, 207.
t So also Trautmann, I.e.
THE MANUSCRIPTS xcvii
It is surprising that the chief aid to the study and reconstruction of
the defective passages has been neglected by all students of the text of
the Riddles. This is the facsimile copy made for the British Museum
by Robert Chambers from 1831 to 1832.* Despite Willker's slighting
criticism,! the transcript has great value, not only because it is in the
main very trustworthy, \ but because it preserves letters and words which
are now obscure or invisible. I have collated it carefully with my text.
Discovery of hitherto unobserved letters in the Exeter Book itself, and
the fairly rich yield of the British Museum transcript, constitute potent
arguments against daring emendations of the greatly-damaged text
emendations which rest upon nothing but the ingenious fancy of the
reconstructionist, and which are in nearly every case ruled out of court
* The fly-leaf of the Exeter Book bears, at the bottom of the page, this note of
the Chapter Clerk : ' In 1831 this Book was entrusted to the British Museum for
the purpose of being copied for that institution, and returned October, 1832.'
And the facsimile, which is known as Add. MS. 9067, is approved by Sir Frederic
Madden in this comment upon its fly-leaf : ' The whole of the present transcript
has been collated by me with the original MS. belonging to the Dean and Chapter
of the Cathedral of Exeter. Frederic Madden, Asst. Keeper of the MSS. Brit.
Mus., Feb. 24, 1832.' We learn from Thorpe's Introduction to his Codex Exoni-
ensis (p. xii) that the original manuscript was brought back to Exeter in time for
his use. Nothing, therefore, could be farther from truth than Brandl's surprising
statement (Pauls Grundriss 2 II, 946) that 'Thorpe's text (Codex Exoniensis) is
based upon the transcript by Robert Chambers.'
t 'Obgleich laut einer Bemerkung in der Abschrift Madden selbst eine Collation
der Abschrift mit dem Urtexte 1831-1832 vornahm, ist dieser Text durchaus nicht
vollstandig zuverlassig ' (Grundriss, p. 222).
t Kemble derives his text of the Traveler's Song (IVidsifr) from this source,
which he calls ' an accurate and collated copy ' (Beo-wulf, 2d ed., p. 26) ; and
Gn.-W. Bibl. collates it with the codex in its text of ' Vater unser' (II, 2, 227),
' Gebet ' (II, 2, 217), and ' Lehrgedicht ' (II, 2, 280), but neglects it strangely in its
text not only of the Riddles but of the Ruin (I, 297), the Husband's Message (I,
306) and the Descent into Hell (III, 176), where it furnishes valuable aid. In the
transcript of the Riddles I note only these errors : gefratn for gefrag n (68 1 ), ratlice
for wratlice (68 1 ), J>ine for ftiette (gs 22 ), emu Jxes for eorpes (gs 25 ). The imitation of
the upright well-formed English minuscules of the Exeter Book is surprisingly
good ; and all gaps due to damage are skillfully indicated.
1 cite only a few of many instances: 2i 6 , Edd., citing MS. incorrectly, rice\
MS. and B. M. sace ; 72 5 , B. M. oft tc, not seen by Assmann or Schipper, nor by me ;
8i 10 , B. M. orst . . . eosefr ; 8i 12 , I read in MS., before sceaft, mat . . ., not seen by
Assm., Sch. ; B. M. n ma-t\ 84 12 , MS., after mce, I read st, not seen by Assm., Sch. ;
B. M. m<zs ; 88 10 , B. M. J>eana for weana (Edd.) ; gs' 28 , MS. oft me, visible to me but
not to Edd. ; B. M. oft me.
INTRODUCTION
by a more thorough study of the manuscript and of the early copy.*
Three considerations have dictated to editors and critics violent distor-
tions of the text of the Riddles. The first of these has been the desire
to wrest the reading of the manuscript into accord with some far-
fetched solution. As I have already shown,t the text may be without
flaw, it may indeed contain a reading confirmed by many parallel pas-
sages in the Riddles themselves ; but if it does not accord with the
editor's answer of the moment he alters in Procrustean fashion. \ Sec-
ondly, a metrical a-priorism that brooks no freedom of verse has naturally
led to arbitrary assaults upon the integrity of many passages. And
finally, inability to grasp the poetic perspective of the Old English has
caused the unwarrantable rejection of some of the most striking phrases
and kennings in our early poetry. || The foolishly named ' curse of con-
servatism ' is far preferable to the itch of rash conjecture.il I have there-
fore sought to show due respect to a text which in its undamaged
portions is excellent, and have emended only with valid reasons.**
In the manuscript the beginnings of the several riddles are marked
by large initial letters, and the endings by signs of closing, : 7 or : or
: : 7.ft In a f gw cases these indications are lacking. There is no such
sign at the end of Rid. 3, which concludes, however, at the bottom of a
page (101 a) ; at the ends of 21 and 41, where abrupt terminations indi-
cate missing pages ; nor at the conclusions of 43 and 48, each of which
is followed on the same line by the opening words of the next riddle.
Almost without exception, Dietrich's suggested readings (Haupts Zs. XI)
have been invalidated by reference to the original text. Holthausen is equally
unfortunate : manuscript and transcript flatly contradict his emendations of 77*,
8i 10 , 83 s , Q3 28 , 94 7 , and confirm his additions only in such obvious omissions as
68 8 \n\enne (B. M. <?<?) and S4 55 \cynna\ (MS., B. M. cy[nna]).
t M. L. N. XXI, 98.
I See Trautmann, BB. XIX, 167-215, and note his sweeping changes of text
in IlSbJa^ jglla^ jgll^ g^ etc _
See particularly Holthausen's readings of i6 2 , 25% 55 1 , 84 21 - 22 .
|| Holthausen emends out of existence the interesting heofones toj>e (87 5 ) and
brunra beot (Q2 1 ). See notes to these passages.
1 Sievers utters dignified protest (PBB. XXIX, 305-331) against 'die tendenz
bei der behandlung unsrer alten dichtungen personliche willkiir des urteils an die
stelle geduldiger vertiefung in die zur rede stehenden probleme zu setzen.'
** All emendation has its pitfalls, as I have found to my cost. Professor Bright
objects with reason to the double alliteration in 73 28b of my text, and plausibly
proposes Wisan se J>e mine \ \sdf>e\ cunne, saga hwat ic hatte.
tt The symbol at the end of Rid. 5 is doubtless a closing sign.
THE MANUSCRIPTS xcix
Marks of closing are wrongly used after the fifteenth line of Rid. 28
(28 16 ~ 17 , written as a separate riddle, may thus serve to connect the two
problems of like subjects, 28 and 29) and after the opening formula of
Rid. 69 (which is, however, a useless prefix to the real riddle-germ in
the third line). The end of the enigma is sometimes emphasized by the
inclusion of its last word or words in a bracket on the next line, as in
Rid. 38, 46, 54, 71, 86.
The Exeter Book scribe regularly separates compounds whose second
member also has a heavy stress.* He severs prefixes from their roots
and appends them to preceding words, f He even separates the syllables
of a simplex. \ Finally, he achieves impossible combinations.
Very few abbreviations are employed by the scribe. || The conjunction
and is always represented by the sign ^.1F The ending -um (hwilum,
burgum, etc.) sometimes appears as u, and sometimes unabbreviated ; **
foonne always figures as feon, and fxet frequently as p. f> and 3" are used
arbitrarily. ft The uncontracted gerundial form with -ne (to hycganne, to
secganne) appears so consistently, even when the meter demands the
contracted, tt as to suggest a similar consistency in the earliest version
* This habit, common among Old English scribes (see Keller, Palaestra
XLIII, 51), not infrequently leads to ambiguity: compare iS 1 , eodor wirum;
23 u ,f<zt hengest; 31*, lig bysig.
t As in the BeowulfM.S., the chief offender in this regard is ge-: compare 4 23 ,
hyge mittad" (hy gemittafr) ; 4 58 , f>ege recced (J>e ger&cefr) \ io 7 , minge sceapu (mm
gesceapii) ; i2 6 , swage mczdde (swa gemtedde) ; 3Q 5 , mege stede (me ges&de) ; etc.
With this last example before him, one may hesitate to accept the form mege
(<mage~) in io*,mege wedum. So with an-; compare 4 69 , oran stelle. How then
are we to construe 4I 94 , sweartan syne (sweart ansyne ?), and 57 9 , torhtan stod
(torht anstod?) ?
t So in Rid. 46 1 , win cle (wincle). Perhaps some such form in his original led
the scribe to the metrically impossible win(c) sele in the kindred riddle 55 2 . Is 54 13 ,
far gettamnan, to be read with Gn., W ., far genam \ nanf
Compare 396, gifhioge (gif ' hio ge).
|| See New Palceographical Society, London, 1903, Plates, 9, io, for expert com-
ment upon our MS. TT This appears even in 6 8 , ~\iveorc (hondweorc).
** Assmann has carefully noted in his text (W.) these varying usages. I have
deemed it unnecessary to record them in mine.
tt Assmann (W.) is the only editor of the Riddles who follows the manuscript
closely in this regard. He is wrong at least once : S4 86 , MS. bifr, W. bij>. I have
tried to adhere to the use in the codex.
ttSee Rid. 2Q 12 , 32 s3 , 4O 22 , 42 8 , etc.; 88 29 " 80 , fremman ne ncefre is obviously
fremmanne nlzfre. Like Krapp in his edition of the Andreas, I have given in all
such cases the inflected form of the manuscript.
c INTRODUCTION
of the text. The signs or accents (') over vowels in the manuscript *
fall upon long vowels, and may therefore be regarded as marks of length
save in one or two cases, f
The recent readings of the Northumbrian variant of Rid. 36, the so-
called Leiden Riddle (see variant notes), unfortunately reached me too
late for inclusion in my text, but have been printed by me in the notes,
without comment. \
Thorpe, in his Codex Exoniensis, follows the threefold division in the
MS., and prints the Riddles in three groups, pp. 380-441, 470-472,
479-5 00 5 but, as Grein pointed out, 'Riddle /' of Thorpe's second
group (p. 470) is merely a variant of Rid. 31, and Thorpe's ' Riddle
III' of this division (p. 472) is no riddle at all but the beginning of
The Husband's Message. Thorpe omits from his text six riddle-
fragments. Grein || follows Thorpe's reading of the manuscript, and,
by drawing four riddles into two, gives us eighty-nine in all. In his
notes upon the Exeter Book text, Schipper 1 supplies the missing frag-
ments. He is followed by Assmann,** who thus swells the number to
ninety-five. ft Trautmann %\ regards Rid. 2, 3, 4, as one riddle, and
Grein's 37 and 68 each as two. I adhere to the numeration of the Grein-
Wiilker text, bracketing, however, ' the First Riddle ' as a thing apart.
These are recorded in Gn.-W., Bibl. Ill, 243.
t Gumrinc (87*) ; 6 (ss 9 ) ; on (f, 2I 29 , 22 6 ). The mark after / in p'nex (4I 66 )
may be either a macron (Schipper) or an abbreviation-sign (Assmann).
J The forms frreaungifrrac and uyndicrczftum (Leid. 6, 9), reported by Dr.
Schlutter, are far more apt than the Exeter Book variants, and moreover find
abundant support in firdwingspinl, ' calamistrum ' (Napier, 0. E. Glosses, Nos. 1200,
4646, 5328), and in uuyndecreft, 'ars plumaria' (Sweet, O. E. Texts, p. 43, Corpus
Gl. 217), to which B.-T. long since pointed in this connection. On the other hand,
the meter strongly opposes the new readings of Leid. i a , 8 b , I4 a - b .
Hicketier, Anglia XI, 364, thinks that the ' Message ' is a riddle ; and, as we
have seen, Strobl, Haupts Zs. XXXI, 55, seeks to show that it is a solution of the
preceding riddle (Rid. 61), the two forming a Wettgedicht. On the other hand
Blackburn, Journal of Germanic Philology III, i, sets forth the pretty and ingen-
ious theory that Rid. 61 should not be regarded as an enigma, but should be
united with the ' Message ' into a lyric. See my notes to Rid. 61.
|| Bibl. der ags. Poesie II, 369-407. ^Germania XIX, 328, 334, 335, 337, 338.
** Grein- Wiilker, Bibl. der ags. Poesie III, 183-238.
tt The fragments are Nos: 68, 78, 82, 89, 92, 94.
it Anglia, Bb. V, 46.
The various editions of single riddles will be cited under this head in my
Bibliography. Thorpe, Grein, and Assmann (Grein-Wiilker) furnish the only
complete texts.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I. THE MANUSCRIPTS
THE EXETER BOOK. F. ioob-H5a (Riddles 1-60, inclusive); I22b-i23a (31 i>,
61) ; I24b-i3ob (62-95).
HICKES, GEORGE. Linguarum Vett. Septentrionalium Thesaurus Grammatico-
Criticus et Archaeologicus, III, 5 (Facsimiles of Riddles 20, 25, 37, 65, 75,
76). London, 1703.
CHAMBERS, ROBERT. British Museum Transcript of the Exeter Book (Addit.
MS. 9067). 1831-1832.
GREIN, C. W. M. Bibliothek der angelsachsischen Poesie. Final page (Facsimile
of Riddle 37, after Hickes). Goettingen, 1858.
CODEX LEIDEN, Voss Q. 106. F. 24 b. Leiden Riddle (Northumbrian version of
Riddle 36).
DIETRICH, FRANZ. Commentatio de Kynewulfi Poetae Aetate, p. 27 (Facsimile
of Leiden Riddle). Marburg, 1858.
SCHLUTTER, OTTO B. Das Leidener Ratsel (Reproduction, critical text, and
translation). Anglia, XXXII (1909), 384-388.
II. EDITIONS AND EXTRACTS*
CONYBEARE, J. J. Illustrations of Anglo-Saxon Poetry, pp. 208-213 (Riddles
gi-8a ) 4 68-74 ( 3^ ^ gy ( go) London, 1826.
MULLER, L. C. Collectanea Anglo-Saxonica, pp. 63-64 (Riddles 6, 27). Hav-
niae, 1835.
THORPE, BENJ. Codex Exoniensis, pp. 380-441 ; 470-472 ; 479-500. London, 1842.
WRIGHT, THOMAS. Biographia Britannica Literaria, I, 79-82 (Riddles 14, 20, 29,
47). London, 1842.!
KLIPSTEIN, L. F. Analecta Anglo-Saxonica, II, 337-340 (Riddles 14, 29, 47, 62,
74, 58). New York, 1849.
ETTMULLER, LUDOVICUS. Engla and Seaxna Scopas and Boceras, pp. 289-300
(Riddles 3-6, 8, 9, II, 13, 15, 16, 23, 27-30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 61, 80, 86, 33, 47, 67,
20). Quedlinburgii et Lipsiae, 1850.
GREIN, C. W. M. Bibliothek der angelsachsischen Poesie, II, 369-407. Goet-
tingen, 1858.
RIEGER, MAX. Alt- und angelsachsisches Lesebuch, pp. 132-136 (Riddles 3, 6,
15, 27, 30, 36, Leiden, 48). Giessen, 1861.
SCHIPPER, JULIUS. Zum Codex Exoniensis. Germania, XIX (1874), 328, 334, 335,
337. 33 s -
* The order of the titles is chronological.
The readings of Wright and Klipstein have not been included among my variants, as they are too
inaccurate to merit record.
ci
c ii RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
SWEET, HENRY. Oldest English Texts, pp. 149-151 (Leiden Riddle). Early
English Text Society 83, 1885.
An Anglo-Saxon Reader, pp. 164-167 (Riddles 8, 10, 15, 27, 30, 48, 58),
p. 176 (Leiden). Eighth edition, Oxford, 1908.
MACLEAN, G. E. An Old and Middle English Reader (on the basis of Professor
Julius Zupitza's Alt- und mittelenglisches Ubungsbuch), pp. XXX-XXXI, 4-5
(Riddle 16). New York, 1893.
KLUGE, FRIEDRICH. Angelsachsisches Lesebuch, pp. 151-153. (Riddles i, 15,
36, Leiden). 2d ed. Halle, 1897.
WULKER, R. P. Bibliothek der angelsachsischen Poesie, III, 183-238, Riddles
(edited by Bruno Assmann). Leipzig, 1897. Reviewed by F. Holthausen,
Anglia, Beiblatt, IX (1899), 357.
TRAUTMANN, MORITZ. Alte und neue Antworten auf altenglische Ratsel. Bon-
ner Beitrage zur Anglistik, XIX (1905), 167-215 (Riddles n, 12, 14, 18, 26, 30,
45 5 2 > 53' 58> 74> 80, 95, 31). Reviewed by Middendorff, Anglia, Beiblatt, XVII
(1907), 109-110.
III. TRANSLATIONS*
CONYBEARE, J. J. In his extracts from the text, as above.
THORPE, B. J. In his edition of the text, as above.
WRIGHT, THOMAS. Biographia Britannica Literaria, I, 79-82 (Riddles 14, 20, 29,
47). London, 1842.
GREIN, C. W. M. Dichtungen der Angelsachsen stabreimend iibersetzt. II, 207-
247. Cassel und Gottingen, 1863.
BROOKE, STOPFORD A. The History of Early English Literature (Riddles 2, 3,
4, 6, 8, 9, ii, 15, 16, I7 1 " 3 , 21, 22, 23 paraphrase, 24, 28, 29, 30, 34, SS 2 " 4 - 7 " 9 , 36,
39, 4 ii8-i9. ioa-107, 52> 54i 56( 57) 58> 6l) 72 io-i2, 15-17, 73 paraphrase, 80, 8i 6 - 10 ,
88 15-17, 22-27, Q3 7-12 > 95). New York, 1892.
COOK, A. S., and TINKER, C. B. Select Translations from Old English Poetry,
pp. 61-62 (Riddle 61, F. A. Blackburn) ; pp. 70-75 (Riddles 2, 3, 8, 15, 24, 27,
28, 80, H. B. Brougham). Boston, 1902.
TRAUTMANN, MORITZ. Bonner Beitrage zur Anglistik, XIX (1905), 167-215 (Rid-
dles n, 12, 14, 18, 26, 30, 45, 52, 53, 58, 74, 80, 95, 31).
WARREN, KATE M. A Treasury of English Literature (from the Beginning to the
Eighteenth Century), with an Introduction by Stopford A. Brooke (Riddles 2,
3, 6, 8, 30 ; Wiilker's text with a prose version in Modern English). London,
1906.
IV. LANGUAGE AND METER f
BARNOUW, A. J. Textkritische Untersuchungen nach dem Gebrauch des be-
stimmten Artikels und des schwachen Adjectivs in der altenglischen Poesie.
Leiden, 1902.
COSIJN, P. J. Anglosaxonica IV. Paul und Braunes Beitrage, XXIII (1898), 128 f.
* The order of titles is chronological. t The order of titles is alphabetical.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ciii
FRUCHT, P. Metrisches und Sprachliches zu Cynewulfs Elene, Juliana und Crist.
Greifswald, 1887.
GREIN, C. W. M. Zur Textkritik der angelsachsischen Dichter. Germania, X
(1865), 423.
HERZFELD, GEORG. Die Ratsel des Exeterbuches und ihr Verfasser. Acta Ger-
manica, Bd. II, Heft I. Berlin, 1890.
HOLTHAUSEN, F. Beitrage zur Erklarung und Textkritik altenglischer Dichtungen.
Indogermanische Forschungen, IV (1894), 386 f.
Zu alt- und mittelenglischen Dichtungen, XV. Anglia, XXIV (1901),
264-267.
Zur Textkritik altenglischer Dichtungen. Englische Studien, XXXVII
(1906), 208 f.
JANSEN, G. Beitrage zur Synonymik -und Poetik der allgemein als acht aner-
kannten Dichtungen Cynewulfs. MUnster, 1883.
KLAEBER, FRIEDRICH. Emendations in Old English Poems. Modern Philology,
II (1904), I45-M6-
- Ratsel XII, 3f. Anglia, Beiblatt, XVII (1906), 300.
KLUGE, FRIEDRICH. Zur Geschichte des Reimes im Altgermanischen. Paul und
Braunes Beitrage, IX (1884), 422-450.
LICHTENHELD, A. Das schwache Adjectiv im Angelsachsischen. Haupts Zeit-
schrift, XVI (1873), 325-393.
MADERT, AUGUST. Die Sprache der altenglischen Ratsel des Exeterbuches und
die Cynewulffrage. Marburg, 1900. Reviewed by Herzfeld, Herrigs Archiv,
CVI (1901), 390.
SHIPLEY, GEORGE. The Genitive Case in Anglo-Saxon Poetry. Baltimore, 1903.
SIEVERS, EDUARD. Zur Rhythmik des germanischen Alliterationsverses, II.
Paul und Braunes Beitrage, X (1885), 451-545.
Der angelsachsische Schwellvers. Paul und Braunes Beitrage, XII (1887),
454-482.
TRAUTMANN, MORITZ. Kynewulf, der Bischof und Dichter. Bonner Beitrage zur
Anglistik, I. Bonn, 1898.
V. AUTHORSHIP AND LITERARY CRITICISM *
BLACKBURN, F. A. The Husband's Message and the Accompanying Riddles of
the Exeter Book. Journal of Germanic Philology, III (1900), i f.
BOUTERWEK, K. W. Caedmon's des Angelsachsen biblische Dichtungen, I, 310-
311. Giitersloh, 1854.
BRANDL, ALOIS. Englische Literatur. Pauls Grundriss der germanischen Philo-
logie, 2d Ser., II, 969-973. Strassburg, 1908.
BROOKE, STOPFORD A. The History of Early English Literature. New York, 1892.
English Literature from the Beginning to the Norman Conquest, pp. 87-96,
159-162. New York, 1898.
COOK, A. S. Recent Opinion concerning the Riddles of the Exeter Book. Mod-
em Language Notes, VII (1892), 20 f.
* The bibliography of the ' First Riddle ' is not included.
civ RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
COOK, A. Si The Christ of Cynewulf, pp. lii-lix. Boston, 1900.
DIETRICH, FRANZ. Die Ratsel des Exeterbuches, Wurdigung, Losung und Her-
stellung. Haupts Zeitschrift fur deutsches Alterthum, XI (1859), 448, 490, XII
(1860), 232-252.
ERLEMANN, EDMUND. Zu den altenglischen Ratsel. Herrigs Archiv, CXI
(1903), 49 f -
ERLEMANN, FRITZ. Zum 90. angelsachsischen Ratsel. Herrigs Archiv, CXV
('90S)' 39i-
GREIN, C. W. M. Bibliothek der angelsachsischen Poesie, II, 409-410. Goet-
tingen, 1858.
-Zu den Ratseln des Exeterbuches. Germania, X (1865), 307-310.
HICKETIER, F. Fiinf Ratsel des Exeterbuches. Anglia, X (1888), 564-600.
HOLTHAUSEN, F. Zur altenglischen Literatur. Anglia, Beiblatt, XVI (1905),
227-228.
JANSEN, KARL. Die Cynewulf-Forschung von ihren Anfangen bis zur Gegenwart.
Bonner Beitrage zur Anglistik, XXIV (1908).
KRAPP, G. P. Andreas and The Fates of the Apostles. Boston, 1906.
LEO, HEINRICH. Quae de se ipso Cynewulf us sive Coenewulfus poeta Anglo-
Saxonicus tradiderit. Halle, 1857. Reviewed by Dietrich in Ebert's Jahrbuch
fur romanische und englische Literatur, I (1859), 241-246.
LIEBERMANN, FELIX. Das angelsachsische Ratsel, 56: 'Galgen' als Waffen-
stander. Herrigs Archiv, CXIV (1905), 163.
MORLEY, HENRY. English Writers, II, 38, 136-137, 217-227. London, 1888.
MULLER, EDWARD. Die Ratsel des Exeterbuches. Programm der herzoglichen
Hauptschule zu Cothen. Cothen, 1861.
NUCK, R. Zu Trautmanns Deutung des ersten und neunundachtzigsten Ratsels.
Anglia, X (1888), 390-394.
PADELFORD, F. M. Old English Musical Terms. Bonner Beitrage zur Anglistik,
IV. Bonn, 1899.
SIEVERS, EDUARD. Zu Cynewulf. Anglia, XIII (1891), 1-2.
SONKE, EMMA. Zu dem 25. Ratsel des Exeterbuches. Englische Studien,
XXXVII (1906), 313-318.
STROBL, JOSEPH. Zur Spruchdichtung bei den Angelsachsen. Haupts Zeitschrift,
XXXI (1887), 55-56.
TRAUTMANN, MORITZ. Cynewulf und die Ratsel. Anglia, VI (1883), Anzeiger,
pp. 158-169.
Zum 89. (95.) Ratsel. Anglia, VII (1884), Anzeiger, p. 210.
Die Auflosungen der altenglischen Ratsel. Anglia, Beiblatt, V (1894),
46-51.
Zu den altenglischen Ratsel. Anglia, XVII (1895), 396 f-
Die Auflbsung des elften Ratsels. Bonner Beitrage zur Anglistik, XVII
(1905), 142.
Alte und neue Antworten auf altenglische Ratsel. Bonner Beitrage zur
Anglistik, XIX (1905), 167-215.
TUPPER, FREDERICK, JR. Solutions of the Exeter Book Riddles. Modern Lan-
guage Notes, XXI (1906), 97-105.
BIBLIOGRAPHY CV
WALZ, J. A. Notes on the Anglo-Saxon Riddles. Harvard Studies, V (1896),
261-268.
WULKER, R. P. Grundriss zur Geschichte der angelsachsischen Litteratur, pp. 165-
170. Leipzig, 1885.
VI. ORIGINALS AND ANALOGUES
ARNASON, JON. Islenzkar Gatur. Copenhagen, 1887.
BRANDL, ALOIS. Shakespeares " Book of Merry Riddles " und die anderen Rat-
selbiicher seiner Zeit. Jahrbuch der deutschen Shakespeare-Gesellschaft, XLII
(1906), 1-64.
BUGGE, SOPHUS. Norr0ne Skrifter af Sagnhistorisk Indhold. Christiania, 1873.
BUTSCH, A. F. Strassburger Ratselbuch. Die erste zu Strassburg urns Jahr 1505
gedruckte deutsche Ratselsammlung. Strassburg, 1876.
CHAMBERS, ROBERT. Popular Rhymes of Scotland. London, 1870.
CHILD, F. J. English and Scottish Popular Ballads. 5 vols. 1882-1898.
DUMMLER, E. Lorscher Ratsel. Haupts Zeitschrift, XXII (1877), 258-263.
Poetae Latini Aevi Carolini (Monumenta Historica Germanica, I), pp. i f.
(Boniface), 20 f. (Lorsch enigmas). Berlin, 1881.
EBERT, ADOLF. Die Ratselpoesie der Angelsachsen. Berichte iiber die Verhand-
lungen der koniglich sachsischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig,
Phil-Hist. Classe, April, 1877, XXIX, 20-56.
Allgemeine Geschichte der Litteratur des Mittelalters im Abendlande, I,
603, 653, etc. Leipzig, 1889.
ECKART, RUDOLF. Allgemeine Sammlung niederdeutscher Ratsel. Leipzig,
1894.
FRIEDREICH, J. B. Geschichte des Rathsels. Dresden, 1860.
GILES, J. A. Sancti Aldhelmi ex abbate Malmesburiensi episcopi Schireburnensis
Opera, pp. 249-270. Oxford, 1844.
GROOS, KARL. Die Spiele der Menschen. Jena, 1899.
HAGEN, HERMANN. Antike und mittelalterliche Raethselpoesie. Bern, 1877.
HAHN, HEINRICH. Bonifaz und Lul. Leipzig, 1883.
Die Ratseldichter Tatwin und Eusebius. Forschungen zur deutschen Ge-
schichte, XXVI (1886), 601 f.
HAUG, MARTIN. Vedische Rathselfragen und Rathselspriiche. Sitzungsberichte
der koniglichen Akademie der Wissenschaft zu Miinchen, Phil.-Hist. Classe, II
(187 5) 457-5' 5-
HAYN, HUGO. Die deutsche Rathsel-Litteratur. Versuch einer bibliographischen
Uebersicht bis zur Neuzeit. Centralblatt fiir Bibliothekswesen, VII (1890),
5*5-556.
HEUSLER, ANDREAS. Die Altnordischen Ratsel. Zeitschrift des Vereins fiir Volks-
kunde, XI (1901), 117-149.
KEMBLE, J. M. The Dialogue of Salomon and Saturnus, with an Historical In-
troduction, printed for the jElfric Society. London, 1848.
KOHLER, REINHOLD. Zwei und vierzig alte Ratsel und Fragen. Weimar Jahrbuch,
V (1856), 329-356.
cv i RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
LINDLEY, ERNEST H. A Study of Puzzles with Special Reference to the Psy-
chology of Mental Adaptation. American Journal of Psychology, VIII (1896-
1897), 43'-493-
MANITIUS, M. Zu Aldhelm und Baeda. Wien, 1886.
Geschichte der christlich-lateinischen Poesie bis zur Mitte des 8. Jahrhun-
derts. Stuttgart, 1891.
MIGNE, J. P. Patrologiae Cursus Completus Patrum Latinorum, XC (1850),
539 f. (Flores of Bede).
MULLENHOFF, KARL. Nordische, englische und deutsche Ratsel. Wolfs Zeit-
schrift fur deutsche Mythologie, III (1855), 1 ~ 2O i 2 4-*32.
OHLERT, KONRAD. Ratsel und Gesellschaftsspiele der alten Griechen. Berlin,
1886.
PETSCH, ROBERT. Neue Beitrage zur Kenntnis des Volksratsels. Palaestra IV.
Berlin, 1899.
PITRE, GIUSEPPE. Indovinelli, Dubbi, Scioglilingua del Popolo Siciliano (Biblio-
teca delle Tradizioni Popolari Siciliane, XX). Torino-Palermo, 1897.
PLOTZ, HERMANN. Ueber den Saengerkrieg auf Wartburg nebst einem Beitrage
zur Litteratur des Raethsels. Weimar, 1851.
PREHN, AUGUST. Komposition und Quellen der Ratsel des Exeterbuches. Neu-
philologische Studien, Drittes Heft, pp. 145-285. Paderborn, 1883. Reviewed
by Holthaus, Anglia, VII, Anzeiger, pp. 120 f.
REUSNER, NICOLAS. Aenigmatographia sive Sylloge Aenigmatum et Griphorum
Convivalium. Frankfort, 1602.
IESE, ALEXANDER. Anthologia Latina. I, 221-246, Symphosii scholastic! Aenig-
mata. I, 351-370, Aenigmata Codicis Bernensis 611. Leipzig, 1894.
ROLLAND, EUGENE. Devinettes ou Enigmes populaires de la France. Avec une
preface de M. Gaston Paris. Paris, 1877.
SCHENKL, KARL. Zur Kritik spaterer lateinischer Dichter (St. Gall MS. 196,
p. 390). Sitzungsberichte der phil.-hist. Classe der Kais. Akademie der Wissen-
schaften (Wien), XLIII (1863), 17-18.
SCHLEICHER, AUGUST. Litauische Marchen, Sprichworte, Ratsel und Lieder,
pp. 191-211. Weimar, 1857.
SIMROCK, KARL. Das deutsche Rathselbuch. Dritte Auflage. Frankfurt a. M.,o.J.
THERANDER, HULDRICH. Aenigmatographia Rythmica. Magdeburg, 1605.
TUPPER, FREDERICK, JR. The Comparative Study of Riddles. Modern Language
Notes, XVIII (1903), 1-8.
Originals and Analogues of the Exeter Book Riddles. Modern Language
Notes, XVIII (1903), 97-106.
The Holme Riddles (MS. Harl. 1960). Publications of the Modern Language
Association of America, XVIII (1903), 211-272.
Riddles of the Bede Tradition. Modem Philology, II (1905), 561-572.
TYLOR, E. B. Primitive Culture. Fourth edition. London, 1903.
UHLAND, LUDWIG. Schriften zur Geschichte der Dichtung und Sage. Stutt-
gart, 1863.
WACKERNAGEL, WILHELM. Sechzig Ratsel und Fragen (Augsburger Ratselbuch,
'urn 1515')- Haupts Zeitschrift, III (1843), 2 5-34-
BIBLIOGRAPHY cvii
WOSSIDLO, RICHARD. Mecklenburgische Volksiiberlieferungen. I. Teil (Ratsel).
Wismar, 1897.
WRIGHT, THOMAS. Anglo-Latin Satirical Poets, II, 525-573. Rolls Series, 1872.
WUNSCHE, AUGUST. Riitselweisheit bei den Hebraern. Leipzig, 1883.
Das Ratsel vom Jahr und seinen Zeitabschnitten in der Weltlitteratur.
Kochs Zeitschrift fiir veigleichende Litteraturgeschichte, N. F., IX (1896),
425-456.
VII. OLD ENGLISH LIFE AND CULTURE*
AKERMAN, J. Y. Remains of Pagan Saxondom. London, 1855.
ANDREWS, C. M. The Old English Manor. Johns Hopkins University Studies,
extra vol. 12. Baltimore, 1882.
BELL, THOMAS. The History of British Quadrupeds. London, 1874.
BUDDE, ERICH. Die Bedeutung der Trinksitten in der Kultur der Angelsachsen.
Jena Dissertation, 1906.
CORTELYOU, J. VAN Z. Die altenglische Namen der Insekten, Spinnen- und Krus-
tenthiere. Heidelberg, 1906.
DE BAYE, THE BARON, JOSEPH. The Industrial Arts of the Anglo-Saxons. Trans-
lated by T. B. HARBOTTLE. London, 1893.
Du CHAILLU, P. B. The Viking Age. New York, 1890.
FAIRHOLT, F. W. Costume in England. London, 1885.
GRIMM, JACOB. Teutonic Mythology. Translated from the fourth edition by
STALLYBRASS, J. S. London, 1882-1888.
GUMMERE, F. B. Germanic Origins. New York, 1892.
HARTING, J. E. Extinct British Animals. London, 1880.
HEHN, VICTOR. Kulturpflanzen und Hausthiere in ihrem Uebergang aus Asien.
Siebente Auflage. Berlin, 1902.
HEWITT, JOHN. Ancient Armor and Weapons in Europe. Oxford, 1855-1860.
HEYNE, MORITZ. Ueber Lage und Construction der Halle Heorot im angelsach-
sischen Beowulfliede. Halle, 1864.
Fiinf Biicher deutscher Hausaltertiimer, 3 vols. Leipzig, 1899-1903.
HODGETTS, J. F. Older England. London, 1884.
HOOPS, JOHANNES. Ueber die altenglischen Pflanzennamen. Freiburg, 1889.
Waldbaume und Kulturpflanzen im germanischen Altertum. Strassburg, 1905.
JORDAN, RICHARD. Die altenglischen Saugetiernamen. Heidelberg, 1903.
Eigentiimlichkeiten des anglischen Wortschatzes. Heidelberg, 1906.
KELLER, MAY L. Anglo-Saxon Weapon Names. Heidelberg, 1906.
KEMBLE, J. M. The Saxons in England. London, 1876.
KNIGHT, CHARLES. A Pictorial History of England, vol. I. London, 1855.
KLUMP, WILHELM. Die altenglischen Handwerknamen. Heidelberg, 1908.
LEHMANN, HANS. Ueber die Waffen im ags. Beowulfliede. Germania, XXXI
(1886), 487 f.
Brunne und Helm im ags. Beowulfliede. Leipzig, 1885.
LEO, HEINRICH. Rectitudines Singularum Personarum. Halle, 1842.
* This list includes only the more frequent references. The illuminated MSS. and grave-finds of
the Old English period in the British Museum have been examined.
cviii RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
LIEBERMANN, FELIX. Gerefa. Anglia, IX (1886), 251-265.
LiJNiNG, OTTO. Die Natur, ihre Auffassung und poetische Verwendung in der
altgermanischen und mittelhochdeutschen Epik. Zurich, 1889.
MEAD, W. E. Color in Old English Poetry. Publications of the Modern Lan-
guage Association of America, XIV (1899), 169-206.
MERBACH, HANS. Das Meer in der Dichtung der Angelsachsen. Breslau, 1884.
MERBOT, REINHOLD. Aesthetische Studien zur angelsachsischen Poesie. Bres-
lau, 1883.
ROEDER, F. Die Familie bef den Angelsachsen. Halle, 1899.
SCHMID, REINHOLD. Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen. Leipzig, 1858.
SCHULTZ, ALWIN. Das hofische Leben zur Zeit der Minnesinger. Leipzig,
1879-1880.
SMITH, C. ROACH. Collectanea Antiqua. London, 1868.
STRUTT, JOSEPH. Horda Angelcynnan. London, 1775.
Dress and Habits of the People of England. London, 1842.
Sports and Pastimes of the People of England. London, 1903.
TRAILL, H. D. Social England, vol. I. Second edition. New York and Lon-
don, 1894.
TURNER, SHARON. The History of the Anglo-Saxons. Seventh edition. Lon-
don, 1852.
WATTENBACH, WILHELM. Das Schriftwesen im Mittelalter. Zweite Auflage.
Leipzig, 1875.
WEINHOLD, KARL. Altnordisches Leben. Berlin, 1856.
Deutsche Frauen. Berlin, 1882.
WESTWOOD, J. O. Facsimiles of Miniatures and Ornaments of Anglo-Saxon and
Irish Manuscripts. Oxford, 1868.
WHITMAN, C. H. Birds of Old English Literature. Journal of Germanic Philol-
ogy II (1898), 149 f.
The Old English Animal Names. Anglia, XXX (1907), 380-393.
WRIGHT, THOMAS. A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England
in the Middle Ages. London, 1846.
Anglo-Saxon and Old English Vocabularies. Second edition by WULKER,
R. P. London, 1884.
The Celt, the Roman and the Saxon. Fourth edition. London, 1885.
NOTE. Readings and suggestions ascribed to the general editors of this series,
Professors Bright and Kittredge, are drawn from personal communications to
the editor.
ABBREVIATIONS
A. L. Ancient Laius (Thorpe).
And. Andreas (Krapp's edition).
Anth. Lat. Riese, Anthologia Latina.
Anz, Anzeiger.
Ap. The Fates of the Apostles, Bibl. II,
87-91.
Archin, Herrigs Archiv. Archiv fur
das Studium der neueren Sprachen
und Litteraturen.
A.-S. Anglo-Saxon.
Az. Azarias, Bibl. II, 491-520.
Barnouw. Textkritische Untersuchun-
gen.
BB. Banner Beitrdge zur Anglistik.
Bb. Anglia, Beiblatt.
Beow. Beowulf, Bibl. I, 149-277.
Bibl. Grein- Wiilker, Bibliotkek der
angelsdchsischen Poesie.
Bl. Blackburn, Journal of Germanic
Philology, III, if.
Bl. Horn. B lick ling Homilies.
B. M. British Museum transcript.
Bruit. Battle of Brunanburh, Bibl. I,
374-379-
B.-T. Bosworth-Toller, Anglo-Saxon
Dictionary.
Chr. Christ (Cook's edition).
Cleasby-Vigfusson. Icelandic-English
Dictionary.
Con. Conybeare, Illustrations.
Cos. Cosijn.
C. P. Muller, Cothener Programm.
Cr. De Creatura (Aldhelm).
Craft. Bi Manna Crteftum, Bibl. Ill,
140-143.
Dan. Daniel, Bibl. II, 476-515.
Deor. Deer's Lament, Bibl. I, 278-280.
Dicht. Grein, Dichtungen der Angel-
sachsen.
Diet. Sweet, Student's Dictionary of
Anglo-Saxon.
Dietr. Dietrich, Haupts Zs., XI, XII.
Dream. Dream of the Rood, Bibl. II,
116-125.
Edd. Editors.
E. E. Lit. Brooke, Early English Lit-
erature.
E. E. T. S. Early English Text So-
ciety.
El. Elene, Bibl. II, 126-201.
E. S., Engl. Stud. Englische Studien.
Ettm. Ettmiiller, Engla and Seaxna
Scopas.
Exod. Exodus, Bibl. II, 445-475.
Feed. Feeder larcwidas, Bibl. I, 353-
357-
Fates. Fates of Men (Bi Manna Wyr-
dum), Bibl. Ill, 148-151.
Frucht. Metrisches und Sprachliches.
Gen. Genesis, Bibl. II, 318-444.
Gn. Grein, Bibliothek.
Gn. 2 Grein, Germania, X, 423.
Gn. Cot. Gnomes of the Cotton MS.,
.Bibl. 1,338-341.
Gn. Ex. Gnomes of Exeter Book, Bibl.
I, 341-352-
Gr. 8 Sievers, Old English Grammar,
third edition.
Grintdrtss. Wiilker, Grundriss zur
Geschichte der angelsdchsischen Litte-
ratur.
(in. Guthlac, Bibl. Ill, 54-94.
ex
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
Har. Harrowing of Hell, Bibl. Ill,
175-180.
Haitpts Zs., H. Z. Zeitsch rift fur deut-
sches Alterthum.
Herzf., Herzfeld. Die Rdtsel des Exeter-
buches.
H. M. Husband's Message, Bibl. 1, 309-
3"-
Holth. Holthausen.
Horn. Homilies.
Horda. Strutt, Horda Angelcynna.
Hpt. Gl. Angelsdchsische Glossen
(Haupts Zs. IX, 401-530).
Hy. Hymns, Bibl. II, 211-281.
Icel. Icelandic.
/. F, Indogermanische Forschungen. .
I. G. Islenzkar Gdtur.
Jansen. Beitrage zur Synonymik.
Jud. Judith, Bibl. Ill, 117-139.
Jul. Juliana, Bibl. II, 294-314.
Keller. Miss Keller, Anglo-Saxon
Weapon Names.
Kl. Kluge, Angelsdchsisches Lesebuch.
Klaeb. Klaeber.
Kp. u. Ht. Hehn, Kulturpflanzen und
Hausthiere.
Lchd. Cockayne, Leechdoms.
Leas. Bi Monna Lease, Bibl. II, 108-
1 10.
Leid. Leiden Riddle.
Litt-Bl. Deutsches Litter atur-Blatt.
M. MUller, Collectanea.
Madert. Die Spracke der altenglischen
Rdtsel.
Maid. Battle of Maldon, Bibl. I, 358-
373-
McL. McLean, Old and Middle Eng-
lish Reader.
M. E. Middle English.
Men. Menologium, Bibl. II, 282-293.
Met. Meters of Boethius, Bibl. Ill, 247-
33-
M. H. G. Middle High German.
M. L. N. Modern Language Notes.
Mod. Bi Manna Mode, Bibl. Ill, 144-
147.
M. P., Mod. Phil. Modern Philology.
N. E. D. New English Dictionary.
O. E. Old English.
O. F. Old French.
O. H. G. Old High German.
O. N. Old Norse.
Pan. Panther, Bibl. Ill, 164-166.
PBB. Paul und Braune's Beitrage zur
Geschichte der deutschen Spracke und
Literatur.
Ph. Phcenix, Bibl. Ill, 95-116.
P. L. Patrologia Latino.
P. M. L. A. Publications of the Modern
Language Association of America.
Prehn. ^Composition und Quellen der
Ratsel des Exeterbuches.
Ps. Psalms, Bibl. Ill, 329-482.
Ps. Psalms (Vulgate).
R. Rieger, Alt- und angelsdchsisches
Lesebuch.
Rid. Riddles.
R. S. P. Rectitudines Singularum Per-
sonarum.
Run. Runic Poem, Bibl. I, 331-337.
Sal. Salomon and Saturn, Bibl. Ill,
304-328.
Sat. Christ and Satan, Bibl. II, 521-
562.
Sch. Schipper, Germania, XIX, 328-
338;
Schmid. Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen.
Seaf. Seafarer, Bibl. I, 290-295.
Shipley. The Genitive Case in Anglo-
Saxon Poetry.
ABBREVIATIONS
CXI
Siev. Sievers.
Soul. Soul and Body, Bibl. II, 92-
107.
Spr. Grein, Sprachschatz.
Sw. Sweet, Anglo-Saxon Reader.
Sym. Symphosius.
T. Editor's reading of MS., usually
cited in first person.
Th. Thorpe, Codex Exoniensis.
Tr. Trautmann.
W. Wiilker (Assmann), Bibliothek der
angelsdchsischen Poesie, III, 183
238-
Wand. Wanderer, Bibl. I, 284-289.
Wb. u. Kp. Hoops, Waldbdutne und
Kulturpflanzen.
Wids. Widsifr, Bibl. I, 1-6.
Wond. Wonders of Creation, Bibl. Ill,
I52-I55-
Wossidlo. Mecklenburgische Volksiiber-
lieferungen.
WW. Wright -Wiilker, Anglo-Saxon
and Old English Vocabularies.
Zs. d. V.f. Vk. Zeitschrift des Vereins
fur Volkeskunde.
Zs. f. d. M. Zeitschrift fur deutsche
Mythologie.
Zs. f. d. Ph. Zeitschrift fur deutsche
Philologie.
RIDDLES OF
THE EXETER BOOK
[Leodum is mlnum swylce him mon lac gife :
willaS hy hine apecgan, gif he on J>reat cymetS.
Ungelic is us.
Wulf is on lege, ic on operre ;
faest is faet eglond fenne biworpen, 5
sindon waelreowe weras pair on Tge :
willafc hy hine apecgan, gif he on )>reat cymeS.
Ungellce is us.
Wulfes ic mines widlastum wenum hogode ;
]K>nne hit waes renig weder ond ic reotugu saet, 10
]>onne mec se -beaducafa bogum bilegde :
waes me wyn to }>on, waes me hwaefre eac laS.
[Min] wulf, mm wulf, wena me fine
seoce gedydon, fine seldcymas, [ioi a ]
murnende mod, nales meteliste. 15
Gehyrest fu, Eadwacer? Uncerne earne hwelp
I I Leo (Quae de se ipso Cynewulfus tradiderit, ffalle, 1857, p. 22), Imelmann
(Die altenglische Odoaker-Dichtung, Berlin, 7907, p. 24) gefe. 2 Imelmann in
J>reate. 3 Imelmann ungelimp. 6 Trautmann (Anglia vi, 158) wael[h]reowe.
Imel. her on ege. 7 Imel. hie and in )>reate. 8 Kluge ungelic ; Imel. unge-
limp. 9 MS., Edd. dogode; Leo do gode; Hicketier (Anglia x, 579), Schofield
(Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. xvii, 267), Imel. hogode. 10 Gn. waeter (misprint);
Kl. waeter. MS., Th. reo tugu; Imel. reotigu. \zHolthausen (Anglia xv, 88)
' instead of wyn, leof and lat) hwaebre eac, or wyn and wa (wea) for la~5'; Imel.
defends text, citing as examples of w . . . hw alliteration Leiden Rid. n, Gu. 323,
Beow. 2299 (Heyne's note). 13. Holth. Wulf, min Wulf, la!; Biilbring (Litt.-Bl.
xii, 157) min Wulf, min Wulf ; Imel. Wulf se min Wulf. Holth. wearna? for wena;
Imel. wene. 14 Imel. gededun. 15 MS., Th. mete liste ; Holth. (Litt.-Bl. x,
447) metes liste and murnend[n]e mod; Imel. metelestu. 16 Imel. georstu_/0r
gehyrest J>u. Schofield eadwacer ('very vigilant'). Holth. earmne/w earne.
I
2 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
birefc wulf to wuda.
J?set mon eape tosliteS psette nzefre gesomnad waes,
uncer giedd geador.]
2
Hwylc is haelepa paes horse ond paes hygecraeftig
J>set pact maege asecgan, hwa mec on sl$ wrsece,
]>onne ic astlge strong, stundum re)>e
prymful punie? J>ragum wraec(c)a
fere geond foldan, folcsalo baerne, 5
raeced reafige, recas stigaft
haswe ofer hrofum, hlin biS on eorpan,
waelcwealm wera. J>onne ic wudu hrere,
bearwas bledhwate, beamas fylle
holme gehrefed, heahum meahtum 10
wrecan on wafe wide sended,
haebbe me on hrycge J>aet er hadas wreah
foldbuendra, flalsc ond galstas,
somod on sonde. Saga, hwa mec fecce,
o)>]?e hu ic hatte ]>e fa hlaest bere. 1 5
3
Hwflum ic ge^ite, swa ne wenaj) men,
under y]>a. gepraec eorfan secan,
garsecges grund. Gifen bi] gewreged, tv-t^-
, fam gewealcen ;
hwaelmere hlimmeS, hlude grimmeS; 5
18 Hicketier J>e for \>xt. Gn., A7. f Intel, gesomnod. 19 Herzfeld (Die Rtitsel
des Exeterbuches, Berlin, 1890, p. 66) and Schofield gaed geador ; Intel, gaed gador.
2 4 MS., Th., Gn., W. wrasce ; Siev. (PBB. x, 510) wrSce ; Herzf. (p. 44)
wraec(c)a? 7 In MS.' y is written above i in hlin in another hand. 10 Cos.
(PBB. xxiii, 128) helme. MS., Th. heanu. n MS., Edd. wrecan; Cos. wrecen.
7>4.sende? 14 J/^.sunde; Th. on sunde (trans, 'safely'); Gn. sande. (Jw.wecce?
15 Th. te J>e.
3 3 Th. note geofon ; Ettm. gyfen. 4 Ettm. proposes flod araered ; Gn. flod
afysed. Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 128) famge wealcan (cf. PBB. xxi, 19, to And. 1524).
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 3
streamas stajm beataS, stundum weorpaf
on stealc hleopa stane ond sonde,
ware ond waege, Jxmne ic winnende, v**
\r holmmsegne bij>eaht, hrusan styrge,
side saegrundas : sundhelme ne maeg 10
losian aer mec laete, se ]>e mm latteow biS
on sij>a gehwam. Saga, foncol mon,
hwa mec bregde of brimes faefmum,
fonne streamas eft stille weorfaS,
ypa gefwaere, J>e mec asr wrugon. 15
4
.
[Hwilum mec mm frea faeste genearwa'S, [ioi b ]
sendetS J>onne under saelwonge
bearm [)>one] bradan ond on bid wriceo",
prafaS on pystrum frymma sumne
hseste on enge, faer me heard siteS 5
hruse on hrycge : nah ic hwyrftweges
of fam aglace, ac ic efelstol
haelefa hreru : hornsalu wagiaS,
wera wicstede ; weallas beofia'5
^AoJ-j^*^ steape ofer stiwitum. Stille fynceS 10
lyft ofer londe ond lagu swige,
o}>J>aet ic of enge up afringe
7 MS., Th., R., W. stealc hleoj>a; Ettm. stealchleojm. Gn. hleoj>u ? Compare
58 2 . Ettm. sande. 1 1 Ettm. ladteow.
4 There is no sign of closing after Rid. 3, no r spacing in the MS. between 3 and 4
{perhaps because 3 ends the page), and hwilum begins with a small letter ; but the
preceding formula clearly marks the close of a riddle. i Siev. {PBB. x, 479) frea
resolred. 2 MS., Gn., W. salwonge ; Gn. sahvongas ? Th., Ettm. saelwonge.
3 Herzf. (p. 68) for metrical reasons supplies on; Holthausen (Anglia xiii, 358)
>one. MS. onbid ; Th., Ettm. on bed. 5 MS., Th., Gn., W. haetst ; Cos. haeste
= J>urh haest. MS., Gn., W. heord; Th. note, Spr. ii, 68, Cos. heard. 6 Th., Ettm.,
Gn. hwyrft weges; Gn! 1 hwyrft-weges. 7 MS. aglaca. 8 MS. hrera; Th., Ettm.
hrere. 10 Ettm. stigwicum? 12 a in ajringe is -written above the line in
another hand.
4 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
efne swa mec wisa|> se mec wnede on ^ W^
get frumsceafte furfum legde
bende ond clomme, J'aet ic onbugan ne mot 15
of ]>aes gewealde )>e me wegas taecneS.
""Hwllum ic sceal ufan yj>a wregan,
[streamas] styrgan ond t5 staj^e pywan
flintgraegne flod : famig winneo
waeg wi5 wealle ; wonn ariseS 20
dun ofer dype, hyre deorc on last,
eare geblonden, 6}>er ferefc,
pset hy gemittaS mearclonde neah
hea hlincas. )?er bit5 hlud wudu, - **
brimgiesta breahtm ; bidaft stille 25
^^i
stealc stanhleojm streamgewinnes,
hopgehnastes, fonne heah gearing
on cleofu crydetS : pair biS ceole wen
sllfre saecce, gif hine see byretS
on )>a grimman tid, gaesta fulne, 30
]?3et he scyle rice birofen weorjian,
feore bifohten fsemig ridan
y)?a hrycgum : ]>er bi8 egsa sum
haele)>um geywed, fara )^e ic hyran sceal
strong on stlSweg : hwa gestilleft paet? 35
Hwilum ic Jmrhriese J>aet me rldeS on baece,
won wsegfatu, | wide tofringe [ IO2a ]
lagustreama full, hwilum laete eft
13 MS., Th. wraede; Ettm., Gti., W. wraee. 18 MS. no gap; Th. supplies
streamas. MS., Th. byran ; Th. note J>ywan ? 20 Ettm., Gn. won. 22 Th. note
ear-geblonde ? 23 Ettm., Gn. hi. Th. note gemetaft ? Ettm. gemeta^. 27 Spr.
ii, 47 heahge>ring. 29 Ettm. bireS. 31 MS., Th., Ettm., W. rice ; Th. note
ricene? Gn. rice (<ricu); Klaeb. (M.P. ii, 144) rince. 32 Klaeb. fere (danger).
33 Ettm., Gn. byS. 34 MS., Th., Gn., W. aeldum; Ettm. ealdum; haelejmm?
Gn. (Spr. ii, 774) yppan ? 36 MS., Th., Gn.,W. on baece rideS; Ettm. ridaft;
Gn. note (Herzf. p. 45) rideiS on basce ?
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 5
slupan tosomne. Se bi5 swega maist,
breahtma ofer burgum, ond gebreca hludast, 40
]>onne scearp cymefi sceor wif ofrum,
ecg witS ecge : eorpan gesceafte
fus ofer folcum fyre swaetaft,
blacan lige, ond gebrecu ferae"
deorc ofer dreohtum gedyne micle, 45
farafi feohtende, feallan laetaS
sweart sumsendu seaw of bosme, \
waetan of wombe. Winnende fareS
atol eoredfreat, egsa astlgeS,
P " "
micel modfrea monna cynne, 50
t>rogan on burgum, ponne blace scotiao"
scrij>ende scin scearpum wjepnum.
Dol him ne ondraedeS tSa deatSsperu,
swylteft hwaepre, gif him soS meotud
on geryhtu furh regn ufan 55
of gestune Ueteo' straele fleogan,
ferende flan : fea paat gedyga6 > /^
fara fe geraecetS rynegiestes walpen.
Ic J>aes orleges or anstelle,
)>onne gewite wolcengehnaste 60
purh gepraec fringan J>rimme micle i^wtA
ofer byrnan bosm : bierste5 hlude
heah hloSgecrod ; fonne hnlge eft
under lyfte helm londe near
41 MS., Edd. sceo ; Cos. sceor. 42 MS., Th. earpan ; Th. note eor)>an or ear-
man ? Ett. eorpan. Ettm., Gn. gesceafta. 45 MS., Edd. dreontum ; Th. note,
Spr. \, 204 dreohtum (dryhtum) ? Gn. dreongum = drengum ? Holth. (E. S. xxxvii,
206) dreorgum (" traurjg***), 47 MS. (T.) sweartsum sendu ; Th. note sweart-
sum sendetS? 50 Siev. (PBB. x, 479-480) resolves -brea. 51 Th. note broga ?
Ettm. breostum instead of burgum. 54 Ettm. swilte"S. 55 Ettm. gerihtum.
57 MS., Edd. farende. Siev. (PBB. x, 480), flanas ? 58 MS., W. geraeceft ;
Th., Ettm., Gn. geraeca'S. Th. note regn-gastes ? 61 MS., W. J>rimme. Th.,
Etim., Gn. )>rymme. 62 Gn. burnan ? 64 Siev. (PBB. x, 478) resolves near.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
ond me [on] hrycg hlade fset ic habban sceal, 65
meahtum gemanad mines frean.
Swa ic, prymful }>eow, ]>ragum winne
hwilum under eor|?an, hwilum y]>a. sceal
hean underhnlgan, hwilum holm ufan
streamas styrge, hwilum stlge up, 70
wolcnfare wrege, wide fere
swift ond swtyfeorm. | Saga hwaet ic hatte, [io2 b ]
o]>)>e hwa mec raere ponne ic restan ne mot,
offe hwa mec staet5j>e ponne ic stille beom.
Ic sceal J>ragbysig pegne mmum,
hringum hsefted, hyran georne,
mm bed brecan, breahtme cyfan
fast me halswrifan hlaford sealde.
Oft mec sljgpwerigne secg ottye meowle 5
gretan code ; ic him gromheortum
winterceald oncwefe; \_ficzf] wearm\e~\ lira
gebundenne beag bersteS hwilum,
se ]>eah bi)> on ponce pegne mmum,
medwisum men, me paet sylfe, 10
]>aer wiht wite ond wordum mm
on sped masge spel gesecgan.
65 Gn., W. add on. Th. note hebban ? 66 Siev. (PBB. x, 479) resolves frean.
69 MS., Con., Th., Ettm. heah ; Gn., W. hean. MS. (T.), Ettm. under hnigan.
71 Ettm., Gn. wolcenfare.
5 i MS., Th. )>ragbysig; Ettm. }>rage bysig; Jragbysig? or Jrascbysig ? Gn., W.
}>ragbysig. 2 MS., Th. hringan. 7 MS. wearm lim ; Th. note wearme limu ?
Ettm. wearmum limum ; Holth. (I. F. iv, 386) wearm lim[waedum]. 8 MS., Edd.
gebundenne; Ettm. gebunden. MS., Th. baeg; Th. note beag. MS., Th. hwilum
berste'S; Th. note bersta'S. After \ in hwilum, an o is erased. 10 Ettm., Gn.
silfe. ii Ettm. se J>aer. 1 1-12 MS. min onsped ; Th. minon sped ; note spede ?
or spedum ? Ettm. minum | spede.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 7
6
Ic com anhaga Iserne wund,
bille gebennad, beadoweorca saed,
ecgum werig. Oft ic wig seo,
frecne feohtan, frofre ne wene,
faet me geoc cyme guftgewinnes, 5
ser ic mid aildum eal forwurde;
ac mec hnossiaS homera lafe,
heardecg heoroscearp hondweorc smipa,
bitaS in burgum ; ic abldan sceal
lajran gemotes. Naefre leececynn 10
on folcstede findan meahte,
para ]>e mid wyrtum wunde gehjelde,
ac me ecga dolg eacen weorftaft
Jmrh deaftslege dagum ond nihtum.
Mec gesette so5 sigora waldend
*.>.c
Crist to compe : oft ic cwice baerne,
unrlmu cyn, eorfan gelejige,
nSte mid nij^e, s\va ic him no hrine,
fonne mec frea mm feohtan hatep.
H \vllum ic monigra mod acete, ^
JjJ^
hwilum ic frefre fa ic aer winnejon [ IO 3 a ]
feorran swipe ; hi ^s felaS feah
6 3 Siev. (PBB. x, 476) resolves seo. 5 MS., M., Th. mec. 6 Ettm. ildum.
Gn. eall. Ettm. forwurfte ; Gn. forwurde ? 7 Ettm. lafa. 8 MS., Th. ^eorc ;
Th. note handweorc ; M., Ettm., Gn., R. handweorc ; W. hondweorc. 9 MS.,
Th., Ettm., R. abidan ; Gn., IV. a bidan. 10 R. lat>ra. 13 Spr. \, 251, eaden ?
Ettm. weorfleft.
7 IV. ' Nach nihtum ist die hdlfte der zeile fret, auf ihr steht iiber Crist die
rune S.' 4 Th. note swa-J>eah ? 5 Siev. (PBS. x, 479) frea resolved; MS.,
Edd. min frea; Holth. (Bb. ix, 357) friga min. 7 [wel] before frefre added by
Gn., W. Th. note frefrige. Th. note J>a J>e ?
8 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
swylce )>8es 5J>res, )>onne ic eft hyra
ofer deop gedreag drohtafi bete.
8
Hraegl min swigaS )*mne ic hrusan trede
o}>J>e fa wic buge oj>pe wado drefe.
Hwilum mec ahebbatS ofer haelepa byht
hyjste mine ond )>eos hea lyft,
ond mec fonne wide wolcna strengu 5
ofer folc byret>. Frsetwe mine
swogaS hlude ond swinsiaS,
^ torhte singaS, fonne ic getenge ne beom
flode ond foldan, ferende gaest.
9
Ic Jmrh muj> sprece mongum reordum,
wrencum singe, wrixle geneahhe
heafodwofe, hlude cirme,
healde mine wisan, hleopre ne mipe,
eald jgfensceop, eorlum bringe 5
blisse in burgum fonne ic bugendre
stefne styrme ; stille on wicum
sittaS swigende. Saga hwaet ic hatte
J>e swa scirenige sceawendwisan
10 MS., Th. betan; Gn. bete; Spr. i, 99 betan [sceal]. Rune S stands at close
of the riddle.
8 i Th. note swogaS ? 4 Siev. (PBB. x, 478) resolves hea ; Holth. (Bb. ix,
357) hea[e]. 6 Ettm. bire?. Ettm. fraetwa. 7 Ettm. swinsjaS eac. 9 Gn.
gaest ; Sw. gist.
9 The rune C is over this riddle on line -with ferende gaest (8 9 ). 4 Th. note
hleobor; Ettm. hleoSor; Gn. hleoftres; Gn? hleoSre (inst.). S MS., Th. siteS;
Ettm. sita^S ; Gn., W., Cos. sitta-5. MS., Th., Gn., W. nigende ; Gn. hnigende ?
Ettm., Cos. swigende. 9 MS (T.) )>a swa scirenige ; Th. )>a swa scire nige ; Th.
note J>e; Ettm. scirenige; Gn. 'scirenige, scurriliter? vgl. Graff vi, 549-551';
Spr. ii, 296 scire nige (ist pers. sg. of nigan) ; Bosworth- Toller, p. 837, scire cige ;
Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 1 28) ' scirenige is to be changed to sciernicge scericge, mima,
Shr. 140; scearecge, Lye?
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 9
WK"
hlude onhyrge, hselefum bodige 10
wilcumena fela wof e mlnre.
10
Mec on dagum fissum deadne ofgeafun
faeder ond modor, ne wses me feorh fa gen,
ealdor in innan. J>a mec [an] ongon,
O
wel hold mege, wedum feccan,
heold ond freofode, hleosceorpe wrah 5
1 sue arlice swa hire agen beam,
offset ic under sceate, swa mm gesceapu waeron,
ungesibbum wearS eacen gaeste.
Mec seo frife mseg fedde siffan,
offaet ic aweox[e], widdor meahte 10
sifas asettan ; heo hsefde swsesrajfy Ises [iO3 b ]
suna ond dohtra, fy heo swa dyde.
ii
Neb wses mm on nearwe, ond ic neofan waetre,
flode underflowen, firgenstreamum
swife besuncen; ond on sunde awox,
ufan yf um feaht, anum getenge
lifendum wuda lice mine. 5
Haefde feorh cwico fa ic of fseSmum cwom
ii Ettm. welcumena.
10 i MS., Edd. on Hssum dagum ; Holth. (. S. xxxvii, 206) dagum )>issum or
t>issum dogrum. MS. ofgeafum. 2 7%., Gn. moder. 3 Gn. on ; Szu. oninnan.
Gn., Sw. [ides] ; 6". 2 [an]. Gti. 2 ongan ; Sw. ongonn. 4 MS (T.) wel (end of line)
hold mege wedum weccan. Holth. (Bb. ix, 357) wilhold. 77/., Gn., W. gewedum ;
Sw. gewaedum ; Cos., Holth. mege wedum. Edd. )>eccan. 6 MS., Th. snearlice ;
Th. note searolice ? Gn., IV. swa arlice ; Sw. suae arlice ; Cos. sue arlice (cf. 16*).
7 Sw. oj> J?aet. Th. note mine. 9 MS., Th.,Dietr. (I/Z. xii, 251) frij>e masg;
Gn., W. frij>emaeg. Th. note magg 1 ??. 10 MS., Edd. aweox ; Holth. (E. S. xxxvii,
206) aweox[e]. Gn., IV. widor; Cos. compares 6i 17 .
112 Th. gives incorrectly MS. reading as floren. 3 Tr. (BB. xix, 169) on
sande grof. 6 Gn. feorh-cwico.
10 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
brimes ond beames on blacum hrsegle ;
sume wjgron hwite hyrste mine,
)>a mec lifgende lyft upp ah5f,
wind of waege, sippan wide baer 10
ofer seolhb'aj>o. Saga hwaet ic hatte.
12
Hraegl is mm hasofag, hyrste beorhte
reade ond sclre on reafe \_sind~\.
Ic dysge dwelle, ond dole hwette
unrajdslpas, ofrum styre
nyttre fore. Ic )>ses nowiht wat 5
fset heo swa gemiedde, mode bestolene,
daede gedwolene, deoraj) mine
won wisan gehwam. Wa him pass feawes,
siffan heah pringeS horda deorast,
gif hi unrjedes eer ne geswica]) ! 10
13
Fotum ic fere, foldan sllte,
grene wongas, fenden ic gsest bere.
Gif me feorh losaft, faeste binde
swearte Wealas, hwilum sellan men.
Hwilum ic deorum drincan selle 5
beorne of bosme, hwilum mec bryd triedeS
felawlonc fotum, hwilum feorran broht
wonfeax Wale wege8 ond )>yS,
7 Tr. bearmes. MS., Th. hraegl. 8 Ettm. hyrsta.
12 2 The second half line is obviously defective ; Gn. adds minum, which Holth.
rejects, proposing min; Tr. (BB. xix, 173) [hafo]. 3 Tr. drops Ic. 4 MS.
unraed sij>as ; Edd. unraedsi}>as ; Herzf. (p. 68) on unraedsibas or unrasdgesi^as ; Tr.
unraedsfra. 9 Tr. heann/or heah. MS., Edd. bringe'S; Cos. J>ringe'S.
13 6 MS., Th. beorn ; Ettm. beornum. 8 Ettm. note >y5= bywe-S; Siev. (PBB.
x, 477) resolves }>yS; Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 129) }>y[h]eiS.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK II
dol druncmennen deorcum nihtum,
waeteS in waetre, wyrmeS hwllum 10
fsegre to fyre ; me on faeSme stica]>
hygegalan hond, hwyrfeS geneahhe,
swifeS me geond sweartne. Saga|hwset ic hatte [iQ4 a ]
J>e ic lifgende lond reafige
ond aefter deape dryhtum }>eowige. 15
14
Ic seah turf tredan, tyn waeron ealra,
six gebro))or ond hyra sweostor mid,
haefdon feorg cwico. Fell hongedon
sweotol ond gesyne on seles waege
anra gehwylces. Ne, waes hyra aengum ]>y wyrs 5
ne side fy sarre, |>eah hy swa sceoldon
reafe birofene, rodra weardes
meahtum aweahte, mu)mm slltan
haswe blede. Hraegl bit5 geniwad
fam ]>e ser forScymene frsetwe leton 10
licgan on laste, gewitan lond tredan.
15
Ic waes waepenwiga. Nu mec wlonc feceS AJV^-"
geong hagostealdmon golde ond sylfre,
woum wirbogum. Hwilum weras cyssa?5 ;
hwllum ic to hilde hleofre bonne
wilgehlepan ; hwllum wycg byrej) 5
mec ofer mearce ; hwllum merehengest
9 Th. dol-drunc mennen ; Gn. ' dune-mermen ? vgl.ahd. tune.' 12 7/4., Ettm.
hygegal an hond. 15 Siev. (PBB. x, 491) J>eo\vige.
14 I MS., Edd. except Tr. (BB. xix, 177) x. 2 MS., Edd. except Tr. VI.
3 Gn. feorgcwico. 5 Tr. Naes. 6 MS., Th. sarra ; Cos. ne siS hy sarra.
15 i R. note conjectiires waspen wigan. 2 Sw. monn. MS. sylfore ; Ettm. silfore ;
Kl. note sylofre ? Siev. (PBB. x, 459) sylfre. 5 Ettm. \vicg. Ettm., Kl. bire.
I2 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
fereS ofer flodas, fraetwum beorhtne ;
hwilum maegSa sum minne gefylleft
bosm beaghroden ; hwilum ic [on] bordum sceal,
heard heafodleas, behlyfed licgan ; 10
hwilum hongige, hyrstum fraetwed,
wlitig on wage pair weras drincaS ;
freolic fyrdsceorp hwilum folcwigan
wicge wegafi, ponne ic winde sceal
sincf ag swelgan of sumes b5sme ; 1 5
hwilum ic gereordum rincas laSige
wlonce to wine ; hwilum wrajmm sceal
stefne mmre forstolen hreddan,
flyman feondsceaj>an. Frige hwaet ic hatte.
16
| Hals is min hwit, ond heafod fealo, [iO4 b ]
sidan swa some ; swift ic eom on fe}>e,
beadowsepen bere; me on baece standaS
her swylce swe on hleorum ; hlifiaS tu
earan ofer eagum ; ordum ic steppe 5
in grene graes. Me bits gyrn witod, ^
gif mec onhzele an onfindeS,
waelgrim wiga, ]>aer ic wic buge,
bold mid bearnum, ond ic bide paer
mid geoguScnosle hwonne gaest cume 10
9 MS., Edd. ic bordum. 10 Ettm. behlitied; Gn. note behlywed ? Spr, i, 87,
behlej>ed ? 14 Gn. wecgaft (Gn. 2 marks as misprint) ; Kl. \vecgai5. 16 Gn., Sw.
ic [to] ? 17 MS., Th., K., A7. 2 wra^bum. 19 The sign after hatte seems to me
no rune as W. conjectures, but part of a closing sign.
16 2 Th., Ettm., Gn., give incorrectly MS. reading swist. Ettm. in. 4 MS.,
Th. her swylce sweon | leorum ; Th. note haer swylce swyne ; Ettm. haer swylce
swine ; Gn., IV. her swylce sue ; Cos. her swylce suge ; Holth. (Bb. ix, 357) ' her
swylce sw[in]e, on hleorum tu|, also mil streichung von hlifia'S'; McL. her swylce
swe on hleorum ; hlinaft tu |. Th., Ettm., R. also close line with tu ; Gn., W. with
hlifiaS. 6 MS., Th. grenne. 7 Ettm. unhaele. 9 MS. blod.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 13
t5 durum minum ; him bij> dea$ witod.
ForJ>on ic sceal of eftle eaforan mine
forhtmdd fergan, fleame nergan, OA-J
gif he me aefterweard ealles weor|>et5 ;
hine breost beraS. Ic his bidan ne dear 15
rejjes on geruman (nele )>aet raed teale),
ac ic sceal fromllce fej>emundum
]mrh steapne beorg strjete wyrcan.
Ea)>e ic mseg freora feorh genergan,
gif ic msegburge mot mine gelaidan 20
on degolne weg Jmrh dune )>yrel
swsEse ond gesibbe ; ic me sippan ne )>earf
waelhwelpes wig wiht onsittan.
Gif se nrSsceafa nearwe stlge
me on swa}>e sece}>, ne tosailej) him 25
on )>am gegnpape gu})gem6tes,
sif})an ic J>urh hylles hrof gersece, r
ond Jmrh hest hrino hildepilum -
laSgewinnum fam \>e ic longe fleah.
17
Oft ic sceal wijj wsege winnan ond wi}> winde feohtan,
somod wi8 )>am saecce, J>onne ic secan gewite
eorpan ypum peaht ; me biS se e)>el fremde.
Ic beom strong J>ses ge|winnes, gif ic stille weorfe ; [105*]
gif me pses tosseleS, hi beoS swlpran fonne ic, 5
ond mec slitende sona flymatS,
willaft oSfergan )>aet ic fri})ian sceal.
15 MS., Edd. hine beraiS breost. Th. note hi ne bereft ? Herzf. (p. 68) on
metrical grounds breost beraiS ; Cos. ' entweder hine breost beraft oder etwas
anderes ; keinesfalls was der text bietet.' 16 Ettm. teala. 21 MS., Th. dum ;
Th. note, Ettm. dim ; Gollancz (McL.) dumb. 24 MS., Gn. gifre ; Th. and other
Edd. gif se. 27 Ettri. hilles. 28 Ettm. haest. Th., Ettm. hrine. MS., Th.
hilde pilum.
I4 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
Ic him ]>&t forstonde, gif mm steort ]>ola
ond mec stijme wif stanas moton
faeste gehabban. Frige hwset ic hatte. 10
18
Ic com mundbora minre heorde, .
eodor wlrum faest, innan gefylled.
dryhtgestreona. Daegtidum oft.
spate sperebrSgan ; sped bi}> \>y mare
fylle minre. Frea |>aet bihealdeft, 5
hu me of hrife fleogao" hyldepilas.
Hwilum ic sweartum swelgan onginne
brunum beadowsepnum, bitrum ordum,
eglum attorsperum. Is min innafc til,
wombhord wlitig, wloncum deore ; 10
men gemunan J>aet me purh mup fareft.
19
Ic com wunderlicu wiht : ne mgeg word sprecan,
mseldan for monnum, ]>eah ic mu}> haebbe,
wide wombe
Ic waes on ceole ond mines cnosles ma. w/
20
Ic seah [somod] l/| 1^ P'
N hygewloncne heafodbeorhtne
17 10 TVs reading of MS., Gn. haette; MS., Th. hatte.
18 Over the riddle stands in the MS. the B-rune, and over the B, the L-rune.
i Tr. (BB. xix, 180) minra. 2 MS. (T.), Th., Tr. eodor wirum; Gn., W. eodor-
wirum. 5 MS., Th. freo. 6 MS., Th. hylde pylas. 8 Gn. beaduwaepnum.
II Cos. for metrical reasons [oft] or [J>aet] after men ; Tr. gewilnia'S instead of
gemunan.
193 A T o gap in MS. after wombe. 4 After ma, usual sign of closing : - : 7 ;
Th., Gn. suggest a lacuna.
ao i The addition is Grein's ; Hicketie r (A ng lia x, 592) Somod ic seah. Holth.
(Bb. ix, 357) ond between runes R and 0.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 15
swiftne ofer sJilwong swtye fraegan ;
haefde him on hrycge hildefrype,
-f- P M, nsegledne rad 5
K X M F; widlast ferede
rynestrong on rade rofne S &
r (P) K N ; for waes ]>y beorhtre,
swylcra siffaet. Saga hwaet ic hatte.
21
Ic com wunderlicu wiht, on gewin sceapen,
frean minum|leof, faigre gegyrwed : [ IO 5 b ]
byrne is mm bleofag, swylce beorht seomaS
wir ymb ]>one wselgim ]> e me waldend geaf,
se me wldgalum wisaS hwllum 5
sylfum to sace. J>onne ic sine wege
furh hlutterne^daeg, hondweorc smij>a,
gold ofer geardas. Oft ic gaistberend
3 ^/IS 1 . swistne (not swisne, Gn.). Ettm. Jraegjan. 4 ^/^S"., Th. 'hilde bryl>e
("bold in war"):^ 6 J/^., Th., Gn., W. rad AGEW. Th. note, Ettm., Dietr. (xi,
465) rad N. G. E. W ; Gn. note suggests
N.O.M. naegledne R. A. G.
[wod R] E. W. widlast ferede.
Hicketier (Anglia x, 592) rand>r rad ; WO E |> ( N G E |>) for AGEW. Tr. (Bb. v, 48)
N. O. [ond] M. Naegledne gar
W. O. E. t>. widlast ferede.
Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 129) rad (R), A. G = gar; E (eh), W (wynn) should be changed
to W. E. (wynneh), ' -well damit das ross bezeichnet wird, der widlast ferede.' Holth.
(Bb. ix, 357) W. E. = wynne. Ettm. note nydlast ? 7-8 Th., Siev. (Anglia xiii,
17), Holth. I.e. COFAH. 8 Holth. F. A [ond] H. 8 No gap in MS.; Th. note
'Here a line is wanting'; Ettm. indicates a gap before for. Gn. beorhtra. 9 Gn.
note hwaet hio ? Ettm. hate.
21 2 Gn. faegere. 3 MS., Th. seomad. 4 Th. note 'were or wirum ? wael-
grimman ? or is wael-jjim a periphrasis for byme?' 6 Edd., citing AfS. in-
correctly, read rice ; Gn. note sige ? Spr. ii, 446 sige ; MS. reads plainly sace ;
so B. M.
V
16 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
cwelle compwjepnum. Cyning mec gyrweS
since ond seolfre ond mec on sele weorpatS ; 10
ne wyrneS word lofes, wisan mainetS
1
mine for mengo, )>aer hy meodu drincaS ;
healdetS mec on heapore, hwilum IsetetS eft
radwerigne on gerum sceacan,
orlegfromne. Oft ic 5)>rum scod 15
V 1 frecne set his freonde ; fah com ic wide,
wjgpnum awyrged. Ic me wenan ne fearf
faet me beam wraece on bonan feore,
gif me gromra hwylc gupe gensegeS ;
ne weor)>ef5 slo msegburg gemicledu 20
eaforan minum fe ic sefter woe,
nympe ic hlafordleas hweorfan mote
from }>am healdende ]>e me hringas geaf :
me bits for5 witod, gif ic frean hyre,
guj>e fremme, swa ic glen dyde, / 25
minum feodne on )x>nc, faet ic ]x>lian sceal
bearngestreona ; ic wi]> bryde ne mot
haemed habban, ac me \>xs hyhtplegan
geno wyrneS se mec geara on
bende legde ; forpon ic brucan sceal 30
on hagostealde haelepa gestreona.
Oft ic wirum dol wife abelge,
wonie hyre willan ; heo me worn spreceS,
fl5ceS hyre folmum, firena]) mec wordum,
ungod gseleS ; ic ne gyme ]?93S compes 35
10 Th. feolfre (misprint). 13 7/4., Gn. me. 14 Gn. sceacen (misprint).
17 Gn. note awyrded ? 19 Gn. note gehnaegeiS ? 29 MS., T/i., Gn., W. gearo ;
Siev. (PBB. x, 519) gearwe; Herzf. (p. 44) geara. 35 Th. note ' Here a leaf of
the MS. is evidently wanting 1 ; W. 'in der US. ist nichts wa/irzitnehmen.' 1 There
is no closing sign in the MS. Holth. (Bb, ix, 357) for metrical reasons assigns
compes to line 36.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 17
22
Neb is mm niperweard, neol ic fere [io6 a ]
ond be grunde graefe, geonge swa me wisaS
bar holtes feond, ond hlaford mm
[se] w5h faerefi weard set steorte,
wrigap on wonge, wegeS nice ond ]>y8, 5
sawej> on swseS min. Ic snyfige forS
brungen of bearwe, bunden crsefte,
wegen on waegne, hsebbe wundra fela ;
me bi}> gongendre grene on healfe
ond mm swaeS sweotol sweart on o]>re. 10
Me ]mrh hrycg wrecen hongaf under
an orjjoncpil, 6j>er on heafde
faest ond for6 weard fealle|> on sidan,
])set ic tojnim tere, gif me teala ]>enaft
hindeweardre Jjaet bi\> hlaford min. 15
23
^Etsomne cw5m sixtig monna
to wgegstaej^e. wicgum ridan ;
hsefdon endleofon eoredmaecgas
frf&kengestes, feower sceamas.
Ne meahton magorincas ofer mere feolan, 5
swa hi fundedon, ac wses fldd to deop,
atol yj>a gefraec, ofras hea,
22 2 Th. w^^geong? 3 Th. har-holtes. 4 Stev. (PBB. x, 519) [on]; Bright
[se]. 5 Stev. (PBB. x, 477) resolves by; Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 129) by[h]e-S. 6 Th.
note snyrige ? 7 MS. bearme ; Th. beame. 15 Th. note ' se t>e for J>set ? '
23 i MS. -flLTsotnne ; Th. Etsomne ; Th. note ' r. ^Etsomne'; Ettm. JEt somne.
Th. note, Ettm. cwomon. MS., Edd. except Ettm. LX. 2 Ettm. waegsta'Se.
3 MS., Edd. except Ettm. XI. Ettm. eoredmecgas. 4 MS. fridhengestas ; Th.
note fyrdhengestas ? Ettm. fridhengestas; Dietr. (xii, 251) 'frF5, adj. (stattltch,
schon ; vgl. to 9 ) ' ; Gn. ' fridhengestas (vgl. a/id, parafrit) ' ; Spr. i, 349, Gn. z frid-
hengestas. MS., Edd. except Ettm. mi. 5 Th. note feran ? 7 Stev. (PBB. x,
478) resolves hea ; Holth. (Bb. ix, 357) hea[e].
j8 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
streamas stronge. Ongunnon stigan fa
on wsegn weras ond hyra wicg somod
hlodan under hrunge ; fa fa hors oftbaer
eh ond eorlas sescum dealle
ofer wsetres byht wsegn t5 lande,
swa hine oxa ne teah ne esla maegen
ne fsethengest, ne on flode sworn,
ne be grunde wod gestum under, 15
ne lagu drefde,* ne on lyfte fleag,
ne under bsec cyrde ; brohte hwaef re
beornas ofer burnan ond hyra bloncan mid
from stseSe heaum, fset hy stopan up
on of erne, | ellenrofe, [io6 b ] 20
weras of waege ond hyra wicg gesund.
24
Agof is mm noma eft onhwyrfed.
Ic com wraetllc wiht on gewin sceapen.
J>onne ic onbuge ond me of bosme fareS
setren onga, ic beom eallgearo,
]>get ic me fset feorhbealo feor aswape. 5
Siffan me se waldend, se me faet wite gescop,
leopo forleete^, ic beo lengre fonne aer,
offset ic spajte, spilde geblonden,
ealfelo attor fast ic aer[or] geap.
Ne togongeS faes gumena hwylcum 10
10 Ettm. hlodun. 1 1 Th. note eohas ? 13 MS., TA., Gn., W. esna ; Gn. note
esla? Spr. i, 228 esla or esola. Th., Ettm., Gn. maegn. 14 MS., Th., Gn., W.
faet hengest; Ettm. fxi; note fsted? fact? Spr. i, 274 fsethengest. 1 6 Ettm.
draefde. MS., Th. of ; Th. note on ? 17 MS. onder. Ettm. cirde. 18 Ettm. hira.
19 Ettm., Gn. hi stopon.
24 4MS.(T.) set renonga; Th. aettren onga. Gn. com. MS. (T.), Th., Gn.
call gearo ; Gn?- eallgearo. 7 Herzf. (p. 62) com for beo. Cos. lengra. 8 Gn.
o J>aet. 9 MS., Th. eal felo. MS., Edd. aer ; Siev. (PBB. x, 519), Cos. aeror.
10 Th. to gongeft.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 19
ainigum eape pset ic pajr ymb sprice,
gif hine hrineS paet me of hrife fleogeS,
paet pone mandrinc maegne geceapap
fullwer fseste feore sine.
Nelle ic unbunden ainigum hyran 15
nympe searosaeled. Saga hwaet ic hatte.
25
Ic com wunderllcu wiht, wrjgsne mine stefne :
hwilum beorce swa hund, hvvllum blaite swa gat,
cj^S hwilum graide swa gos, hwilum gielle swa hafoc ;
hwilum ic onhyrge pone haswan earn,
guSfugles hleopor ; hwilum glidan reorde 5
mupe gemsene, hwilum mjgwes song,
pSr ic glado sitte. X mec nemnaS,
swylce F 1 ' ond |^, f^ fullesteS
[ond] N ond |. Nu ic haten com
swa pa siex stafas sweotule becnap. 10
26
Ic com wunderlicu wiht, wifum on hyhte,
neahbundum nyt ; nsengum sceppe
burgsittendra nympe bonan anum.
Stapol min is steapheah, stonde ic on bedde,
neopan ruh nathwar. Nepe6 hwilum
ful cyrtenu | ceorles dohtor,
modwlonc meowle, paet heo on mec griped,
II Th. 'sprite (spirt): 14 J\fS., Edd. full wer; Th. note ful-hwer? Bright
suggests fullwer ('complete wer').
25 I Th. note wrixle ? for wraesne. 2 Holth. (E. S. xxxvii, 207) swa hund
beorce or belle swa bearg or beorce swa bicce. 9 Cos. ' [ond] at beginning or
end of half-line' 1 ; Holth. H. I [samod].
26 2 JlfS., Edd. neahbuendum ; Siev. (PBB. x, 480), Mad. (p. 63) neahbundum.
4 MS., Th., Gn., W. steap heah ; Holth. 'steapheah (cf. Gen. 2839, heahsteap)';
Tr. (BB. xix, 184) omits heah. 5 Tr. nat hwaer.
20 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
rese6 mec on reodne, reafaft mm heafod,
fegeS mec on faesten ; felef sona
mines gemotes seo }>e mec nearwaS, 10
wif wundenlocc : wset brS ]>aet cage.
27
Mec feonda sum feore besnypede,
woruldstrenga binom ; wsette siffan,
dyfde on waetre ; dyde eft ponan,
sette on sunnan, fair ic swtye beleas
herum )>am ]>e ic haefde. Heard mec sijtyan 5
sna$ seaxes ecg, sindrum begrunden ;
*~/>
fingras feoldan, ond mec fugles wyn .. r*^
geond[sprengde] speddropum, spy^rede geneahhe
ofer brunne brerd, beamtelge swealg (r^**- ' *9
streames dale, stop eft on mec, 10
sijjade sweartlast. Mec siffan wrah
haelet5 hleobordum, hyde bej>enede,
gierede mec mid golde ; forfon me gliwejion
wrjetlic weorc smij>a, wire befongen.
Nu ]>a. gereno ond se reada telg 1 5
ond ]>a wuldorgesteald wide msere
dryhtfolca helm, nales dolwite.
Gif mm beam wera brucan
hy beot5 }>y gesundran ond ]>y sigefaestran,
8 Gn. note raereiS? Gn. note 'reoSne (zur Ruttelung) ' ; Tr. raereiS mec reodne ?
Bright suggests hreode ('reed, stalk 1 ). 10 MS., Th. se ; Th. note seo ?
ay i Ettm. besnlSede. 3 Ettm. dide. 5 Ettm., Sw. hasrum. R., Sw. J>a J>e.
6 MS., M. seaxses. MS., M., Th., Ettm. ecge. Ettm. note syndrum ? 7 Th.
note foldan ? Ettm., Gn. feoldon. Ettm., Gn. me. Th. note fule swyn ; Ettm. cyn ;
Sw. wynn. 8 Gn., Sw. add [sprengde] ; Molth. (I. F. iv, 386) [spaw]. 9 Th. note
beamtelga? 12 M. heo-bordum. MS., M., Th., Ettm. hy)>e ; Gn., IV. hyde.
13 Gn. note forS on me ? 14 Sw. wraettlic. 15 R. hyfe/or Nu )>a. 16 Ettm.,
Gn. add beo"5 before maere; Gn. (Spr. ii, 223) follows MS.; Sw. maeren. 17 Gn.
note help ? Th., Ettm., R., Sw. dol wite. 19 Ettm., Gn. hi.
'
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 21
heortum ]>y hwsetran ond fy hygeblij>ran, 20
ferpe )y frodran, habbap freonda \>y ma,
swaesra ond gesibbra, so)>ra ond godra,
tilra ond getreowra, |>a hyra tyr ond ead
'estum yca$ ond hy arsjafnm
lissum bilecgaS ond hi lufan fae]>mum \r 25
faeste clyppaS. Frige hwset ic hatte,
J tV* 7 ^
nifum to nytte : nama mm is maere,Qk
gifre ond halig sylf. [ic>7 b }
Ic com wepr6 werum, wide funden,
brungen of bearwum ond of burghleojmm,
of denum ond of dunum. Daeges mec waegun
fej>re on lifte, feredon mid liste
under hrofes hleo. HaeleS mec si))J>an
bafedan in bydene. Nu ic com bindere
ond swingere, sona weorpe
esne to eorfan, hwilum ealdne ceorl ;
sona past onfindeS se fe mec fgh6 ongean, i
ond wi8 maegenpisan minre gensesteS Q/^ 10
}>aet he hrycge sceal hrusan secan,
gif he unrsedes ser ne geswjceS,
strengo bistolen, strong on spraice,
maegene binumen, nah his modes geweald,
fota ne folma. Frige hwaet ic hatte, 15
t5e on eorpan swa esnas binde,
dole aefter dyntum, be daeges leohte.
24 littm., Gn. hi. 28 Ettm. gifraege ; R. gifrege ; Sw. gefraege. Ettm. silf.
28 2 MS., T//., Grt., IV. burghleohum ; Th. note beorghleo^um ? Ettm. beorg-
hleo^um. 3 Ettm., Gn. me. 4 Ettm. feSru. Ettm., Gn. lyfte. Gn. note lisse ?
7-8 MS., Edd. weorpere | efne ; Holth\E. S. xxxvii, 207) as in text. 10 Ettm.
mae.gen)>ysan ; Holth. I.e. maegenHssan. Th. note genaage'S; Ettm. gehnaeste'5.
13 J. 2 , W. strongan. 14 Ettm. maegne. 16-17 Tk. ' These lines are in the
22 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
2Q
BiJ) foldan dzel fsegre gegierwed
mid ]>y heardestan ond mid ]>y scearpestan
ond mid ]>y grymmestan gumena gestreona,
^j corfen, sworfen, cyrred, pyrred,
j bunden, wunden, blseced, wseced, 5
ifrsetwed, geatwed, feorran Iseded
,to durum dryhta,] dream biS in innan
]
cwicra wihta, clengeS, lengeS,
para ]>e aer lifgende longe hwile
wilna brucetS ond n5 wiS spriceS ; 10
ond fonne aefter deape deman onginne5,
meldan misllce. Micel is to hycganne
wisfaestum menn hwaet seo wiht sy.
30
Ic wiht geseah wundorlice
hornum bitweonum hu))e laedan,
[lyftfaet leohtlic listum gegierwed, [io8 a ]
hu]>e to )>am ham[e] of pam heresife :
walde hyre on }>ere by rig bur atimbran, 5
searwum asettan, gif hit swa meahte.
Da cwom wundorlicu wiht ofer wealles hrof
(seo is eallum cu$ eorSbuendum),
ahredde ]>a. fa hvtye, ond to ham bedraf
MS. detached from the preceding part, begin -with a capital, and appear altogether as
a separate riddle? W. ' nach hatte steht als schlusszeichen :-, dann folgt auf der-
selben zeile De.'
29 2 Ettm. hwaessestan for scearpestan ; Gn. [heoru] scearpestan. 3 Ettm.,
Gn. grimmestan. 8 7/4. note glengeS? 12 Siev. (PBB. x, 482) hyogan.
13 Ettm. si; Gn. seo ; Siev. (PBB. x, 477) sy resolved.
30 2 MS., Th. horna abitweonu ; Th. note hornum bitweonum ? Dietr. (xi, 468)
homaa (= homa) ; R. hornan. 4 MS., Edd. except Tr. (BB. xix, 180) ban .
5 MS., Tr. walde ; Th., Ettm., Gn., R., W. wolde. Ettm. hire. Herzf. (p. 50)
burge for byrig ? Holth. (E. S. xxxvii, 208) on byrg }>aere or walde after b;'rg.
MS. atimbram. 7 Ettm. wunderlicu. 9 MS., Th., R. bedrasf.
23
wreccan ofer willan ; gewat hyre west J>onan 10
faehjmm feran, forS onette ;
dust stone to heofonum, deaw feol on eorfan,
niht fort5 gewat : naenig si)>j>an
wera gewiste J^ere wihte sio".
31
Ic com legbysig, lace mid winde
bewunden mid wuldre, wedre gesomnad,
fus forSweges, fyre gebysgad,
bearu blowende, byrnende gled.
Ful oft mec gesipas sendaS aefter hondum 5
pact mec weras ond wlf wlonce cyssaS.
J>onne ic mec onhaebbe, hi onhnigap to me,
monige mid miltse, fair ic monnum sceal
yean upcyme eadignesse.
32
Is }>es middangeard missenlicum
wlsum gewlitegad, wraettum gefrsetwad.
Ic seah sellic J>ing singan on rsecede ;
wiht waes no [hwaefre] werum on gemonge
10 Ettm. hire. n MS., Th., Tr. onetteiS. 12 Sw. feoll.
31 This riddle appears in two different forms in the Exeter Book (108 a, 122 l>).
The second of these is defective on account of injury to the MS. Gn., W., J51., and Tr.
distinguish these versions as a and b ; the first two making a, the third and fourth
b, the basis of text.
i a leg bysig ; b lig bysig (not lie bysig, 77*., Gn., Tr.) ; Gn., Bl., Tr. lic-bysig ;
W. lie bysig. 2 b After winde some if letters are missing before -dre (wedre), the
first being w ( W.) ; W. suggests wunden mit wuldre we-, Tr. wuldre bewunden we-,
B. M. reads the lower part of wu. 3 b gemylted for gebysgad. 46 Instead of
bearu a gap of five letters ( IV.) ; B. M. reads plainly bear. 6 b basr. b gecyssaft.
7 a Th. ond hi ; b hi. a onhingaj> ; b onhniga>. 8 b modge miltsum swa ic
mongum sceal.
32 2 Ettm. wraetwum. 4 Ettm. sio wiht. MS. on werum on ; Th^ Ettn:. omit
first on ; Gn., W. no; Herzf. (p. 68) no[wer] ; Cos: (PBB. xxiii, 129) 'no [hwaeflre]
(cf. line 8).'
24 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
sio haefde waestum wundorlicran. 5
Niferweard \at nytte] waes neb hyre,
fet ond folme fugele gellce ;
no hwaepre fleogan mseg ne fela gongan,
hwaej>re fepegeorn fremman onginnetS,
gecoren craeftum cyrreS geneahhe ; i o
oft ond gelome eorlum on gemonge
sitetS set symble, sales bide]>,
hwonne aer|heo craeft hyre cyfan mote [io8 b ]
werum on wonge. Ne heo faer wiht Jngeo 1
faes J>e him aet blisse beornas habbaS. 15
Deor domes georn, hlo dumb wunaS ;
hwaej>re hyre is on fote fseger hleopor,
wynllcu woSgiefu : wrsetllc me finceS
hu seo wiht maege wordum lacan
furh fot neopan. Fraetwed hyrstum 20
hafaS hyre on halse, fonne hlo hord waraS,
baer, beagum deall, bropor sine,
maeg mid maegne. Micel is to hycgenne
wisum woSboran hwaet [sio] wiht sle.
33
Is ]>es middangeard missenlicum
wisum gewlitegad, wraettum gefraetwad.
Sifum sellTc ic seah searo hweorfan,
5 Ettm. omits sio, and adds o'Srum after waestum ; Th. note ' r. waestem.' Th. note
wundorlicne ? 6 MS. ni^erweai^S ; after this Herzf. (p. 68) inserts onhwyrfed or
gongende ; Holth. (/. F. iv, 387) geneahhe or genyded. Ettm. suggests after hire
(hyre), neat his tela. 7 Ettm. folma. 8 Ettm., Gn. ne mseg ne. 9 Gn. fefte
georn. 12 Ettm. simble. 13 Th. note 'asr is apparently an error of the scribe?
14 Th. note on gemonge? 15 MS. habbad. 17 Ettm. hyre. 18 Ettm.
tynceS. 21 Dietr. (xi, 469) 'hordwaraiS (Schatzbesitzer}? 22 7/4., Ettm. 'baer-
beagum (with bearing-rings)? Ettm. sinne. 23 Th. note maegiSe or msegdne ?
Ettm. hycganne ; Siev. (PBB. x, 482) hycgan. 24 Th. inserts [sio] ; Siev. (PBB.
x, 477) resolves sie.
33 i Con. ftis. 2 Ettm. gewlitegod. Con. wraetum ; W. ' the second t in wrast-
tum is above the line in another hand. 1
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 25
grindan wift greote, giellende faran ;
naefde sellicu wiht syne ne folme, 5
exle ne earmas ; sceal on anum fet
searoceap swifan, swtye feran,
faran ofer feldas ; haefde fela ribba ;
mutS waes on middan, moncynne nyt ;
fere foddurwelan folcscipe dreogeft, 10
wist in wigeft, ond werum gieldeS
gaful geara gehwam }>aes ]>e guman brucatS,
rice ond heane. Rece, gif Jm cunne,
wls, worda gleaw, hwaet slo wiht sie.
34
Wiht cwom sefter wege wraitlicu lipan,
cymlic from ceole cleopode t5 londe,
hlinsade hlude ; hleahtor wses gryrellc,
egesful on earde, ecge wairon scearpe.
| Waes hlo hetegrim, hilde to salne, [ IO 9 a ] 5
biter beadoweorca ; bordweallas grof
heard ond hipende. Heterune bond,
saegde searocraeftig ymb hyre sylfre gesceaft :
" Is min modor maegSa cynnes
faes deorestan, )>aet is dohtor mm 10
eacen up liden, swa faet is aeldum cuf,
4 Con. greoto. Ettm. gellende. 6 Ettm. eaxle. 8 MS. fella. 10 Th. note
faere? Gn. note fela. Con., Ettm. foddarwelan ; Gn. foddorwelan. Th. note draeg'S ?
ii Th. note wegeft? Th., Ettm., Gn. inwige^; Gn. 2 , W. in wige$. 12 Con.
beneaft/br bruca^S. 13 Con. conne. 14 Siev. (PBB. x, 477) resolves sie.
34 i MS., Th. wege ; Th. note waege ? Gn., W. wisege. 3 MS. leahtor.
4 Ettm. ecga. 5 MS., Herzf. (p. 68), Klaeber (M. P. ii, 145) hio ; Th., Ettm.,
Gn., W. his ; Ettm. note hire ? MS., Th., Gn., W. hete grim ; Ettm., Herzf., Klaeb.
hetegrim (And. 1395, 1562). Th. note to seonne ? Herzf. to saege ; Klaeb. 'on
wene (cf. on wenum) ' ; Holth. (E. S. xxxvii, 208) ' to cene (nordh. casne).' 7 Sign
of ond not in MS.; Edd. supply this. Ettm. hybende. Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 129),
Klaeb. onband (cf. Beow. 501). 8 Ettm. silfre. 9 MS. maegda. 10 Ettm. J>aes
for >aet. n MS. (T.), Th., Ettm. upliden. Ettm. eldum.
26 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
firum on folce, faet seo on foldan sceal
on ealra londa gehwam lissum stondan."
35
Ic wiht geseah in wera burgum
seo faet feoh fedeS ; hafaS fela tof a ;
nebb bif hyre set nytte, niferweard gongeS,
hlfeft holdlice ond to ham tyht5,
wjef e6 geond weallas, wyrte seceS ; 5
aa heo fa findetS fa fe faest ne bif;
IseteS hio fa wlitigan, wyrtum faeste,
stille stondan on stafolwonge,
beorhte bllcan, blowan ond growan.
36
Mec se waita wong, wundrum freorig,
of his innafe serist cende.
Ne wat ic mec beworhtne wulle flysum,
haerum furh heahcraeft hygefoncum mm.
Wundene me ne beoS wefle, ne ic wearp hafu, 5
ne Jmrh freata gefraecu frsed me ne hlimmeS,
ne aet me hrutende hrisil scrifeS,
ne mec ohwonan sceal am cnyssan.
Wyrmas mec ne awajfan wyrda craeftum
fa fe geolo godwebb geatwum fraetwatS. 10
Wile mec mon hwaefre se feah wide ofer eorfan
hatan for haelefum hyhtllc gewaede.
Saga so^cwidum, searofoncum gleaw,
wordum wisjfaest, hwaet fis gewaxie sy. [ IO 9 b ]
35 3 G H - ne b. 4 Siev. (PBB. x, 476) resolves tylvS; Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 129)
tyhe'S. 6 Gn. a.
36 5 Ettm. wefla. 8 MS., Gn. 2 , W. sceal amas cnyssan ; Th. note, Etim., Gn.
uma; Dietr. ama; Holth. (.S. xxxvii, 208) am sceal cnyssan (Leid. 8). 9 Ettm.
awaefon. u Gn. mon mec. Herzf. (p. 69) omits se J>eah. 14 MS., Th., Kl,
gewaedu ; R. gewaeda. Ettm. si.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 2/
Leiden Riddle
Mec se ueta uong, uundrum freorig,
ob his innaftge Merest caend[se].
Ni uuat ic mec biuorthae uullan fllusum,
herum Serb hehcraeft higido[n]cum [mln].
Uundnae me ni biaS ueflae, nl ic uarp hefse, 5
ni Serih '5rea[t]un grSraec 6ret me hlimmith,
ne me hrutendi hrisil scelfaeS,
ni mec ou[ua]n[a] aam sceal cnyssa.
Uyrmas mec ni auefun uyrdi crseftum
Sa Si goelu godueb geatum frsetuath. 10
Uil mec hudrae suaj t>eh uidae ofser eorSu
hatan mith h^liSum hyhtlic giusede.
Ni anoegu na ic me serigfaerae egsan brogum,
Seh Si ni[maen flanas fracjadllcae ob cocrum.
Leiden Riddle (MS. Voss. Q. 106, fo. 24 b, in University Library of Leiden in
Continental hand of ninth century). This was printed very inaccurately by Beth-
mann, Haupts Zeitschrift v (1845), 199. Dietrich (D.) published facsimile, trans-
literation, and critical text in the Marburg program, Commentatio de Kynewulfi
poetae aetate, 1859-1860. His text was reprinted in Rieger*s Alt- und angelsach-
sisches Lesebuch, Giessen, 1861 (.#.), with critical emendations. In 1885, Sweet
(Sw.) printed in his Oldest English Texts a critical text based upon the MS. and
also upon "the Leiden librarian's careful transcript of the Riddle by help of re-
agents in /86^"(L.). Sweet is followed closely by Kluge, Angelsdchsisches Lesebuch,
j888, iSgj (A7.), and by Assmann, G rein-Walker's Bibliothek iii, 205 ( W.).
I Two letters erased after ueta. 2 D., R. h(is). D. aerfest], R. aer[ist], Sw.,
Kl., W. aerest, Sw. ' may be asrist ? ' 3 R. biuorhtae. 4 D., R. b[i]h
They conjecture bi hiortan minre or bi hyge (R. hige) minum, L. b[i]gido[cumt],
Sw. bigido[n]cum [minum], possibly, hygi-, A7., W. as in text. 6 D., R. Sreaftjan.
D., R. giSr[aece], Sw. ' giiSraec, it is impossible to tell whether last letter is followed
by more letters or not. 1 D., R. hlimmid, Z. hlimmi(t)d. 7 D. (MS.), J?. hrutendi,
Sw., A7., W. hrutendum. D., R. scelffJaeS. 8 D., R, o[hwanan] or D. o[hwaer] ;
Sw., Kl., W. as in text. 11 D. hu[e]drae. R. ofer. 12 R. haettSum. D., R.
hihtlic. D. giuae[di] or giuae[de], L. giu[ae]de, Sw. giuaede. 13 MS., Edd.
anoegun, B.-T. (p. 750) as in text (see Dan. 697). 14 additions partly by D.,
partly by R. D. reads m/or ni; R., Sw., A'l. ni[man]. R. [fracjaSlice.
2 8 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
37
Ic wiht geseah on wege feran,
seo waes wrsetlice wundrum gegierwed :
haefde feowere fet under wombe
ond ehtuwe, monn h p M [/],
wiif m x I kf r, 5
/hors q x x s, ufon on hrycge ;
haefde tu fijmi ond twelf eagan
ond siex heafdu. Saga hwaet hio wsere.
For fl5dwegas ; ne waes }>3et na fugul ana,
ac pair waes jeghwylces anra gellcnes, 10
horses ond monnes, hundes ond fugles,
ond eac wifes wlite. f>u wast gif )m const
to gesecganne, faet we sot5 witan
hu faire wihte wise gonge.
38
Ic J>a wihte geseah ; womb waes on hindan
f rijjum afrunten ; fegn folgade,
maegenrofa man, ond micel haefde
gefered, faer \us,fyllo fleah furh his cage.
Ne swylteS he symle, fonne syllan sceal 5
innaft )>am oj^rum, ac him eft cymeS
b5t in bosme, blsed bip araered ;
he sunu wyrcefc, bits him syKa faeder.
37 At close of Bibl., Gn. gives facsimile of 37, after Hickes {Thesaurus, ii, 5),
but in his edition of text he does not print the secret script, -which he considers as
' runes.'
4 Th. ehtu)>e; . 2 , W. ehtu we (= ehtun we). MS., W. h w M; Holth.
(E. S. xxxvii, 208) as in text. 5 MS., Th., W. wiif ; Gn. wif. MS., B. M.
m x 1 k f w ; W. (misreading) M x I R f w ; Holth. as in text. 9 Gn. note
foldwegas ?
38 i Th., Ettm., Gn. wiht. 2 Ettm., Gn. bryum. 4 MS., Edd. hit felde ;
Th. note fyligde ? Gn. note felde ? Dietr. (xi, 472) his filled (see, however, xii,
2 38)- 5 Ettm. swilteS.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 29
39
Ic ]>a. wiht geseah wsepnedcynnes ;
geoguSmyrfe graidig him on gafol forlet
fer5fri)>ende feower wellan
scire sceotan, on gesceap JnEotan.
Mon mafelade, se ]>e me gessegde : 5
" Seo wiht, gif hio gedygeS, duna bricefc ;
gif he tobirsteS, bindeS cwice."
40
Gewritu secgafc J>aet seo wiht sy
mid moncynne miclum tidum
sweotol ond gesyne ; sundorcrseft hafafc
maran micle fonne hit men witen.
Heo wile gesecan sundor | seghwylcne [i 10*] 5
feorhberendra, gewlteft eft feran on weg ;
ne bi8 hio njgfre niht far 6)>re,
ac hlo sceal wldeferh wreccan laste
hamleas hweorfan, no ]>y heanre bip.
Ne hafaf5 hio fot ne folm, ne Jefre foldan hran, 10
ne eagena [hafaS] egj>er twega,
ne mut5 hafa)>, ne wij> monnum spraec,
ne gewit hafaS ; ac gewritu secgafi
J?set seo sy earmost ealra wihta,
para J>e aefter gecyndum cenned wiere. 15
Ne hafaft hlo sawle ne feorh ; ac hio sl)>as sceal
geond fas wundorworuld wide dreogan.
Ne hafaS hio blod ne ban ; hwsefre bearnum wear?)
39 i Th., Gn. wihte. 2 MS., Edd. -myrwe ; Holth. (E. S. xxxvii, 208) as in
text. $ MS.(T.), Th. fei"S fri)>ende. 4 Th. geotan>r J>eotan ; B.-T. (p. 1053)
gesceap)>eotan ('(eats').
40 i MS., Edd. sy ; Siev. (PBB. x, 477) sie resolved. 2 MS. iiclum/or tidum.
4 MS. maram. 6 Gn. faran. 8 Th., Gn. wide ferh ; Gn? wideferh. 10 Gn. no
before hafafi (Gn. 2 ' misprint 1 ). 1 1 MS. eagene. Gn. adds hafaft. 12 Th. spraece.
3 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
geond fisne middangeard mongum to frofre.
Naefre hio heofonum hran ne to helle mot ; 20
ac hio sceal wideferh wuldorcyninges
larum lifgan. Long is to secganne
hu hyre ealdorgesceaft aefter gongeft,
woh wyrda gesceapu ; faet [is] wrsetlic f ing
t5 gesecganne ; soft is seghwylc 25
para fe ymb fas wiht[>] wordum becneS.
Ne hafaS heo lim <znig, leofaf efne se feah.
Gif fu maege reselan recene gesecgan
sopum wordum, saga hwset hio hatte.
41
Ece is se scyppend, se fas eorpan nu
wre^stufum [wealdefi~\ ond )>as world healdetS ;
rice is se reccend ond on ryht cyning,
ealra anwalda, eorfan ond heofones
healdeS ond wealdeS, swa he hweorfeS ymb fas utan. 5
He mec wraetllce worhte set frymtSe [no b ]
fa he fisne ymbhwyrft Eerest sette ;
heht mec waeccende wunian longe,
faet ic ne slepe siffan sefre,
ond mec semninga slaep ofergongef, 10
beot5 eagan mm ofestum betyned.
21 Th., Gn. wide ferh ; Cn? wideferh. MS. cyninge. 22 Siev. (PBB. x, 482)
secgan. 24 Th. adds is. 26 MS., Edd. wiht ; Holth, (. S. xxxvii, 208) adds
aefre after wiht, or reads bas wiht ymb[e]. 27 MS. he haenig lim; W. notes that
he is certainly written by another hand ; Thorpe sees over the e of he an a, Sch. a
scratched-out o; W. (so T. and B. M.) nothing ; Edd. aenig lim.
41 I notice a flaw (cut) in MS. after scyppend (1. i) and world (1. 2), but no
words seem to be missing there.
2 Siev. (PBB. x, 520) declares that wre'Sstubum does not satisfy metrical require-
ments and that the sense also demands a jd pers. sing., parallel to healde'S ; Holth.
(/. F. iv, 387) -would read weardafl after -stubum. 3 MS., Th. ric. 5 MS. swa
he ymb >as utan hweorfet?; Gn. note hweorfeiS utan? Siev. (PBB. x, 520) 'per-
haps swa he hweorfeiS ymb }>as ?' 8 Th., Gn. het. 10 Th. note ac/or ond-stgn ?
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 31
J>isne middangeard meahtig Dryhten
mid his onwalde aeghwjer styreft;
swa ic mid waldendes worde ealne
)>isne ymbhwyrft utan ymbclyppe. 15
Ic com bleaS to fon }>aet mec bealdlice maeg
gearu gongende grima abregan,
ond eofore com jgghwser cenra
ponne he gebolgen bidsteal giefeS ;
ne maeg mec oferswtyan segnberendra 20
senig ofer eorpan nymfe se ana God,
se )>isne hean heofon healdej> ond wealdep.
Ic com on stence strengre [micle]
J>onne ricels o)>J>e rose sy,
[}>e swa aenlice] on eor)>an tyrf 25
wynlic weaxeS ; ic com wrastre fonne heo :
]>eah \>e lilie sy leof moncynne,
beorht on blostman, ic com betre fonne heo;
swylce ic nardes stenc nyde oferswT})e
mid minre swetnesse symle aighwser ; 30
ond ic fulre com fonne )>is fen svvearte,
J>set her yfle adelan stinceS.
Eal ic under heofones hwearfte recce,
swa me leof fseder laerde aet frym|>e,
]>aet ic ]>a. mid ryhte reccan moste 35
ficce ond J^ynne ; )>inga gehwylces
onlicnesse aEghwair healde.
Hyrre ic com heofone ; hate)> mec heahcyning
his deagol )>ing dyre bihealdan :
eac ic under eor)>an eal sceawige 40
worn | wraftscrafu wrajra gsesta. [ IIia ]
1 6 MS., Edit, to |>on blea~S ; Herzf. (p. 51) as in text. 17 Spr. i, 494 gearu-
gongende. 23, 25 The additions are by Gn.; W. notes that there is no gap in the
MS. 39 Th. note bihealden ? 41 Gn. 2 worm ? MS. wraft scrafu ; T/i. wom-wraiS-
fcraf u (misprint) ; Gn. wrac-scraf u ; Spr. ii, 738, Gn. 2 wraiS-scrafu. MS. gesta,
32 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
Ic com micle yldra ]>onne ymbhwyrft ]>es
o]>]>e )>es middangeard meahte geweorpan,
ond ic giestron waes geong acenned, .
maere to monnum, ]>mh minre modor hrif. 45
Ic com fsegerre fraetwum goldes,
peah hit mon awerge wlrum utan ;
ic com wyrslicre fonne )>es wudu fula
ofrSe )>is waroS ]>e her aworpen ligefc.
Ic eorpan com seghwser braidre 50
ond widgielra J>onne ]>es wong grena ;
folm mec maeg bifon ond fingras fry
utan cape ealle ymbclyppan.
Heardra ic com ond caldra fonne se hearda forst,
hrim heorugrimma, fonne he to hrusan cymetS ; 55
[ic com] Ulcanus upirnendan
leohtan leoman lege hatra.
Ic com on goman gena swetra
fonne Jm beobread blende mid hunige ;
swylce ic com wraj?re J>onne wermod sy 60
i
[)>e] her on hyrstum heasewe stonde}>.
Ic mesan maeg meahtellcor
ond efnetan ealdum J>yrse ;
ond ic gesallig maeg symle lifgan,
feah ic setes ne sy iefre to feore. 65
Ic maeg fromlicor fleogan fonne pernex
of ]>e earn o]>]>e hafoc sefre meahte ;
nis zefferus, se swifta wind,
42 MS. J>aes ; 7/4. J>es ; Gn. note waes ? 47 Tk. note (p. 528) awrige ? 50 Th.
in/or ic ; Gn. [yfele] in eorj>an ; Sch. notes that meter and sense require no addition.
52 Siev. (PB. x, 476) resolves -fon. 55 MS., Th. heoru grimma. 56 Gn.
adds ic com. 61 Gn. adds )>e. 63 MS., Th. efn etan. MS., Th. J>yrre ; Th. note
tyrse ? 66 MS., Th. p'nex ; Sch. reads penex and declares that the e is scratched
out, but may still be seen, while the accent is not erased ; W. sees no e, and regards
the accent as the abbreviation sign customary with p. / see no e (nor does B. M.),
but the accent is certainly like the long sign.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 33
fget swa fromlice maeg feran seghwser :
me is snaegl swiftra, snelra regnwyrm 70
ond fenyce fore hrej>re ;
is ]>aes gores sunu gonge hraedra,
fone we wifel wordum | nemnaft. [in b ]
Hefigere ic com micle forme se hara stan
o]>]>e unlytel leades clympre ; 7 5
leohtre ic com micel ponne }es lytla wyrm
fe her on flode gaeS fotum dryge.
Flinte ic com heardra ]>e ]>is fyr drifep
of pissum strongan style heardan ;
hnescre ic com micle halsrefepre 80
seo her on winde wseweS on lyfte.
Ic eorfan com aeghwaer brsedre
ond widgelra J?onne fes wong grena;
ic uttor [eafe] eal ymbwinde
wraetlice gewefen wundorcraefte. 85
Nis under me Jenig oj>er
wiht waldendre on worldlife ;
ic com ufor ealra gesceafta,
fara J>e worhte waldend user,
se mec ana maeg ecan meahtum 90
gefeon prymme faet ic onfunian ne sceal.
Mara ic com ond strengra j>onne se micla hwael,
se J>e garsecges grund bihealdeS
sweartan syne ; ic com swifra J'onne he ;
swylce ic com on maegene minum leesse 95
70 MS. snelro J>on ; Th. note snelra se ? 72 MS. ic for is. 77 MS., Th.
flonde ; Th. note flode ? 78 W. the second a / heardra is corrected from e. Gn.
se HS. W. notes the erastire of a letter after fyr. 84 Gn. reads eall ; Holth. (Bb. ix,
358) ana before eal ; Holth. (E. S. xxxvii, 208) supplies eaj>e ; compare line 53.
86 Th. note of er for under ? 91 MS., Th. onrinnan ; Th. note onwinnan; Gn.
onHnnan ; Gn. z , Spr. ii, 353, B.-T. onbunian (see 46 2 bimian). 94 MS., Edd.
sweartan syne ; Herzf. (p. 69) sweart ansyne. MS., Th. swi)>re. 95 Th., Gn. maegne.
34 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
)>onne se hondwyrm se ]>e hselepa beam,
secgas searoj'oncle, seaxe delfaS.
Ne hafu ic in heafde hwite loccas, .
wraiste gewundne, ac ic com wide calu ;
ne ic breaga ne bruna brucan m5ste, 100
ac mec bescyrede scyppend eallum :
nu me wrsetlice weaxaS on heafde
paet me on gescyldrum scinan motan
ful wrjgtllce wundne loccas.
Mara ic com ond fjgttra fonne amsested swin, 105
bearg bellende, [)>e] on bocwuda
won wrotende wynnum lifde
faet he
42
edniwu [ii2 a ]
]>aet is moddor monigra cynna,
faes selestan, faes sweartestan,
faes d core stan, ]>&s ]>e dryhta beam
ofer foldan sceat t5 gefean agen. 5
Ne magon we her in eorfan owiht lifgan,
nymt5e we brucen faes fa beam dot5.
f>set is to gefencanne feoda gehwylcum,
wisfaestum werum, hwaet seo wiht sy.
43
Ic seah wyhte wraetlice twa
undearnunga ute plegan
103 Gn. moton. 106 Bright [)>e]. 108 Th. ' here a leaf of the MS. is mani-
festly -wanting containing the end of this and the beginning of the following enigma:
W. perceives no gap in the MS. [>aet he closes the page}, hit below, in another hand
and in other ink, almost obliterated hit is ; then about twelve letters which he is tin-
able to decipher. These seem to me to be sio creatura pr.
42 6 Gn. on. 7 Siev. (PBB. x, 477) do resolved; Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) do[a].
- 8 Siev. (PBB. x, 482) ge)>encan. 9 Siev. (PBB. x, 477) resolves sy.
43 2 Siev. (PBB. x, 520) ' perhaps plegian.'
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 35
haimedlaces ; hwltloc anfeng
wlanc under waidum, gif faes weorces speow,
faemne fyllo. Ic on flette maeg 5
furh runstafas rincum secgan,
fam fe bee witan, bega aetsomne
naman ]>ara wihta. f>ser sceal Nyd wesan
twega ofer ond se torhta ysc
an an Hnan, Acas twegen, 10
Haegelas swa some. Hwylc faes hordgates
caegan craefte fa clamme onleac
fe fa raidellan wiS rynemenn
hygefaeste heold heortan bewrigene
orfoncbendum ? Nu is undyrne 15
werum aet wme hu fa wihte mid us,
heanmode twa, hatne sindon.
44
Ic wat indryhtne aefelum deorne
giest in geardum, fam se grimma ne maeg
hungor sceSSan, ne se hata furst,
yldo ne adle, gif him arllce
esne \> enaS se f e agan sceal 5
on fam siSfaete. Hy gesunde act ham
findaft witode him wiste ond blisse,
cnosles unnm ; care, gif se esne
his hlaforde | hyretS yfle, [ii2 b ]
3 Gn. onfeng. 4 MS. speop. 7 MS. J>a. 10 T/i., Gn. anan linan. n Spr.
i, 121 hwylc = '' qui ' or l st quis? MS. waes; Th. t>aes. 12 Th. note clammas ?
13 B.-T. s.v. raedels has raedelsan ? 14 Gn. beheold. 17 Gn. note heah- ?
Spr. ii, 48 heah mode. As Sch. notes, there is no division between this riddle and
the next; hatne sindon is followed on same line by Ic wat (44 1 ).
44 4 Th. note, Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 130) adl. 4, 5 Gn., W. add after adle, ne se
enga deafi (compare Ph. 52), and after sceal, his geongorscipe. Cos. (PBB. xxiii,
130) rejects these additions. 5 Cos. se J>e = J>one )>e. Gn. agan. 6 MS., Th.
siftfate. MS., Th. hyge sunde ; Th. note 'r. sundne (a sound mind).'' 8 Th. note
' before care a "word, perhaps butan, is omitted. 1
36 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
freanonfore; ne wile forht wesan 10
brojjor 6)>rum : him }>set bam sceSeS,
}>onne hy from bearme begen hweorfaft
anre magan ellorfuse
moddor ond sweostor. Mon, se fe wille,
cy]>e cynewordum hu se cuma hatte 15
et5j>a se esne J>e ic her ymb sprice.
45
Wrsetlic hongaS bi weres ]>eo,
frean under sceate ; foran is fyrel ;
biS sti}> ond heard, stede hafaS godne,
fonne se esne his agen hraegl
ofer cneo hefeS, wile faet cufe hoi 5
mid his hangellan heafde gretan
fset he efenlang aer oft gefylde.
46
Ic on wincle gefraegn weaxan nathwaet,
J>indan ond punian, fecene hebban.
On fact banlease bryd grapode
hygewlonc hondum ; hraegle feahte
frindende J>ing peodnes dohtor. 5
47
Wer saet set wine mid his wifum twam
ond his twegen suno ond his twa dohtor,
10 Klaeb. (M.P. ii, 145) regards the second half -line as parenthetical. 16 Gn.
note ofrSe ? MS., Th. sprice ; Gn., W. sprece ; compare 24".
45 i Siev. (PBB. x, 478) resolves >eo ; Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 129) J>eo(h)e. 7 MS.
(T.), Th., Gn. efe lang; Th. note efne lang? Gn. 2 , W. efelang; Tr. (BB. xix, 192)
efen-lang.
46 i MS. win cle. MS., Th., Gn., W. weax; Dietr. (xi, 474) 'weax (y>weacs,
etwas weicAes)' or weaxan ; Herzf. (p. 69) weascan ; Holth. (I. F. iv, 367) weaxan ;
Siev. (PBB. x, 520) suggests a genitive, i.e. waces. 2 Dietr. (xi, 474) J>enian (sich
dehnett). 5 Th. J>indende ; Gn. note hrintende ?
47 i MS., Con. Waer. Con. wifa. Con. omits twam. 2 Con., Ettm., Gn. suna.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 37
swase gesweostor ond hyra suno twegen,
freolico frumbearn ; faeder waes fser inne
fara aepelinga aighwaeftres mid, 5
earn ond nefa. Ealra waeron fife
eorla ond idesa insittendra.
MoflSe word fraet ; me J>aet Jmhte
wratlicu wyrd, )>a ic faet wundor gefraegn,
]>aet se wyrm forswealg wera gied sumes,
)>eof in J>ystro, ]>rymfaestne cwide M x
ond paes strangan stapol. Staelgiest ne waes 5
wihte ]>y gleawra | fe he )>am wordum swealg. [n3 a ]
49
Ic gefraegn for haelejmm hring [serjendean
torhtne butan tungan, tila feah he hlude
stefne ne cirmde strongum wordum.
Sine for secgum swigende cwaeS :
" Gehsele mec, helpend gaesta ! " 5
Ryne ongietan readan goldes
guman galdorcwide, gleawe bepencan
hyra haelo to Code, swa se hring gecwae^S.
50
Ic wat eardfaestne anne standan
deafne dumban, se oft daeges swilgeS
3 Ettm. gesweoster. " MS., Con., Th. hyre ; Ettm. hira ; Gn., W. hyra. Con.,
Ettm. suna. 4 Con., Ettm. freolicu. 5 Con. Ettm. aeghwae'Seres.
48 2 Sw. wraettlicu. 3 Sw. giedd. 4 Sw. Jrymmfaestne. 6 Between 48 and ^g
there is no spacing in the MS., not even a closing sign ; swealg (6) is followed on the
same line by Ic gefraegn (4Q 1 ).
49 I MS. fer; Edd. for. MS., Th. hringende an ; Gn., W. hring [aerjendean;
Klaeb. (M.P. ii, 145) hring aendean (or endean) = aerndean < aerendian. 2 After
tila no gap in MS.; Gn., W. supply reordian and thus complete hemistich; Siev.
(PBB. xii, 479) begins a new verse 'with stefne; as does Klaeb. (M.P. ii, 145), who
reads as in text, tila >eah he hlude | stefne ne cirmde. 7 MS., Edd. bejmncan ;
Gn. note be^encan ?
38 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
Jmm gopes hond gifrum lacum.
Hwilum on pam wicum se wonna pegn,
sweart ond saloneb, sendeS opre 5
under g5man him golde dyrran,
W*^
fa sepelingas oft wilniaS,
cyningas ond cwene. Ic pset cyn nu gen
nemnan ne wille, pe him to nytte swa
ond to dugpum dop paet se dumba her, 10
y_ eorp unwita, ser forswilgeS.
d^' J
51
Wiga is on eorpan wundrum acenned
dryhtum to nytte, of dumbum twam
torht atyhted, pone on teon wigeS
feond his feonde. Forstrangne oft
wif hine wrl'5 ; he him wel hereS, 5
feowa)) him gepwaere, gif him pegniatJ
maegeft ond maecgas mid gemete ryhte,
fedat5 hine fsegre ; he him fremum stepeS
life on lissum. Leanaft grimme
]>e hine wloncne weorpan IseteS. 10
52
Ic seah wreetlice wuhte feower
samed sipian; swearte | waeran lastas, [ii3 b ]
swajm swipe blacu. Swift wses on fore
fultumfromra, fleag on lyfte,
50 3 Th. note geapes ? Gn. 'gopes (vgl. altn. hergopa serva ?).' 4 MS., Th.
hwilu mon. 6 Gn. omits him. 10 Gn. 2 , W. de}>. 1 1 MS. fer swilgeft ; Edd.
forswilge'S.
514 MS. fer strangne ; Edd. forstrangne. 5 Siev. (PBB. x, 476) resolves wii5.
8 Gn. stepeft ; Gn. note he hi fremum stepeft ? Siev. (PBB. x, 456), stepeiS.
52 4 MS., TA., Gn. fuglum frumra (the u of MS. frumra may be an a with its top
faintly marked} ; Th. note fromra; (J. 2 , W. framra; Tr. (BB. xix, 195) fugla fultum.
MS., W., Barnouw (p. 221) fleotgan lyfte; Th. note fleogan; Gn. note 'fleotga
(Schwimmer) on lyfte (so also Dicht.; Spr. i, 304 celer, velox) oder fleat geond lyfte';
Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 130) ' fleog (= fleag) an lyfte (cf. 23 16 )'; Tr. fleag geond lyfte.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 39
.
deaf under y];e. Dreag unstille 5
winnende wiga se him wegas taecnep
ofer fseted gold, feower eallum.
53
Ic seah rsepingas in rseced fergan
under hrof sales hearde twegen,
]>a wseron genamnan nearwum bendum
gefeterade fseste togaedre.
J>ara 5)>rum wses an getenge 5
won f ah Wale, seo weold hyra
bega sife bendum fsestra.
54
Ic seah on bearwe beam hllfian
tanum torhtne ; |>set treow wses on wynne,
wudu weaxende ; wseter hine ond eorj?e
feddan faigre, opfaet he frod dagum
on oj>rum wearS aglachade 5
deope gedolgod, dumb in bendum,
wrifen ofer wunda, wonnum hyrstum
foran gefrsetwed. Nu he fsecnum weg
furh his heafdes maegen hildegieste
ofrum rymeS. Oft hy on yste strudon 10
hord getgaedre ; hraed waes ond unlaet
6 MS., Th. waegas ; Th. note wegas ?
53 3 MS., Th., Gn., Dietr. (xi, 476) genamne ; Th. note, Tr. (BB. xix, 198)
genumne ; Holth. (. S. xxxvii, 209) genamnan. 4 Tr. to gaedere. 6 Gn. note
wonfeax? Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 130) 'wonf(e)ahs (cf. Rid. 13*, wonfeax).'
54 2 Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) omits J>aet. 8 MS., Th. faecnum waeg; Th. note frec-
num weg ? 9 MS., Th. masg ; Th. note maegen ? 10 MS. ( W.) hy an yst (not
he an yst, Th., Gn.); Th. note 'hi on yst (they furiously} 1 ; Dietr. (xii, 251-252)
'oft hea (fur heo, hi) nyst strudon (oft raubten sie mundvorrath) ' ; Gn., W. hi
earyst ; Gn. note earyst = earust, alacerrime ; Klaeb. (M. P. ii, 145) oft hy anys
(anes). 1 1 Th. note heard ?
40 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
se aeftera, gif se serra faer,
genamna in nearowe, nepan moste.
55
Hyse cwom gangan, ]>xr he hie wisse
stondan in wincle ; stop feorran to
hror haegstealdmon, hof his agen
hraegl hondum Op, hrand under gyrdels
hyre stondendre stipes nathwaet, 5
worhte his willan, wagedan buta ;
fegn onnette, waes J>ragum nyt
tillic esne ; teorode hwae)>ral
set stunda|gehwam strong air fonne hlo, [ JI 4 a ]
werig }>aes weorces. Hyre weaxan ongon 10
under gyrdelse )>aet oft gode men
ferSfum freogatJ ond mid feo bicgaS t
56_
Ic seah in healle, peer haeleft druncon,
on net beran feower cynna : '
wraetllc wudutreow ond wunden gold,
sine searobunden, ond seolfres dal,
ond rode tacn faes us to roderum up 5
hlsedre rserde, ser he helwara
burg abraece. Ic faes beames maeg
eafe for eorlum ae}>elu secgan :
fair waes hlin ond ac, ond se hearda iw,
12 MS. fxr genamnan ; Th., Gn., W. fasr genam|nan; Holth. (Bb. ix, 358)
closes the line with faer and regards genam as the beginning of a lost line ; Holth.
(E.S. xxxvii, 208) reads [on] faerj genamnan, and compares 53 3 , genamne ; Bright
suggests genamna, but prefers genumne (so also 53 3 ).
55 i Th., Gn. J>ar. 2 AfS. wine sele ; Th., W. win-sele ; Gn. wincle (wrongly
citing this as Thorpe's suggestion for supposed MS. readingvi'mc, notvrinc sele). Holth.
(.S. xxxvii, 209) < on sta^ole (cf. Rid. 88 7 ).' 4 MS., Th. rand. 5 Th. stondenre.
7 Th. onette. 9 MS., Th. aer K>n hie (not hi, Gn.) 6 ; Gn., W. as in text.
12 Gn. ferSum.
56 I MS., Edd. heall ; Th. note, Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) healle ? Cf. s6 13 , 6O 1 .
9 Th. note 'hlind/0r lind?' MS. ace.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 41
ond se fealwa holen ; frean sindon ealle 10
nyt setgaedre, naman habbaft anne,
wulfheafedtreo, faet oft waEpen absed
his mondryhtne, mafcm in healle,
goldhilted sweord. Nu me gieddes fusses
ondsware ywe, se hine onmede 15
wordum secgan hu se wudu hatte.
57
Ic waes paer inne, pser ic ane geseah
winnende wiht wido bennegean,
holt hweorfende ; heapoglemma feng,
deopra dolga ; daropas wseron
weo paire wihte ond se wudu searwum 5
faeste gebunden. Hyre fota waes
biidfaest ofer, ofer bisgo dreag,
leolc on lyfte, hwilum londe neah.
Treow waes getenge fam fser torhtan stod
leafum bihongen. Ic lafe geseah 10
mmum hlaforde, faer haeletJ druncon,
a on flet beran.
58
Deos lyft byreS lytle wihte
ofer beorghleofa, pa sind | blace swife, [ TI 4 b ]
12 TA., Gn. wulfheafed treo. Th. note ' abad (awaited) ? ' 14 AfS., Edd. J>isses
gieddes ; Herzf. (pp. 43-44), on metrical grounds, gieddes J>ysses ; Holtli. (. S.
xxxvii, 209) adds mon after )>isses gieddes. 15 MS., Th., Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 130),
Holth. (.S. xxxvii, 209) onmede; Gn., IV., Liebermann (Archiv cxiv, 163) on
mede.
57 2 MS., Th. wido benne gean ; Th. note wide benna (against wide wounds') ?
3 Gn. hwearfende. 5 Th. note wea? Dietrich (xii, 238, N.) wea; Lange (ib.)
wiS. 7 Gn. bidfaest. 9 MS., Th. torht anstod; Gn., W. as in text. 12 MS.,
Th. flan ; Th. note 'some lines are here apparently wanting' 1 ; Gn. adds geweorca;
so W.; cf., however, El. 285, J>aera leoda.
58 i Tr. (BB. xix, 189) lihte. 2 MS., Th., Sw., W. -hleo^a (see 3 7 ); Gn., Tr.
-hleoj>u.
42 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
swearte, salopade. Sanges rofe
heapum feraS, hlude cirmaS ;
tredaS bearonaessas, hwilum burgsalo 5
nij>}>a bearna. NemnaS hy sylfe.
59
Ic wat anfete ellen dreogan
wiht on wonge. Wide ne fereS,
ne fela ridetS, ne fleogan mseg
furh sclrne daag, ne hie scip fereS,
naca naegledbord ; nyt biS hwaepre 5
hyre [mon]dryhtne monegum tidum.
Hafat5 hefigne steort, heafod lytel,
tungan lange, toS neenigne,
isernes dsel ; eorSgraef psepeS.
Wsetan ne swelgej), ne wiht itej>, 10
fodres ne gitsaS, fereft oft swa feah
lagoflod on lyfte ; life ne gielpeS,
hlafordes gifum, hyreS swa ]>eana
feodne sinum. J>ry sind in naman
ryhte runstafas, ]>ara is Rad fultum. 15
60
Ic seah in healle hring gyldenne
men sceawian, modum gleawe,
fer]>]mm frode. Fri))ospe[de] baed
God nergende gaeste sinum
se \>e wende wripan, word sefter cwasS, 5
hring on hyrede Haelend nemde
3 MS., Th. rope; Th. note, Gn., Sw., Brooke (E.E.L. p. 149), Cos. (PBB. xxiii,
130) rowe; Gn. note, W., Tr. rofe. 5 Th., Gn. traedaiS.
59 3 Gn. ne before maeg. 6 Th., Gn., W. [mon]. n MS., Th. fodres.
1 5 MS., Th., Gn. f urum ; Th. note feor)>a ? Gn. note fruma or forma ; Dietr. (xi,
477) fur-Sum; Gn?, Spr. \, 356, W. fultum; Holth. (/. F. iv, 387) furma.
60 i MS. gylddenne. 3 Gn. ferSum. MS. fri^o spe (end of line) baed; Th, as
in text.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 43
tillfremmendra. Him torhte in gemynd
his Dryhtnes naman dumba brohte
ond in eagna gesihft, gif pass aepel[est]an
go Ides tacen ongietan cuj>e 10
ond Dryhtnes dolg, don swa )?ses beages
benne cwiedon. Ne fcare frene mceg
jeniges monnes ungefullodre
Godes ealdorburg gaest gesecan,
rodera ceastre. Raede se ]>e wille 15
Ijfi ftaes wraitllcan wunda cwaeden
[hringes to haefepum, J>a he in healle waes [ I]t 5 a ]
wylted ond wended wloncra folmum.
61
Ic waes be sonde, saewealle neah,
aet merefarope, mlnum gewunade
frumstaj>ole faest; fea senig waes
monna cynnes, J>aet mlnne fair
on anaede card beheolde, 5
ac mec uhtna gehwam y5 sio brune
lagufaeSme beleolc. Lyt ic wende
fset ic aer o]>]>e sI8 aefre sceolde [ J 23 a ]
ofer meodu[bence] muSleas sprecan,
wordum wrixlan. J>aet is wundres dael 10
9 MS., Edd. aehelan; R., Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) aef>el[est]an. n MS.(T.) dryht
dolg don ; Th. notes that ' this is apparently corrupt and without an alliterating
line dryht-dolg d5n ?' Gn., W. dryht dolgdon; Dietr. (xii, 235) J>one dysige
dryht dolgdon furSum. 12 MS., Edd. ne maeg h>aere bene ; Gn., W. [to J>aes
beages dolgum] ; Hollh. (Bb. ix, 358) notes that this is metrically false. 13 AfS.,
Th. ungafullodre ; Th. note ungefyllodre ? Gn., W. ungefullodre ; Cos. (PBB. xxiii,
130) ungefullodra (gen.pl.).
61 This riddle begins upon leaf 122 b , five lines from the bottom ; it is immediately
preceded by$\b and is followed by The Httsband's Message and The Ruin (i23*-i24b).
I MS. a ^/"sande is changed to o; Th., Ettm., Gn. sande. AfS., Th. sae wealle.
5 .#/., anede. 7 Th. note beleac ? 9 Gn. adds bence, (7. 2 drincende, ac-
cepted by W., Bl. No gap in MS.
44 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
on sefan searolic pam \>e swilc ne conn,
hu mec seaxes ord ond seo swtyre bond,
eorles inge}>onc ond ord somod,
)>ingum gefydan, ]>set ic wi)> J>e sceolde
for unc anum twam aerendspraice 15
abeodan bealdlice, swa hit beorna ma
uncre wordcwidas widdor ne mjgnden.
62
Oft mec fseste bileac freolicu meowle [i24 b mid]
t
ides on earce, hwilum up ateah
folmum sinum ond frean sealde,
holdum ]> eodne, swa hio haten waes.
SiSfan me on hrepre heafod sticade, 5
niopan upweardne on nearo fegde.
Gif faes ondfengan ellen dohte,
mec fraetwedne fyllan sceolde
ruwes nathwaet. Ried hwast ic mjgne.
63
Ic com heard ond scearp, hingonges strong,
forSstyes from, frean unforcOt? ;
wade under wambe ond me weg sylfa
ryhtne geryme. Rinc bi6 on ofeste [ I2 5 a ]
se mec on }>yS aeftanweardne 5
haeleS mid hraegle, hwilum ut tyhS
of hole hatne, hwilum eft fareS
12 MS. seaxe^5; Edd. seaxes. 13 Herzf. (p. 69) ecg for ord, on account of
awkwardness of repetition. 14 Ettm. gebydon. 15 MS. twan; Edd. twam.
17 Ettm. widor. Gn. maendon.
62 i MS. oft, not of as TA., Gn. state. 8 MS., Edd. >e before mec. MS., Holth.
(Bb. ix, 358) fraetwedne ; Edd. fraetwede.
63 i MS., Th., Gn. ingonges ; Gn. note hingonges ? so Gn?, W. 4 Th. geryne.
5 Siev. (PBB. x, 477) resolves hy ; Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) )>y[e]iS. 6 Siev. (PBB.
x, 476) resolves tyhS; Cos. (PBB. xxiii, 129) tyheft. 7 Th. eft-fare^; Gn. note
f ege ?
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 45
on nearo nathwaSr, nydef swipe
superne secg. Saga hwset ic hatte.
64
Oft ic secga seledreame sceal
faigre onfeon J'onne ic com for$ boren,
glaed mid golde, pair guman drincaS.
Hwilum mec on cofan cysseS mupe
tilllc esne fer wit tu beop, 5
faeSme on folm[e] [fin]grum pyS,
wyrceft his willan . . ft lu .
. . . . fulre J>onne ic forfi cyme
Ne maeg ic ]>y mlpan 10
sian on leohte
swylce eac biS sona
te getacnad,
hwaet me to 15
. . . leas rinc, |>a unc geryde waes.
64 I MS. secgan ; Edd. secga. 2 Siev. (PBB. x, 476) resolves -J>eon. 5 Siev.
(PB. x, 477) resolves beo5. 6 Th. faeftir *. grum; Gn. supplies [beclyppe^S,
finjgrum; Dietr. (xi, 479) adds [bifeh'5 and finjgrum; Sch. [on fblm] grum;
W. (so T.) reads the upper half of on folm, then a gap of about four letters (Sch. five).
Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) )>y[e]$. 7 Th. willan ; W. the n is no longer visible. Sch.
about twenty-one letters missing; W. the fifth appears to have been "S, the sixth 1?
/ read clearly 1 ; B. M. gives $ and the top of lu ; Dietr. [ne weor'Se ic swa }>eah] .
8 Dietr. [on fae'Sme }>y]. 9 Th., Gn., gap in MS. ; Dietr. no gap ; Sch. about twenty-
three letters missing after foi"5-cyme. 10, n Dietr. adds [>>aet me se mon dyde|
>aer min sweora (?) bi'5 gese]wen; Sch. after mi)>an about twenty letters are missing,
then ban (not wan, Th., Gn.) ; W. sees still the lower part of\> before J>an ; so do I.
12 Th. gap in MS. ; Gn. no gap ; Sch. about twenty-four letters missing after leohte.
13, 14 Sch. between sona and getacnad about seventeen letters are lacking; Th.,
Gn. read te before getacnad ; W. sees before te some marks, perhaps rn ; Dietr.
supplies [sweotol on eorle|fela tealtriendum on fo]te ; Gn., Dietr. getacnod.
15 Sch. after to about nine letters are missing; Dietr. inserts [bysmere se bealda
teode]. 16 Dietr. [raedjleas; Holth. (/. F. iv, 387) [sum raed-] ; (Bb. ix, 358)
perhaps [rece-]. 7 see the bottom curves of two letters, perhaps ce ; so B. M.
46 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
65
Ic seah P" ond X ofer won g faran,
beran H ; baem wses on stype
haebbendes hyht, N ond K,
swylce Jrypa dsel, f* ond H ;
gefeah p ond K, fleah ofer T, 5
l/| ond tj sylfes pses folces.
66
Cwico waes ic, ne cwseS ic wiht ; cwele ic efne se feah ;
ser ic wses, eft ic cwom ; seghwa mec reafaS,
hafa<5 mec on headre ond mm heafod scirep,
biteS mec on baer He, briceS mine wisan.
Monnan ic ne bite, nym}>e he me bite ; 5
sindan para monige ]>e mec bltaS.
67
Ic com mare fonne fes middangeard,
laesse ]>onne hond|wyrm, leohtre fonne mona, [ I2 5 b ]
swiftre J>onne sunne. Sses me sind ealle
flodas on fae^mum ond fes foldan bearm,
grene wongas ; grundum ic hrine, 5
helle underhnlge, heofonas oferstige,
wuldres efel ; wide raece
ofer engla card ; eorpan gefylle,
65 2 MS., Edd. si\>\>e; Holth. (Ph. ix, 358) stye. 3 Holth. H. A [samod], with
omission of ond. Gn. A (misprint for A). 4 MS., Th., Gn., Hick. (Anglia x, 597) f>,
W. P-. Holth. W E [samod]. 5 Tr. (Bb. v, 50) \\for F. 5, 6 Holth. supplies
and before fleah and swylce before S-rune.
66 3 Th. note heaiSre ? 4 MS., Th. onbaerlic ('secretly'). 5 MS. nymp^e
(w^nymhe, Th.,Gn.; not nymppe, Sch.) ; Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) sustains phonetically
the MS. form ; Edd. nymbe.
67 i Con. Son Daes. MS. mindangeard. 4 MS., Con., Th., Ettm., Gn. J?as:
Gn. note, Gn. 2 J>es. Ettm. note bearmas ? 6 Con. heofenes.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 47
ealne middangeard ond merestreamas
side mid me sylfum. Saga hwaet ic hatte. 10
68
Ic on finge gefrsegn )>eodcyninges
wratllce wiht word galdra ....
hio symle deft fira gehw\am~\
5
wisdome wundor me ]>Kt w .
naenne muS hafafc,
fet ne f[olme]
welan oft sacaft, 10
cwtyeo" cynn
{'. . . wearS
leoda lareow, forfon nu longe mag [on]
[awa t5] ealdre ece lifgan
missenllce fenden menn bugaS 15
eorfan sceatas. Ic ]>set oft geseah
golde gegierwed, J>aer guman druncon,
9 MS., Con., Ettm. ealdne. 10 Con. rn.ec. Con., Ettm. selfum.
68 Omitted by Th., Gn. i In MS. I is no longer visible ; B.M. gives top of this.
Sch. J?in . . . beodcyninges ; W. sees still the upper part of a g, then a gap of
two letters, then ef raegn ; B.M. reads \>mg(top of e) and (top 0/"g)efraeTn (sic).
2 B. M. incorrectly raetlice. Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) wordgaldra. Sch. after galdra
some twenty-four letters are missing. 3 Seven letters before hio, B.M. reads snytt,
not seen by Sch., IV. 4 Sch. after gel, a gap of perhaps twenty-six letters ; instead
tf/"gel (Sch., W.), B.M. reads gehw ? 6 wi, added by Sch., is still seen by W. and
by me. Sch., W. \>a. . . . w ? B. M. }>aet w . . . ; W. sees of w only the lower part ;
after this some huenty-eight letters are missing (Sch.). 8, 9 MS. (Sch., W.) enne ;
B. M. naenne. Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) suggests [n]ejme and f[olme]. 9 Sch. fet in ?
[f] ? W. reads fet. ne, then under the line a long stroke (seen by B.M. and by me) ;
then about twenty-ser>en letters are lacking (Sch.). II W. reads cynn (I see lower
part), not seen by Sch.; then a gap of some eighteen letters (Sch. twenty-two).
13 W. (so I) reads mag, not seen by Sch.; then about seven missing letters (Sch.
ten). 13, 14 Holth. (Anglia xxiv, 264) proposes mag[on] | [awa to] ealdre.
48 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
since ond seolfre. Secge se ]>e cunne,
wlsfsestra hvvylc, hwaet seo wiht sy . .
69 (Gn. 68)
Ic ]>a. wiht geseah on weg feran ;
heo wses wraetllce wundrum gegierwed.
Wundor wearS on wege : wseter wearS to bane.
70 (Gn. 69)
Wiht is wrjgtlic pam J>e hyre wisan ne conn :
singeS Jmrh sidan ; is se sweora woh
orfoncum geworht ; hafaf eaxle twa
scearp on gescyldrum. His gesceapo [dreogeS],
| ]>e swa wrsetlice be wege stonde, [126*] 5
heah ond hleortorht, haelejmm to nytte.
71 (Gn. 70)
Ic com rices aeht reade bewsefed.
Stl5 ond steap wong, stafol wses iu )>a
wyrta wlitetorhtra : nu com wra)?ra laf ,
fyres ond feole, fseste genearwad,
wire geweorpad. Wepe8 hwilum 5
for gripe minum se ]>e gold wige<5,
})onne ic y]>a.n sceal fe
19 Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) siefor sy.
6g I Gn. wihte. Gn. note on waeg ? Gn. faran. 2 MS. sign of closing after
gegierwed (W.), and Wundor begins new line with capital (T.); so Th. prints I. 3
as a separate riddle. This is Tr.'s vie^v. Cf. 37 2 " 8 . 3 Gn. note waege ?
70 i MS. hyra. 3 MS., Th. tua. 4 Th. note hyre ? No gap in MS.; Gn.
supplies [dreogeft]. 5 Th. note stondaft? Gn. note be waege stondeiS?
71 2 Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) steapwong. Th. wong-sta>ol. Th. iu-J>a. 3 MS.,
Th. wlite torhtra. 5 Th. note gewreo)>ad (gewri^od). 6 MS., Edd. minum
gripe ; Holth. (. S. xxxvii, 209) gripe minum. Th. note wegeiS ? 7 Gn. note
ywan ? Th., Gn. close the riddle -with sceal, and take bete (1. 10) with the next
riddle, at end of first full line. After sceal some nine letters are missing (Sch.).
Before hringum I see at end of line the upper stroke of a letter, then a missing letter,
then se (B. M. fe).
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 49
hringum gehyrsted me bil . . . .
. . . dryhtne mm
wlite bete 10
72 (Gn. 71)
Ic waes lytel some . . .
. . ante geaf
we ]>e unc gemaene
sweostor mm
fedde mec [faegre] ; oft ic feower teah 5
swsese bropor, ]> ara onsundran gehwylc
dsegtidum me drincan sealde
Jmrh J>yrel fearle. Ic faeh on lust,
offset ic wses yldra ond fset anforlet
8 Sch. gehy[rsted] [me], and then twenty-three missing letters ; W. (so B. M.
and /) reads the upper half of rsted me, then bil (?), then some twenty missing
letters; Holth. (Anglia xxiv, 264) bi}> for bil (W). 9 Sch. after min, a gap of some
twenty-one letters. Above wlite B. M. reads go. 10 Sch. wlite is the last word of
the line ; under it is bete : 7 On account of the closing sign Sch., unlike Th., regards
bete as belonging to this riddle, and as a part of a perhaps shorter end-line. W. be-
lieves that there is no gap before bete, out that as last word it is written, as is com-
mon, at the right end of the next line \see 38, 46, 54, 86]. Before bete is also a sign
\very common in Riddles] that refers it to the preceding line (W.}. I agree with
Sch. and W.
72 I, 2 Th., Gn. Ic waes bete ; Sch. Ic waes . . . (about twenty letters)
. . . geaf ; W. reads after waes the upper part of lyt and before geaf, ante (the
lower part of an) ; Holth. (Anglia xxiv, 264) proposes [br]ante geaf[las]. I read
after lyt clearly e and upper part of\ (not seen by B.M.), and at beginning of line,
halfway between lytel and ante, so clearly and then m (?). B.M. reads so and the
greater part of me. After geaf, Th., Gn. give no gap ; Sch., W. a gap of some thirty-
two letters. 3 MS. ( W., T.) we J>e unc gemaene ; Th., Gn., Sch. we unc gemaene.
After gemaene some nineteen letters are missing. Dietr. (xi, 481) proposes (1-3) :
Ic waes [of hame adrifen, hearm minne] bete,
se f>e me gemaeccean geaf, we unc gemaene [oft]
[swiftas asetton ; ic ond] sweostor min.
5 e in mec is worn away ( IV.) ; after mec Sch. sees a gap of some eleven letters ;
Gn. 2 supplies faegre; Dietr. supplies frodra sum; Herzf. (p. 70) ful faegre and \cf.
Si 8 , 54*). B. M. reads oft ic, not seen by Sch., W., or by me. 6 Th., Gn., Dietr.
>ara J>e. 8 Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) J>ah. 9 Th. note )>onne/0r J>aet ? Th. an-forlet ;
Gn., W. an forlet.
[j RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
sweartum hyrde, si)>ade widdor,
mearcpafas Walas traed, moras paeSde
bunden under beame, beag haefde on healse,
wean on laste weorc frowade,
earfofta dsel. Oft mec Isern scod
sare on sldan ; ic swigade,
njgfre meldade monna sengum,
gif me ordstaepe egle wairon.
73 (Gn. 72)
Ic on wonge aweox, wunode ]>er mec feddon
hruse|ond heofonwolcn, o)>}>aet onhwyrfdon me [i26 b ~
gearum frodne, fa me grome wurdon,
of ]?aere gecynde ]>e ic er cwic beheold,
onwendan mine wisan, wegedon mec of earde,
gedydon faet ic sceolde wij> gesceape minum
on bonan willan bugan hwilum.
Nu tomfrean mines folme bysigo[d]
dlan dail, gif his ellen deag,
o}>J>e aefter dome ri
dan mjgrfa fremman,
wyrcan we
. '. ec on feode utan we
pe ond to wrohtstaf [urn]
n eorp, eaxle gegyrde
wo
ond swiora smael, sldan fealwe
fonne mec heafosigel
scir bescmeS ond mec 20
it Gn. note Wala? 12 Th. note bearme? Gn. beah. 14 c in mec appears
effaced ( W.) ; I read it easily. 1 7 MS., Th. ord staepe.
73 I MS. wonode ; Edd. wunode. 2 MS., Gn. heofon wlonc ; Th. heofon-
wlonc; Gn. 2 , W. heofonwolcn. MS., Edd. me onhwyrfdon; Herzf. (p. 44).
onhwyrfdon me. 5 Gn. wise. 8 MS., Edd. mines frean.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 51
8-20 Gn. supplies, on basis of Tit's text of MS.:
Nu com mines frean folme by ...
Ian dael, gif his ellen deag,
o'5'Se he (not in MS., Th.) aefter dome [daedum wille]
maer'Sa fremman
wyr[cean] on Jjeode utan wrohtst[afas]
eaxle gegyrde
and swiora smael, sidan fealwe
}>onne mec heaftosigel
scir bescineiS and mec
Dietr. (xi, 481-482) supplies as follows :
Nu com mines frean folme by[sig],
[aefle him eor1Swe]lan dael, gif his ellen deag,
oft-fte he aefter dome [daedum wille]
maer5a fremman, [masgenspede]
[wyrjcean on J>eode utan [wrohtstjafas.
[Sindon me on heafde hyrste beorhte],
eaxle gegyrde [isernes daele],
and swiora smael, sidan fealwe.
[Haedre mec ahebbe], J>onne mec heaftosigel
scir bescineft and mec [scyldwiga]
Sch.: folme by . g . . . (five letters) . . . Ian dael gif dome ri . . . (fourteen letters)
. . . dan maerba fremman wyrcan w . . . (about twenty letters) . . . ec non J>eode utan
w . . . (about twenty-three letters) . . . pe and to wroht stap . . . (about twenty-five
letters) . . . n eorp eaxle gegyrde wo : . . . (about twenty-eight letters) . . . ond swiora
fealwe . . . (about eighteen letters) . . . >on ond mec . . . (seven letters') . . .
faegre.
W. : 8 by . go. 1 1 Of dan maer)>a only the upper part. 13 Not ec non (ScA.),
but after c stands a perpendicular stroke, going below the line (w? ]??), then on;
in the same line with -tan, we.
In the MS. is not the slightest trace of the stroke seen by W. (T.). Like B.M.
I read ec on J^eode u | tan we.
Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) reads by[s]go[d] ; (Anglia xxiv, 264):
8-9 Nu com mines fre[g]an folme bysgo
[eadwejlan dael, etc.
II 12 [Men ofer mol]dan mair)>a fremman,
wyrcan w[eldaedum]
14 wrohtstaffum] Holth. here rejects stap of MS. (B.M., Sch., W.)
as 'nothing can be made out of it. 1
\ 6 [earan] or [eagan] ?
17 wo[mb] or wo[ngan] ?
B.M. reads clearly bysigo (8), the upper curve of A. before Ian (9), tti instead of &
before an (11), we (12), and stap (14).
5 2 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
faegre feormaS ond on fyrd wigeS
crsefte on hsefte. Cuts is wide
J>aet ic fristra sum J>eofes craefte
under braegnlocan
hwilum eawunga e>elfaesten 25
forSweard brece }>aet aer frifl haefde.
Feringe from, he fus fonan
wended of )>am wicum. Wiga se fe mine wisan
\_sdf>e\ cunne, saga hwaet ic hatte.
74 (Gn. 73)
Ic waes faemne geong, feaxhar cwene
ond jgnlic rinc on ane tid;
fleah mid fuglum ond on flode sworn,
deaf under yj>e dead mid fiscum,
ond on foldan stdp, haefde fer8 cwicu. 5
75 (Gn. 74)
Ic swiftne geseah on swafe feran [i2y a ]
Minn.
76 (Gn. 75)
Ic ane geseah idese sittan.
77 (Gn. 76)
Sae mec fedde, sundhelm feahte,
ond mec y]>a. wrugon eorj>an getenge,
fe)>elease. Oft ic flode ongean
21 MS. wigeS, not as Gn. states, weget? ; Th. note wageS ? 23 MS., Th. J>rista.
24 A1S., Th., Gn., Dietr., W. hraegnlocan; Th. note hraegl-locan ? Spr. ii, 137,
Gn? braegnlocan. No gap in MS., Th.; Dietr. (xi, 482) supplies hwilum nefte ;
Gn? bealde nefte. 27 Gn. note faeringa. 28 A T o gap in MS., Edd. ; Herzf. (p. 70)
assumes, on account of absence of alliteration, a gap of at least two half-lines after
cunne.
74 5 MS., Gn., W. forS; Th., Spr. i, 281, Cos., Tr. (BB. xix, 201) feriS.
75 2 MS. D. N. L. H; Th.. Gn. D. N. U. H; W.r\for^\ (Holth., Bb. ix, 358).
77 i MS., Th. se; Gn., W. see.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 53
muS ontynde ; nu wile monna sum
min fljgsc fretan, felles ne recceS, 5
sij>|>an he me of sldan seaxes orde
hyd arypeft [ond m]ec hr[a])>e sippan
itet5 unsodene eac
78
Oft ic flodas
as cynn minum ond
. . . \_d~\yde me to mos[e]
. . . . swa ic him
an ne aet ham gesaet ... 5
flote cwealde
)>urh orj>onc . . . yjmm bewrigene.
5 MS., Th., Mad. (p. 48) recced ; Gn., W. rece. 7, 8 Th., Gn. arypeS
t>e ; Sch, arypeiS . . . (four letters) . . . [ec] h[w?] . . . (two letters) . . . l>e ; W. sees
of ec only the upper part, of w (?) only two strokes. From fragment in MS. this
doubtful letter w (?) may well be an r (see Holthausen's emendation). Dietr. (xi, 483)
supplies after arypeft [hord him ofanimft] ; Holth. (Anglia xxiv, 265) [ond hnaece'S
m]ec|aer [oJ>]J>e si)>J>an, reading &r for Sch., W. h[w?]. Th. lie's; Th. note aele~5.
Th. marks gap after unsodene ; Gn. assumes no gap ; Sch. eac . . ., the rest of the
line is missing'; W. (so /) sees after c an \(f)-stroke ; B. M. gives nearly all of 1 ;
Holth. 1. c. regards heft unsodene as second hemistich ; but Holth. (E. S. xxxvii,
2 1 o) reads : j- Qnd m j ec hr ^ ^ si j^
itetS unsodene eac [swa some]
/ prefer this placing of words to W.'s . .
J>e si)>J>an iteS unsodene eac . . .
but the \-fragment in MS. rules out swa some.
78 Omitted by Th., Gn. i MS. not Ofl (IV.), but clearly Oft (T.). Sch. about
twenty-four letters are missing after flodas. 2 Holth. (Anglia xxiv, 265) supplies
[le]as, perhaps ar-, eftel-, ellen-leas. MS. (W.} cyn; clearly cynn (T.). After ond
Sch. notes a gap of some twenty-six letters ; Holth. supplies [sacan]. 3 Holth. con-
jectures [hjyde me to mos[e]. With my reading compare And. 27. After mos
about twenty-six letters are lacking (Sch.~). 4 After him a gap of some twenty-four
letters (&//.). 5 W. states that al is very indistinct. Instead ofz\I read faintly
an (B.M. m or n). Sch. records after gesaet a lacuna of some sixteen letters.
6 Sch. reads rote ; W. flote, and rightly notes that of f the upper cross-stroke is
lacking, and that of 1 only the lower part is visible. Holth. supplies [on] flote.
7 Sch. states that after orj>onc some five letters are missing ; W. reads ofy\> only the
lower part (so B. M. and /).
54 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
79 (Gn. 77)
Ic com sefelinges sent ond willa.
80 (Gn. 78)
Ic com aepelinges eaxlgestealla,
fyrdrinces gefara, frean minum leof,
cyninges geselda. Cwen mec hwilum
hwitloccedu hond on legeS,
eorles dohtor, ]>eah hlo aej>elu sy. 5
Haebbe me on bosme fset on bearwe geweox.
Hwilum ic on wloncum wicge ride
herges on ende ; heard is mm tunge.
Oft ic woftboran wordleana sum
agyfe aefter giedde. Good is mm wise 10
ond ic sylfa salo. Saga hwset ic hatte.
81 (Gn. 79)
|Ic com bylgedbreost, belcedsweora, [ I2 7 b ]
heafod haebbe ond heane steort,
eagan ond earan ond aenne foot,
hrycg ond heard nebb, hneccan steapne
ond sidan twa, sag\_ol~\ on middum, 5
card ofer seldum. Aglac dreoge
fair mec wegeft se J>e wudu hrereS,
ond mec stondende streamas beatatS,
haegl se hearda ond hrlm J>ece?>
[ond f]orst \_hr~\eose3 ond fealleft'snaw 10
80 2 Ettm. gefera. 4 Ettm. lecgeiS. 5 Ettm., Gn. si. 10 Ettm., Gn. agiefe.
Gn., Tr. God. 1 1 Ettm. silfa.
81 I MS., Edd. byledbreost. 3 Gn. fot. 5 MS., Edd. sag; Th. note sac
(' a sack')* Gn. middan. 7 Siev. (PBB. x, 520) waegeft. MS. hrereiS; Th., Gn.
hrepeft; Gn. note brereS? 10 Th. ^ceft . . . ond feallefl; Gn. gives no gap after
beceft, but supplies after snaw [foriS ofer mec] ; Sch. reads ^eceiS . . . (nine letters)
. . . eft; IV. reads as third and fourth letters, rs, and as the last, s ; Holth. (Bb. ix,
358) supplies as first hemistich [fo]rs[t] [geraeJse'S. I read after rs the top of t
very clearly and eo quite distinctly before se$. B. M. reads orst . . . eoseiS.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 55
[on] pyrelwombne ond ic )>aet ....
n maet [won]sceaft mine.
82
Wiht is
. . . [gjongende greate swilgetS
. . . [f]ell ne flaesc, fotum gong . .
5
. eft sceal maela gehwam
83 (Gn. 80)
Frod wses mm fromcynn, [haefde fela wintra]
biden in burgum, si^an baEles weard
wera lige bewunden,
II Holth. I.e. supplies on before )>yrel. After J>aet Sch. notes twenty-eight or
twenty-nine missing letters. 12 Th. . . . eaft ; Gn. [sc]eaft; Sch. ceaft; W.
[s]ceaft. Before sceaft / read very clearly maet followed by three very faint let-
ters, perhaps won (?) B. M. reads n maet . . . sceaft. Dietr. (xi, 483) supplies
[J>olige call],
[ne wepe ic aefre wonnscjeaft mine.
82 Omitted by Th. (Gn.). i Sch. T(?) . nd ; W. Wiht. Only tail ofvi and ht are
visible to me. B. M. reads a part of the lower curve ofvf, then iht, followed by is,
not seen by Sch., W., or by me. Then a gap of some twenty-two letters (Sch.).
2 Sch. o(?)ngende ; IV. (so /) o is still clearly visible ; Holth. (Anglia xxiv, 265)
[gjongende. After swilgeiS some twenty-four letters are missing (Sc/i.). 4 Sch.,
W., and I read 11 ; Holth. I.e. [fe]ll ; B. M. ell. Sch. g . . . g ; W. reads still gong,
so do I ; Holth. supplies gong[e"$]. Then follows a lacuna of some thirty-six letters
(Sch.). 6 Before sceal and at end of line, B. M. reads eft, not visible to Sch., W.,
and to me. Sch. reads gehwa ; W., T. t and B. M. gehwam. The rest of this last line
of the riddle is missing (Sch.).
83 i Th. fronvcy[nn] ; Th. note frum-cynn ? Gn. fromc[ynn] ; Sch. fromcy, then
a gap of eighteen letters ; W. (so I) reads, after y, n and an n-stroke. Gn. supplies
haefde fela wintra. 2,3 Behveen baeles and wera, Th. gives a gap of over two
half -lines, Gn. of more than a whole line, thus giving fifteen lines to the riddle. Sch.
'baeles [weorc? only the remnants <T/"W? e? o or a, and r remaitt], between baeles
and wera about ten letters are wanting' 1 ; W. (so B. M. and I) reads baeles weard.
In MS. ten letters are missing after weard. Holth. {Anglia xxiv, 265) supplies
sijj^an [mec] bales weard
[haefde leod]wera lige bewunden
After weard, B.M. reads the lower part of three letters, perhaps on and d ? certainly
not hzefde. MS., Edd. life.
56 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
fyre gefaelsad. Nu me fah warafc
eor}>an bro)x>r, se me serest wearS 5
gumena to gyrne. Ic ful gearwe gemon
hwa mm fromcynn fruman agette
call of earde ; ic him yfle ne mot,
ac ic h(zfi\e~\nyd hwilum araere
wide geond wongas. Haebbe ic wundra fela, 10
middangeardes maegen unlytel,
ac ic mij>an sceal monna gehwylcum
degolfulne dom dyran craeftes,
sifcfaet mlnne. Saga hwaet ic hatte.
84 (Gn. 81)
An wiht is [on eorpan] wundrum acenned,
hreoh ond repe, hafaS ryne|strongne, [128*]
grimme grymetaft ond be grunde fareS.
Modor is monigra mjgrra wihta.
Fseger ferende fundat) ae"fre ; 5
neol is nearograp. NaEnig oprum masg
wlite ond wisan wordum gecy)>an
hu misllc bip maegen fara cynna,
fyrn forftgesceaft ; feeder ealle bewat,
or ond ende, swylce an sunu, 10
maere meotudes beam, )mrh [his meahta sp]ed
4 d in gefaelsad is altered from ft. Th. war . . .; Gn. warfaiS] ; Gn. 2 warfnaiS],
'upon which the ace. eorSan depends 1 ; Sch. wara. ; W. (so B. M.) reads after a the
lower part of a d or "5. 6 Gn. Ne for Ic. 7 Th. note frumcynn ? 9 MS.,
Th. on haeftnyd ; Gn., W. haeftnyd. Th. note adraefe. 10 MS., Th. wunda ; CM.,
Dietr. (xi, 484), W. wundra.
84 I MS., Edd. An wiht is; Herzf. (p. 70) an wraetlicu wiht or Is an wiht, etc. ;
Bulbring (Litt.-BI. xii, 156) is [on eorSan] (cf. si 1 ). MS. acenne'S. 2 Gn. note
reoh ? 3 Th. faraS ; in MS. a is altered to e ( W.). 6 Gn. 2 and for is. 9 Gn.
note frod fyrngesceaft ? n After }>urh, Sch. notes gap of some twelve letters. At
end of line B. M. reads ed, not seen by Sch., IV., or by me. This supports Grein's
addition [his mihta sped].
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 57
ond pset hyhste msest . . fes tae . . .
dyre craeft . . .
onne hy aweorp . .
oj>e jgnig J>ara ... 15
far ne maeg . . .
o}>er cynn eorpan )>on aer waes
wlitig ond wynsum
Bif sio moddor maegene eacen, 20
wundrum bewreped, wistum gehladen,
hordum gehroden, haelejmm dyre.
Maegen bio" gemiclad, meaht gesweotlad ;
wlite bip geweorpad wuldornyttingum,
wynsum wuldorgimm wloncum getenge, 25
clalngeorn biS ond cystig, craefte eacen ;
hlo bi}> eadgum leof, earmum getaese,
12-19 Between mae . . . and aer waes (18) Thorpe assumes a gap of three hemi-
stichs and a part of a fourth ; according to Th., -what follows mae . . . is apparently
part of another enigma; Gn. supplies mae [gen haliges gaestes], and gives, after a
lacuna, aer waes as close of next line (13). Gn. note )>aer waes wlitig? For Gn.'s gap
(13), Dietr. (xi, 484) supplies [\>e ofer hire hreone hrycg] aer waes; and after wyn-
sum, [wide boren]. Sch. and |>aet hyhste mae . . . (five letters') . . . )>es ? (judging
from fragments) gae . . . (about eighteen letters') ; . . . dyre craeft . . . (about twenty-three
letters) , . . onne hy aweorp . . . (about twenty-three letters') . . . }>e \B. M. o|>e] aenig
t>ara . . . (about twenty-three letters) . . .: f [o]r ne maeg . . . (about twenty-seven letters)
. . . ober cynn eor)>an . . . (about fifteen letters) . . . [h]on aer waes wlitig ond wynsum
. . . (eight letters). Sch. declares that the absence of a beginning capital and of a
closing-sign disprove Th.'s view of a new enigma. After mae (12) I read the top of
st (B. M. s), cerfainly not a g as Gn. suggests, then three missing letters, then the
top of )>es, followed by tae (not gae, Sch., IV.) ; B. M. reads es tae. W. reads of J>es
(12) only the upper part. Like W., I see between f and r (16) the bottom of an a;
B.M. reads plainly far. W. and I see still the \> of\>on (18). 20 Th., Gn. seo.
Th. modor. 21 Th. [ge]wrebed; Gn. wreiSed ; Sch. [be]gre^ed, basing his con-
jecture on fragments of two letters in MS. ; W. (so B. M. and /) reads the lower
part <?/"be and then wre)>ed (w quite clearly). Holth. (E. S. xxxvii, 210)
bewrefc>ed wundrum, wistum gehlaested,
gehroden hordum.
24, 25 Th. note wundor? 25 Gn. note wolcnum ? 27 MS. earmuge taese;
Th. earmunge taese ; Gn., W. as in text.
58 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
freolic, selllc, fromast ond swtyost,
gifrost ond greedgost grundbedd tride)>,
)>aes }>e under lyfte aloden wurde 30
ond eelda beam eagum sawe
(swa |)aet wuldor wifa, worldbearna maige,)
)>eah }>e ferpum gleaw [gefrigen haebbe]
mon mode|snottor mengo wundra. [i28 b ]
Hrusan biS heardra, haelejmm frodra, 35
geofum biS gearora, gimmum deorra,
worulde wlitigaS, wsestmum tydreS,
firene dwaisceS ......
oft utan beweorpeS anre ]>ecene,
wundrum gewlitegad, geond werpeode 40
faet wafiaS weras ofer eorpan,
f set magon micle . . . . . sceafte
bi]> stanum bestrewed, stormum
. . . . len . . . . timbred weall
}>rym .......... ed 45
hrusan hrineS h .....
......... e genge oft
28 MS., Holth. (E. S. xxxvii, 210) fromast ; Edd. frommast. 31 Gn.
ond. 32 MS., Edd. wife~S; Th. wuldor-wife'5 (' glorious woman''}; Gn. note
'wundor? vgl. wafian, anstaunen?" 1 Spr.'i\, 746 wuldor ('^MJ'); cf. Dietr. (xi,
485). MS., Th. maege; Gn., W. maegen. 33 No gap in MS.; Th. ' Here a line is
wanting'; Gn. supplies as in text. 34 Siev. (PBB. x, 508) snotor. 36 MS. ( W.)
hi)?, clearly ( T.) br$. Gn. supplies bi^S after gimmum. 38 No gap in MS. ; Th.
states that a line is wanting ; Dietr. (xi, 486) supplies [hi frea drihten]. 42 Gn.
note masgen for magon? Th., Gn. micle . . . bi)>; Sch. micle . . . (thirteen to
fourteen letters) . . . [ste] bi)> ; W. (so T.) reads before bi)>, eafte ; B. M. sceafte ;
Holth. (Anglia xxiv, 265) supplies [ma meotudgesc] eafte. 43 Th. note bestre\ved(?).
After stormum, Th. indicates lacuna to close of riddle ; Gn. supplies [bedrifen],
then gap to close; Sch. stormum . ... (thirty to thirty-one letters') . . . timbred
weall. Eight letters before timbred (44) I read len (B. M. les). 44-46 After
weall, Sch. marks thirty missing letters, then d hrusan; Holth. I.e. assigns . . . ed
to end of line 45 ; W. to 1. 46 ; W. reads J>rym and ed hrusan ; so do I clearly.
46-47 Sch. hrine)> J> ( W. h) . . . (about twenty-seven letters') . . . [n]ge oft
searwu[m] ; W. genge ; B. M. e genge.
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 59
searwum
deatSe ne feleft,
peah pe 50
. du hreren hrif wundigen
risse hord.
Word onhlid haelepum g . . . .
. . . . wreoh, wordum geopena
hu mislic sy maegen para cy[nna]. 55
85 (Gn. 82)
Nis min sele swige ne ic sylfa hlud ;
ymb unc \_domas dyde, unc\ Driht[en] scop
sip setsomne. Ic com swiftre ponne he,
pragum strengra, he preohtigra ;
hwilum ic me reste, he sceal rinnan fortS. 5
Ic him in wunige a penden ic lifge ;
gif wit unc gedjglaS, me biS deao 1 witod.
48 After searwu[m], about twenty-eight letters are missing (Sch!). B.M. reads
after searwum the bottom of three letters, bij>(?) or dis(?) 49 Sch. [djeafte; W.
deaiSe ; / see top of d. 50-51 Sch. reads J>eah . . . (about twenty-six letters) . . .
du ("5u?); W. reads J>eah J>e and du; so do B.M. and I clearly. 51-52 After
wun . . g ( W. wundig, B. M. wundigen \> ? or w ?) about twenty-one letters are
missing (Sch!). 53 Sch. hae[le)mm?] ; W. and B.M. (clearly) haele)>um g . . .;
/ see lower part of lej>um, then bottom ofg. 54 Before wreoh about fifteen letters
are missing (Sch.). Sch. ge opena. 5154 Holth. (Anglia xxiv, 265) supplies as
follows .'
[heafjdu hreren, hrif wundig[en]
. . . ; [cneojrisse.
Hord word[a] onhlid, haelejmm g[eswutela],
[wisdom on]wreoh.
For wisdom, Holth. conjectures also waerfasst or word-hord. 55 Only some two or
three letters can be missing in this line (Sch.) ; Holth. 1. c. supplies [cynna] by aid of
line 8. Of cynna. I see clearly c and end of tail cfy, overlooked by Sch., W. ; B. M. cy.
85 I Th. note sel for gesel (' comrade') ? 2 No gap in MS. after ymb (Th!)\
Gn., W. note omission in sense, but fail to mark gap in text; Holth. (I.F. iv, 388)
supplies [droht minne]. After unc, I mark in the MS. a gap of nine or more letters
and supply as in text. The lacuna is duly recorded by B. M. MS. driht ; Th.
dryht ; Gn. dryhten ; W. drihten. Th. indicates gap after scop. 3 MS. swistre ;
Th. swiftra ; Gn., W. swiftre. 5 MS., Edd. yrnan.
60 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
86 (Gn. 83)
Wiht cwom gongan pair weras sseton
monige on maeftle mode snottre ;
haefde an cage ond earan twa
ond twegen fet, twelf hund heafda,
hryc[g] ond wombe ond honda twa,
[earmas ond eaxle, anne sweoran
ond sidan twa. Saga hwaet ic hatte.
87 (Gn. 84)
Ic seah wundorlice wiht, wombe haefde micle
pryjmm geprungne ; pegn folgade
maegenstrong ond mundrof ; micel me puhte
godlic gumrinc, grap on sona
heofones tope
bleow on cage ; hio borcade,
wanode willum. HTo wolde se ]>eah
mol
86 4 MS., Edd. except Ettm. II, XII. 5 MS., 77*., Ettm. hryc. Eltm. handa.
87 3 MS. megenstrong ; 7/4., Gn. maegnstrong. 4-5 Holth. (. S. xxxvii, 210)
grapon (dat.fl.) sona
heof on his to)>e.
5 N S a P tfl MS., 77i.; Gn., W. indicate missing hemistich. 6 MS., Edd.
bleowe; Gn. note bleow (?) bleaw(?) MS. boncade, Edd. as in text. 7 MS., W.
wancode ; Th., Gn. )>ancode. 8 Sch., W. mol ; B. M. niol. The word is not given
by Th. (Gn.). After mol about fourteen letters are missing (Sch?).
88 1-12 Th., Gn. read Ic weox J>aer ic . . . (three missing hemistichs) ... (1. 3)
ond sumor ... (a little more than one hemistich) . . . (Gn. 4, W. 12) ac ip uplong.
Sch. : Ic weox J>aer ic . . . (about thirty-four letters) . . . ond sumor mi ... (about
thirty letters) . . . me waes min tin ... (about thirty-three letters) . . . d ic on sta~5[ol]
. . . (about twenty-eight letters) . . . um geong swa . . . (abmit twenty-seven letters')
. . . se weana oft geond . . . (about twenty letters) . . . [f]geaf.
W. (so I) reads s (1. i), the upper part ofo\ (1. 7), and the lower part of f (1. n).
B. M. reads (1. 7) od wa'sta'8ol, #</se beana (1. 10).
Holth. (Anglia xxiv, 266) supplies s[tod] (1. i), [wintrjum geong (1. 8), and
[o]fgeaf (1. n); Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) supplies tin[trega] (1. 5); Holth. (E.S. xxxvii,
210) supplies [sto]d (1. 7).
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 6l
88 (On. 85)
Ic weox faer ic s
ond sumor mi
me waes mm tin
[stjod ic on statSol[e]
um geong swa . .
se peana oft geond 10
[ojfgeaf,
ac ic uplong stod ]>xr ic . . . .
ond bropor mm, begen waeron hearde.
Eard wses ]>y weorfira ]>e wit on stodan,
hyrstum ]>y hyrra; ful oft unc holt wrugon, 15
wudubeama helm, wonnum nihtum,
scildon wit5 scurum ; unc gescop meotud.
Nu unc mieran twam magas uncre
sculon sefter cuman, card oSfringan
gingran brofor. Eom ic gumcynnes 20
anga ofer eorj^an ; is min [agen] baec
wonn ond wundorlic. Ic on wuda stonde
bordes on ende ; nis min broker her,
ac ic sceal broforleas bordes on ende
sta)K>l weardian, stondan faeste ; 25
12 After ic about eight letters are missing (Sc/i.). B.Af. reads before ond the tail
of a y. 13 MS., TA., B.M. mine bro>or; Gn., W. min bro)>or; Holth. (Bb. ix, 358)
'broker mm, perhaps the mine of the MS. stands for minne, as in I. 12 a transitive
verb may be missing? 14 IV. (so /) sees only the Imver part ofty. B.M. gives
all but the upper stroke. 18 Gn. magas; Gn? magas. 20 Th. begins a new
riddle with Eom, although in the MS. there is not even a period after broker (W.).
21 Gn. anga ; Gn. note anga (?) Siev. (PBB. x, 520) attacks is min baec on metrical
grounds; Holth. (7.F. iv, 388) supplies as in text. 25 MS., Th. stodan; Th. note,
Gn., W. stondan.
62
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
ne wat hwjgr mm brofor on wera aehtum
eorpan sceata | eardian sceal, [i29 b ]
se me ser be healfe heah eardade.
Wit wseron gesome ssecce to fremmanne ;
nsefre uncer aw}>er his ellen cytSde, 30
swa wit fare beadwe begen ne onjmngan.
Nu mec unsceafta innan slitaS,
wyrdaf mec be wombe ; ic gewendan ne maeg ;
set }>am spore findeS sped se ]>e se[ceft]
sawle rjgdes. 35
89
e wiht wombe haefd .
tne lefre wses
beg on hindan
grette wea worhte, 5
hwllum eft fygan,
him poncade sij>)>an
swsesendum swylce }>rage.
26 Herzf. (p. 48) broj>or min. 29, 30 MS., W. fremman ne naefre ; Th., Gn.
fremmanne | ne naefre ; Th. note 'ne seems a repetition from the word preceding 1 ;
Siev. (PBB. x, 482) fremmanne. 31 Th. waere (misprint}. Th. note on>rungon.
32 Th. hu ; Th. note nu. 33 Th. 'after wombe, a gap of nearly two hemistichs ;
at end of second half-line ne maeg ' ; Gn. wombe [ic warnian] ne masg ; W. (so B. M.
and I clearly) reads after wombe, ic gewendan ne maeg. 34, 35 Th. reads sped
se }>e se, then gap to close ; Gn. supplies se[ce'S], then no gap ; W. (so B. M.) notes
after se (which is at end of line) some twelve ( T. fifteen) missing letters, on next
line then sawle rx.Ae&, followed by closing sign : 7
89 Omitted by Th. (Gn.), and not given by Sch. W. thus reads the JlfS.:
I, 2 Before wiht some thirty letters are lacking, wombe is at end of line. After
haefd some twenty-five letters are lacking. 3 Only the right side ofr in re is visible.
lejre is at end of line. 4 After beg some twenty-three letters are missing, hindan
is at end of line. 5 After wea, a lacuna of some twenty letters to end of line.
worhte begins the new line. 6 After ef, a lacuna of some se^'enteen letters to end
of line. J>ygan begins the new line. 7 After sij>ban, a lacuna of some fifteen letters
to end of line. 8 swaesendum begins the new line. After J>rage, a closing-sign : 7
My readings agree with those of W., but B.M. notes these additional letters: e before
wiht (1. 2), tne for re (1. 3), on before hindan (1. 4), lower part of 't (so /) after ef (1. 6).
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 63
90 (Gn. 86)
Mirum mihi videtur : lupus ab agno tenetur ;
obcurrit agnus [rupi] et capit viscera lupi.
Dum starem et mirarem, vidi gloriam parem :
duo lupi stantes et tertium tribul[antes]
quattuor pedes, habebant, cum septem oculis videbant. 5
91 (Gn. 87)
Mm heafod is homere ge]>ruen,
searopila vvund, sworfen feole.
Oft ic beglne ]>szt me ongean sticafc,
forme ic hnitan sceal hringum gyrded
hearde wift heardum, hindan ]>yrel 5
forS ascufan J>aet frean mines
modp*" freopaS middelnihtum.
Hwilum ic under baec bregdejnebbe [ I 3 a ]
hyrde )>aes hordes, ]>onne mm hlaford wile
lafe )>icgan J>ara ]>e he of life net 10
Wcelcraefte awrecan .willum slnum.
90 MS., T/i., Gn. have throughout \\for v. I MS., Gn., W. videtur mihi; Th.
note, Holth. (.S. xxxvii, 211), as in text. 2 W. states that rr in obcurrit is no
longer visible ; Holth. supplies rupi. 3 MS. misare (Sc/t., IV., T.)\ Edd. mirarem.
MS., Th. magnan ; Gn., W. magnam ; Holth. parem. 4 MS., Th., Holth. dui;
Con. Dui (= diuersi). Con. ex for et. MS. tribul, no gap ; Th. tribul[antes].
5 MS., Edd. mi. Con. occulis ('fta MS.').
91 I MS., Edd. gejmren ; Spr. i, 474 gej>ruen(?) so also Siev. (PBB. x, 265).
2 Th. note pile ? 3 Th. note begrine. Siev. (Anglia xiii, 4) sliced. 6 MS., Edd.
mines frean; Hersf. (p. 46) frean mines. 7 Spr. ii, 261, Dietr. (xi, 486) F* =
wen ; Siev. (Anglia xiii, 4) |> = wynn. 8 Holth. (E. S. xxxvii, 211)
Hwilum ic under baec bregde [brunre or beorhtre or blacre] nebbe.
ii MS. waelcraef ; Th. supplies turn; Gn. waslcraeft ; Sch. 'waslcneftfe] seems to
have stood in the MS.; there would be no room for waslcraeftum';- W. states that
'two or three letters are missing after f ; but cannot say whether they have become
effaced by time or erased by a liquid'' (obviously, by action of fluid on ink, T.).
'Sch. to the contrary, these letters might have been tu' (W^). Siev. (Anglia xiii, 4)
waelcraefte ; B. M. reads clearly waelcraefte.
64 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
92
Ic wses brunra beot, beam on holte,
freolic feorhbora ond foldan waestm,
\_on(T\ wynnstapol ond wlfes sond,
gold on geardum. Nu com guowigan
hyhtlic hildewgepen, hringe bete 5
. . . wel
byreo 1 on o}>rum
93 (Gn. 88)
Frea mm
. de willum sinum
heah ond hyht . ... [sc]earpne
hwllum
[h]wflum sohte frea ... as wod 5
92 Omitted by Th. (Gn.). i Holth. (.S. xxxvii, 211) brunna. 3 MS. wym
staM; Holth. (Bb. ix, 358) sta)>ol weres ; Holth. (E.S. xxxvii, 211) wynn on stable.
4 Holth. I.e. god for gold. 5 W. reads only the upper part <7/"ilde ; so I ; B.M.
clearly hilde. MS. (Sch., W.,andl) bete; MS. (B.M.) bega. Sch. states that after
bete twenty-seven letters are missing. 6 B. M. reads the top of wel, nine letters
after bega. 7 W. notes that byrelS begins the new line. It is impossible to determine
how many letters are missing after o)>rum ; on this line stand no longer any letters (W).
93 1-5 Th. reads
Frea min . . .
wod.
Gn. note, conjectures
Frea min [mec fseste near] wod.
Dietr. (xi, 487)
Frea mm [waes faegre foran gefraetjwod.
Sch. Frea mi[n] . . . (twenty-seven letters) . . . de willum sinum (B.M. sinu) . . .
(twenty-six letters) . . . heah ond [hyht] . . . (twenty letters') . . . [sce]arpne hwilum
. . . (twenty-two letters) . . . [hw]ilum sohte frea . . . (seventeen letters') ... as wod.
W. reads still the first stroke of n (i), so B.M. and I; the upper part ^hyht (3),
so B.M. and I ; remnants o/sc (3) ; w in hwilum (5) ; and the lower part ofzs (5).
There is now in MS. no trace of sc (3), only the bottom of e and half of a, then,
clearly, rpne (B.M. earpne). Holth. (Aiiglia xxiv, 265) supplies (1. 3)
heah ond hyht[ful or lie? hocum] sc[e]arpne.
(1. 5) [h]wilum sohte frea [min]
as wod.
as might be the remains 0/"siJ>as, widlastas, or wraeclastas (cf. Spr. ii, 636).
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 65
daegrime frod deo[pe stre]amas,
hwilum stealc hli]>o stlgan sceolde
up in efel, hwilum eft gewat
in deop dalu dugu]>e secan
strong on staepe ; stanwongas grof 10
hrlmighearde, hwilum hara scoc
forst of feaxe. Ic on fusum rad,
offaet him )>one gleowstol gingra broj'or
mm agnade ond mec of earde adraf.
Siffan mec isern innanweardne 15
brun bennade ; blod ut ne com,
heolfor of hrepre, )>eah mec heard bite
strSecg style. No ic )>a stunde bemearn,
ne for wunde weop, ne wrecan meahte
on wigan feore wonnsceaft mine, 20
ac icjaglJeca ealle polige [i3o b ]
faette bord biton. Nu ic blace swelge
wuda ond waetre, womb[e] befasSme
fast mec on fealleft ufan ])lr ic stonde,
eorp[e]s nathwaet, haebbe anne fot. 25
Nu mm hord waraS hifende feond,
se ]>e er wide baer wulfes gehlefan ;
oft me of wombe bewaden fereS,
6 Th., Gn. deo . . . hwilum; Sch. reads deo[pe streamas?]; W. reads the lower
part 0/"amas; so B.M. and I. 7 Th. stealc-hlijjo. 9 Th. deop-dalu. II MS.
hara scoc; Spr. ii, 14 ' har ascoc? (vgl. Eng. hoar-frost}? 12 MS. feax. MS.,
Edd. of. 13 AfS., Th. gleawstol. MS., Th. gingran; Th. note gingra. 22 Th.
$ . . . bord ; Gn. J>aet bord ; Sch. \>xtte ; MS. ( W.) fre ( IV. does not see the t, nor
do /); B.M. J>ine. MS. blace; Gn., Spr. i, 124 blace; Siev. (PBB. x, 496) blac.
23 Th. waetre . . . befasflme; Gn. supplies [wide]; Sch. reads womb[e?]; W.
reads only w . . . befaeftme ; 7 read w . . . b very easily (B. M. womb). 25 Th.,
Gn. eo . . . ; Dietr. (xi, 487) eo[rpes] ? Sch. reads eo . . . es ? IV. only eo . . . s.
The lower strokes of r and p are plainly visible to me. B. M. reads eof waes.
26 Th. note weraft ? Dietr. (xi, 487) hordwaraft. 28 Th., Gn. . . . of wombe ;
Dietr. I.e. supplies [wonsceaft] ; Sch. (six letters) ... of wombe; Holth. (I. F. iv,
388) supplies [wealic]. Before of wombe I read faintly but unquestionably me, pre-
ceded by the top of oft (B.M. oft me). These letters are not seen by Sch., W.
66
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
stepped on stI6 bord
. . de . . Jxmne daegcondel 30
sunne
[w]eorc eagum wlitefi ond sp
94
Smif ad
hyrre ]K>nne heofon
dre fonne sunne,
style
smeare ]>onne sealt sy 5
leofre J>onne ]>is leoht call, leohtre fonne w . .
29-32 7/4. reads
steppe'5 on stift bord
. . . dasg-condel
sunne ....
eagum wlita'5
Gr. reads
stepped on stift bord
daegcondel sunne . .
eagum wlita'S
Dietr. (xi, 487) supplies
stepped on stiiSbord, [storme bedrifen]
[sififtan he] daegcondel [le], sun [nan upcyme]
[serest ealra] eagum wlite'S.
Sch. reads bord . . . (some twenty-seven letters') . . . n daegcondel sunne . . . (some
twenty-seven letters) . . . core eagum wlite'S . (two letters) . p . . . (/ letters).
B. M. reads (1. 30) de . . . (six letters) ...topof\ (?), Jx)fi.
W. (so B. M. and /) reads still )>on (30) and after wlite'S (end of line) -\ sp (at
beginning- of line very indistinct). Upon this line are no longer any letters.
Holth. (Anglia xxiv, 266) 'Assmann is wrong in putting sunne after daegcondel
in 1. 30.' Holth. reads as in text.
94 Omitted by Th. (Gn.). i, 2 Sch. Sm[i]}> . . . (some twenty letters) . . . hyrre
)>onne heo[f] ; W. and I read Smi)> and d (B. M. ad) before hyrre, and heofon.
2 After heo[f], a gap of some thirty-two letters (Sc/i.). 3 Holth. (Anglia xxiv,
266) [blicenjdre ; (E. S. xxxvii, 211) [hraejdre. 4 After sunne some twenty-nine
letters are missing (ScA.). 5 Holth. (Anglia xxiv, 266) sy for MS., W. ry. After
ry, some twenty letters are missing (Sch.). 6 W. reads (6-7) :
leofre )>onne )>is leoht,
call leohtre Jx>nne w . . .
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK 67
95 (Gn. 89)
Ic com indryhten ond eorlum cuS
ond reste oft ricum ond heanum,
folcum gefrjgge fere wide ;
ond me fremdum ser freondum stondeS
htyendra hyht, gif ic habban sceal 5
blsed in burgum o]>]>e beorhtne god.
Nu snottre men ' swifast lufia}>
midwist mine ; ic monigum sceal
wisdom cypan ; no j>ser word sprecao 1
senig ofer eorftan. J>eah nu aElda beam, 10
londbuendra, lastas mine
swipe secao", ic swaj>e hwllum
mine bemtye monna gehwylcum.
Ilolth. {Anglia xxiv, 266) regards W! 's verse-division as obviously incorrect and
reads as in text. Sck. does not read w, seen by IV., B.M., and me. ' It is impossible
to determine the number of missing letters after w' (W.). Holth. I.e. ( w[yrmas]
(cf. 4i 76 ).' After w, / read in MS. (see also B. M.), the lower strokes of several
letters, not yrmas.
95 3 MS., Th., Gn., W. fereS ; Gn. 2 , Siev. fereS ; Th. note fere ? so also Tr.
(BB. xix, 206). 4 MS., Edd. fremdes ; Th. note fremde ? Brooke (E.E. Lit., p. 8)
fremdum; Tr. (Anglia vi, Am. 168) supplies fremdes [gefea] aer; Tr. {Anglia vii,
Anz. 210) fremdes [faeflm] aer; Tr. (BB. xix, 206) faer for aer. 5 Th. note
hihtendra. 6 Gn. note beorhte god ? so also Dietr. (xi, 488) and Tr. (Anglia vi,
Anz. 1 68) ; Tr. (BB. xix, 208) gong ; Bright suggests beorhte (or beorhtan) gold ?
NOTES
['THE FIRST RIDDLE'
The part played by the so-called ' First Riddle ' in the study of the authorship
and history of this group of enigmas has already been discussed in the Intro-
duction. Its grammatical forms will be included in the Glossary in brackets, to
set them apart from the vocabulary of the genuine riddles. More detailed treat-
ment than this belongs properly to an edition of Old English Lyrics, and demands
no place here.]
RIDDLE 2
Dietrich points out (XI, 461) that in 2, 3, 4, only a single subject is included,
'the Storm.' But, as he notes, the topic finds subdivision in two ways: by the
closing formulas of Nos. 2 and 3, and by the summary of the four phases of the
storm's activity in 4 67-72. There we are referred to its work under the earth
(4 1-16), under the waves (3), above the waves (4 17-35), ar >d in the air (4 36-66).
According to Dietrich, No. 2 describes both the storm on land (2 i-8 a ) and that
at sea (2 S b -i5) ; No. 3 is limited to the Ocean Storm, which in No. 4 falls into three
parts : ' In the first the storm pictures itself as confined under the earth and
thus producing an earthquake (4 1-16) ; then, as driver of waves and assailant of
ships (4 17-35); finally as cloud-farer and thunderstorm.' Grein had already (Bibl.
der ags. Poesie II, 410) interpreted No. 3 as 'Anchor' (an impossible solution),
and No. 4 as 'Hurricane.' Prehn (pp. 158-162) accepts Dietrich's answers; and
seeks vainly as I think with Edmund Erlemann (fferrigs Archiv CXI, 55)
to establish a relation between the Anglo-Saxon problems and the enigmas of
Aldhelm, i, 2, and Eusebius, 21 and 23. Brooke (E. E. Lit., p. 182) follows
Dietrich : ' The first describes the storm on land, the second at sea, and the
third the universal tempest the living Being who rises from his caverns under
earth and does his great business, first on the sea, then on the cliffs and ships,
then on the land and then among the clouds, till he sinks to rest again.' Traut-
mann classes the three riddles together and gives them one number.
In an elaborate article in Herrigs Archiv CXI, 49 f., Edmund Erlemann takes
issue with Dietrich. He believes with the earlier scholar that 4 1-16 refers to an
earthquake, and is indeed the scientific explanation of that phenomenon, popular
with scholars of the time. He points to Bede's account ' De Terrae Motu ' in
his work De Xatura Remm, cap. 49 (Migne, P. L. XC, 275 f.): 'Terrae motum
vento fieri dicunt, ejus visceribus instar spongiae cavernosis incluso, qui hanc
lorribili tremore percurrens et evadere nitens, vario murmure concutit et se tre-
mendo vel dehiscendo cogit effundere. Unde cava terrarum his motibus subjacent,
utpote venti capacia ; arenosa autem et solida carent. Neque enim fiunt, nisi caelo
69
;o
marique tranquillo, et vento in venas terrae condito' (4 ioa-n). This wind-theory
of earthquakes was drawn, as Erlemann shows, from Isidore of Seville's famous
text-book DC Xatura Rerum, and is traceable to Plato. So No. 3 represents not a
Sea-Storm but a Submarine Earthquake (11. 3-8), such as is described by Bede 1. c.:
I' F iunt simul cum terrae motu et inundationes maris, eodem videlicet spiritu infusi
vel residentis sinu recepti.' Erlemann further shows that No. 3 has nothing in
common with 4 17-36, which is a description of a ' Storm at Sea,' as Dietrich and
Brooke believe. As the storm is the scientific explanation of land and sea earth-
quakes, so is it felt to be of thunder and lightning by our poet (4 37-66). Here
again, thinks Erlemann, we find a close parallel in Bede, z8-2Q : ' Tonitrua dicunt
ex fragore nubium generari, cum spiritus ventorum eorum sinu concept! sese ibi-
dem versando pererrantes et virtutis suae nobilitate in quamlibet partem violenter
erumpentes, magno concrepant murmure instar exilentium de stabulis quadriga-
rum vel vesicae, quae, licet parva, magnum tamen sonitum displosa emittit, etc.'
Riddle 2 is simply a general description of the Storm.
' Now in all this, there is no direct borrowing. Difference of language and the
noble imagery of the poet both speak strongly against any servile indebtedness to
the scientific works of his day. But these ideas were in the air at the time, and
may have been imbibed by him in some cloister school in the North during his
boyhood in the early eighth century.'
Erlemann, p. 54, thinks that Riddles 2-4 appear to be ' ein mit scharfster
Konsequenz aufgebautes Ganzes.' 'The present threefold division (Grein-Wulker)
I rests upon the three repetitions of the riddle-question at the end of these three
/ parts. But, after all that I have said, weight can no longer be laid upon them as
/ signs of division. The riddle-query appears also within 4 at end of 35 [but this is
/ not a formula]. Moreover, the MS. shows no gap between Rid. 3 and 4 [but
Rid. 3 closes the page], and hwilnm in 4 i begins with a small letter. The space
between 2 and 3 is easy to understand : in 2 the Storm in general, and in 3 and 4
its single phenomena, are described. But even this can be laid at the scribe's
door. Misled by the riddle-query into thinking that 2 closed with line 15, he
could well begin a new riddle with hiuilum (3 i). In the case of the second
hwtlum (4 i) he has come to realize the close connection of parts, and no longer
makes a space.' This view does not lay due stress upon the closing formula of
Rid. 3 ; and Erlemann fails to state that the lack of a gap after 3 is determined
by the ending of a MS. page here. The same fact may explain the lack of closing-
sign, though this stands at end of page in 15, 74, and 80.
2 i Cf. Chr. 241, ForJ>on nis ienig j>aes horse ne baes hygecrasftig.
24 wraec(c)a. Thorpe renders the MS. reading -wrace 'I wander'; Grein in
Dicht. 'treibe,' Brooke (p. 182) 'tear along (in gusts)'; but these translations
would seem to demand a present form wrece rather than ivrcece. To both these
forms there is the strong objection that the meter demands a long vowel here
(-L x.\ -L x). Nor does Grein's interpretion ofwra-ce (Spr. II, 737 ; so also B.-T.,
p. 1 268) as the inst. sg. of ivracu, ' hostility,' meet the difficulty. Sievers (PBB. X,
510, s.v. f>rdg) writes wriece, apparently deriving this from wraic, which he regards
as long (Gr. 9 276, n. 3 b). But the vowel is short everywhere else in the poetry
II, 738). It is of course possible to regard the half-line as one of several
NOTES 71
examples of a shortened A-type _. x | \j X (Herzfeld, p. 44), but it is perhaps
better to read here wrac{c)a, ' exile,' ' wretch,' as Herzfeld suggests. The scribe
may have been misled by ivriece (1. 2), which is almost immediately above in the MS.
2 8 \vudu hrere. See 817, where se J>e ivudu /irerefr is a periphrasis for 'the wind.'
2 it wrecan. The MS. ivrecan is retained by all editors, and is regarded by
Brooke as an infinitive, 'to range along,' and by Grein (Dicht.\ Spr. II, 739) as
gen. sg. of wrec(c)a ' on the wanderer's track.' As similar constructions are
common in the poetry (wreccan laste, 408; cf. Gen. 2478, 2822, Sea/. 15), and as
this meaning accords well with 1. 4b, I prefer the reading of the MS. to the sug-
gestion of Cosijn (PBB. XXIII, 128) wrecen. The latter, however, has the support
of 2b, on sift wr<ce\ and would be acceptable, were any change necessary.
2 13 flaisc ond gaistas. Cf. Chr. 597, flassc ond giest.
RIDDLE 3
For parallels to the Anglo-Saxon description of the Seebeben, Erlemann (p. 57)
points to the MHG. illustrations in the articles by Ehrismann, Ger mania XXXV,
55 f., and Sievers, PBB. V, 544, which treat the words gmntwelle and selpwege.
Cf. Hartmann, /. Biichlein, 352^ :
. . . und hebet sich uf von grunde ein wint
das heizent si selpwege
und machet groze iindeslege
und hat vil manne den tot gegeben.
3 2 under y}?a gej>rsec. Cf. 33 7, atol y>a gejraec; And. 823, ofer y'Sa gejraec.
See also the stronger expression, atol y>a gewealc, Exod. 455.
3 3 garsecges grund. Cf. 41 93.
3 3-8 Erlemann (p. 51) points out the likeness of the phenomena here described
to those that appear in submarine earthquakes: ' Finden diese Seebeben bei ge-
ringer Meerestiefe statt, also in der Nahe der Kiiste, so zeigen sich neben den
gewohnlichen Erscheinungen Aufwallen und Triibung des Wassers, Empor-
schiessen von Schaum und Dampfsaulen auch direkte Spuren subozeanischer
vulkanischer Eruptionen, Emporwerfen von Lava und Bimsstein, verbunden mit
submarinem Donner.' So the other passages of our poem forbid the conception
of a sea-storm, and accord with that suggested by Erlemann. The contrast be-
tween the two phenomena is accentuated in 4 68-70.
3 4 Grein's addition \Jlod dfysed'\ is supported by flodas Sfysde, Chr. 986, and
flodas gefysde, El. 1270. Cosijn's reading, famge wen/can {PBB. XXIII, 128)
parallels And. 1524, famige walcan (PBB. XXI, 19), and is supported by 4 19,
fdmig ivinnefr ; but the MS. reading makes perfect sense and is in keeping with
the context.
3 5 hwaelmere hlimmeff. Cf. And. 370, onhrered hwaelmere ; 392, garsecg
hlymmeS. For a discussion of rimes in the Riddles, see note to 29. Cf. 16 13,
2Q 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 39 4, 42 3, 67 6, 73 22.
36 streainas stafni boatacf. Cf. And. 239, beoton brimstreamas ; 441, eagor-
streamas beoton bordstae'Su ; 495-496, streamwelm hwileft, beate|> brimstasfto ;
72 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
see also And. 1544, El. 238 Met. 615. Herzfeld, who cites these parallels (p. 30),
regards as characteristic of Cynewulf ' the constantly recurring mention of the
striking of the waves on the cliffs or on the sides of the ship.' Herzfeld notes
that this trait is lacking in other Anglo-Saxon descriptions of storms Gen. 1371,
Exod. 454 f., and Beow. 1374. But he finds similar expressions in Seaf, 23 and
Wand. 101. Brooke notes (p. 182, n.) that a similar passage occurs in Chr. 979 f.,
describing the cliffs withstanding the waves. With streamas beatafr cf. 81 8.
3 7 on stealc hleoj>a. Cf. 4 26, stealc stanhleojni ; 93 7, stealc hlij>o ; Beow.
1410, steap stanhliSo; And. 1577, stanhleoftu. For a discussion of such expres-
sions, see Merbach, Das Meer etc., p. 21.
3 8 ware ond waige. Dietrich (XII, 246) translates ' schlamm und woge,' and
refers to And. 269, ware bewrecene, and And. 487, ware bestemdon; but in these
passages ware has the meaning 'sea.' Dietrich regards ware as a rare word, which
here means neither ' sea ' (wer) nor alga (41 49, wdrofr), but 'schlamm und meeres-
sand (cf. Hpt. Gl. 502, 76, sablonum, wdra; 449, 30, sablonibus, wdrum).' Grein,
Dicht., renders Seetang,' and Spr. 11,640, 'alga' (reading -wdre), and points to
Dutch wier and Kent, waure ; Brooke translates ' weed,' and is followed by
Brougham (Cook and Tinker, p. 71). The word ware receives adequate discus-
sion from Hoops, Altenglische Pflanzennamen, pp. 24-25: ' Tang, Fucus und See-
gras, Zostera Marina = wdr, wdroj>, stewdr. Sie machen sich ja an der Kiiste
dem Schiffer wie dem Fischer durch Verunreinigen der Fahrzeuge und Netze oft
genug in unangenehmer Weise bemerkbar und werden darum nicht nur im eigent-
lichen Sinne von Meerespflanzen sondern ubertragend auch fiir Schlamm und
Schmutz iiberhaupt gebraucht.' Hoops points out that the transition to the mean-
ing of 'mud' or 'slime' is clearly seen in Rid. 41 48-50, where wdroj> is used in
rendering the Latin ' horridior rhamnis et spretis vilior algis.' A similar use is
found in the wdrig hragl of Gn. Ex. 90 (see Merbach, Das Meer, pp. 28-29). See
Schmid's discussion of 'algarum maris' (Gesetze, Glossar, p. 529).
3 9 holmmaegne bipeaht hriisan. Cf. 173, eorSe yftum J>eaht.
3 10 side sJegrundas. Cf. Exod. 289, sailde siegrundas. sundhelme. Only
here and 77 i, sundhelm }>eahte. But cf. water helm, Gn. Ex. ii, 3 (Merbach, p. 10).
3 12 on si)m gehwam. Cf. Ph. 464, in slba gehwane.
3 13 of brlmes fa>]?iiium. Cf. 116-7, of faetSmum cwom brimes ; And. 1616,
Jmrh nodes faeftm.
3 '5 yj*a . . . )?e mec a5r wrugon. Cf. 772, mec yj>a wrugon; 787, y)>um
bewrigene.
RIDDLE 4
Of this Brooke says (E.E.Lit., p. 183) : 'The order and unity of this poem
is admirable. The imaginative logic of its arrangement is like that which pre-
vails in the " Ode to the West Wind," to which indeed it presents many points of
resemblance, even to isolated phrases. Shelley tells us of his wind which, as in
Cynewulf 's poem, is a living being first as flying through the forests and the
land, then of its work among the clouds, then on and in the sea, then on his own
soul. Cynewulf tells of his storm-giant rising from his lair, rushing over the sea,
then over the land, and then in the sky, but not of the storm in his own breast.
NOTES 73
That is the one modern quality we do not find in this poem of Cynewulf. It was
natural for him being closer to Nature-worship than Shelley to impersonate
his hurricane, to make the clouds into stalking phantoms, to make them pour
water from their womb and sweat forth fire ; and his work in this is noble.'
4 1-6 Brooke translates (pp. 183-184) :
Oftenwhiles my Wielder weighs me firmly down,
Then again he urges my immeasurable breast
Underneath the fruitful fields, forces me to rest.
Drives me down to darkness, me, the doughty warrior,
Pins me down in prison, where upon my back
Sits the Earth my jailer.
Brooke compares with these lines, and with 13-16, Shelley's 'Cloud':
In a cavern under is fettered the thunder,
It struggles and howls at fits.
He points also to Aeneid, i, 56 f. :
Hie vasto rex Aeolus antro
Luctantes ventos tempestatesque sonoras
Imperio premit ac vinclis et carcere frenat, etc.
(So too the Greek earthquake-demon Typhos, progenitor of the storms, is held
down in fetters by Sicily and Etna piled upon his breast, Pindar, Pyth. i, 33-35.)
Dietrich believes (XII, 246) that the Anglo-Saxon lines are not suggested by
Virgil but by Psalms cxxxiv, 7 (Vulgate). Erlemann also thinks (p. 54) that in
his conception of God as the ruler of the winds the riddler is influenced by the
Old Testament, Psalms cxxxiv, 7 (Deus) . . . qui producit ventos de thesauris suis,
and Jeremiah x, 13. That such passages as these influenced mediaeval science he
shows by quotation from Beda, De Natzira Kerum, cap. 26, and Isidore 36, 3.
Herzfeld (p. 31), on the contrary, believes that this conception is derived neither
from classical nor scriptural sources, but from the older mythology.
The idea of the confinement of the violent storm in prison by a higher power
appears in other Anglo-Saxon poems (Dietrich XII, 246; Herzfeld, p. 31), as
El. 1271-1276:
winde gellcost,
bonne he for hsele'Sum hlud istige'S,
wzEiSe'S be wolcnum, wedende faere^,
ond eft semninga swlge gewyrSetS,
in nedcleofan nearwe gehea'Srod,
l>ream for^rycced.
So And. 435-437 : Wzeteregesa sceal,
geftyd ond geftreatod J,urh brygcining,
lagu lacende, IrSra wyrgan.
516-520:
Flodwylm ne msg
manna snigne ofer Meotudes est
lungre gelettan ; ah him lifes geweald,
se fie brimu bindefi, brune yiSa
SfS ond Jjreata-5.
74 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
4 3 bearm [bone] bradan. For such position of article and adjective, see
349-10, 61 6. Cf. Trautmann, Anglia, Bb. V, 90; Barnouw, p. 221. on bid
wriceo 5 . Here the reading adopted by recent editors is confirmed by Beow. 2963,
on bid wrecen.
4 5 liaiste. Cosijn's reading seems to me a lectio certissima. Grein, Spr. II, 24,
doubtfully derives the MS. hatst from hatsan, ' impingere,' of which we have no
trace elsewhere. Haste, which is found in our present sense Gen. 1396, is the
equivalent of f>nrk hiest (see 16 28, J>urh hest). I accept also Cosijn's heard (so
Thorpe translates) for MS. heard, which is not found elsewhere in the poetry in
this sense, but which is rendered by Brooke 'jailer.'
48 hornsalu. Only here and And. 1158.
4 13-14 se mec wris&ffe on ... legde. The same idiom is found 21 29-30, se
mec geara on bende legde. Cf. also And. 1192, J>jer J>e cyninga cining clamme
belegde.
4 16 be me wegas taecneo'. Cf. 52 6, se him wegas tiecneK
4 18 [streamas] styrgan. The addition is made by Thorpe in the light of
4 70, streamas styrge. Cf. also And. 374, streamas styredon.
4 19 flintgrsegne Hod. This is the only appearance of the epithet ; fealo is of
course the common adjective withy?^/ (And. 421, Beow. 1951, Brun. 36).
4 i 9 h -2o a Cf. Met. 28 57-58 :
yft wiiS lande ealneg winneft,
wind wrg wage.
4 21 dun ofer dype. Brooke compares Aeneid, i, 105, ' Insequitur cumulo
praeruptus aquae mons.' Yet Herzfeld, p. 38, calls this ' ein modernes Bild.'
4 22 eare geblondeu. The phrase suggests the compound ear-(ar-~)geblond,
which is discussed by Krapp, Andreas, note to 383.
4 23 mearclonde. This is the only appearance of the word in the sense of
'sea-coast.' As Merbach says (p. 19), ' mearclond (Rid. 423) und landgemyrcu
(Beow. 209) sind als Strand, Gestade aufzufassen, sie bedeuten die Landgrenze
gegen das Wasser hin.'
4 24-25 Brooke again compares Aeneid, i, 87, ' Insequitur clamorque virum
stridorque rudentum.'
4 27 hopgehnastes. Save in this case and in -wolcengehndste, 4 t*>,gehndst, both
simplex and in compounds, is used only of the clash of battle (Gen. 2015, aefter
)>am gehnieste; Brun. 49, cumbol-gehnastes). The first member of the compound,
hop, is discussed at length by Dietrich, Haupts Zs. IX, 215, and Grein, Spr. II,
95-96. Cf. Scottish hope, ' a haven.'
428-29 sllbre saecce. Brooke translates (p. 185, n.) : 'with slippery . . ., with
feeble striving ' and interprets ' with a hapless ill-fortuned and therefore a
despairing strife against the elements. Some are paralyzed in expectation, some
struggle.' This is finely poetical, but it disregards both grammar (as s<rcce is
a genitive dependent upon wen) and word-meaning (sltfre and slidor must not
be confused). Grein renders more accurately : ' Dem Kiele droht da schlimmer
Kampf.'
NOTES 75
4 30 on )ja grimman tid. The phrase is found twice in the Christ, 1081, 1334,
where it means 'Judgment Day.' In our passage, Brooke (p. 185, n.) thinks that
' it alludes to the moment in which the ship would be driven on the cliffs.'
431 rice. Grein, Spr. II, 378, derives MS. rice from 'rt'cu, directio ? ' and
points to 21 6, to rice ; but that is a misreading of the editors for sace. Brooke
asks doubtfully : ' Is rice from ricn (' direction ') ? Did Cynewulf see the steering
oar whirled from the hands of the steersman, or does he mean that the ship was
driven out of its true course ? ' Klaeber, Mod. Phil. II, 144, conjectures rince (cf.
hereri[n]ce, Beow. 1176; swe[n]cte, 1510; dru[n]cen, Mood. 12, etc.), to be taken
in a collective sense. This is not an unhappy suggestion ; since (as Merbach shows,
p. 38) the seaman is elsewhere called sairinc (Maid. 134 ; Beow. 691), and fyrdrinc
(EL 261 ; Maid. 140), and since rince berofen corresponds to the feore bifohten,
' deprived of life,' of the next line. But there is no need of departing from the MS.
Rice birofen may be rendered, ' bereft of a master ' (i.e. ' a ruling or guiding hand').
432 feore bifohten. Klaeber, Mod. Phil. II, 144, suggests fere bifohten, i.e-
' attacked by danger,' ' since on the strength of unbefohten, " unopposed," " un-
attacked " (Maid. 57 ; A.-S. Chron. A.D. 91 1), the verb befeohtan is plausibly to be
credited with the meaning of " attack." ' But no change seems necessary, since
the interpretation of Grein and Sweet, ' deprived (by fighting) of life,' is, as
Klaeber admits, quite in keeping with the context.
4 34 haelejmm geywed. For the sake of the alliteration, this suggestion of
Ettmiiller's for MS. mldum must be adopted. Grein, Spr. II, 774, meets the
difficulty by proposing yppan for hyran in the second half-line.
4 35 hwa gestilleS }?aet. Erlemann, p. 55, thinks that these words refer to
the stilling of the waves by Christ (Matthew viii, 23): 'Tune surgens increpavit
vento et mari et facta est tranquillitas magna, porro homines mirati sunt dicentes :
qualis est hie quia et venti et mare oboediunt ei.' The theme is expanded at
great length in the Andreas, with which poem the Storm riddles have much in
common in both style and vocabulary. Erlemann concludes that the appearance
of God as lord of the winds has therefore a Christian source, and is not, as Herz-
feld thinks (p. 34), an indication of 'die strenge echt germanische Abfassung des
Dienst- und Untertanenverhaltnisses.' Are. not both scholars right, and have we
not here a Christian motif colored by the Germanic spirit ?
4 36 rideS on baece. On account of the meter, this reading of Grein's note
and of Herzfeld (p. 45) is to be preferred to the MS. on btrce ridefr.
436f. Erlemann, p. 52, declares that in these lines the ideas of Beda (De
Xatiira Reriim, 28, 49) are developed into the loftiest poetry: ' Der Sturm sitzt
in den Wolken, er zerrt sie weit auseinander und lasst sie dann wieder zusam-
menschnellen, er wirf t die schwarzen Wasserfasser hierhin und dorthin ; treffen
sie aufeinander mit ihren Randern, dann entsteht " der Getose lautestes." '
438 lagustreama full. This corresponds in meaning to wccgfatu (1. 37),
' clouds,' and is rightly rendered by Grein, Dicht., ' der Wasserstrome Becher '
(not, as Brooke translates, 'full of lakes of rain'). Cf. Beow. 1208, ofery'Sa ful.
439 swega nuTst. Cf. Ph. 618, swega mziste.
441 cyme<J sceo[r]. The MS. sceo is an interesting hapax, as it furnishes an
Anglo-Saxon analogue to Old Saxon skio and Icel. sky, ' cloud ' (see Cleasby-
76 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
Vigfusson, s.v.) ; and as the word, skye, appears in M. E. with the meaning ' cloud '
(Chaucer, House of Fame, 1600) : ' That hit ne lefte not - a skye | In al the welken.'
Unfortunately, as Cosijn points out (PBB. XXIII, 128), a passage in the Andreas,
512, establishes the reading sceor, 'cloud,' 'shower': J>onne sceor cyme&. Scur
is found with the lemma nimbus, \VW. 175,22; 316,36.
444 blacan Hge. Cf. And. 1541. In his note to the passage Krapp quotes
from Mead's article (P.M.L.A. XIV, 177): ' Bide is merely an ablaut form of
the stem bltcan, " to shine," and perhaps hardly means white at all. In a few cases
it evidently means pale or ghastly. It is properly applied to the fire or the fire-
light and even to the red flame or to the lightning or to the light of stars. Of
the twenty-eight instances where the word occurs, either alone or as part of a
compound, nearly all seem to lay emphasis on the brightness rather than the
whiteness.'
4 45 dreohtum. For the MS. reading dreontum, Thorpe suggested dreohtum =
drvhtum ('populis') and was followed doubtfully by Grein, Spr. I, 204. This is
favored by 4 40, ofer burgum, and 4 43, of er f oleum. Grein, Bibl. II, 371, note, pro-
posed dreongnm = drengum, but Holthausen, Engl. Stud. XXXVII, 206, rightly
rejected this as Scandinavian (dretigr) rather than English, and proposed dreor-
gitm. The ' dreary ones ' are the terrified men of 4 33, 49. I prefer Thorpe's sug-
gestion.
4 46-48 ' The poet represents the thunder and lightning as arising from the
violent meeting of the clouds, without expressly mentioning th&fragor; but this
bursting of the clouds is taken for granted by the author, who thus continues :
feallan laJtaiS
sweart sumsendu seaw of bosme,
wjetan of wombe.
This is pictured as the result of the bursting ' (Erlemann).
4 47 Brooke (p. 185) renders this finely and accurately, ' swarthy sap of showers
sounding from their breast ' ; and adds : ' I should like to have in English the
German word summen, which answers here to sumsend, and translate this sum-
ming. "Sounding" does not give the humming hiss of the rain.' For a discus-
sion of the etymology of sumsendu, see Kogel, Geschichte der deutschen Lit., 1894,
I, 53-54 (Bright).
4 48 f . Erlemann says (p. 53) : ' Von Vers 48 ab verlasst der Dichter dann diesen
Vorstellungskreis : der Sturm die Ursache des Gewitters ; seine Phantasie ist
ganz erfiillt von dem Bilde des Kampfes der dahinfahrenden Wolken und kann
noch nicht zur Ruhe kommen. Das Bild spinnt sich fort : Winnende farefr atol
eoredbreat; altheidnische mythische Vorstellungen mogen dabei wachgerufen sein
und hier durchschatten, aber sie werden wieder zuriickgedrangt durch christliche
Empfindungen.'
4 52 scin. The nature of such demons is described, Whale, 31-34 :
Swi br$ scinna J^eaw,
deofla wise l>zet hi drohtende
}>urh dyrne meaht dugu'Se beswicaiS
ond on teosu tyhtaS tilra djeda.
NOTES 77
4 51-52 Cf. Ps. 63 4, hi hine . . . scearpum strallum on scotiaS.
453-58 As sources of these lines Erlemann (p. 53) suggests. Ps. xvii, 15, ' Et
misit sagittas suas et dissipavit eos : fulgura multiplicavit et conturbavit eos '
(2 Sam. xxii, 15) ; Ps. cxliii, 6.
4 55 on geryhtu. Cf. Jnd. 202, Met. 31 17, ongerihte, which has also the meaning
'straight.'
4 58 rynegiestes. Thorpe and Brooke render ' the rain-spirit,' but Grein in-
terprets in Spr. II, 386, 'profluvii hospes,' and in Dicht. he translates 'des Rin-
nengastes.' Bosworth-Toller translates 'a guest or foe that comes swiftly(?)' and
Sweet, Diet., ' a swift guest ' a rendering supported by such compounds as ryne-
strong, ryneswift. But, as the simplex ryne, ' rain,' appears in apposition with
regn (Gen. 1416), and as the interpretation 'rain-foe' seems suited to the con-
text, I have adopted that.
4 59 Cf. Beffw. 2408, se >aes orleges or onstealde.
4 59 ff. Herzfeld, p. 37, remarks, ' Der Sturm wird, 4 59, in einem prachtigen
Bilde als Kriegserreger vorgefiihrt, die Krieger sind die Wolken (hlofrgecrod), die
mit lautem Gekrach auf einander stossen ; sie schwitzen Feuer aus (die Blitze, die
mit Pfeilen verglichen werden), ein dunkler Saft fliesst ihnen aus dem Busen u.s.w.'
462 ofer byrnan bosin. Cf. And. 441, of brimes bosme ; Exod. 493, famig-
bosma. Cosijn (PBS. XXIII, 128) doubtfully compares Pan. 7, }>isne beorh-
tan bosm ; but the reference is to the earth, not to the waters. Brooke says
(p. 186): 'The word I here translate torrents is byrnan ("of burns or brooks").
Torrent is quite fair, for the word is connected with byrnan (" to bum "). The
upsurging and boiling of fire is attributed to the fountain and stream. Cynewulf
is not thinking of the quiet brooks of the land, but of the furious leaping rivers
which he conceives as hidden in the storm clouds over which the storm giant
passes on his way.'
463 hf-Hii hloSgecrod. Brooke, E. E. Lit., p. 186, says: ' Hlofr is the name
given to "a band of robbers from seven to thirty-five" [Laws of Ine 13, Schmid
pp. 26-27], hence any troop or band of men [And. 42, 1391, etc.]. Gecrod is "a
crowd," "a multitude." Thus compounded, the word means, I think, a crowd made
up of troops ; of troops of clouds ! Then the word " high " put with hlofrgecrod
and the context prove sufficiently that Cynewulf was thinking of the piled-up
clouds of the storm ; and no doubt the notion of ravaging and slaughter con-
nected with I/ldfr pleased his imagination, for his tempest is a destroyer.' Brooke's
translation ' the high congregated cloud-band ' is suggested by Shelley's lines
(with which compare 4 42-48) :
Vaulted with all thy congregated might
Of vapors, from whose solid atmosphere
Black rain and fire and hail will burst. O, hear !
467-72 In these lines occurs a summary of the various manifestations of the
Storm, but Rid. 2, which represents the Storm in general, finds no place in this
review. It is interesting to note that the order of the single descriptions does not
conform to the order in the summary. There the maritime eruption (Seebeben),
Rid. 3, stands before the earthquake (4 1-16) ; here, after. Erlemann (pp. 53-54)
73 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
does not believe that any derangement of the text, any inversion of 3 and 4 1-16,
has taken place. -'In the summary a more convenient adjustment of the verse
may have brought it about that no particular regard is paid to the accurate
sequence of the several parts ; it is also possible that the poet anticipated 4 1-16
in order to place 3 and 4 17-35 near together, so as to contrast them better : " Now
I shall fight under the waves, now above the waves." '
469 hean underhnigan. In Dicht. Grein translates 'Bald soil ich des Oceans
Wogen die hohen unterneigen,' and he is followed by Barnouw, p. 221, who
' regards hean as ace. pi., weak, of heah. In Spr. II, 55, Grein rightly gives the
word under hean, 'low'; cf. Gn. Ex. 118, hean sceal gehnigan.
4 71 wide fere. Cf. 59 3, wide ne fereS; 95 3, fere (MS. fereS) wide.
473-74 Aldhelm iv, i, ' Cernere me nulli possunt, nee prendere palmis,' which
Prehn (p. 160) regards as one of the sources of the Anglo-Saxon, is derived, like
the English riddle, from the Bible : Prov. xxx, 4, ' quis continuit spiritum in mani-
bus suis,' arid Ecclus. xxxiv, 2. So Erlemann, pp. 55-56 (but the connection is
certainly not close). I have traced the history of this motive, Mod. Phil., II, 563.
It appears in Bede's Flares, No. V, in various 'dialogues' (Haupts Zs. XV, 167,
169), and in MS. Bern. 611, No. 41.
RIDDLE 5
Diejrich JXI, 461) suggested first the answer 'Bell,' but rejected it imme-
diately in favor of ' Millstor\e,' believing that the latter fulfilled more closely
all the conditions of the problem. Grein, Spr. II, 716, accepts the first solu-
tion; and Prehn, pp. 163, 165, the second, but he fails in his attempt to indicate /
a likeness between this riddle and the 'Millstone' enigmas of Symphosius (51, f
52) and Aldhelm (iv, 12). In riddle-literature there are no analogues to aid
one, the many 'Bell' and 'Millstone' problems (see Schleicher, p. 201 ; Symp.
80, Tintinnabtilum ; Tatwine 7, De Tintinno) being of a totally different type.
Personally, I incline to the first answer. T\\e_>egti or servant ma.y be the, ostia-
rius or (ft(re7('f r ^ ( g " p Canons of SElfric, n), who is thus described by William
of Malmesbury (Gesta Pontificum, 76, cited by Padelford, Musical Terms in Old
English, p. 56) : ' Reclusis enim a dormitorio in ecclesiam omnium parietum obsta-
culis vidit monachum, cujus id curae erat, a lecto egressum funem signi tenere
quo monachos ammoneret surgere.' Not only monasteries, but Anglo-Saxon
houses of better estate had each its bellhiis (Padelford, I.e.; Be leod-gej>incfrtim 2,
Schmid p. 388) ; but, as Schmid points out (Glossar s. v.), the word may refer to the
refectory, to which one was summoned by bells (cf. Du Cange s.v. Tinelhis) or
perhaps to the cloccarhim vel lucar (the lemma of belhiis, WW. 327, 16). Our rid- \
die refers, I think, not to the hand bell, lltel belle or tintinnabiilum (for a discussion 1
of its use, see Westwood, Facsimiles, p. 152, Padelford, p. 58), but to the micel belle /
or campana (^Elfric, Gloss., WW. 327, 18). This was well known in the England
of the eighth century, for in Tatwine's De Tintinno enigma (No. 7) the bell is
suspended high in air, ' versor superis suspensus in auris.'
Professor Trautmann brings nothing to support his ' Threshing-flail ' solution
of our enigma.
NOTES 79
Andrews, Old English Manor, p. 259, discusses the Anglo-Saxon mill or quern,
and thus translates the last lines of our Riddle : ' " Sometimes a warm limb may
break the bound fetter ; this, however, is due to my servant, that moderately wise
man who is like myself, so far as he knows anything and can by words convey my
constructing message." We here accept Grein's translation almost without change,
but of the last two lines can make no meaning. The iron-work of the mill is in-
teresting, as is also the harsh grating sound with which it moves when started in
the early morning. These features Cynewulf has added to the original of Sym-
phosius (Prehn, pp. 163-165).' See also Heyne, Halle Heorot, p. 27 ; Fiinf Biicher
II, 257-266; and Klump, Altenglische Handiverknamen, pp. 13-15. They accept
the ' Millstone' answer and discuss mills and mill-maid {Caws of &frelberht n,
Schmid p. 2).
5 i Jjragbysig. Dietrich finds the source of this in Aldhelm's line (iv, 124),
' Altera nam currit, quod nunquam altera gessit,' while Prehn points to Sym-
phosius 51 :
Ambo sumus lapides, una sumus, ambo jacemus.
Quam piger est unus, tantum non est piger alter :
Hie manet immotus, non desinit ille moveri.
But the parallel is far-fetched. The epithet might well apply to a bell, for this is
surely ' periodically employed.' Dr. Bright suggests the meaning ' perpetually.'
52,4 hringum haefted . . . halswrijjan. Wanley, Catalogue 109, 2, 16-20:
'Se bend iSe se clipur ys mid gewrifren, ys swylce hit sy sum gemetegung "Sa^t ftiere
tungan clipur maege styrian, and fta lippan aethwega beatan. SoHice mid ftass rapes
aet-hrine se bend styra)> Sone clipur.' ' The band with which the clapper is tied,
is, as it were, a method for moving the clapper of the tongue and beating more
or less the lips. So, with the touch of the rope, the band moves the clapper'
(B.-T. s. v. Clipur). The key in Rid. 914 is hringum gyrded; but such phrases
are even better suited to the durance of the bell, as Wanley's account of the bend
shows. With hringum hafted compare Gen. 762, hasft mid hringa gespanne (Satan).
5 3 The line refers to the beating of the clapper against the sides (mln bed
brecan), and to the sound of the bell (breahtme cyfrari).
5 7 [Jaet] wearm[e] lim. ]> is perhaps omitted on account of preceding -J>e in
oncwej>e. Grein, Spr. II, 188, supposes lim to refer to manus. This accords well
with the 'Bell' solution. See Techmer, 2, 118, 7 (cited by Padelford, pp. 56, 71):
' Dxs diacanes tacen is l>ast mon mid hangiendre hande do swilce he gehwaede
bellan cnyllan wille.' Or if the large bell is meant, the warm limb may be the
clipur, which bursts the ring with which it is bound (supra).
5 8 bersteff. This is the only appearance of the verb in a transitive sense
in Anglo-Saxon ; but the word is used so commonly with an active meaning in
Middle English (see Matzner, or Bradley-Stratmann, s. v.) as to make such a
rendering very plausible here.
5 9-12. The editors punctuate variously and thus give widely differing mean-
ings to the last four lines of the riddle. Thorpe's rendering is utter nonsense.
Ettmiiller puts a period after hwtlum (1. 8), a semicolon after men (n), and no
point after sylfe. Grein and Assmann place a comma after hwilum and a comma
after sylfe. I point as in text, and render ' It (the ring) is, however, acceptable
80 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
to my thane, a moderately wise man, and to me likewise, if I (an inanimate thing)
can know anything and in words successfully tell my story.' For the happy
rendering of the last clause I am indebted to Dr. Bright.
5 10 Jjaet sylfe. This accusative of specification is equivalent to the adverb
' likewise ' (cf. Chr. 937 ; Ps. 81 3, 128 i ; Spr. II, 429).
5 11-12 mm . . . spel. For separation of possessive pronoun and substantive,
see ij g_ 10) hyra . . . drohta~3. With the last line of our riddle compare Beow. 874,
on sped wrecan spel.
RIDDLE 6
As early as 1835, L. C. Miiller (Collectanea Anglo-Sax onica, pp. 63-64) sug-
gested 'Scutum' as an answer; and Dietrich XI, 461, gives the same solution.
He and his follower Prehn, p. 165, point to Aldhelm's 'Clypeus' enigma (iii, 13)
as a source. The resemblance is very slight. Both shields have received many
wounds (infra) ; but Aldhelm's is a glorious warrior, while that of our riddler
|s a brokenji.gh.tej: (Brooke, E. E. Lit., p. 123, note). Unlike Aldhelm, the Anglo-
Saxon poet does not dwell upon the relation of the shield to its lord. A literary
analogue, as Dietrich pointed out, is the 26th riddle of the Hervarar Saga, where
the Shield vaunts its wounds (see Heusler, Zs. d. V.f. Vk. XI, 139, 148). Traut-
mann's ' Hackeklotz ' has nothing in its favor. The riddle is rich in conventional
epithets, applied to the Shield's enemy, the Sword, not only elsewhere in the
poetry but in other riddles.
Illuminated Anglo-Saxon MSS. usually represent the warrior as armed with
no other defensive weapons than shield and helmet (Meyrick, Antient Armour,
1842, p. li ; Keller, pp. 71 f.). The shield, circular or slightly oval in shape, is usu-
ally of linden-wood, sometimes covered with leather, with a metal-bound edge
and in the center an iron umbo or boss, a small basin tapering at the top to a
point and ending in a knob (Gn. C. 37, rand sceal on scylde faest fingra gebeorh).
Bosses are of various form and of different degrees of ornament (Roach-Smith,
Collectanea Antigua I, 104; II, Plate 36; III, Plate 2). The grave-finds reveal a
large number of shields of which boss and handle alone remain (Keller, pp. 74-79 ;
Kemble, Horae Ferales, p. 82).
6 i iserne wund. Cf. Bemv. 565, mecum wunde ; 1076, gare wunde. See Ald-
helm iii, 13 z, ' patiens discrimina dura duelli.'
6 2 beadoweorca saed. Cf . 34 6, biter beadoweorca ; Brun. 20, werig wlges saed.
6 3 ecgum werig. Cf. And. 1278, wundum werig ; Maid. 303, wundum werige ;
Beow. 2938, wundum werge. Oft Ic wig seo, etc. See Aldhelm iii, 13, ' Quis
tantos casus . . . suscipit in bello . . . miles ? '
6 4 frecne feohtan. So And. 1350. frofre ne \v6ne. Cf. Gu. 479, frofre ne
wenaft ; Beow. 185, frofre ne wenan.
66 eal forwurde. Cf. Ps. 11892, call forwurde.
6 7 homera lafe. Cf. Beow. 2830; Brun. 6, homera lafum, in both cases of
swords. In Rid. 71 3-4, the Sword or Dagger calls itself wrdfrra /df, \ jyres ondfeole.
For many examples of Idf as a synonym of sword in the poetry, see Spr. II, 152,
and Cook, 'A Latin Poetical Idiom in Old English,' American Journal of Phi-
lology, VI, 476.
NOTES 8 I
68 heardecg heoroscearp. Cf. Beorv. 2830, hearde, heafto-scearpe homera
lafe ; Jud. 263, heardum heoruwsepnum. Heardecg is found as an epithet of the
sword, Beow. 1289, 1491, El. 758. hondweorc smipa. So of the Sword, 21 7.
Cf. also 27 14, wrietllc weorc smi>a. For the position of the smith in Anglo-Saxon
times, see notes to Kid. 38.
6 9 bitaS in burgum. In 93 21-22, ealle Jxrtte bord biton, 'all that bit the shield,'
is a circumlocution for 'swords' or 'knives.' Cf. 93 17-18, |>eah mec heard bite |
strSecg style. The sword-bite is a commonplace of the poetry, Jul. 603, J>urh
sweordbite ; Ap. 34, fiurh sweordes bite.
69-10 Gu. 2Oj,gifke leng bide Idtran gemdtes, seems to support the change of
MS. dbidan to d bidan. But as dbldan appears not infrequently in the desired
sense (Spr. I, 12) I have retained it in the text.
6 10-12 For the use of worts in Anglo-Saxon leechcraft, see Cockayne's Leech-
doms, passim. They were used particularly as dolgsealfa wifr eallum wundum
(Lchd. II, 8, 26). Among the common worts employed for wound-salves (Lchd.
II, 90 f.) were groundsel, brooklime, lustmock, broad-leaved brownwort, ribwort,
meadow-wort, githrife, cockle, carline thistle, ashthroat.
6 14 dagum ond iiihtum. So Exod. 97 ; Met. 20 213.
RIDDLE 7
The rune S (Sigel, ' the sun ') precedes and follows the riddle in MS., thus
putting th<> snlntjpjijjeyond doubt. The poem bears no resemblance to Aldhelm
viii, 3, De Sole et Luna, save in the design of the Almighty, who in the Latin is the
' Lord of Olympus,' in the Anglo-Saxon is the Christ. It certainly owes nothing to
Eusebius 10, De Sole. The problem is like in kind to the 3ist riddle in Haug's
collection from the Rigveda (p. 495) : ' Einen rastlosen Hirten sah ich hin und
her wandeln auf (seinen) Pfaden ; sich kleidend in die zusammenlaufenden (und)
auseinanderlaufenden (Strahlen) macht er (seine) Runde.' Cf. the Latin hymns
in praise of the Sun (Meyer, Anthologia Latina, 1833, pp. 1024-1025).
71-2 Cf. Aldhelm viii, 35, ' Sed potius summi genuit regnator Olympi.' But
the Anglo-Saxon has much in common with the well-known passage from Ps.
(Vulgate) cxxxvi, 7-8: 'Qui fecit luminaria magna . . . solem in potestatem diei
quoniam in aeternum misericordia ejus.' So in the Anglo-Saxon poetical version
of Ps. Ixxiii, 1 6, J>u gesettest sunnan and monan, sigora -waldend. So Gen. 126,
1 1 12, etc.
'The Father is thought of especially as the Creator (Jul. in, Chr. 224, 472),
though this function is sometimes attributed to the Son (Jul. 726, Chr. 14 f.), and
is sometimes exercised by Him with the Father (Chr. 239-240),' Cook, Christ, p.
Ixxvi. So in the Skaldskaparmdl, 52 (Snorra Edda I, 446), Christ is called ska-
para himins okjarfrar, engla ok s6lar.
7 2 to compe. The Sun and Moon are portrayed as fierce fighters in Rid. 30.
oft ic cwlce baerne. Cf. Ps. 1206, ne he sunne on daeg sol ne gebaerne.
7 3 unrimu cyn. So Pan. z. eorjan getenge. So 77 2. Cf. 8 8-9, getenge
. . . flode ond foldan. Grein is wrong in regarding getenge as ace. pi. (Spr. I, 463) ;
it obviously modifies the subject of the riddle.
g2 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
7 6-9 Of the joy and comfort that the Sun brings to men, the Wonders of Crea-
tion gives glowing account (59-67) :
ond \>\s leohte beorht
cymeiS morgna gehwam ofer misthleojm,
wadan ofer wsegas, wundrum gegierwed,
ond mid zrdaege eastan snoweft,
wlitig ond wynsum wera cneorissum ;
lifgendra gehwam leoht for5 biereft
bronda beorhtost, ond his brucan mot
jeghwylc on eorj>an J* him eagna gesihiS
sigora sotScyning syllan wolde.
7 7 a I can see no reason for departing from the MS. here by inserting wel \>&-
ior&frefre. ffw . . . w alliteration is found i 12, 36 n, Becrzv. 2299 (Heyne's note),
Gu. 323, Chr. 188. Cf. Sievers, Altgermanische Metrik, p. 37, note.
7 10 gedreag. The word gedreag, elsewhere used in the sense of ' crowd,'
' troop,' ' tumult,' is here applied to the ocean, probably with reference to ' the
multitudinous seas.'
RIDDLE 8
To this riddle there are no Latin analogues. All scholars accept, however, the
solution ' Swan.' And the tradition of the musical plumage of this bird, occurring
elsewhere in Anglo-Saxon poetry (Phcenix, 137), is admirably illustrated by a fable
found by Dietrich XI, 462, in the letter of Gregory of Nazianzus to Celeusius
(Opera, Caillau, Paris, 1842, II, 102). In this the swan explains to the swallows
that sweetness and harmony are produced by the breath of the west wind against
its wings. Neither Gessner, ' De Avibus' (Historia Animalium, 1554, III, 360),
nor Paulus Cassel (Der Schwan in Sage u. Leben, Berlin, 1872), nor Swainston
(Folk-Lore of British Birds, Folk-Lore Society, 1885, p. 151) mentions the legend
of singing feathers, although each of them refers to the whistling swan of the
North. Very much to the point is a passage from Carl Engel's Musical Myths
and Facts, 1876, I, 89: 'Although our common swan does not produce sounds /
which might account for this tradition, it is a well-known fact that the wild swan /
(Cygnus ferus), also called the whistling swan, when on the wing, emits a shrill /
tone, which however harsh it may sound if heard near, produces a pleasant effect I
when, emanating from a large flock high in the air [cf. Rid. 8 8-9], it is heard in a
variety of pitches of sound, increasing or diminishing in loudness according to the!
movements of the birds and to the currents of air.' For the superstition of the
swan singing at death, of which our riddler makes no mention, see Douce, Illus-
trations of Shakspere, 1839, p. 161 ; Dyer, Folk-Lore of Shakspeare, 1883, p. 147.
Swainston, I.e., discusses in detail the place of the swan in mediaeval laws and
oaths (see also Archaeologia XXXII, 1847, 423-428).
The riddle of the Swan, as I have pointed out in the Introduction, has much in
common with two other bird riddles (n and 58). The swan's song is mentioned
Seaf.j\^ylfete song. For a late English analogue to this Swan riddle see Pretty
Riddles, 1631, No. 35, Brandl,/a>4^. der deutschen Sh. Gesell. XLII (1906), 57.
NOTES 83
Brooke says (p. 148): 'Once on a time Cynewulf, who may now have seen the
Swan flying over the forest to some inland pool or fen, described it in one of the
finest of his riddles marking especially the old tradition of its song not before
its death but when it left the village to fly over the great world. Nor did it sing
with its throat. Its feathers sounded melodiously as the wind went through them.
... It has the modern quality. Phrases like " the strength of the clouds," " the
spirit that fares over flood and field," the melodious rustling of the fretted feather-
robe, the sense of a conscious life and personality in the bird and its pleasure in
its own beauty are all more like nineteenth century poetry in England than any-
thing which follows Cynewulf for a thousand years.'
8 i Hraegl. This word is again used of the plumage of a bird (Barnacle Goose)
in the riddle's closest analogue, 117''. hrusan trede. So we are told of the
Swallows, 58 5, tredafr bearoiuzssas etc. Cf. Gen. 907.
8 2 Jm wic buge. Cf. 16 8, wic buge ; Gu. 274, >e J>a wic bugaS. wado drefe.
Cf. 23 16; H. M. 20, lagu drefan ; Becnu. 1904, drefan deop waeter.
83-7 So in ii 9-11 the air and wind raise the Barnacle Goose and bear it far
and wide (note the likeness of wording in the two passages). In 58 i ' this air bears
little wights' (Swallows). The best explanation of these passages is found in
the Hexameron of ^Ifric (edited by Norman, 2d ed. 1849, P- 8) : ' Daet lyft is swa
heah swa swa fta heofonlican wolcnu and eac ealswa brad swa swa ftJEre eoriSan
bradnyss. On "Siere fleofi fugelas, ac heora fi^era ne mihton nahwider hi aberan,
gif hi ne abiere seo lyft.'
83 ofer haelepa byht. Cf Gen. 2213, folcmasgfta byht ; 23 12, ofer waeteres
byht.
8 4 hyrste mine. So of the wings of the Goose, 1 1 8 h . J?eos hea lyft. Cf .
119, lyft; 58 i, )>eos lyft.
8 6-9 For a reference to the singing of the Swan's feathers, compare the pas-
sage in the P/iwnix, 134-137 (Bright's reading):
Ne magon J>am breahtme byrnan ne hornas,
ne hearpan hlyn, ne hale^a stefn
Singes on eor)>an, ne organan sweg,
ne hleo)>res geswin, ne swanes feffre.
Lactantius mentions here (1. 49) 'olor moriens.'
That certain birds have the power, in flight, to make a sound with their feathers
at will, is shown by the example of the kingbird, which swoops down silently till
close above its enemy's head and then loudly rattles its feathers with alarming
suddenness; and of the ruffed grouse or American partridge, which takes flight
now in silence and now with the loud whir which is so disconcerting to some of
its enemies. That this power is used by some birds as a sort of song appears by
what Gilbert White of Selborne says of the 'bleating' or 'humming' of cock-snipes,
Letter XXXIX (Pennant): 'Whether that bleating or humming is ventriloquous
or proceeds from the motion of their wings, I cannot say ; but this I know, that
when this noise happens the bird is always descending, and his wings are violently
agitated' (compare also Letter XVI). White's most recent editor notes that ' this
noise made by the cocksnipe when after rising to a great height {Rid. 8 3-6] he casts
84 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
himself down through the air ... seems to be produced by the air waves being
driven by the powerful wing-beats through the expanded and rigid tail feathers.'
8 6 Fraetwe mine. Fratwe is again used of plumage Ph. 335, frat-we fly 'hthwa-
tes. As Brooke says (p. 148), ' Frcehue is originally carved fretted things; hence an
ornament anything costly ; here then my rich garment of feathers.'
8 7-8 swinsiafl, | torhte singaft. Cf. Chr. 884, singaS ond swinsia. The phrase
appears twice in the very passage of the Phccnix in which ' the singing feathers '
are introduced : 1 24, swinsaft ond singeS ; 140, singeiS swa ond swinsaiS.
RIDDLE 9
To this riddle many solutions have been offered. In his first article (XI, 461-
462) Dietrich wavered between A.-S. Sangpipe and the Nihtegale, supporting the
first by the C-rune (possibly for Camena, which is the lemma to sangpipe, Pru-
dentius Gl., Germam'a, N. S., XI, 389, 26) which precedes the riddle in the MS.,
and the second by reference to Aldhelm's Luscinia enigma (ii, 5). Later, XII,
239, he presented with confidence the answer ' Wood-pigeon,' defending this by
three arguments: (i) the Anglo-Saxon name of this bird, Cuscote (W\V. 37, 35,
Palumbes, cuscote) meets the demand of the C-rune; (2) with its flexible voice
it really imitates the song of jesters (Rid. g 6, 9-10) ; and (3) it attains to a great
age (Rid. g 5, eald Sfensceop). Each of these three solutions has been accepted,
the first by Padelford, p. 52, the second by Brooke, E. E. Lit., p. 149, the third
by Prehn, p. 167. Yet another answer, 'Bell,' is given by Trautmann (Anglia,
Bb. V, 48) and repeated by Padelford, p. 53; and this is accepted by Holt-
hausen, who asserts stoutly, without a jot of proof (Anglia, Bb. IX, 357) : ' Die
C-rune iiber diesen ratsel bedeutet offenbar clugge, "glocke." ' Of these solu-
tions, ' Nightingale ' seems to me distinctly the best, for its varied note is heard
in so much poetry of the late Latin period ; for instance, in the Philomela elegies
of the mythical Albus Ovidius Juventinus and Julius Speratus (Wernsdorf, Poetae
Latini Afinores, VI, 388, 403 ; compare Schenkl, Sitzber. der phil.-hist. Cl. der
Wiener Akademie, 1863, XLIII, 42 f.), and in the pretty Luscinia poem of Alcuin
(Migne, P. L. CI, 803). Yet A'ihtegale does not fit the rune, and is obviously the
reverse of scurrilous ; hence this answer, like the others, must be given up. The
motive of the problem so closely resembles that of Rid. 25, Higora, that I am
inclined to accept that answer here. It caps the query at every point. The jay is
a jester. Martial in his epigrams calls it ' pica loquax ' (xiv, 76) and ' pica salu-
tatrix' (vii, 87), and Ovidius Juventinus in his Philomela poem, 33-34, says :
Pica loquax varias concinnat gutture voces,
Scurrili strepitu quicquid et audit, ait.
Grein's citations (Spr. II, 72, s. v. higora) are apposite: 'Die Glosse "berna,
higrae," gl. Epinal. 663 (156) and gl. Erf. (wo berna fur verna, wie diese Glossen
ofter in den lat. Wortern b fiir v schreiben) zeigt [see also WW. 358, 5], dass der
Name unsres spasshaften Vogels auch fiir Spassmacher, Hanswurst iiberhaupt
gait.' See Notes to Rid. 25. Like the ' Psittacus ' of Alex. Neckam, De Natura
NOTES 85
Rerum 36 (Rolls Series, 1863, p. 88) the 'Higora' may be thus described: 'In
excitando risu praeferendus histrionibus.' See also Dietrich, XI, 465 f. The
Latin names of the bird in Anglo-Saxon glosses (WW. 13, 18, cicuanus, higm;
132, 5, catanus, higere), 'Cicuanus' and 'Catanus,' may have suggested the
C-rune.
g 1-3 It is possible that these lines may have been suggested by Aldhelm's
Luscinia enigma (ii, 5) : ' Vox mea diversis variatur pulchra figuris.' Yet the
thought is closely paralleled by the undoubted Higora enigma, 25 i, wrizsne mine
stefne.
9 i Jmrh imij>. This is decisive against the Sangplpe solution. In 61 9, the
Reed-pipe tells us explicitly that it is miifrleas. mongum reordum. So Gu. 870.
9 2 wrencum singe. Cf. Ph. 131-133:
Bi'5 J>aes hleo'Sres sweg
eallum songcrjeftum swetra ond wlitigra
ond wynsumra wrenca gehwylcum.
9 2-3 wrixle . . . heafodwope. Cf. Ph. 127, wrixleft woiScraefte (the bird).
9 3 hlude cirme. Cf . 58 4, hlude cirma~5 (swallows) ; 49 2-3, hlude | stefne ne
cirmde ; Gu. 872, hludne herecirm.
9 4 hloj>re ne mij>e. In its present sense of ' refrain from ' mij>an is found
elsewhere in poetry only in 64 10, also with the instrumental : ne mceg tc J>y mif>an.
95-6 bringe | blisse. Cf. Chr. 68, bringeft blisse.
9 7 stefne stymie. Cf. Ps. 76 i, mid stefne . . . styrman ; 139 6, stefne . . . styrme ;
141 i, stefn . . . styrmeiJ. x
9 8 swigende. The MS. nigende is regarded by all scholars as corrupt. There
is little to choose between Grein's suggestion, hnigende 'gesenkten Hauptes,'
and the swigende of Ettmiiller and Cosijn. I prefer the second because it accords
better with alliteration and context. Why listen with reverence (hnigan is always
used with that implication) to the scurrilous chatter of a jay ? Grein, indeed,
renders in Dicht. * Stille in den Hausem sitzen sie und schweigen.' '
99-10 These lines support my interpretation, 'Higora' or 'Jay.' As Miiller
says (Cbthener Programm, pp. 16-17): 'Dort ist auch ausdrucklich von dem
possirlichen Wesen desselben Vogels die Rede ; so hatte bei den Angelsachsen
vielleicht derselbe Veranlassung gegeben, den Spassmacher higora zu nennen, an
dessen Namen sceawend-sceawere Dietrich zu IX erinnert, und Grein hat nicht
Unrecht aus den gl. Epinal 1 56 higrae berna, d. i. verna scurra herbeizuziehen.'
We are therefore told in these lines that the Jay is a mime and imitates the
speech of buffoons in other words, that the bird possesses the power of
mimicry. Rid. 25 is but an elaborate illustration of this idea, and merely sup-
plements with examples the earlier riddle.
99 The troublesome scirenige is changed by Cosijn (PBB. XXIII, 128) to
sciernicge, which he rightly connects with scericge, 'mima,' Shrine 140. This is in
a passage from the Martyr ologium, Oct. 19 (Herzfeld, p. 190, 9) : ' Seo (St. Pelagia)
waes Srest mima in Antiochea J>Sre ceastre )>aet is scericge (MS. C.C.C. 196,
scearecge) on urum gej>eode.' Scericge is considered by Sievers as an example of
the feminine ending in -icge and is associated with the older sciernicge (Anglia VI,
86 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
178; VII, 222). sceawendwisan. The meaning of this word is established by
WW. 533,4, ' sceawendspr&c, scurrilitas ' (MS. scarilitas), and WW. 519, 3, ' scea-
wera, scurrarum.' Grein translates the line (Die/it.) : ' der so scherzhaft ich der
Schauenden Weisen laut nachahme.' Rather, 'in the manner of a mime, imitate
the voices of jesters.'
RIDDLE 10
Dietrich's answer, ' Cuckoo ' (XI, 463), has been accepted by all scholars. The
Anglo-Saxon riddle displays some evidence of the use of Symphosius 100 (not in
the best MSS.) in its description of the desertion of the cuckoo by its parents
before birth and the adoption by another mother. But the chief motif of the
English problem ingratitude after fostering care is such a departure from
the Latin that the likenesses, such as they are, may lie simply in the nature of the
subject. Symphosius' enigma is found in popular form in the Strassburger Ratsel-
buch, 103, in Frankfurter Reterbilclilein (1572), cited by Dietrich, and in Reusner's
collection (I, 275). Here Lorichius Hadamarius develops the Volksriitsel into a
ponderous Latin version, citing not only his German original but the problem of
Symphosius, this last under the title ' Ex Vita Aesopi.'
If the ingratitude of the cuckoo is seldom treated in riddle-literature, it has
been a favorite theme of natural history and folk-lore since the time of Aristotle.
The words of the Stagirite in his Historia Animalium (ix, 20) are almost identical
with those of our riddler : ' The cuckoo makes no nest, but lays its eggs in the
nest of other birds. ... It lays one egg, upon which it does not sit, but the bird
in whose nest it lays hatches the egg and nurses the young bird; and, as they say,
when the young cuckoo grows it ejects the other young birds, which thus perish.'
Turner (Avium Praecipuarum quorum apud Plinium et Aristotelem mentio est,
brevis et succincta Historia, Coloniae, 1544) gives at length Aristotle's account of
the 'Cuculus,' and Gessner, ' De Avibus ' {Historia Animalium, 1554, III, 350),
cites not only this authority and the opinions of Theophrastus, Albertus, and
Aelian, but a famous 'declamation' ' De Ingratitudine Cuculi,' by Philip Me-
lanchthon (compare his Dedamationes, Argentorati, 1569, pp. 87-95). Mannhardt,
whose excellent article on ' Der Kukuk ' (Wolf's Zs.f. d. M. Ill, 208-209) contains
much valuable information, mentions a tract by Gronwall, De Ingrato Cuculo,
Stockholm, 1631 (16 pages), which I have been unable to trace.
The Cuckoo's ill return for the hedge-sparrow's care is not unknown to the
poets. It is true that no reference to this is found in the Conflictus Veris et
Hiemis in Laudem Cuculi (Riese, Anth. Lot. II, 145, No. 687), nor in Alcuin's
lines on his lost cuckoo (Migne, P. L. CI, 104). But Chaucer, in his Parlement
of Foules 612-613, calls his cukkow
Thou mordrer of the heysugge on the braunche
That broghte the forth, thou rewthelees glotoun.
And Shakespeare's frequent references to ' that ungentle gull, the cuckoo's bird '
(Henry IV, Pt. I, v, i, 60) are well known. 'You know, nuncle, the Hedge-
sparrow fed the Cuckoo so long that it had it head bit off by it young' (Lear i, 4,
NOTES 87
235). Cf. A. ami C. ii, 6, 28, and Lncrece 849. Harting, Ornithology of Shak-
spere, 1871, p. 147, and Dyer, Folk-Lore of Shakspere, 1883, p. 105, discuss this
scrap of unnatural history; and Hardy, ' Popular History of the Cuckoo,' Folk-Lore
Record, II (1879), 4^> gives other poetic examples of the tradition. In France
it has become proverbial, 'Ingrat comme un coucou.' White of Selborne, Letter
IV (Barrington), discusses at length the cuckoo's habit of depositing its eggs in
the nests of other birds.
Unlike Symphosius ('me vox mea prodit'), our riddler makes no reference to
the cuckoo's note, which elsewhere in Anglo-Saxon poetry heralds the year. Cf.
Sea/. 53, Gu. 716, H. M. 22.
10 1-3 Prehn, p. 169, finds in these lines a suggestion of Symphosius 14, Pullus
in Ovo :
Nondum natus eram nee eram jam matris in alvo.
Jam posito partu, natum me nemo videbat.
10 i a Sievers, PBB. X, 454, regards MS. mec on frissum dagum as a form of
A-type found elsewhere in the Riddles (_! x X X | \j X ) ; but Holthausen, Engl.
Stud, xxxvii, 206, would read on dagum J>issum or on J>issum ddgrum. The first
reading is supported by Ps. 139 12, and I have adopted it.
10 2 feeder ond modor. So Sal. 445.
10 2 b -3 Cf. Gen. 908, >enden J>e feorh wunaft, gast on innan.
10 3-6 Cf. Symphosius (?), 100, 'hoc tamen educat altera mater.'
10 4 wel hold. Holth. Anglia, Bb. IX. 357, would read wilhold, but as the MS.
phrase is here both grammatically and metrically possible (_L|__i_x) I retain
that. mege. In proposing this (not knowing that it was the MS. reading) Cosijn
says: 'The foster-mother is mege (both belong to the bird-kind), but is not gesibb
(1. 8).' Cf. 44 14, anre magan ; 84 32, worldbearna ma?ge. Dr. Bright proposes wel
hold \to\ me gewedtim J>eccan. wSdum Jjeccan. Cf. 46 4, hraegle J>eahte.
10 s heold ond freopode. Cf. Hy. 9 27, healda'S ond freo'Sia'5. hleosceorpe.
See note to 15 13, fyrdsceorp.
10 6 sue arllce. This is Cosijn's reading for the MS. snearlice, and it is sup-
ported by the naturalness of the mistake of the scribe (who would not have thus
misread swd drlice) ; and by 164, swe, and Leid. 1 1, su<z. hire agen beam. For
examples of the phrase, see Spr. I, 20, s. v. dgen.
10 7 b Cf. Gen. 1573, swa gesceapu wiEron werum ond w T Ifum.
10 8 wearo 1 eacen gieste. Cf. Gen. 1000-1001, wear'5 . . . gaste eacen.
10 9-10 Hardy, Folk-Lore Record II, 69, cites Gisborne :
The nurse
Deluded the voracious nestling feeds
With toil unceasing ; and amaz'd beholds
The form gigantic and discordant hue.
109 seo frij>e mseg. Grein, Spr. I, 349, s.v./r*#, seems to prefer frij>emag,
rendering this by 'die Schiitzende' or ' Pflegemutter ' (so also Dicht^. Sweet
accepts frij>entlzg, which is in harmony with the context and with freoj>ode (1. 5).
But the meter demands fri}>e ; so we are forced to accept Dietrich's reading
88 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
(XII, 251) seo frlfre mag ('die schiine Frau'). This is supported by O.N./rtfrr
('beautiful,' frequently of women); and by such common expressions asjul. 175,
seo arSele rnalg; Chr. 87, seo eadge mieg; Gen. 2226, freollce maig.
10 10 oj>J>set ic aweox[e]. Although of>J><zt is followed by the indicative else-
where in the Riddles (cf. 10 7-8. oW>aet ic . . . weariS), the meter makes a strong plea
for Holthausen's reading (Engl. Stud. XXXVII, 206), dweox\e\. Then we have
an A-type (J- X X X | J- X ).
10 ii sijjas asettan. For examples of this idiom, see Dietrich, De Cyn. Aetate,
pp. '2-3; Spr. I, 41.
RIDDLE 11
I can only repeat my discussion of this riddle in M.L.A 7 . XVIII, 100-101. To
the problem Stopford Brooke (E. E. Lit., p. 179, note) offers the fitting answer
' Barnacle Goose ' ; and this solution is sustained by the first enigma in the col-
lection of Pincier (Aenigmatum Libri Tres, Hagae, 1655), which has many points
in common with the Anglo-Saxon :
Sum volucris, nam plumosum mihi corpus et alae,
Quarum remigio, quum libet, alta peto
Sed mare me gignit biforis sub tegmine conchae,
Aut in ventre trabis quam tulit unda.
Solutio :
Anseres Scotici quos incolae Clak guyse indigitant ... in lignis longiore mora
in mari putrefactis gignuntur.
The first literary account of this fable which caps the query at every line
is found in the Topographia Hiberniae of Giraldus Cambrensis in the last half of
the twelfth century (Dist. i, cap. 15, ed. Dymock, Rolls Series, 1867, V, 47-49).
Giraldus, after a long description, which tallies remarkably with the Anglo-Saxon,
declares that 'bishops and clergymen in some parts of Ireland do not scruple to
dine off these birds at the time of fasting because they are not flesh nor born of
flesh.' With such evidence as this, we must accept Max Miiller's opinion (Science
of Language, 2d Ser., 1865, pp. 552-571) that 'belief in the miraculous transfor-
mation of the Barnacle Shell into the Barnacle Goose was as firmly established
in the twelfth as in the seventeenth century.'
Indeed, two strangely created goose-species are described by mediaeval writers :
(i) The Tree Goose; (2) The BarpaH> florae, or <^1arlr The first of these is dis-
cussed at length by Gervase of Tilbury in his Otia Imperialia (1211) (ed. Lieb-
recht, Hannover, 1856, pp. cxxiii, 52), by William of Malmesbury in a story of King
Edgar (Gesta Regum Anglorum, II, 154, Rolls Series, 1887, I, 175), by Mande-
ville (chap. 36), and by other writers until the time of Hector Boethius (Descrip-
tion of Scotland, 1527, chap, n, englished in Holinshed's Chronicle, vol. I), who
declares this tree-procreation false, but affirms his belief in Barnacles or Bernakes.
The second is treated by Giraldus Cambrensis, I.e., by his contemporary, Alex-
ander Neckam, De Naturis Rerum, cap. 48 (Rolls Series, 1863, p. 99), by Hector
NOTES
s
Boethius, I.e., by Turner, Avium Praecip. ///jA, 1544, s.v. ' Anser,' by Gerard, Her-
ball, 1597, p. 1391 (Brooke), and by many other authors quoted by Pincier and
Liebrecht. Excellent reviews of the history of the superstition will be found in
Max Miiller, I.e., and in Harting's Ornithology of Shakspere, 1871, pp. 246-256.
Max Miiller (Science of Language, 2d Ser., 1865, p. 564) thus translates the
Latin of GjraJds-Camlirejisis : ' Bernacae are like marsh-geese, but somewhat
smaller. They are produced from fir timber tossed along the sea, and are at first
like gum. Afterwards they hang down by their beaks, as if from a sea-weed at-
tached to the timber, surrounded by shells in order to grow more freely. Having
thus in process of time been clothed with a strong coat of feathers, they either
fall into the water or fly freely away into the air.' This reads like a close para-
phrase of our Anglo-Saxon text. In my refutation (M. L. N. XXI, 99) of Traut-
mann's objections to this solution (BB. XIX, 170-171) I have pointed out that
' though our riddle is several centuries earlier than Giraldus' account of the super-
stition, this is just the sort of popular myth that might exist for hundreds of years
among simple men before finding a scholar to record it; and, again, many accounts
of the marvel may have perished.'
Dietrich, XI, 463, with Aldhelm's 'Famfaluca' (iv, ii) in mind, suggested
' Ocean-furrow ' or ' Wake.' Now, while the Anglo-Saxon has little in common
with Aldhelm, it bears, at least in part, a certain resemblance to the ' Wave '
riddle of the Hervarar Saga (Heifrreks Gdtur, 21, see Heusler, Zs. d. V.f. Vk.
XI, 127), and to its derived form in modern Icelandic (Arnason, No. 684). But
Brooke's solution seems in every way better, as this alone fits all the motives of
the problem.
Trautmann, who had earlier accepted ' Wasserblase,' supported at length in
his BB. articles (XVII, 142, XIX, 170 f.) a new solution, 'Anchor.' But I have
shown (M.L.N. XXI, 98-99) that this is based by him upon violent changes in
the text (ii 3 b , 7 a ) and perverted meanings (infra). Holthausen's unhappy inter-
pretation 'Water-lily' (Anglia, Bb. XVI, 228) has been refuted by Trautmann (BB.
XIX, 172-173).
ii 1-3 Prehn, p. 171, compares with this Aldhelm, iv, n 1-2:
De madido nascor rorantibus aethere guttis
Turgida, concrescens liquido de flumine lapsu.
This is the only resemblance between the Anglo-Saxon and Latin poems. Traut-
mann believes that neb (i a) refers to 'the spike of the anchor,' as the word is used
of the point of the plowshare (Rid. 22 i). But the passage finds its true analogue
in Giraldus' account of the Barnacle Goose : ' Dehinc tamquam ab alga ligno
cohaerente, conchylibus testis ad liberiorem formationem inclusae, per rostra de-
pendent? Middendorf rejects Trautmann's solution (Anglia, Bb. XVII, 109).
ii 3 b on sunde awox. In order to justify his ' Anchor' solution, Trautmann
would change this phrase to on sande grof. He objects to the form dwox because
it differs from the usual West Saxon preterit, dweox (Rid. 10 io a , 73 i a ); but the
reading is in perfect harmony with the context, and the survival of such a Northern
form (Sievers, Gr. s , 392, n. 5) in the text of the Riddles gives no difficulty.
ii 4 a yjmm ]?eaht. So we are told of the Anchor, Rid. 17 3.
90 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
1 1 4-5 To say that an Anchor immersed in the water touches with its body the
floating wood is nonsense ; but the phrase exactly accords with the descriptions
of the Barnacle Goose.
* 116 Hsefde feorh cwico. The phrase is used elsewhere in the Riddles of liv-
ing things, the Fingers (14 3 a ) and the Siren (74 s b ). of faeSmum . . . brimes.
Cf-3 13, of brimes fae^mum.
ii 6-1 1 With the two motives of the black and white aspect of the unknown
thing, and of its journey with the wind, compare Heifrreks Gdtur, 21 :
Hadda bleika hafa J>aer
Enar hvitfoldnu,
Ok eigu f vindi at vaka.
ii 7-8 on blacttm hraegle . . . hwite hyrste. Hrcegl and hyrste are used of
the plumage of the Swan (Kid. 8 i a , 4 a ). The ' black ' and ' white ' coat of our sub-
ject recalls the account of the Barnacle in Gerarde's Herball (1597), p. 1391, as
' having blacke legs and bill or beake, and feathers blacke and white and spotted
in such a manner as in our Magge-Pie.' In discussing this passage Brooke says
(p. 179, note): 'The barnacle is almost altogether in black and white. The bill
is black, the head as far as the crown, together with cheeks and throat, is white
the rest of the head and neck to the breast and shoulders black. The upper
plumage is marbled with blue-gray, black and white. The feathers of back and
wings are black edged with white, the underparts are white, the tail black.' This
identification is better than, with Trautmann, to regard hyrste as referring to the
rope of the anchor, and blaczim hr&gle to its tarry coat.
119-11 So in very similar riddles the air bears the Swan, 83-7, and the Swal-
lows, 58 i (compare M. L. N. XXI, 99). The lines certainly cannot refer to the
weighing of an Anchor. Brooke renders happily (p. 179) :
When the Lift upheaved me, me a living creature,
Wind from wave upblowing ; and as wide as far
Bore me o'er the bath of seals Say what is my name !
Trautmann wrongly regards lifgende as qualifying lyft.
RIDDLE 12
For his answer, ' Cjgld,' to Rid. 12, Walz has argued strongly (Harvard Studies
V, 261); and for the solution.' Wine' Trautmann has made out a seemingly good
j case (BB. XIX, 173-176); but Dietrich's interpretation (XI, 463), * Night,.* fits
better the various conditions of the query, as I have sought to show(5^Z. IV.
XXI, 99-100), and is moreover supported by points of real likeness between
our riddle and Aldhelm's enigma De Nocte (xii). That this problem is clearly
a companion-piece to Rid. 28, 'Mead* (12 6 b , 2813*; 127% 2817*; 1210, 2812),
is, at first sight, an argument for the ' Wine ' interpretation, but the meaning
' Night debauch ' is quite as well suited to the vinous lines that suggest the later
riddle.
NOTES 91
12 i Walz cites Grein's Spr. II, 14, to show that hasofdg is a proper epithet of
gold. Trautmann, in his note on ffasu (BB. XIX, 216-218), combats the hitherto
received meanings of the word 'fulvo-cinereus, wolfgrau und adlergrau ' (Dietrich,
Uaupts Zs. X, 346) and 'graubraun' (Sievers, Gr. s , 300), and seeks to prove
that it can mean only 'glanzend' and that therefore hasofdg is inapplicable to
Night. As I have said (M. L. A 7 ! XXI, 100), even if we grant that this is the
exclusive meaning, we must not forget that ' Night's mantle ' in poetry may be
'shining' or 'gleaming' (Met. 20229) as well as 'azure' or 'sable.' But in the
light of the words that this adjective qualifies eagle, smoke, dove, etc. we
cannot grant this, ffasti seems to have the later connotation of glaucus 'grayish,'
to which indeed it corresponds, Rid. 41 6i b . The Latin word is a synonym of
ctsrulus (Harper's Latin Dictionary, s.v. glaucus) ; and, as Dietrich has noted (XI,
463), ccerula is the very adjective used by Aldhelm to describe Nox in his riddle
upon that subject (xii, 6). Or again, hasu or hasupdd is an epithet of the eagle,
(Rid. 254, Bruit. 62), elsewhere called salowigpdda (Jud. 211), which Professor
Trautmann could not define as 'shining.' The epithet 'gray' is eminently appro-
priate to smoke (Rid. 2 7) or to the dove (Gen. 1451).
Dietrich shows that hasofdg applies well to the raiment of Night, and that
hyrste is used elsewhere in Old English poetry (Gen. 956, 2189) for stars. Traut-
mann believes that the first lines suggest the garment of the wine, whether that
be ' der schlauch, das fass, der krug, der becher, der kelch.' The opening passage
(1-2) seems to me to describe far better a starry night than a golden beaker.
Compare Shelley's lines ' To Night ' :
Wrap thy form in a mantle gray,
Star-inwrought.
12 3-5 Dietrich, Grein, and Wiilker close the first clause with unradsij>as. Herz-
feld, who follows their pointing, supplies (p. 68) [on] before the final word ; and
Klaeber (Anglia, Bb. XVII, 300) avoids emendation by regarding unrcedsij>as as
gen. sing. (Sievers, Gr. 3 , 237, n. i), dependent upon hwette which seems to govern
the accusative of person and genitive of thing, although the latter construction
does not appear elsewhere. This reading accords with Dietrich's translation
(XI, 463): '(Sie) reizt die thorichten zum unrathgang, andem aber wehrt (sie)
niitzliche fahrt.' Trautmann closes the first clause with hwette for the sake of the
antithesis in line 3 between dysge dwelle and dole hwette. Setting aside Herzfeld's
conjecture as unmetrical, he suggests rather doubtfully unriedsTf>a and renders
lines 4~5 a thus, ' Andren wehr ich unratgange durch niitze fahrt.'
123 dole hwette. Klaeber claims for dot the especial meaning of 'dumm-
dreist, leichtsinnig, vorschnell, kopflos,' not as B.-T. renders, ' the dull.' According
to Klaeber, the whole passage then carries this sense : ' Ich reize an zu torichtem
beginnen und halte ab von niitzlichem tun.' This interpretation, he believes, ac-
cords with Trautmann's answer, ' Wine,' which receives further support from Mod.
iSf.,/>onne win hweteS 1 \ beornes breostsefan. I am not in agreement with any of
these views. I close the clause with unrSdsl^as, but I see no reason for regard-
ing this as a genitive, or for assuming, what is nowhere found, an acc.-of-the-person-
and-gen.-of-the-thing construction with hwette. Dole unriedsi^as is the direct object
9 2 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
of hwette (see Dicht., ' toll errege ich unrathwege '), and the passage may be ren-
dered 'I mislead the foolish and instigate rash unprofitable courses.' See WW.
508, 4, l>d dolan rSdas, ' stolida consulta.'
124-5 ojjrum styre | nyttre fore. This is wrongly rendered by Trautmann,
who mistakenly includes unradsibas in this clause, and by Spr. II, 491, s.v.
styr. Dicht. translates 'Andere fu'hre ich zu niitzlicherem Laufe.' This exactly
reverses the proper meaning (see Klaeber) : ' I restrain others from a useful
course.' As Shipley points out (p. 56), styran ' to restrain ' is followed by dat.
of person and gen. of thing. Cf. Craft. 105, he missenlice monna cynne gielpes
styreS.
Lines 3-8 seem to me in perfect accord with Dietrich's solution. Night may
well provoke fools to deeds of debauch and crime, and deter others from a
useful course. By reason of its evil ways, it may well be praised by drunken
revelers (5 b 8 a; cf. the next riddle, 139, dol druncmennen deorcum nihtum),
and by rogues (Aldhelm xii, 9, Nox : ' Diri latrones me semper amare solebant ').
Walz finds here the maddening effect of gold (cf. I Tim. vi, 9-10).
12 6 b mode bestolene. Cf. 28 is a , strengo bistolen ; Gen. 1579, ferhiSe forstolen
(the drunken Noah).
12 7 a daede gedwolene. Trautmann (BB. XIX, 176) cites Jul. 113, dizdum
gedwolene ; but, while he admits that the meaning in that place is ' die in ihrem
tun irrenden,' he interprets the present passage as ' in ihrem tun gehemmt,' com-
paring 28 14, maegene benumen.
12 7-8 deorajj mine | won wisan gehwam. Translate 'They praise to every
one my evil (crooked) ways.' Grein, Spr. II, 720, strangely combines wisan and
gehivdm, as the equivalent of quovis modo, 'auf jeder Weise ' ; but in Dicht. he
renders the phrase rightly.
12 8 b Cf. Hy. 2 6, wa him \>xre mirig'Se !
12 9-10 I agree with Dietrich that 9 b, horda deorast, refers to the sun, and that
the line describes the coming of the day; and accept in this corrupt passage
Cosijn's spirited reading heah J>ringefr (PBB. XXIII, 128) instead of Traut-
mann's hearm bringefr, which seems to me tame and prosaic. Trautmann's ex-
planation of the closing lines of the poem is as unfortunate as his interpretation
of the opening passage. It is hard to believe that horda deorast refers to the com- .
munion wine (why should that bring harm?) and that nyttre fore (5 a) is intended^'
also to suggest the Eucharist (but that rendering was based on mistranslation), r
Walz suggests that horda deorast indicates 'the word of God'; Dr. Bright, 'the
soul.' But let us remember that in the poetry gim 'gem ' is a frequent metaphor
for the sun, and that horda deorast carries much the same idea as gimma gladost
(sun), Ph. 289.
12 9 J^rlngeo". Klaeber, Anglia, Bb. XV, 347, notes that the verb J>ringan,
'press on,' 'force one's way,' is admirably fitted to Gu. I255 b , frong niht ofer tiht,
as also in Gen. 139, brang tystre genip. It has likewise been applied to the com-
ing of the morning: 'der Tag dringt eilends, unaufhaltsam vor,' M. H. G. der tac
begund herdringen (Grimm, Deutsche Afythologie*, 621, 626).
12 10 Cf. 28 12, gif he unrSdes XT ne geswiceft; Jul. 120, gif }m unraEdes jgr ne
geswlcest; El. 516, ond )>aes unrihtes eft-geswlca. See Herzfeld, p. 19.
NOTES 93
RIDDLE 13
This problem of ' Oxhide ' or ' Leather* (the answer accepted by all authorities)
is the first of a cycle of Anglo-Saxon riddles of similar motives. Rid. 39, ' Young
Bull,' is only a more pithy and epigrammatic expression of the 'living and dead'
contrast in the first and last lines of Rid. 13; Rid. 27 describes in its earlier lines
the tanning of the skin ; while Rid. 72 presents in detail the life and labors of
the ox. The Latin analogues are many. Symphosius 56, De Caliga, indicates the
contrast between the live animal and one use made of its skin ; Aldhelm, De
Bove sive de Juvenco (iii, n), presents the themes of the four nourishing foun-
tains, and the unlike fates of the living and dead ox, that compose Rid. 39 ; and
the words of Eusebius, 37, are so similar to the Anglo-Saxon that both Ebert
(p. 50) and Prehn (p. 213) have wrongly found the source of the close of Rid. 39
in the Latin :
Si vixero, rumpere colles
Incipiam, vivos moriens aut alligo multos.
Other Latin riddles of the Old English period furnish quite as close parallels (see
M. L. N. XVIII, 99) to Rid. 13 1-4, 14-15, and Rid. 39. Bede, Flares, No. viii,
gives the following (cf. Mod. Phil. II, 562): 'Vidi filium inter quattuor fontes
nutritum ; si vivus fuit, disrupit monies ; si mortuus fuit, alligavit vivos.' The
Lorsch collection of the ninth century (No. n) presents the same motives with
greater detail {Mod. Phil., 1. c.) ; and they appear later in Brit. Mus. MS. Burney
59 (eleventh century), fol. lib:
Dum juvenis fui, quattuor fontes siccavi ;
Cum autem senui, montes et valles versavi ;
Post mortem meam, vivos homines ligavi.
As our riddler tells us (39 5), the motive came to him by word of mouth. Riddles
very similar to these Anglo-Saxon and Latin versions appear in many modern
collections. I note particularly the Mecklenburg riddle (Wossidlo 76) :
As ik liitt wier, kiinn ik vier dwingen [Rid. 39 3-4] ;
As ik groot wier, kiinn ik hiigel un barg iimwringen [13 1-2, 396] ;
As ik doot wier, miisst ik vor fiirsten un herren up de tafel stahn [13 5-6],
Un mil de bruut na'n danzsaal gahn [136-7].
Cf. Simrock 8 , p. 33 ; Eckart (Low German), Nos. 585, 586 ; Renk (Tyrol), Zs. d.
V. f. Vk. V, 115, No. 68 ; Schleicher (Lithuanian), pp. 205, 207, 'Als ich klein war,
beherrschte ich viere \_Rid. 39 3-4] ; als ich erwachsen, warf ich Berge hin und her;
als ich gestorben war, ging ich in die Kirche.' To all these I may add the English
' Cow ' riddle ( Wit Newly Revived, Newcastle, 1 780, p. 20) :
While I did live, I food did give,
Which many one did daily eat.
Now being dead, you see they tread
Me under feet about the street.
94
RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
All articles made of leather came within the province of the Anglo-Saxon
shoewright (yElfric's Colloquy, WW. 97): ' Ic bicge hyda and fell and gearkie
hig mid craefte minon and wyrce of him gescy mistllces cynnes swyftleras and
sceos, le>erhosa (caligas) and butericas (utres), brideljrwancgas and gerieda, flaxan
vel pinnan (flascones) and hlgdifatu, spurlebera (calcaria) and haelftra, pusan and
fietelsas, and nan eower nele oferwintran biiton minon craefte.' The preparation
of leather in Old English times is discussed by Heyne, Fiinf Biicher, III, 207-212 ;
and Klump, Altenglische Handwerknamen, pp. 20-22, 64-73. The Oxanhyrde
(Rectitudines Singularum Personarum, 12, Thorpe, A.L. p. 188 ; Schmid, p. 380) is
allowed to pasture two oxen or more with his lord's herd : ' Eamian mid "Sam
scos and glofa him sylfum.'
13 1-4 Cf. 39 6-7, and Aldhelm iii, 113-7:
Vivens nam terrae glebas cum stirpibus imis
Nisu virtutis validae disrumpo feraces :
. At vero linquit dum spiritus algida membra,
Nexibus horrendis homines constringere possum.
The use of the hide for bonds is, however, a motive common to all riddle-poetry
of the time (supra).
13 i foldaii slite. For other references to plowing, see 13 14, 22 (Plow),
396, 72 12-15.
13 2 a grene wongas. So 67 5, Gen. 1657 ; cf. Men. 206, wangas grene. Cf. also
41 5> 83, J>es wong grena.
13 2 b Cf. 21 8, gjestberend.
133 Cf. Sea/. 94, bonne him baet feorg losa'S. faeste binde. Brooke (E.E.
LA., p. 151, note) makes the strange mistake of supposing a reference to the bind-
ing power of the liquor in the leather jug or black-jack, instead of to the bonds
mentioned in all such riddles (supra).
13 4 a swearte Wealas. For a discussion of the dark hair of the servant-class,
see note to 13 8 (wonfeax Wale). The meter indicates clearly a long vowel in
Wealas (see Gen. 2706, wealandum), while it permits & in 13 8, wonfeax Wale ;
53 6, wonfah Wale ; 72 n, mearcpabas Walas traed ; Wids. 78, ond Wala rices (cf.
Sievers, PBB. X, 487 ; Herzfeld, pp. 49, 54, 58 ; Madert, p. 21). There thus seem
to be, side by side, a long and a shortened form of the word, a safer view than
to regard, despite the evidence, all cases as short with Herzfeld, or as long with
Madert (see Sievers, Gr? 218).
13 5-6 Cf. the mention of 'butericas (utres) . . . flaxan vel pinnan (flascones) and
hlgdifatu' all leather drinking vessels in ^Elfric's Colloqtiy (supra), and the
brief description of the leather bottle in Kid. 20. For the employment of cups of
hide, see the Mecklenburg riddle already cited. In 80 6, the drinking-horn bears
mead in its bosom.
136-7 Symphosius (56) pictures the hard service of leather in shoes:
Sed nunc exanimis lacerata, ligata, revulsa,
Dedita sum terrae, tumulo sed condita non sum.
The likeness of the two riddles is in motif, not in treatment.
NOTES 95
13 6 b hwilum mec bryd triedeS. Fairholt {Costume in England, 1885, II, 59)
bases his account of the shoes of the Anglo-Saxons upon the illustrations in the
Durham Book and MS. Cott. Tib. C. VI (see Strutt, Horda Angelcynna, pi. xxiii) :
' They appear in general to have been made of leather and were usually fastened
beneath the ankles with a thong. . . . The Saxon shoe took the form of the san-
dal, being- cut across the front into a series of openings somewhat resembling the
thongs which secured it.' On the same evidence Strutt asserts (Horda, p. 47) :
'Both men and women wore shoes, or rather slippers [WW. 125,27, Baxeae,
wifes sceos]. The legs of the men were covered half-way up with a kind of
bandage or else a strait stocking reaching above the knee ; they also wore a
sort of boots which were curiously ornamented at the top.' Moritz Heyne, Fiinf
Biicher III, 262-268, notes that in the shoes of the early Germanic peoples the
hair-side of the skin was turned outward.
13 8 a wonfeax Wale. The dark coloring of the menial Welshwoman is men-
tioned elsewhere in the Riddles (53 6 a , w r onfah Wale), and three times the swarthy
complexion of the servant class is named as a distinguishing feature 1134, swearte
Wealas (here opposed to sellan men} ; 50 4-5, se wonna J>egn, sweart ond saloneb ;
72 io a , sweartum hyrde (see Brooke, E.E.Lit., p. 136). That Wealh is used in
the meaning of ' servus ' is naturally explained by the position which the old in-
habitants of Britain held under the Anglo-Saxon rule (Schmid, Gesetze, p. 673,
Glossar, s. v.). So, as the word slave was derived from the name of a people,
tvealh was applied, without regard to origin, to bondmen who were, however,
largely of Celtic or pre-Celtic blood. ' In early times, the women-servants ( Wale}
and menials about the yeoman's or gentleman's house were absolute slaves and
were bought and sold as cattle' (Powell in Traill's Social England I, 125). Grant
Allen points out (Anglo-Saxon Britain, p. 56) that while 'the pure Anglo-Saxons
were a round-skulled, fair-haired, blonde-complexioned race, the Celts had mixed
largely in Britain with one or more long-skulled, dark-haired, black-eyed and brown-
complexioned races.' The coloring of the subject people was held in contempt :
In the old age, black was not counted fair,
Or, if it were, it bore not beauty's name.
Weinhold, Altnordisches Leben, p. 182, shows that the same attitude toward
dark hair existed among the Scandinavians : 'Schwarzes Har achtete man dagegen
fur hasslich ; denn es war fremd und dem Volksinne entgegen. Die dunkle Haut-
farbe, die gewohnlich dabei ist, das finstere Aussehn, der starkere Bartwuchs gaben
dem schwarzen nach dem herschenden Geschmack etwas widerliches. Wir haben
schon friiher gesagt, dass man sich die unfreien schwarz dachte.' This feeling, and
the fact that there could be dark complexion in the best Scandinavian blood, are
attested by the story of Geirmund Heljarskin's childhood (Landndmab6k ii, 19;
Stttrlnnga Saga i, 1-2). In his excellent discussion of the German dislike of dark
and love of fair skins, Gummere, Germanic Origins, pp. 59 f., compares our names
Fairfax (fair-hair) and its opposite, Colfax. I shall discuss the Anglo-Saxon regard
for long blonde hair in my note to Rid. 41 98 (43 3 h-witloc, see 80 4).
13 8-1 1 Prehn, p. 176, thus explains these obscure lines : ' Vielleicht bezeichnet
ersteres ein Wamms und deutet auf den Geliebten der schwarzlockigen Welschen
96 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
bin, u.s.w.' However that may be, he is certainly right in regarding the allusion
as obscene. Unlike Prehn, I find only one, not two motives in this passage.
13 8 b wegeft ond )?yft. Cf. 22 5, wegeiS mec ond \>fS.
13 9 dol druncmennen. Budde, Die Bedeutn'ng der Trinksitten, p. 86, regards
the phrase as a mere ' Umschreibung durch Trinkwendungen,' since a drunken
woman appears nowhere else in Anglo-Saxon literature. Budde finds a. like peri-
phrase in 61 9. deorcum nihtum. So Beow. 275.
13 io a wseteft in waetre. Cf. 272-3, wiette siJ>J>an | dyfde on waetre (skin
or hide).
13 n a lajgre to fyre. Cosijn (PBB. XXIII, 128) opposes fcegre to deorcum
nihtum (1. 9), and compares fegre, 'diluculo,' Luke xxiv, i (Rushworth). But the
sense of 'fitly,' 'properly,' is so commonly associated with the adverb (cf. 51 8,
544) that one can hardly accept Cosijn's suggestion. As the illustrated MSS.
show (see particularly the calendar pictures of MS. Cott. Tib. B. V), the fire was
in the middle of the Anglo-Saxon hall.
13 n b -i3 For an interesting analogue to this 'glove' motif, see the coarse riddle
of Puttenham's old nurse (Arte of English Poesie, 1587, Book iii, Arber reprint,
p. 198). Notice the important part played by the glove in the next riddle, 14.
Strutt,Z>ra\f and Habits of the People of England, 1842, p. 45, makes the mistake of
declaring that ' there is not the faintest indication of gloves in the various draw-
ings that have fallen under my inspection.' But, as Planche (editor's note) points
out, there is an instance in Harl. MS. 2908, engraved in his History of British
Costume, p. 34, fig. b. See the description of the glove of Grendel (Beow. 2086 f.):
Glof hangode
sid ond syllic, searobendum faest,
sio waes or^oncum call gegyrwed
deofles craeftum ond dracan fellum.
13 n b -i2 a Barnouw, p. 218, thus comments: ' Bemerkenswert is die stelle,
13 n b -i2 a , wo ein schwaches absolutes adj. ohne artikel, hygegdlan, vorliegt ("der
kecken hand," iibers. Grein) ; wenn die lesart richtig 1st, und ich sehe keinen grund
sie zu beanstanden, beweist die stelle dass das dreizehnte ratsel sehr alt ist, aus
einer zeit vor der abfassung der hauptmasse des Beow. herriihrend.' But, as Pro-
fessor Kittredge says, ' the occasional retention of an old construction in poetry
is no proof of antiquity.'
RIDDLE 14
This riddle I have already explained (M.L.N.~XNIH, 101). Early scholars,
Wright (Biog. Brit. Lit. I, 80), and Klipstein (Analecta Anglo-Saxonica II, 443)
agree upon the solution 'Butterfly Cocoon'; and Grein (Germania X, 308) an-
swers ' Raupe aus der Familie der Spanner (Palaenodea oder Geometrae).' In
favor of these interpretations there is no evidence. Dietrich (XI, 464) suggests
' The 22 Letters of the Alphabet,' and points to Aldhelm iv, i. But there are at
least three strong objections to this solution: (i) Of the unknown creatures appear
only ten in all six brothers and their sisters with them ' ; and Dietrich, by his
NOTES 97
reference to the vowels and their accompanying consonants in secret script, does
not cope successfully with the numerical difficulty. (2) ' Their skins hung on the
wall.' That the ' skin ' is the parchment Dietrich tries to convince us by citing an
Alphabet riddle of a Heidelberg MS. of the fifteenth century (Mone, Qttellen u.
Forschungen, p. 1 20) : ' Es hat ein teil in leder genist,' and by changing for his
purpose ' teil ' to ' fell.' But this sort of circular reasoning is seldom effective.
(3) ' Bereft of their robe . . . they tear with their mouths the gray leaves ' could
hardly be said of letters. Indeed in many German Volksrdtsel we are distinctly
told (Wossidlo, No. 469) : ' Sie (d. h. Buchstaben) essen nichts, sie trinken nichts.'
Cf. Eckart, Nd. Rdtsel, Nos. 387, 999; Renk (Tyrol), Zs. d. V.f. Vk. V, 157,
No. 164. In a word, the solution is far-fetched.
The key to the problem is presented by Flares, No. 2 : ' Vidi filium cum matre
manducantem cujus pellis pendebat in pariete,' where the 'mother' is evidently
the pen, the ' son ' the hand, and the ' skin ' the glove. Several near analogues
to Bede's riddle have been discussed by me, Mod. Phil. II, 563. I note two
riddles of the St. Gall MS. 196 (Schenkl, p. 18): 'Vidi hominem ambulantem
cum matre sua et pellis ei pendebat in pariete,' and ' Vidi mulierem flentem et
cum quinque filiis currentem cujus semita erat via et pergebat valde plana cam-
pestria' [Rid. 14 i, n]. This second riddle points to the pen, the five fingers, and
the leaves of parchment. The motive appears again in the Lorsch enigmas of
English origin, No. 8 (Diimmler I, 20) :
En video subolem propria cum matre morantem
Mandre cujus pellis in pariete pendet adhaerens.
So, in our riddle, the ten creatures are the fingers the six brothers being the
larger, the four sisters the little fingers and thumbs. Since both the Latin and
Anglo-Saxon queries suggest stuff drawn from the people, it is not surprising that
Volksrdtsel are full of parallels. In popular riddles the fingers are always brows-
ing animals. Note Frischbier (Prussia), Zs. f. d. Ph. XXIII, 248, No. 73, ' Fif
Zege frete von einem Hupe ' (Fingers of spinning hand) ; Simrock 3 , p. 67, ' Daer
gungen tein Tatern | Um einen Busck matem'; id., p. 103, 'Zehn Schaflein fressen
an einen Heuhaufen ' (see Petsch, p. 135). And the glove ever hangs on the
wall. Compare Renk, Zs. d. V.f. Vk. V, 158, No. 170 :
Was hangt an der Wand
Wie Totenhand ?
(Handschuh.)
And see Simrock 8 , p. 70 :
Es hanget wott an der Wand
Un lett offe'ne Daudemanns Hand.
Of Trautmann's solution, 'Ten Chickens' (BB. XIX, 177 f.), I can only repeat
what I have said (M. L. N. XXI, 100) : ' His arguments seem to me unconvincing.
To claim that the " skin, which hangs on the wall " (3-4) is not the glove of folk-
riddles of all times (supra), but " the film that clings to the inner surface of the
egg-shell after the hatching," is to reason far too quaintly and totally without the
98 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
warrant of Eusebius, No. 38, who says nothing of " wall " ; and to interpret haswe
blede (14 9 a ) as "eggs in an advanced state of incubation" is surely a curious con-
ceit. Then, too, his treatment of the numbers "six" and "ten" (1-2) seems
arbitrary. In my opinion he has failed throughout to prove his case in the light
of either logic or tradition.'
14 i turf tredan. See also 14 n b , lond tredan. This is paralleled by the
Latin description of pen and parchment, 'pergebat plana campestria' (St. Gall
MS. 196). In justice to Trautmann's solution, it must be noted that somewhat
similar phrases are found in the Bird enigmas : 8 i, hrusan trede ; 58 5, tredaS
bearonaessas. ealra. Cosijn (PBB. XXIII, 128) renders rightly 'im ganzen,'
and adds ' die raife hat also 6 + 4 f iisse.'
143 haefdon feorg cwico. Cf. n 6, haefde feorh cwico ; 745, haefde fer'S
cwicu. Fell. It is easy to identify glove with skin, as in Bede's Flares, No. 2,
and in the Lorsch Riddle, No. 8. Cf. Beow. 2088, glof gegyrwed dracan fellum.
14 4 sweotol ond gesyne. So 40 3. Cf. Gen. 2806, sweotol is ond gesene ;
Men. 129, swutelra ond gesynra; And. 565, sweotulra ond gesynra. In his note
to this last passage, Krapp, p. 1 1 1, points to the frequent appearance of the phrase
in Wulfstan's Horn., p. 159, 1. 5 ; p. 163, 1. 14. on seles waige. Cf. And. 714, on
seles wage ; 1493, un( ier saelwage. Cf. also 15 11-12, hongige ... on wage.
14 5 f. In these lines the riddler tells us that the fingers are none the worse for
being deprived of their skins, the gloves, which are renewed, donned again, when
the work of the hands is done. Haswe blede (9 a) certainly does not describe ' ein
mehre wochen lang bebriitetes ei ' (Trautmann, BB. XIX, 179-180), but refers
clearly to the leaves of the manuscript on which the hands are browsing (supra).
14 7 reafe berofene. Cf. Hildebrandslied 57, rauba birahanen.
14 ii Cf. And. 801-802, geweotan . . . mearcland tredan.
RIDDLE 16
Dietrich (XI, 464) gives an excellent summary of this riddle : ' Das horn redet
in nr. 15 von sich als einstigem kampfer (auf dem haupte des stiers oder auer-
ochsen), dann beschreibt es sich als das kriegshorn, als trinkhorn, als jagdhorn,
als schmuck des schiffes (hornscip), endlich als larmhorn womit der dieb ver-
folgt wird.'
Prehn, pp. 258 f., regards this problem as the first of a cycle of Horn riddles
(cf. Rid. 88, 93), and seeks to trace the indebtedness of these to Eusebius 30, De
Atramentorio. But Rid. 15 has absolutely nothing in common with these Anglo-
Saxon enigmas ; and from the nature of the theme and the exigencies of treat-
ment its first half-line, Ic wees wizpenwiga, may well have originated independently
of Eusebius 30 1-2 :
Armorum fueram vice, meque tenebat in armis
Fortis, et armigeri gestabar vertice tauri.
Miiller (C. /"., pp. 18-19) was tne nr st to point out the likeness between this .
riddle and Rid. 80 in treatment and solution (see also Herzfeld, p. 5). The
NOTES 99
parallel passages in the two were noted by Trautmann independently in his BB.
article (XIX, 206). Hwilum clauses, the closing formula, and one or two motives
are common to both. See notes to Rid. 80.
Padelford, Old English Musical Terms, pp. 54-56, cites many illustrations of
blast-horns and trumpets from Strutt's and Westwood's plates. From these we
infer that blast-horns were used for many purposes : to summon guests to a feast,
as in the April illustration of the Saxon calendar (Tib. B. V, Strutt, Horda, pi. x ;
cf. Rid. 15 i6-i; a ); in the harvest field (June); in the woods by swineherds (Sep-
tember); and to stir warriors to battle, as in the attack upon a walled town, MS.
Had. 603, f. 25 v. (cf. Rid. 15 4-6, 13-15) or to single combat (Cott. Cleop. C. VIII,
Strutt, pi. iv, 2).
The war-horn, freollc fyrdsceorp (1513; compare fyrdrinces gefara, 802),
which is called elsewhere trufrhorn or giifrhorn or fyhtehorn, is to be distin-
guished from the byme or tuba, which, if we may judge from the many drawings of
battle-scenes, was often not a horn proper, but a long trumpet, either curved
or straight (Cott. Cleop. C. VIII, f. 27 r. ; Add. 24199, f. 29 r.): Beow. 2944, horn
ond byman; Ph. 134, ne byman ne hornas ; Domesdag 109, horn ne byman.
Drinking-horns appear frequently in the illuminations. In the April feast of
the calendar (Tib. B. V ; Jul. A. VI), a servant is filling a horn from a pitcher.
In Cotton Claudius B. IV are several pictures of banquets with drinking-horns
(ff. 31 r., 35 r., 57 r., 63 r.); and in Cleopatra C. VIII, f. 20 v., are found many
designs of these. On the Bayeux Tapestry figures drink from horns similar to
those in the grave-finds. The Taplow Horn in the Anglo-Saxon room of the
British Museum holds about three pints or a half-gallon ; and, not being fur-
nished with feet, could not be set down without spilling the liquor. Other
noble horns of Anglo-Saxon date are those in York Cathedral and at Queen's
College, Oxford, and the famous Pusey Horn, by which land was held (Arch&o-
logia XXIV, 217; Hodgetts, Older England, 1884, pp. 105 f.). Sharon Turner,
VII, chap, vi, notes among many such bequests, that two buffalo horns appear in
Wynfleda's will, and that the Mercian King Witlaf gave to Croyland the horn of
his table ' that the elder monks may drink thereout at festivals and remember the
soul of the donor.'
15 1-3. 7 " To the adornments of the horn the magnificent specimen in the
British Museum from the Taplow excavations of 1883 gives ample evidence
(Hodgetts, Older England, pp. 105 f., ' The Horn '). The mouthpiece is rich with
silver gilt [15 2'', golde ond sylfre\, which is elaborately ornamented, and its other
mountings are bronzed. I observe in the same case many silver tabs from drinking-
horns, engraved with human heads. Sharon Turner, VII, chap, vi, notes the men-
tion in Dugdale's Alonasticon (1655), p. 40, of 'three horns worked with gold and
silver.' Schultz, Das hijfische Leben, 1879, I, 324, cites from Horn et Rimenhild,
1. 41 52, a description of a golden drinking-horn richly adorned with precious stones.
15 2 golde ond sylfre. Cf. Gen. 1769, golde ond seolfre ; so Ps. 113 12.
153 1 1 \viliiiu weras cyssacJ. Cf. 316, mec weras ond wif wlonce cyssa'5 (cup
or cross) ; 64 4-5 mec . . . cysseS . . . esne (beaker).
15 4-7 For the use of the horn in war, see the discussion above, and note such
passages from the poetry as Beow. 1433, git'Shorn galan; 1424-1425, horn stundum
100 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
song | fuslic f[yrd]-leo-5 (cf. 15 13, fyrdsceorp; 80 2, fyrdrinces gefara). Our riddler
in Rid. 15 4-7 emphasizes the use of the war-horn, both on land and sea, for it is
certainly not the hornscip of Andreas, 274, as Dietrich supposed, that he has in
mind (11. 6a-7). Horns were frequently blown at sea. In one of the pictures of
the Bayeux Tapestry, a figure in the stern of a ship sounds upon a horn ; and in
the Fornmanna Sogur II, 300, King Olaf signals with a horn to his ships. The
on herges ende, 80 8, arid the several references to the horse on which the horn
is borne (15 5-6, 14, 80 7), suggest that the poet is thinking not of the trumpeter
but of the leader of the troop. Cf., however, El. 53 f. :
Werod waes on tyhte,
hleowon hornboran, hreopan friccan,
mearh moldan trad, etc.
156 merehengest. The word indeed the whole passage, with its sugges-
tion of fighting by land and sea suggests the comment of Merbach", Das Meer
etc., p. 33 : ' Unter den Umschreibungen die aus dem Drange nach moglichst
poetischer Bezeichnung des Schiffes hervorgegangen sind, fallen vor allem die-
jenigen ins Auge, die, kiihn personifizierend, das Schiff als Flutenross darstellen.
Es 1st dies wieder ein Punkt, wo im Geiste der angelsachsischen Dichtung Kriegs-
und Seeleben sich beriihren : wie der Krieger auf ungestiimem Streitrosse zum
Kampf ausreitet, so der Seefahrer auf unbandigem Wogenrosse zum wilden
Streit mit Wind und Wellen.' Merbach cites as synonyms brimhengest (And.
513, Run. 47, 66), sundhengest (Chr. 853, 863), ivaighengest (El. 236, Gu. 1303),
farofrhengest (El. 226), merehengest (Met. 26 26), sShengest (And. 488), yj>meark
(Whale, 49, Chr. 864), sSmearh (El. 245, Whale, 15, And. 267), and lagnmearh
(Gu. 1306).
15 8-9 See note to Rid. 80 3-5, where this motive is treated. In MS. Harl. 603,
f. 51 r., a maid fills a drinking-horn from a pitcher.
15 10 Dietrich says (XI, 464) of this line : ' Dunkel 1st v. 10 ein gebrauch
wonach es bordum behlyt>ed ist ; ich betrachte dies als denom. part, von /ileofr =
hleowofr (schutz); von bretern beschiitzt konnte das horn auf dem gibel heissen
[Rid. 88 24], wenn heafodleas los vom haupte sein kann ; mdglich aber dass dies
gestumpft bedeutet und dann an ein mit holz eingefasstes homernes gerath zu
denken ist, vielleicht an hornerne figuren des bret- oder schachspiels, gomen on
borde, c. Ex. 345,6." Thorpe, Cod. Ex., p. 527, defines behlyfred as 'deprived of
comrades' (gehlefian). Grein, Spr. I, 87, associates behlyj>ed (behlefred?) with
hlefra, 'praedator' (Cot. 170), and translates 'spoliare,' ' privare.' In Dicht. he
renders 'des Bortenschmuckes beraubt.' Brooke translates (p. 127) 'bereft of
covers,' and thus comments : ' Bordum I do not take to be " on the tables," but
bordum behlyfred, robbed of my covers, of the round tops like shields which shut
down on the drinking horn, and were, because they were adorned with jewels and
gold figures, wrenched away by the plunderers.' B.-T. s.v. renders 'deprived';
and so also Sweet ; Brougham (Cook and Tinker, Select Translations, p. 72) 'soli-
tary upon the board.' There seems to be no doubt that [on] bordum . . . behlyj>ed
licgan is an exact antithesis of hongige hyrstum fratwed . . . on wage (15 11-12).
' Sometimes ' says the Horn, ' I shall lie stripped on the tables ; sometimes I hang
NOTES 101
adorned with ornaments on the wall.' Our riddle is full of such contrasts (11. 5-7 ;
16-19). For bord, 'table,' see 88 23, 24.
15 ii hyrstum fraetwed. Cf. 54 7-8, wonnum hyrstum | foran gefraetwed; 3220,
fraetwed hyrstum. See also 15 2-3,7.
15 12 wlltig on wage. Cf. Beow. 1662, on wage wlitig; And. 732, wlitig of
wage. Sarrazin says (Becrivulf-Slndien, p. 119): 'In dem Ratsel ist der Ausdruck
sehr passend auf ein gold- und silbergeschmlicktes Trinkhorn angewendet.' The
Beow. passage is discussed by Wiilker (Auglia XI, 537) and Kail (XII, 38). Jwer
weras drincaS. Cf. 21 12, 56 i, 57 n, 64 3, 68 17.
15 >3 a fyrdsceorp. 'Scarp bezieht sich allgemein mehr auf die Kleidung:
hilde-sceorp (Beow. 2156); wairon hie on gescirplan scipferendum eorlas onllce
(And. 250); daher gescyrpan = " vestire," "omare" (Met. 152); dann aber auch
allgemein fiir "Ausriistung," " Schmuck," z. B.fyrd-sceorp (Rid. 15 13); heoru-sceorp
(Har. 73), [Gti. Ex. 127, sigesceorp] ; sceorp to frfSscipe (Schmid, Gesetze, Anhang
III, i); fugla cynn frSerum gescyrped (Ps. 148 10)' (Lehmann, Germania XXXI,
494-495). Fyrdsceorp is rendered by Grein, Spr. I, 362, 'omatus bellicus.' Brooke
(p. 1 27) translates 'a fair thing on wayfaring'; and adds in a note 'Literally, "a
fair war-ornament." I have translated it as above, because I want to give, in this
place, the force of " fyrd," which is the militia ; and here, I think, the levy en
masse of the population for a war expedition the horn is part of the war-
material, part of the ornamented things used in the Fyrd.' Cf. Bemu. 1424, horn
stundum song fiisllc fyrdleo'S; Epistola Alexandria 252, Da het ic blawan mine
byman ond fta fyrd faran ; Rid. 80 2, fyrdrinces gefara.
15 17-19 In the Laws the horn is the greatest enemy of the thief. See Laws of
Wihtred 28 (Schmid, p. 18): 'Gif feorran cumen man oSSe fremde buton wege
gange and he bonne naw)>er ne hryme, ne he horn ne blawe, for ]>eof he blS to pro-
fianne oft'Se to sleanne o'SiSe to alysenne.' Our riddler has in mind the hream or
' hue-and-cry.' Penalties are pronounced against any one 'gif hwa hream gehyre
andhine forsitte,' etc. (Canute, II, 29, i, Schmid, p. 286). Cf. Canute, 1,26, Schmid,
p. 268, ' wac bi'5 se hyrde funde to heorde, be nele ba heorde . . . mid hreame
bewerian . . . gyf b5r hwylc J>eodsceafra sceafrian onginne'S' [15 ig a , feondsceaban].
The Anglo-Saxon laws for the recovery of stolen property [15 18] are discussed
by Schmid, p. 636, s.v. ' Nachsuchung nach gestohlenem Gut.' One recalls the
hue-and-cry after the fox in the Nonne Preestes Ta/e, B. 4588-4589 :
Of bras they broghten bemes and of box,
Of horn, of boon, in which they blewe and powped.
RIDDLE 16
Dietrich's answer, Broc 'Badger' (XI, 465), was accepted by Prehn, Brooke
(/.. /:. Lit., p. 142), McLean (O. E. Reader, p.xxx), Cosijn (PBB. XXIII, 128), and
queried by Trautmann. Walz, Harvard Studies V, 261, objects that the badger
has not a white throat, nor is he swift-footed ; and suggests Igil, ' Porcupine ' (cf.
1. 3, beadoii'iTfen ; 1. 28, hildfpilum). But the habits of the creature of the riddle
are totally unlike those of the porcupine or hedgehog, and very like those of
I0 2 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
the badger, as a comparison of the text with Bell's account of the animal (infra)
shows. A hedgehog does not work a way with his feet through a steep hill (16 18 f.),
nor does he reach through the roof of the hill (1627). Rid. 16 has nothing in
common with the spirited ' Kelduswin ' (Hedgehog) riddle of Islenzkar Gdtur,
No. 680, and is not in the least indebted, as Prehn, p. 178, would have us think,
to Symphosius 21, Talpa; nor save in the darts (28 a) to Sym. 29, Ericius:
' Incolumi dorso telis confixus acutis.' Holthausen points out (Engl. Stud.
XXXVII, 206-207) certain parallels between Rid. 16 and a Hedgehog (De Hys-
trice) poem of Claudius Claudianus (Carmma, Leipzig, 1879, II, i52f.); but
these (infra) do not seem to me sufficient to sustain Walz's solution.
In the Glosses, broc is usually rendered by 'taxus vel meles' (see WW. 119, 2,
320, 10; cf. Jordan, Die altenglischen Saugetiernamen, p. 43); and the treatise
'Medicina de Quadrupedis ' (Lchd. I, 326, 11) thus describes it: 'Sum fyj>erfete
nyten is }>aet we nemna'S taxonem J>aet ys broc on englisc.' Alexander Neckam,
De Naturis Rerum, cxxvii (Rolls Series, 1863, p. 207), thus describes the badger's
building and his departure from his home on account of the enmity of the fox :
'Taxi mansiones subterraneas sibi parant labore multo. Unum enim sibi eligunt
taxum terrae pedibus ipsorum effossae vectorem et oneri tali ex longa consue-
tudine idoneum. Supinatur quidem, et cruribus extensis et erectis, super ventrem
ipsius terra effossa accumulatur. Oneratus satis per pedes ab aliis exportatur,
tociensque labor assumptus iteratur usque dum capacitas domus habitatoribus
suis sufficiat. Latitans interim in insidiis animal dolosum, vulpem loquor, sustinet
usque dum mansio subterranea parata sit, et tempus absentiae taxorum sibi
reputans idoneum, signum turpe inditium hospitum novorum ibidem relinquit.
Revertentes melotae, lares proprios indignantur inhabitare et alias sibi constru-
entes aedes, foedatam domum foedo hospiti sed praedoni relinquunt.' Bell,
British Quadrupeds, 1874, pp. i58f., thus describes the Badger or Brock (Meles
Taxus) :
1 Its favorite haunts are obscure and gloomy ; it retires to the deepest recesses
of the woods or to thick coppices covering the sides of hills [16 18, 21, 27], and
there with its long and powerful claws digs for itself a deep and well-formed
domicile consisting of more than one apartment [cf. 16 17-18] . . . The badger
is endowed with astonishing strength of jaws. ... It also possesses great gen-
eral muscular power; and these means of inflicting injury with the defensive
coat of mail . . . render him a formidable enemy to attack or cope with. . . . The
burrow is usually a round horizontal hole or tunnel, the end of which is turned
upwards abruptly for about a foot, and the vertical part of the hole leads into
a rounded excavation of just sufficient size for the animal to lie coiled up in'
[i6 7 f.]-
'The intricate passages and crevices in quarries, while they furnish to this
animal a commodious retreat, afford also an efficient means of defense against
the entrance of dogs, which in their attempt to dislodge the badger often get
fixed between the stones and perish' [168-11, 24 f.].
Bell thus pictures the animal (p. 166): ' Feet very hairy, particularly the hinder
ones with five toes on each armed with strong curved fossorial claws [16 17]. Hair
of body long, loose, and of three colors, white, black, and reddish, the union
NOTES 103
of which produces a rich gray. Head white excepting a band of black commenc-
ing between nose and eye, and extending backwards. . . . Lower jaw, throat,
breast, and belly, the interior of all the legs and the feet, black ; the back, shoul-
ders, and rump, reddish gray ; the sides and tail, light gray.' The Anglo-Saxon
animal is white and reddish gray [16 1-2].
Brooke says (. E. Lit., p. 142) : ' Once more, on this beast life in the literature
of the woods, we are placed on the edges of the hills where the badger has his
hole, and Cynewulf throws himself as fully into the life and passions of the animal
for his home and children as he does into the eagerness of the hunter. ... It is
in these short poems in this sympathetic treatment of the beasts of the wood,
as afterwards of the birds ; in this transference to them of human passions and
of the interest awakened by their suffering and pleasure that the English poetry
of animals begins.'
Herzfeld, pp. 10-12, and McLean, p. xxxi, note that in this riddle we have a re-
markable number of hapax legomena, in this case compounds not found elsewhere :
IO, geogufrcndsl; i^forhtmod; 17, fe&emund; 23, w&lhwelp ; 24, nifrsceafca ; 26,
gegnf&fr ; 29, Idfrgeivinna. And yet the word-use has much in common with the
vocabulary of Rid. 17, 18.
163 beadowajpen. Cf. 18 8, beadowiepnum ; 1628, hildepilum; 186, hyldepylas;
16 5, 18 8, ordum.
163-4 Holthausen, who reads her swylce sw[m]e, compares Claudian, De
Hystrice, 5 f . :
Os longius illi
Assimulat porcum. Mentitae cornua saetae
Summa fronte rigent
Parva sub hirsute catuli vestigia dorso.
This, it is true, accords remarkably with Holthausen's reading of the text, but as
that involves the change of the MS. swe to sw[?n~\e, and the omission of hll/idfr, we
are justified in rejecting it. I accept the reading of Zupitza and McLean, because
that alone meets the demands of the meter without change or elimination ; be-
cause swe is supported by the only possible substitute in 10 6 for MS. snearltce,
sue drllce, and by Leid. n, su&; and because, as McLean points out, such com-
parisons as this to a sow are very rare in Old English poetry. Translate ' Hairs
stand on my back just as (swilce swe) on my cheeks : two ears tower over my eyes.'
The sow of the editors thus goes out of the story.
i66 a in grene graes. Barnouw, p. 219, remarks the absence of the emphatic
article in this place in a riddle which on other grounds he has classed as very old,
and contrasts 36 i, se wista wong.
i66 b Cf. 16 ii, him bi> deaft witod (Jansen, p. 95, notes the epiphora and the
resulting strophic effect); 21 24, me br$ foriS witod; 85 7, me br5 deaft witod.
16 8 Avrelgrim \vlga. Cf. 16 io b , g<zst\ 1623*, w&lhwelpes ; 1624*, nlfrsceafra ;
16 2g a , lafrgewinmim. Dietrich says (XI, 465): ' Sein feind der ihn kriechend
aufspiirt, und mit dem er vor der andern rohre seines baus die kampfbegegnung
mil scharfer kriegswaffe, seinem gebiss, aufnimmt, ist der fuchs, oder auch der
dachshund.' \vic buge. Cf. 82, }>a wic buge; Gu. 274, }>e \>z. wic bugaft.
104 RIDDLES OF THE EXETER BOOK
16 ii him. Cosijn, PBB. XXIII, 128-129, refers him to geogufrcnosle, 'sonst
ware die flucht des dachses ganz unmotiviert : erst spater fuhlt er sich sicher.' So
Grein, Dicht., and Brooke, p. 142, 'death is doomed to them.'
16 i3 b fleame nergan. So Gen. 2000. Note the rime in this line.
16 is a Grein, Dicht., translates 'ihn tragt die Brust heran,' and explains, Spr.
I, 141, 'er kriecht auf dem Bauche.'
16 ig b feorh genergan. For many examples of the phrase feorh (ge)nergan, see
Spr. I, 296.
16 21 on degolne weg. Cf. Earle, Charters, 239, 18, on broccholes weg. Jjyrel.
As Madert shows, p. 36, J>yrel is found in the Kiddles with long and shorty. It is
short here and in 72 8, frurh J>yrel J>earle, and 81 n, \on~\ fryrelwombne ; while it is
obviously long in 45 z,foran is J>yrel, and 91 5, hindan J>yrel. See Sievers, PBB. X,
487, Gr.\ 218, I.
1622 swsese ond gesibbe. Cf. 27 21-22, freonda | swiesra ond gesibbra; Gen.
1612, freondum swiesum ond gesibbum.
i624f. Holthausen compares Claudian, i8f.:
Crebris propugnat jactibus ultro
Et longe sua membra tegit tortumque per auras
Evolat excusso nativum missile tergo,
Interdum fugiens Parthorum more sequentem
Vulnerat, etc.
The likeness is not convincing. I believe, with Dietrich and Brooke, that the darts
of war are the badger's teeth.
1624 nearwe stige. Cf. Beow. 1410, stlge nearwe.
16 25 tosiele]?. Only here and 17 5.
16 28 Jnirh best hrino. Cf. Gen. 1396, hsiste hrlnan.
RIDDLE 17
Dietrich's answer to this riddle (XI, 452), 'Anchor,' is unquestionably correct.
Its source is found in Symphosius 61, ' Ancora.'
Mucro mihi geminus ferro conjungitur unco [17 8, steort].
Cum vento luctor, cum gurgite pugno profundo [17 1-2].
Scrutor aquas medias, ipsas quoque mordeo terras [172-3].
All these motives are expanded in the Anglo-Saxon, but, as Dietrich well says,
' der gegenstand des rathsels ist nicht mehr sache, er ist ein kampfer und sieger
wider die elemente, seine feinde, er ist rein ein held geworden.' Heusler, Zs. d.
V.f. Vk. XI, 127, compares with the English riddle the spirited Gata 6 of Her-
varar Saga :
Hverr er sjd hinn mikli,
er morgu raeftr,
ok horfir til heljar halfr ?
Oldum hann bergr,
en viS iorg sakask,
ef hann hefir ser veltraustan vin.
NOTES 105
The riddle of Symphosius is found in popular form in the mediaeval German
version of the Apollonius story (Schroter, pp. Ixxv, 66 f.) ; and suggested to Scaliger
the theme of his fine Latin riddle (Reusner I, 175):
Magna, bidens, apridens, dentes fero parva quaternos ;
Ingens pro digitis annulus in capite est.
Quum teneo dominam, nihilominus ilia movetur,
Et quum non teneo, magna avis atra volat. 
