In some very few instances, my idea of the solution differs from the generally accepted range. In the riddles they serve as a test of knowledge, as much as to say. Exeter book riddle 83 according to the numbering of the anglosaxon poetic records is one of the old english riddles found in the later tenthcentury exeter. Most of the editors have been shy about their double meanings. The ninetyodd riddles in anglosaxon which have come down to us in a single manuscript are naturally a miscellaneous collection of varying merit. Riddle numbers are taken from muirs exeter anthology 1994, though i follow williamson in considering the first three as parts of a single. Exeter book riddles solutions anglosaxon narrative.
Exeter book riddle 27 according to the numbering of the anglosaxon poetic records is one of the old english riddles found in the later tenthcentury exeter. Which of you heroes is so sharpwitted and so mindcrafty, who can speak aloud about who impels me on this mission, when i mount up strong, sometimes ferocious. A few of them are poetical in the best sense of anglosaxon poetic style, as good as anything outside the heroic style of the beowulf. In many cases, answers are just provisional, and still the subject of some discussion. The book was donated to the library of exeter cathedral by leofric, the first bishop. The ninetysix anglosaxon riddles in the eleventhcentury exeter book are poems of great charm, zest, and subtlety.
Few men there were who looked upon my home of solitude. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book 1963 translated by paull franklin baum riddle 7 kd 34 6 kd 33. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book41 wikisource, the free. At the end of the exeter book, there are almost a hundred riddles or enigmata.
Exeter book riddles anglosaxon narrative poetry project. The exeter book riddles in context the british library. If multiple possibilities are possible, ill give the best or most likely. Below, ive included some of the best anglosaxon riddles from the exeter book, followed by the most commonly proposed solutions. Obscene is a troublesome word for both legal and lay minds, but there is nothing uncertain about these few anglosaxon riddles which go under that name. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book6 wikisource, the. The anglosaxon riddles, in their original manuscript, are not a spectator.
Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book wikisource, the free. Here is a list of solutions for the exeter book riddles as numbered in the translation. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book75 wikisource, the free. The anglosaxon riddles contained in the exeter book were probably written in the early eighth century. I give you the clues in this form instead of by ambiguous description. Splendidly it hangs by a mans thigh, under the masters cloak. The exeter book, exeter cathedral library ms 3501, also known as the codex exoniensis, is a tenthcentury book or codex which is an anthology of anglosaxon poetry. Riddle hero play and poetry in the exeter book riddles eric. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book74 wikisource. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book 1963 translated by paull franklin baum riddle 75 kd 26 74 kd 25. Anglosaxon riddles of the exeter book, 1963 online.