Old English Riddles & Scops

Here we deal with Old English Literature in general, as transmitted by the tribal scops and the monks which followed them (see introduction), but also with riddles themselves, as they are manifested in any culture, and especially with literary riddles, as in the following delightful example by Moyshelé Rosencrantz:

I'm awoken at twilight to work until bedtime,
Drops of my sweat slowly dripping down.
A steady worker, my size wanes,
Dwindling down with my decomposing spine -
Blow on my face, free me from my fate!

illustration by Philippe Tauzin

A bit about Old English riddles...

The riddle to the left is taken from Maker of Riddles, a book of modern day riddles in the Old English style. It is inspired by the example of the Exeter Book, an Old English manuscript dating back to the 10th century.

The manuscript itself is one of the few written remnants of a rich oral tradition brought over by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes as they invaded Roman Britain with the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Passed on by word of mouth over generations of itinerant bards, or scops, the Anglo-Saxon literature ranges from epic poems such as Beowulf to these simple, delightful enigmas, describing everyday objects in a way which purposely leads the audience astray.

List of articles

For more information on riddles, Anglo-Saxons, and their literature and lifestyle:

• Old English Literature, a brief introduction, by Assaf Urieli
• How to write an Old English riddle, by Moyshelé Rosencrantz

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