Old English Riddles - Swarthmore College Dept of English Literature

Glossary

ahreddan, v.I. set free, save, recapture, pret. 3s. ahredde
asettan, v.I. set up, build, construct, inf. asettan
atimbran, v.I. build, construct, inf. atimbran
beon/wesan, v.AN.be, 3s. is
bitweonum, prep. w. dat. between
bur, n. bower, chamber, dwelling, as. bur
byrig (burg), f. dwelling, enclosure, town, ds. byrig
cuman, v.4, come, pret. 3s. cwom
cuð, adj. known, nsf. cuð
cwom, see cuman
deaw, m. or n. dew, ns. deaw
dust, n. dust, ns. dust
eall, adj. and subs. every, all, the whole of, dpm. eallum
eorþe, f. earth, as. eorþan
eorðbuend, m. earth-dweller, man, dp. eorðbuendum
fæhþ, f. feud, vengeance, hostility, ip. fæhþum (adverbially, vengefully )
feallan, v.7, fall
feran, v.I, go, travel, inf. feran
forð, adv. forth, onward, away, lines 11, 13
gegierwan (gegyrwan), v.I. adorn, furnish, prepare, pp. gegierwed
geseon, v.5 CT, see, behold, pret. 1s. geseah
gewitan, v.1. go, depart, pret. 3s. gewat, lines 10 (w. refl. hyre), 13
gewitan, v.PP. know, pret. 3s. gewiste
gif, conj. if
ham, m. home, ds. ham, lines 4, 9
he, hit, heo, pron. he, it, she, nsn. hit, line 6; dsf. (reflexive) hyre, lines 5, 10
heofon, m. sky, heaven, dp. heofonum
heresiþ, m. war-journey, raid, ds. heresiþe
hit, see he
horn, m. horn, dp. hornum
hrof, m. roof, ceiling, summit, sky, as. hrof
huþ, f. booty, plunder, as. huþe, lines 2, 4, 9
hyre, see he
ic, pron. I , ns. ic
is, see beon/wesan
lædan, v.I. lead, bring, carry, inf. lædan
leohtlic, adj. light-like, bright, shining, asn. leohtlic
list, f. art, skill, craft, cunning, ip. listum (adverbiallly: artfully, cunningly )
lyftfæt, n.air-vessel, sky-cup, as. lyftfæt
magan, v.PP. may, can, be able, pret. 3s. meahte (the verb beon here is ellipted; thus the half-line reads, "if it thus might (be)" or literally "could (have been)"
meahte,see magan
nænig, (ne + ænig) adj. or sub. pron., no one, none, nsm. nænig
niht, f, night, darkness, ns. niht
of, prep. of, out of, from
ofer, prep. over, above, line 7; against, contrary to, line 10
on, prep. on, in, within, upon, onto, lines 5, 12
ond, conj. and
onettan, v.I, hurry, hasten, pret. 3s. onette
se, þæt, seo, dem. adj., def. art., pron. the, this (one), that (one) : nsf. seo (as relative: the one who ); asf. þa, line 9; dsm. þam, line 4 (twice); dsf. þære, line 5, gsf. þære, line 14
searo, n. art, skill, cunning dp. searwum (adverbially: cunningly )
siþþan, adj. after, afterwards, then
sið, m. journey, course, wandering, fate, as. sið
stincan, v.3, stink, exhale, rise, pret. 3s. stonc
swa, adv. so, in such a manner, thus
to, prep.to, unto, towards, into, upon, lines 4, 9, 12
ða/þa, adv. then, lines 7, 9
þære, see se
þonan, adv. thence, away
walde, see willan
weall, m. natural wall, hill, cliff, building-wall, gs. wealles
wer, m. man, gp. wera
west, adv.west, westward
wiht, f. or n. creature, being, person, ns. wiht, line 7; as. wiht, line 1, gs. wihte, line 14
willa, m. will, wish, desire, pleasure, as. willan
willan, v.AN. wish, will, desire, pret. 3s. walde
wrecca, m. exile, fugitive, wanderer, wretch, as. wreccan
wundorlic, adj.wonderful, remarkable, strange (the root word wundor can mean: miracle, wonder, horror, monster ), nsf. wundorlicu, line 7; asf. wundorlice, line 1

Translation

I saw a wonderful creature carrying

Light plunder between its horns.

Curved lamp of the air, cunningly formed,

It fetched home its booty from the day's raid

And plotted to build in its castle if it could

A night-chamber brightly adorned.

Then over the east wall came another creature

Well known to earth-dwellers. Wonderful as well,

It seized back its booty and sent the plunderer home

Like an unwilling wanderer. The wretch went west,

Moved morosely and murderously on.

Dust rose to the heavens, dew fell on earth-

Night moved on. Afterwards no one

In the world knew where the wanderer had gone.

Commentary

    This riddle describes an imaginary conflict between the moon and sun. It describes the physical phenomenon known as earth-light (sunlight reflected at night from earth to moon which is faintly visible as a pale image of the full moon filling out the visible crescent) for which the Anglo-Saxons had no scientific explanation. The riddle however describes this phenomenon in a metaphoric mode. In this way science is anticipated (even eventually shaped) by the poetic imagination.

    The narrative scenario of the riddle is as follows: A few days before new moon, a waning sliver rises, stealing its strand of light from the sun (the Anglo-Saxons believed that both moon and stars reflected sunlight). This "curved lamp of the air" fetches home to its night-chamber another booty of pale light (sometimes called by sailors "the old moon in the arms of the new") which the riddler saw but could only describe in metaphoric terms. The crescent-moon marauder plots to keep this light-treasure in its sky-town. But dawn appears and the pale treasure disappears, retaken by the sun. As the sun becomes visible, the moon itself pales, then disappears over the horizon. Like a righteous warrior, the sun has successfully reclaimed its light. The next night (new moon), the plundering moon has disappeared, and groundlings wonder where the wanderer has gone. In a few days the cycle will begin again with the waxing sliver.

    In this riddle I have not given line notes or explanations of grammar and usage by half-line. By this point in the Web Riddle sequence, I assume that the students can use a standard glossary and have entered each word in the riddle after its headnote form (nominative singular for nouns, infinitive for verbs, etc.). Line numbers are given whenever more than one instance of the word occurs in the riddle.

    Clicking on any half-line will cause the glossary to appear in the frame in the lower right portion of the browser window.