Alkuin von York und die angelsächsische Rätseldichtung
Dieter Bitterli
Alcuin of York (d. 804) is mostly remembered as the eminent Anglo-Saxon scholar and leading architect Carolingian Renaissance. To his contemporaries friends at Charlemagne's court in Aachen, however, was first foremost a writer poet, whose elegant verse gained him nickname ‘Flaccus’. Alcuin's surviving literary oeuvre indeed covers wide range forms genres, it comes no surprise that he also composed number riddles, both prose, following footsteps compatriots predecessors genre, Aldhelm Malmesbury 709/10), Tatwine 734), Eusebius (8th c.), Boniface 754). Compared to latter's dazzling collections poetic Enigmata, occasional riddles appear more limited, scope. Yet fuller picture contribution genre can be gleaned from two didactic prose works, which place their author squarely within riddle tradition: short Disputatio Pippini cum Albino, witty dialogue for one sons, related Propositiones ad acuendos iuvenes, collection mathematical problems ‘to Sharpen Young’, now generally attributed Alcuin. The contains series pithy riddle-questions, some shown belong stock early medieval enigmatography, going back far late Roman poet Symphosius (4th/5th c. AD), century hexametrical tristichs already known followers. What more, texts, Propositiones, not only recast often playfully expand established subjects themes Anglo-Latin riddling, but deploy very narrative strategies stylistic formula are characteristic Latin vernacular. Typically, own echo mediate this rich heritage, pointing forward Old English 10th-century Exeter Book.
Anglia|Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)