Riddles, wonder and responsiveness in Anglo-Saxon literature
Patricia Dailey
Day, speech, moon, time, dream, true death, cloud, word, letter and comet: each has been proposed as a possible solution for Riddle 39 of the Exeter Book. When an Anglo-Saxon riddle states, ‘Saga hwæt ic hatte’ [Say what I am called], or Latin prose urges, ‘Dic mihi quae est illa res’ [Tell me that thing is], they perform, in discursive way, all riddles effectuate implicitly on broader scale: produce responsiveness their audiences, even if do not explicitly ask reader to name object question. Whether response is voiced ‘oral’ context ‘literary’ one (however problematic distinction may be), John Niles underscored, ‘Poetry, like riddling, presents itself rhetorically public interactive form communication when we encounter it manuscript page.’ Even though particular responses will be considered this chapter, my emphasis here category itself, both Book other poetry prose, order explore effectuate, addition producing answer. Like charms, genre Old English poetic writing with which are often associated, encourage speech vocalization; wonders, play relation between intangible familiar. Because rhetorical style enigmata is, by definition, relies upon obfuscation and, case riddles, overarchingly ascribes sense mysterious wondrous (‘Ic eom wunderlicu wiht’ [I creature], 25) most common objects, aim what, any, pedagogic ends making something unfamiliar might serve cultivating response, simple fact veiling known.
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