Say what I am called : the Old English riddles of the Exeter Book and the Anglo-Latin riddle tradition

Perhaps the most enigmatic cultural artifacts that survive from the Anglo-Saxon period are the Old English riddle poems that were preserved in the tenth century Exeter Book manuscript. Clever, challenging, and notoriously obscure, the riddles have fascinated readers for centuries and provided crucial insight into the period. In 'Say What I Am Called', Dieter Bitterli takes a fresh look at the riddles by examining them in the context of earlier Anglo-Latin riddles. Bitterli argues that there is a vigorous common tradition between Anglo-Latin and Old English riddles and details how the contents of the Exeter Book emulate and reassess their Latin predecessors while also expanding their literary and formal conventions. The book also considers the ways in which convention and content relate to writing in a vernacular language. A rich and illuminating work that is as intriguing as the riddles themselves, 'Say What I Am Called' is a rewarding study of some of the most interesting works from the Anglo-Saxon period. Acknowledgments Abbreviations and Symbols Introduction PART I: CONTEXTS 1. Latin Riddling and the Vernacular The House and the Guest (Riddle 85) Animal Worlds Beasts of Burden (Riddles 12, 38, and 72) 2. Tell-Tale Birds: The Etymological Principle Singing Feathers (Riddle 7) Words and Things Speaking in Tongues (Riddle 8) 3. Crossings: Combinatorial and Numerical Riddles The Warriors Embark (Riddle 22) Numerical Monsters (Riddles 86 and 36) Dead Ends (Riddle 90) PART II: CODES 4. Runic Strategies Logographic versus Alphabetic Sea Horses (Riddles 19 and 64) The Barking Bird (Riddle 24) 5. Bits and Pieces Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (Riddle 58) Covered Tracks (Riddle 75) Loose Ends 6. Letter Games Ten in All (Riddle 13) Fowl Play (Riddle 42) Men at Wine PART III: TOOLS 7. Silent Speech Scribal Riddles The Mouthless Messenger (Riddle 60) The Struggling Warrior (Riddle 51) 8. Beasts of Battle The Missing Brother (Riddle 88) The Lost Lord (Riddle 93) Modes 9. The Flesh Made Word Famous, Useful, and Holy (Riddle 26) Under My Skin (Riddle 28) Excarnation 10. Coda The Thievish Guest (Riddle 47) Bibliography Index

Perhaps the most enigmatic cultural artifacts that survive from the Anglo-Saxon period are the Old English riddle poems that were preserved in the tenth century Exeter Book manuscript. Clever, challenging, and notoriously obscure, the riddles have fascinated readers for centuries and provided crucial insight into the period. In Say What I Am Called, Dieter Bitterli takes a fresh look at the riddles by examining them in the context of earlier Anglo-Latin riddles.

Bitterli argues that there is a vigorous common tradition between Anglo-Latin and Old English riddles and details how the contents of the Exeter Book emulate and reassess their Latin predecessors while also expanding their literary and formal conventions. The book also considers the ways in which convention and content relate to writing in a vernacular language. A rich and illuminating work that is as intriguing as the riddles themselves, Say What I Am Called is a rewarding study of some of the most interesting works from the Anglo-Saxon period.

Bitterli argues that there is a vigorous common tradition between Anglo-Latin and Old English riddles and details how the contents of the Exeter Book emulate and reassess their Latin predecessors while also expanding their literary and formal conventions. The book also considers the ways in which convention and content relate to writing in a vernacular language. A rich and illuminating work that is as intriguing as the riddles themselves, Say What I Am Called is a rewarding study of some of the most interesting works from the Anglo-Saxon period."--pub. desc