Riddle Ages

Aldhelm Riddle 53: Arcturus

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Tue 15 Mar 2022

Original text:

Sidereis stipor turmis in vertice mundi:

Esseda famoso gesto cognomina vulgo;

In giro volvens iugiter non vergo deorsum,

Cetera ceu properant caelorum lumina ponto.

Hac gaza ditor, quoniam sum proximus axi,

Qui Ripheis Scithiae praelatus montibus errat,

Vergilias numeris aequans in arce polorum;

Pars cuius inferior Stigia Letheaque palude

Fertur et inferni manibus succumbere nigris.

Translation:

At the top of the world I am surrounded by starry crowds;

I have the name “esseda” (chariot) in common speech; 

Turning perpetually in my orbit, I do not incline downwards 

Like the others stars of the heavens do when they rush to the sea. 

I am enriched by this wealth for I am near the pole,

Which wanders, visible, around the Riphaean mountains of Scythia. 

I equal in number the Pleiades at the crown of the sky,

The lower part of which is reported to sink down into the Stygian or Lethean 

Swamp and among the black spirits of hell.

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Arcturus, the star

Notes:

This edition is based on Rudolf Ehwald, ed. Aldhelmi Opera Omnia. Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, 15. Berlin: Weidmann, 1919, pages 59-150. Available online here.

Tags: riddles latin Aldhelm

Symphosius Riddle 53: Vitis

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 09 Sep 2022

Original text:

Nolo toro iungi, quamvis placet esse maritam.

Nolo virum thalamo: per me mea nata propago est.

Nolo sepulcra pati: scio me submergere terrae.

Translation:

I do not want to be governed by a marriage-bed, although it would please me to be married.

I do not want a man in the bedroom: through me is my daughter born.

I do not suffer the grave: I know how to bury myself in the earth.

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Vine

Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

Tags: riddles solutions latin symphosius

Eusebius Riddle 54: De oceano pisce

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Mon 27 Dec 2021

Original text:

Forma manet tenuis cum semipedalis imago est

Et tamen immensas solus retinebo liburnas

Sic tantum (1) haerendo. Licet irruat aequora ventus,

Saeviat aut pelagus validis motabile flabris,

Ceu radicata ratis perstans at cernitur undis,

Inde meumque “moram” nomen dixere Latini.

Translation:

My appearance remains small for my image is half-a-foot long,

And yet alone I hold back immense ships

By clinging so much thus. Even if wind should rush onto the seas

Or the moving waves should rage under strong gales, 

The ship is seen nevertheless to stand, as if rooted to the waves.

And from that the Latins called my name “delay.”

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On the ocean fish

Notes:

(1) The manuscripts read tamen, but tamen also appears in the previous line—other editors have also emended it.

Tags: riddles latin Eusebius

Aldhelm Riddle 54: Cocuma duplex

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Tue 15 Mar 2022

Original text:

Credere quis poterit tantis spectaeula causis

Temperet et fatis rerum contraria fata?

Ecce larem, laticem quoque gesto in viscere ventris,

Nec tamen undantes vincunt incendia limphae

Ignibus aut atris siccantur flumina fontis,

Foedera sed pacis sunt flammas inter et undas;

Malleus in primo memet formabat et incus.

Translation:

Who could believe the spectacle of such affairs

And who could govern fates that are contrary to things’ fates? 

Behold: I carry fire and also water inside my belly,

And yet the surging waters do not conquer the fires

Nor are the water’s streams dried out by the dark flames.

Instead there are peace pacts between the flames and waves;

A hammer and anvil formed me to begin with.

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Double pot

Notes:

This edition is based on Rudolf Ehwald, ed. Aldhelmi Opera Omnia. Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, 15. Berlin: Weidmann, 1919, pages 59-150. Available online here.

Tags: riddles latin Aldhelm

Symphosius Riddle 54: Amus

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 09 Sep 2022

Original text:

Exiguum corpus flexu mucronis adunci,

Fallaces escas medio circumfero fluctu.

Blandior, ut noceam; morti praemitto saginam.

Translation:

A small body with the curve of a bent edge,

I carry deceptive bait through the middle of the water.

I attract so that I may hurt; I send nourishment to its death.

Click to show riddle solution?

Hook

Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

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Eusebius Riddle 55: De torpedine pisce

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Mon 27 Dec 2021

Original text:

Corpora si viva tangam torpescere faxo.

Propter hoc opus infantum, mihi nomen adhesit.

Quin magis: Indicus etsi me generamine Pontus

Ediderit, validi qui tunc me forte lacerti

Longius attingerint, contis seu qualibus hastis,

Torpescerent, et veloces vincire pedestres

Possum – vel potius sic vis mea tanta videtur

Aura mea afficiat sanos quo corporis artus.

Translation:

If I touch living bodies, I will numb them.

Because of this unspeakable act, my name stuck.

Not just that, but more: although the Indian Ocean birthed me, 

Strong arms which then by chance 

Touch me from farther away, with pikes or some kind of spear,

Are numbed, and I can bind those swift of foot – 

Or rather my strength seems so great

That my breath affects healthy limbs of the body.

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On the electric eel

Tags: riddles latin Eusebius

Aldhelm Riddle 55: Crismal

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Tue 15 Mar 2022

Original text:

Alma domus veneror divino munere plena,

Valvas sed nullus reserat nec limina pandit,

Culmina ni fuerint aulis sublata quaternis,

Et licet exterius rutilent de corpore gemmae,

Aurea dum fulvis flavescit bulla metallis,

Sed tamen uberius ditantur viscera crassa

Intus, qua species flagrat pulcherrima Christi:

Candida sanctarum sic floret gloria rerum,

Nec trabis in templo, surgunt nec tecta columnis.

Translation:

I am honoured as a holy house, filled with a divine gift,

But none unlock my doors or cross my doorway   

If the roofs are not removed from my four rooms,

And although jewels shine on the outside of my body,

While a golden boss shines with its yellow metal, 

My substantial innards are even more abundantly enriched

Within, where the most beautiful vision of Christ blazes:

Thus blooms the shining glory of holy things:

In the church, the roofs do not rise from rafters or columns.

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Chrismal

Notes:

This edition is based on Rudolf Ehwald, ed. Aldhelmi Opera Omnia. Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, 15. Berlin: Weidmann, 1919, pages 59-150. Available online here.

Tags: riddles latin Aldhelm

Symphosius Riddle 55: Acula

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 09 Sep 2022

Original text:

Longa sed exilis, tenui producta metallo,

Mollia duco levi comitantia vincula ferro;

Et faciem laesis et nexum reddo solutis.

Translation:

Long but thin, formed of fine metal,

I guide pliant bonds with light iron;

And I return shape to the damaged and connection to the dissolved.

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Needle

Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

If you're researching/studying this collection, you should also consult this excellent new edition: T. J. Leary, ed. Symphosius: The Aenigmata, An Introduction, Text and Commentary. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. Textual differences in that edition include:

Title: Acula > acus

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Eusebius Riddle 56: De ciconia avi

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Mon 27 Dec 2021

Original text:

Porro, soni crepitus proprii me fecit habere

Nomen, nam quatiente ferensque crepacula rostro,

Nuntia sum veris, multis stipata catervis.

Hostis chelidri, nullum vitabo venenum.

Quin, potius, pulli pascentur carne colubri.

Aequora transcendens, me ducet praevia cornix.

Lata cibabit multigenas has Asia turmas,

Quas ego rorifluis collecta per agmina limphis

Ut comites iteris habeo. Sic sollicitudo

Circa communis cunctis stat tam pia multos

Natos, sic ut alentes hos, vestimine carnes

Nostras nudemus. Sed quanto tempore nostras

Progenies nutrimus, sic et alemur ab illis.

Translation:

Next, the noise of my own voice made me have 

My name, for by rattling as I shake my beak,

I am the messenger of spring, attended by many crowds.

Enemy of the snake, I dodge no poison.

No, rather, my young feed on serpent’s flesh.

Crossing the seas, a crow goes ahead, leading me.

Wide Asia feeds these many crowds,

Whom, gathered by troops from the flowing waters,

I have as companions on my journey. Thus such loyal solicitude

Around our many children stands shared by all,

To the point that, in so feeding them, we strip our flesh

Of its covering. But for such time that we nurse

Our progeny, thus are we nourished by them.

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On the stork-bird

Tags: riddles latin Eusebius

Aldhelm Riddle 56: Castor

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Thu 14 Apr 2022

Original text:

Hospes praeruptis habitans in margine ripis

Non sum torpescens, oris sed belliger armis,

Quin potius duro vitam sustento labore

Grossaque prosternens mox ligna securibus uncis;

Humidus in fundo, tranat qua piscis, aquoso

Saepe caput proprium tingens in gurgite mergo.

Vulnera fibrarum necnon et lurida tabo

Membra medens pestemque luemque resolvo necantem;

Libris corrosis et cortice vescor amara.

Translation:

A guest living on the edge of steep banks,

I am not sluggish, but am instead a warrior with weapon-teeth;

Moreover, I maintain my life with hard work

And fell large forests directly with these curved axes;

To the watery bottom through which swims the wet fish 

Often I, dipping, plunge my own head in the waters.

Healing internal wounds as well as limbs stinking 

With gore, I destroy both disease and deadly plague;

I am fed on gnawed bark and bitter rind.

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Beaver

Notes:

This edition is based on Rudolf Ehwald, ed. Aldhelmi Opera Omnia. Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, 15. Berlin: Weidmann, 1919, pages 59-150. Available online here.

Tags: riddles latin Aldhelm

Symphosius Riddle 56: Caliga

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 09 Sep 2022

Original text:

Maior eram longe quondam, dum vita manebat;

Sed nunc exanimis lacerata ligata revulsa

Dedita sum terrae, tumulo sed condita non sum.

Translation:

I was once much bigger, when life remained;

But now lifeless, lacerated, bound, removed,

I am given to the earth, but I am not hidden in a grave.

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Boot

Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

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Eusebius Riddle 57: De strutione

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Mon 27 Dec 2021

Original text:

Infandus volucer sum et nomen habeo Pelasgum.

Et pennas velut usurpans avis, advolo numquam

Altius a terra, et conceptum neglego foetum

Forte fovere meum, sed foetu pulveris ova

Sparsa foventur, vel potius animantur in illo.

Translation:

I am an unspeakable winged thing and I have a Greek name.

Though I pretend to wings like a bird, I never fly

Higher from the ground, and I fail to care for my offspring 

Conceived casually, but by dust’s incubation are the scattered eggs

Kept warm, or rather, in it are they infused with life.

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On the ostrich

Tags: riddles latin Eusebius

Aldhelm Riddle 57: Aquila

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Thu 14 Apr 2022

Original text:

“Armiger infausti Iovis et raptor Ganimidis”

Quamquam pellaces cantarent carmine vates,

Non fueram praepes, quo fertur Dardana proles,

Sed magis in summis cicnos agitabo fugaces

Arsantesque grues proturbo sub aetheris axe.

Corpora dum senio corrumpit fessa vetustas,

Fontibus in liquidis mergentis membra madescunt;

Post haec restauror praeclaro lumine Phoebi.

Translation:

“The esquire of unfortunate Jove and abductor of Ganymede” 

Deceitful poets may sing of me in their verses,

But I was not that bird by which the Trojan youth was brought,

Rather, I chase fleeing swans high in the air 

And I drive away rattling cranes beneath the pole of the heavens.

While weary old age destroys my body with decline,

My limbs grow wet, dipped into liquid streams;

After this I am restored by the brilliant light of Phoebus.

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Eagle

Notes:

This edition is based on Rudolf Ehwald, ed. Aldhelmi Opera Omnia. Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, 15. Berlin: Weidmann, 1919, pages 59-150. Available online here.

Tags: riddles latin Aldhelm

Symphosius Riddle 57: Clavus caligaris

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 09 Sep 2022

Original text:

In caput ingredior, quia de pede pendeo solo.

Vertice tango solum, capitis vestigia signo;

Sed multi comites casum patiuntur eundem.

Translation:

I walk on my head because I hang alone from the foot.

With my crown I touch the ground, I mark out traces with my head;

But many fellows suffer the same fate.

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Hobnail

Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

Tags: riddles solutions latin symphosius

Eusebius Riddle 58: De noctua

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Mon 27 Dec 2021

Original text:

Garrula, nigriferas noctis discurro per umbras,

Vitans luciflui suffundi lumine Phoebi.

Nomen habens furvum, visus habitatus ob ortam

Titanis lucem, at Cretensis tellus habere

Sola nequibit me, potius, aliunde relata,

Extemplo austriferi patior discrimina loeti.

Translation:

Noisy, I run through the night’s dark-bearing shadows,

Avoiding suffusion with the light of shining Phoebus.

I have a nocturnal name, my vision weakened by the rising

Light of Titan, but the land of Crete alone

Will never hold me, but rather, brought here from elsewhere, 

I immediately suffer the crises of violent death brought on the south wind.

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On the night owl

Tags: riddles latin Eusebius

Aldhelm Riddle 58: Vesper sidus

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Thu 14 Apr 2022

Original text:

Tempore de primo noctis mihi nomen adhaesit,

Occiduas mundi complector cardine partes;

Oceano Titan dum corpus tinxerit almum

Et polus in glaucis relabens volvitur undis,

Tum sequor, in vitreis recondens lumina campis

Et fortunatus, subito ni tollar ab aethra,

Ut furvas lumen noctis depelleret umbras.

Translation:

My name sticks because of the early time of night,

When I encircle the western parts at the axis of the world;

While Titan immerses his nourishing body in the ocean,

And the sky, sliding down, is revolved into the grey waves,

Then I follow, hiding my lights in the glassy plains,

And I am fortunate that I am not suddenly removed from the skies,

So that my light may dispel the night’s dark shadows.

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Evening Star

Notes:

This edition is based on Rudolf Ehwald, ed. Aldhelmi Opera Omnia. Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, 15. Berlin: Weidmann, 1919, pages 59-150. Available online here.

Tags: riddles latin Aldhelm

Symphosius Riddle 58: Capillus

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 09 Sep 2022

Original text:

Findere me nulli possunt, praecidere multi.

Sed sum versicolor, albus quandoque futurus.

Malo manere niger: minus ultima fata verebor.

Translation:

None can divide me, many cut me.

Though I am multicoloured, at some future time I will be white.

I prefer to remain black: I dread that last fate less.

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Hair

Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

Tags: riddles solutions latin symphosius

Eusebius Riddle 59: De psittaco

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Mon 27 Dec 2021

Original text:

India litoribus propriis me gignit amoenam,

Collum nam torques ruber emicat, ala colore

Tam viridi decorata est, et mea latior instat

Lingua loquax reliquis avibus. Hinc verba sonabo,

Nomina et humanae reddam de more loquelae,

Nam natura mihi “Ave!” est vel iam dicere “Care!”

Cetera per studiam depromam nomina rerum.

Translation:

India begets lovely me (1) within her own shores,

For a red torc shines on my neck, and my wing is

Highly decorated with a green color, and my chattering tongue

Goes on more extensively than that of other birds. Hence I speak words,

And I give names in the manner of human speech,

For it is my nature to say “Hail!” or now “Greetings!” (2)

I declare other names through the study of things.

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On the parrot

Notes:

(1) Or, it could be “lovely India.” The grammar does not work perfectly in either instance.
(2) This is a Latin transcription of the Greek Χαίρε.

Tags: riddles latin Eusebius

Aldhelm Riddle 59: Penna

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Thu 14 Apr 2022

Original text:

Me dudum genuit candens onocrotalus albam,

Gutture qui patulo sorbet de gurgite limphas.

Pergo per albentes directo tramite campos

Candentique viae vestigia caerula linquo,

Lucida nigratis fuscans anfractibus arva.

Nec satis est unum per campos pandere callem,

Semita quin potius milleno tramite tendit,

Quae non errantes ad caeli culmina vexit.

Translation:

The bright pelican begot me, white, a short time ago,

(The bird) who drinks waters from the sea with its throat wide open.

I go through whitened fields on a straight path

And leave dark traces on the gleaming road,

Darkening the shining earth with blackened twists and turns.

It is not enough to open one path through the fields,

Rather, the path stretches out in a thousand routes

And takes those who do not err from it to the summits of heaven.

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Quill Pen

Notes:

This edition is based on Rudolf Ehwald, ed. Aldhelmi Opera Omnia. Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, 15. Berlin: Weidmann, 1919, pages 59-150. Available online here.

Tags: riddles latin Aldhelm

Symphosius Riddle 59: Pila

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 09 Sep 2022

Original text:

Non sum compta comis et non sum calva capillis,

Intus enim crines mihi sunt quos non videt ullus.

Meque manus mittunt manibusque remittor in auras.

Translation:

I am not adorned with hair and I am not bald of hair,

For I have hair inside, which none see.

Hands send me and I am returned by hands through the air.

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Ball

Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

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Eusebius Riddle 60: De bubone

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Mon 27 Dec 2021

Original text:

Ignava volucris, venturi nuntia luctus,

Pigraque preseverans vertor prepondere plumae,

Noctibus et phoebis, latitans, tam foeda, sepulchris,

Furva per umbriferas semper constabo cavernas

Atque sono vocis nomen tractabo vocandum.

Expliciunt enigmata Eusebii.

Translation:

A lazy bird, messenger of grief to come,

I turn, continuing sluggishly because of the weight of my wings,

Night and day, hiding, very ugly, in tombs, 

I will always stay, gloomy, in the shadowy caves,

And with the sound of my voice I will make to my name.

Here end the riddles of Eusebius.

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On the owl

Notes:

Both of the manuscripts give the solution De bubalo, but, cute though it is, that word does not exist.

Tags: riddles latin Eusebius

Aldhelm Riddle 60: Monocerus

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Thu 14 Apr 2022

Original text:

Collibus in celsis saevi discrimina Martis,

Quamvis venator frustra latrante moloso

Garriat arcister contorquens spicula ferri,

Nil vereor, magnis sed fretus viribus altos

Belliger impugnans elefantes vulnere sterno.

Heu! fortuna ferox, quae me sic arte fefellit,

Dum trucido grandes et virgine vincor inermi!

Nam gremium pandens mox pulchra puerpera prendit

Et voti compos celsam deducit ad urbem.

Indidit ex cornu nomen mihi lingua Pelasga;

Sic itidem propria dixerunt voce Latini.

Translation:

Not at all do I fear the hazards of furious Mars,

Although the hunter with the dog barking in vain

Should chatter, the archer brandishing iron-tipped arrows, 

On the lofty hills; rather, equipped with great strength, 

I, an aggressive warrior, fell elephants with a blow.

Alas! Savage Fortune, who tricked me thus with guile,

For I slaughter great things and am overcome by a harmless virgin!

For, revealing her bosom, the beautiful woman catches me immediately 

And, with her wish fulfilled, leads me to the city.

The Greek language gave my name from my horn;

Thus do the Latins speak likewise in their tongue.

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Unicorn

Notes:

This edition is based on Rudolf Ehwald, ed. Aldhelmi Opera Omnia. Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, 15. Berlin: Weidmann, 1919, pages 59-150. Available online here.

Tags: riddles latin Aldhelm

Symphosius Riddle 60: Serra

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 09 Sep 2022

Original text:

Dentibus innumeris sum toto corpore plena.

Frondicomam subolem morsu depascor acuto,

Mando tamen frustra, quia respuo praemia dentis.

Translation:

I am full of innumerable teeth along my whole body.

I feed upon a leafy shoot with sharp bite,

And yet I chew in vain, because I spit out the teeth’s reward.

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Saw

Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

Tags: riddles solutions latin symphosius

Aldhelm Riddle 61: Pugio

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Thu 14 Apr 2022

Original text:

De terrae gremiis formabar primitus arte;

Materia trucibus processit cetera tauris

Aut potius putidis constat fabricata capellis.

Per me multorum clauduntur lumina leto,

Qui domini nudus nitor defendere vitam.

Nam domus est constructa mihi de tergore secto

Necnon et tabulis, quas findunt stipite, rasis.

Translation:

I was first formed with skill from the earth’s bosom;

The other material came from savage bulls

Or perhaps stands constructed from disgusting goats.

The eyes of many are closed in death through me,

Who, naked, endeavours to defend the life of my lord.

For my house is constructed from parcelled-out skin

As well as scraped wood, which they cut from a tree trunk.

Click to show riddle solution?

Dagger

Notes:

This edition is based on Rudolf Ehwald, ed. Aldhelmi Opera Omnia. Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, 15. Berlin: Weidmann, 1919, pages 59-150. Available online here.

Tags: riddles latin Aldhelm

Symphosius Riddle 61: Ancora

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Fri 09 Sep 2022

Original text:

Mucro mihi geminus ferro coniungitur uno.

Cum vento luctor, cum gurgite pugno profundo.

Scrutor aquas medias, ipsas quoque mordeo terras.

Translation:

My twin points are joined by one iron.

When I struggle with the wind, when I fight with the deep water,

I search amid the waters, and I bite the ground itself.

Click to show riddle solution?

Anchor

Notes:

This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.

Tags: riddles solutions latin symphosius