Riddle12 A Literary Experiment Essay, Research Paper

Part One: An Explanation

Marie Nelson, in her article, The Rhetoric of the Exeter Book Riddles, inspired me to the idea of conducting a literary experiment. Nelson says, The Exeter Book riddlers wrote enigmatic definitions, and then adds, much of the skill that they exhibited in their double task of revealing and concealing may have been derived from their knowledge of classical rhetoric. (Nelson, 424) I intend first to lay the groundwork of rhetoric, as Nelson similarly did in her article, and then apply the various devices and concepts to one of the Exeter Book Riddles. I hope to ascertain whether or not Nelson s theory that much of the skill [the riddlers] exhibited in their double task of revealing and concealing may have been derived from their knowledge of classical rhetoric. (424)

To begin, I will list the rhetorical devices Nelson uses, and paraphrase general definitions of these devices:

Alliteration- the use of words in a series with the same or a similar beginning

Anaphora- repetition of the same word at the beginnings of successive phrases,

clauses or sentences

Antithesis- to make a contrasting relationship between two ideas

Assonance- similar vowels sounds occurring in successive or proximate

words

Asyndeton- the omitting of conjunctions in order to make seem less premeditated

Homoeoptoton- the use of a series of words in the same case or with the same

inflection

Homoeoteleuton- the use of a series of words with the same or a similar ending

Onomatopoeia- the use of a word in which pronunciation suggests meaning

Periphrasis- circumlocution; using a roundabout way of defining

Prosopopoeia- using an imaginary or absent person as the speaker

Zeguma- the grammatically correct linage of two or more parts of speech by another (i.e. one subject with two verbs)

Nelson also discusses a few concepts which do not have specific names, but are however worth explaining briefly. First, the envelope pattern, which appears often in the Exeter Book Riddles, consists of the repetition of the same words and/or ideas at the end of a verse paragraph that were used at the beginning. (Nelson, 439) It brings the idea around full circle, and even, as Nelson suggests, has the unusual effect of finality. (439) This pattern works well in the riddle form because it allows the riddler to return, having added details, to the original fact, leaving the identity of the subject still ambiguous. (440)

The next two concepts compliment each other well, in terms of their descriptive abilities. There is a positive-negative sequence (assertion), which occurs frequently, particularly in the form of ne ac (not but) sequences. That is, the riddler gives clues, primarily to what the object is not- a common way of describing the unknown (or in some cases unknowable). (Nelson, 430) And finally, there is the frequent use of the word hwilum, or sometimes. The repetition of this word is the signal of a clue to the object s existence or state of being. Also, it can point up an alternation between what a speaker does and what is done to him. (432) The repeated sometimes serves as a signal that the sphere of action of the single subject has shifted. (433)

Nelson spends a lot of time analysing each device in the riddles in which they most concisely occur. I, however, intend to look at a single riddle and find as many of these devices as possible. For conventions of internal rhyme, such as alliteration and assonance I will have to use the original, Old English, text. For others, it will be necessary to consult the translations. As a final note, before beginning my analysis, I quote Nelson one more time, Perhaps it is too much to expect that every riddle in the Exeter Book should be a well made poem, a work of art in which every part plays an essential role in defining the subject. (439)

Part Two: An Analysis

To look for alliteration is almost as fruitful as to look for a single letter, insofar as it is very common, let alone necessary. There is no doubt that alliteration is widely used, Old English lines regularly had alliteration of either or both of the stressed syllables in the first half with the first stressed syllable in the second half. (Godden and Lapidge, 59) Indeed, alliteration was even required of Old English verse. The line 1 of Riddle 12, Fotum ic fere,/ foldan slite exemplifies alliteration in which both stressed syllables of the first half alliterate with the first stressed syllable in the second half. Assonance however occurs less frequently (though this may be an observation made at the fault of a limited command of the language). In fact, save for the possibility of assonance in the second half of line two (penden ic gaest bere), I cannot identify any occurrences of the device.

Line 9 of the riddle offers an example of homoeoteleuton, deorcum nihtum. But I am unable to identify homoeoptoton, again, because of a very limited command of Old English.

Turning now to the translated text, in line 8 there occurs zeguma, Brought from afar carries and presses me Carries and presses both refer to the me speaker of the riddle; the two verbs are linked to one subject, which is precisely what zeguma is. The use of this device makes the verse seem almost more spoken, more possible. It lends the feeling of credulity to the speaker s existence. Similarly, beginning with line 10 and extending through 13, there is a series of verb clauses, things being done to the speaker, that occur without the use of conjunction, or making use of asyndeton. Again, this feels less premeditated, possibly even unedited.

Having tackled some of the minor, and more difficult points (attempting to bridge the translation gap), I can now safely move into the concepts early explained.

Antithesis is the use of two contrasting ideas to develop a relationship, and reveal a truth. At the end of the poem the speaker says, That while I live may plunder all the land,/ And after death give service to mankind. During life, the speaker is destructive, but after death, he services mankind. Antithesis occurs on two levels here, first plundering is quite the opposite of servicing. But the speaker uses these two actions to develop the relationship that he/she/it has to humankind and the existence of humankind. On another level, however, it is not the actions of the speaker but the physical condition that he is contrasting. Life is the antithesis of death in many ways. These two lines also make use of the usual narrative order, the speaker does one thing while alive, then the process of change, namely death, occurs and finally once dead the speaker s action is changed, it becomes a service to others rather than a fulfilment of his own desires.

In conjunction with the first four lines of the poem, the last two serve to fulfil the envelope pattern. The last two lines are nothing more than a restatement of the first four, thus allowing the riddler to leave his reader with no less ambiguity than before, only more details which may or may not point to a specific solution. And in their function, the final lines are even less specific and helpful than the first, insofar as ascertaining the identity of the speaker. The opening lines give us clues to the dwelling place, and habits of the speaker, more so than does the phrase plunder all the land.

On the subject of prosopopoeia, I can only speculate. As the generally accepted solution to this riddle is Ox (I believe), there is indeed an imaginary or absent person acting as speaker. An ox is not a person at all, but by means of personification, the animal has been given the ability to speak for himself, and narrate this short riddle. I am however unsure of whether or not this fits the definition of prosopopoeia.

Next, I arrive at anaphora. There is abundant repetition of the word hwilum in the original text of this riddle. It acts as a means to decide what sorts of actions the speaker engages in and what sorts of actions are done to the speaker. After each occurrence of the word comes another clue as to the habits, and ultimately, the identity of the speaker.

Finally, there is the question of periphrasis. Ambiguity is a constant characteristic of the riddles. (Nelson, 422) Therefore, the entire riddle is an exercise in periphrasis. As Nelson says, To complete the naming of the rhetorician s tools, the whole poem can be called a periphrasis, a circumlocution used to embellish and expand a simple idea and avoid the direct mention of a subject. (437)

Part 3: The Conclusion

The fact that, pending my own further education, I could identify nearly all of the rhetorical tools Nelson mentions, as well as many of the concepts about which she talks, leads me to be rather apt to accept the idea that these riddlers were well educated persons, trained in classical rhetoric. To have located one or two rhetorical conventions may have been coincidence, but that nearly all of them were identifiable points to some outside influence that must have acted on these poets. It is also important to consider, as is now widely accepted, that these riddles were written by four, or more poets. And these sorts of conventions appear throughout the bulk of the riddles. Nelson suggested that the Anglo-Saxon people needed more than one frame of reference for these riddles, or rather that these riddles enabled them to draw from more than one area of knowledge. Then too it is important that the critical reader draw from another frame of reference when analysing. Instead of seeking the writer s intentions, examine the effectiveness. Afterall, if the intention, and deliberateness

Bibliography

Godden, Malcolm and Michael Lapidge. The Cambridge Companion to Old English

Literature. 1991. Cambridge University Press; Cambridge.

Hamer, Richard. A Choice of Anglo-Saxon Verse. 1970. Faber and Faber Ltd.; London.

Nelson, Marie. The Rhetoric of the Exeter Book Riddles. Speculum: A Journal of

Medieval Studies 44, 1974, 421-440.