Adventures in Anglo-Saxon

[highlyeccentric]

Exeter Book Riddle 4 is an extremely complex and enigmatic riddle. Although various solutions have been proposed (the most accepted being bell, but bucket, millstone, necromancy, flail, lock, hand-mill, pen and phallus have also been proposed), none have yet received consensus agreement. (Melanie Heyworth, The Devil's in the Detail, Neophilologus 91:175-196)

My, nothing like knowing what we're talking about, is there?
That's as far as I got in my attempt to be Stalker Serious Student and read the teacher's article on the homework. I believe she feels she knows what we're talking about, though, and it has something to do with the Devil. Or a Devil, I'm not sure which.

Also, I have found another stupid Anglo-Saxon contradictory word. (ge)gan- to go, to come, to move or depart. Options a, c and d work together; options b and c work together. How a and d came to be in the same word with b I am unsure.

BREAKING NEWS: Kate comes in and announces: I keep hearing a repetitive noise. I'm not sure if it's someone having sex downstairs, or if it's a pidgeon.
the link between those two seems about as obvious as the link between bells, necromancy, handmills and phalluses. (Phallusi?)

Comments

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

which was lovely and good...

i'm always favourably disposed toward necromancy as a result ;)