Riddle 26

[highlyeccentric]

can i just point out what dirty dirty minds the anglo-saxons had?

Riddle 26, translation by me

I am a wonderous creature in the expectation of women,
an aid to neighbours. I never harm any
citizen, save my slayer alone.
My stem is erect, I stand up in bed,
hairy somewhere below. Sometimes a very
comely churl's daughter dares to grasp me,
attacks me in my redness, plunders my head,
fixes me in her stronghold. (she) Feels directly
my encounter, she who confines me,
woman with (the) braided hair. Wet is that eye.

anyone care to solve it?

Comments

[rayneshadow.livejournal.com]

My next guess is "an onion" because it fits the hairy part and the wet eye part... but I've never had an onion that was useful to neighbors :p so I'm still stumped, hehe.

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

you win!

we assume it's useful to neighbours because it was just about the only thing you had in anglo-saxon england to add some flavour to your boring broth.

the class were a bit distressed at the implications stuck onto the onion though... onions aren't exactly very phallic. we ended up leaning toward 'leek', but Reena tells me spring onions are both long and thin, like leeks, and smelly, like onions.

[sea-of-tethys.livejournal.com]

I think when onions are growing in the ground they have a long green above-ground part like a spring onion - it's just usually chopped off before they're sold. I think.

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

well yes. but the bottom bit is still pretty bulbous and i can't imagine it being a very effective aid in the self-stimulation which is implied here...

[rayneshadow.livejournal.com]

Self-stimulation?? With onions?? How disturbing o_O I thought it was simply meant to be a double-entendre, I didn't think the actual answer was supposed to be meant for the uses that immediately spring to mind.

[rayneshadow.livejournal.com]

YAY! What do I win?

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

glory and honour.