Medieval LOLs: Old English Riddles

<p>Riddles are an ancient and universal form, but few people seem to have enjoyed them more than English Benedictine monks. The Exeter Book, a tenth century monastic collection of Old English verse, builds on the riddle tradition in two striking ways: first, the riddles don’t come with answers; second, they are sexually suggestive. Were they intended to test the moral purity of the reader? Are they simply mischievous rhetorical exercises? Mary and Irina read some of them and consider why Anglo-Saxon culture was so obsessed with the enigmatic.</p><p>Sign up to listen to this series ad free and all our subscriber series in full, including Mary and Irina's twelve-part series <em>Medieval Beginnings</em>:</p><p>Directly in Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://lrb.me/medlolapplesignup" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/medlolapplesignup</a></p><p>In other podcast apps: <a href="https://lrb.me/medlolscsignup" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/medlolscsignup</a></p><br><p>Read more in the <em>LRB</em>:</p><p><a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v29/n03/marina-warner/doubly-damned" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marina Warner: Doubly Damned</a></p><p><a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v40/n16/mary-wellesley/short-cuts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mary Wellesley: Marking Parchment</a></p><p><a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v03/n02/barbara-everett/poetry-and-soda" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Barbara Everett: Poetry and Soda</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

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