On October 30th, 2018, Professor Ethna Lay gave a lecture based off Anglo-Saxon riddles called Gold and Riddles, Books and Bread: Reflections on “The Dream of the Rood.” As referenced in the title, Professor Lay talks a bit about riddles. I personally love riddles and honestly any type of wordplay, so upon seeing the handout I was slightly pissed at my inability to even come close to figuring out what the true answers were. Professor Lay mentioned one thing in particular that interested me right at the beginning of her lecture. Professor Lay had mentioned that the Anglo-Saxons would tend to read poetry and riddles to one another. Their poetry was meant to be read out loud to one another during a gathering of many, many people. Now I’m not sure about everyone else, but personally drinking some possibly alcoholic drinks while telling whatever stories we can think of while everyone is gathered around a fire sounds exactly what a good time is for me. I feel as if maybe the Anglo-Saxons were the world’s first frat! All jokes aside, I enjoyed that picture that came to my head when it was mentioned and I find it fascinating how in certain aspects society as a whole has changed a lot, yet somehow remains consistent in how we interact. Now, I’d like to speak a bit about how Professor Lay refers to the poets as “the shapers of language.” This comes immediately after the last thing I had mentioned and ties into the oral tradition of reciting poems. What I got from this lecture, as well as other lectures and classes I have taken, is that oral tradition has influenced modern literature and entertainment immensely. Professor Lay is very well-versed in her knowledge of the history of writing and rhetoric and she proves the point that language has evolved orally throughout history. One thing I’d like to point out is the fact that as language evolved, more types of literature began to be created and the way we read and perceive stories also began to develop and it all stems from the earliest beginnings of oral tradition. What I’m trying to say is, these “scops” as they are referred to by Professor Lay, were fairly helpful in the advancement of written and oral language. To finish off my thoughts on the lecture, I’d like to refer back to the riddles presented at the beginning of the lecture. Professor Lay touches on the idea that words can be confusing and that the way that we can twist and contort their meanings effects how words are perceived. The riddles were extremely intriguing as they were old Anglo-Saxon riddles and were not the usual types of riddles that I am used to. Upon reading them I was instantly confused and kept trying to come up with elaborate possibilities as to what they could possibly mean. Did I come close? Not at all. One line in the second riddle states, “I saw four fine creatures,” now I know I am not the brightest, but I cannot be the only one that had absolutely no clue this alluded to fingers. The craziest part about the riddles was as soon as they were explained to me, my hindsight bias kicked in and I was left saying “Ooooh, of course, I knew that!” I did not know that and I am a terrible liar.
Works Cited:
Lay, Ethna Dempsey. “Gold and Riddles, Books and Bread: Reflections on ‘The Dream of the Rood.’” HUHC. HUHC Lecture, 30 Oct. 2018, Hempstead, Hofstra University.
Porter, John, et al. The Dream of the Rood. Tern Press, 1992.
Broken Borders 