‘Exeter Riddle 4’ and Two Other Bell Riddles

Abstract

In early medieval England, the ringing of bells served a wide range of functions. This article argues that a detailed understanding of bells and their everyday use can help to explain the intricate narratives and elaborate language of three Latin and Old English riddles. The first, the late antique ‘Riddle 80’ by Symphosius, describes a dinner bell and the idle chatter of a drunken party. The second, Tatwine of Canterbury’s ‘Riddle 7’, presents a funeral bell hanging in a tower as a deposed emperor who is hung and beaten. The third, the well-known ‘Exeter Riddle 4’, presents an everyday monastic bell as if it were an obedient monk, and it casts their relationship as interdependent and symbiotic. The bell solution has been heavily disputed. However, when the riddle is read alongside the rich context of monastic culture, and with careful attention to linguistic detail, this solution is confirmed.