Abstract
A satisfactory and accepted solution to Riddle 4 in the vernacular collection of riddles in the Exeter Book has not yet been made and Riddle 4 remains one of the most puzzling riddles in the collection. However, detailed analysis of the semantic range of the language in Riddle 4 reveals that its language is found primarily in the particular religious contexts of the penitentials and homilies. These contexts direct the Riddle’s audience to a specific reading, and thus solution, of its clues. It is argued in this paper that the Riddle’s solution is a devil and that consequently the purpose of the Riddle is to remind Christians of the pervasive threat of the devil and of the need for continual vigilance against devilish temptation.
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My thanks to Antonina Harbus for suggesting this title.
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Heyworth, M. The Devils in the Detail: A New Solution to Exeter Book Riddle 4. Neophilologus 91, 175–196 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11061-006-9012-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11061-006-9012-1