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In the surviving Old English there are about 100 riddles. In imitation of
them I offer the following in Gothic. They are not meant to be profound or
philosophical, and if they seem cryptic it is most likely because of
eccentricities in my translations from English. I have accordingly appended
the Mn. E. "originals". The OE riddles were in verse. Mine are prosaic, but
to make them look as if they are in verse I have divided each into short
lines, and been free and easy with word order. However, the lines will not
scan, unless by a fluke here and there; and neither will they have whatever
other qualities verse is supposed to have.
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[Click on the Arabic numeral for the English translation, the question mark for the answer. To get back to a riddle from its answer, click "back" on your browser.]

1.
So bandi mik bindi§ bi §iudan
§oei hvashun ni saihvi§.
Ik fairra ni mag mik airzjan
§ammei fagri§a meina frawardei§.
Meinana hazjand, bi§e fulhans,
wul§u uf himina gumans.
?

2.
Dumbata im
§ande libai§
sa mik aigands.
Waitei at slawandin imma
ik stibna ganima.
Ai§§au mannam wit gibos
sa matjan, ik drigkan.
?

3.
Driusands ufta saihvada
ikei filu haba leike.
Unsaihvans ik reisa aftra.
?

4.
Hairumawi nam fodein in kasam;
du§e an§ara waur§un.
?

5.
Mahtais haba leitil,
agluba mag wagjan
hveit ana haubida
landis al§jamma skuft.
Wair§i§ aukanaim
gahahjo frasateinim
in meina mikils drus.
?

6.
Kauru ni allis im,
ak kauri§a mikila mis
§airh luftu galei§andein.
Andanei§ona §o two
§oei landam sandja.
?

7.
Imma gasin§e sind managei,
§iudana wul§au galei§andin
-- nauh§anuh and an§aris reiki --
jah §ata du fairhvau is gibi§
§atei du giban ni seinata ist,
swe§auh du mannam gakannei§.
Ni wesi, tahidai gajukans
jah andeis gaskafte.
?

Invented words:

waurdruna f riddle, lit. word-mystery
fagri§a f beauty (cf. fagrs fair)
frasateins f displacement, der. fra + satjan
wul§au adv in splendour (adverbial use of dative of wul§us)
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1.

A sightless bond ties me to my master
And I can stray no long way from him
Who destroys my beauty.
When he is beneath the ground
Men under heaven will praise my radiance.
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2.

I am mute while my owner lives;
When he falls silent I may gain voice.
Or we may both give [things] to men,
He food, I drink.
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3.

I, who have several bodies,
Am often seen to fall.
Unseen I rise again.
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4.

A sword-maiden took food from vessels.
Because of this more [vessels] have been made.
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5.

I have little strength of my own
And can scarcely move a white hair
Of the old head of the land.
By displacements linked and combined
There comes through me a great fall.
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6.

I am not at all heavy,
yet great is my load
As I pass through the air.
Adverse are the two things
I send to the lands.
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7.

He has a host of companions,
A king proceeding in splendour
-- though in another's realm --
And he gives to the world
That which is not his to give,
Though it makes [him] known to men.
If he did not exist his fellows would scatter
And life would end.
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