Rǣdelsa in þǣre deorcnesse: Riddles from The Hobbit translated into Old English
Introduction My primary intention with these translations was to showcase how closely Tolkien's riddles from The Hobbit resemble the Anglo-Saxon riddles of the Exeter Book. While I took some efforts to emulate the syntax and vocabulary which was used in the Exeter riddles, I mainly tried to give as literal of a translation as possible, operating under the suspicion that Tolkien had specifically shaped his riddles to the Anglo-saxon riddle forms and traditions. I found that the final product really did resemble the style and structure of the Exeter riddles; this should not be seen as use of excessive interpretation or creativity on my end, but a proof of how Tolkien was deeply embedded into the Anglo-saxon tradition when he wrote these delightful riddles. I also directly quoted the answers from the text of The Hobbit. This allowed me to showcase the unique character voices, particularly Gollum's. Gollum speaks in modern english with hissing repitition and stunted syntax. I tried to give his vocabulary as much of this quality as possible: notice the repitition of h and þ sounds. His tendency to reduntantly pluralize has been approximated with repeated case endings.
I. Gollum: What has roots as nobody sees,
Hwæt hæfþ wyrt-truman swa nan mote seo1,
Is taller than trees,
lengra þonne beamas bēon,
Up, up it goes,
Hit gæð uppe, uppe,
And yet never grows?
ond gyt næfre weaxe?
[Mountain, I suppose.]
[Beorg, me þinceð.]
II. Bilbo: Thirty white horses on a red hill,
Þrītiġ hwītra horsa wǣron on beorge rēadum,
First they champ,
ærest hīe bītaþ2,
Then they stamp,
þonne hīe þyð3,
Then they stand still.
þonne hīe ætstandaþ.
[Teeth! Teeth! My preciousss;
[Teþ!Teþ! Min deorwurððð4;
but we only has six!]
ac wit5 ænne hæfþ6 siex!]
III. Gollum: Voiceless it cries,
Hleoþorleas hit clipað,
Wingless flutters,
fiþerleas fleogeð,
Toothless bites,
tōþleas biteþ,
Mouthless mutters.
tungeleas7 clumað.
[Wind, wind of course.]
[Wind, wind huru.]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Subjunctive, hypothetical “none might see” Bite, closest equivalent to champ 3rd pers, sing, pres, indic form of Þywan, which means “to crush” “deorwurðe” – nominalized and drawn out final consonant to simulate Gollum's speech Dual pronon form; Gollum referring to himself as “we” is likely in reference to two entities rather than more. 3rd person sing. Form. “we has” Hleoþorleas, tōþleas, and tungeleas are all compounds which I invented. “-leas” is a common suffix, meaning “without”.
IV. Bilbo: An eye in a blue face
Eage in blæwenum andwlitan
Saw an eye in a green face.
Geseah eage in grēnum andwlitan.
"That eye is like to this eye"
“Þæt eage is gelic þis eage”
Said the first eye,
Cwæþ þæt eage forme,
"But in low place,
“Buton in niþerweard stede8
Not in high place."
“Nalles in heahstede.”
[Sun on the daisies it means, it does]
[Sunnan on þǣm dæges-ēagum9 hit mǣnþ, hit dēþ]
V. Gollum: It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
Ne con hit biþ gesewen, ne con biþ gefeled,
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
Ne con biþ gehyred, ne con biþ gestuncen.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
Beæftan tungel ond under beorgas hit legþ,
And empty holes it fills.
Ond seaþas æmettige hit fyleþ.
It comes first and follows after,
Hit cymð ærest ond folgaþ æfter,
Ends life, kills laughter.
Endaþ lif, cwelþ hleahtor.
[Dark!]
[Deorcnes!]
VI. Bilbo: A box without hinges, key, or lid,
Box hæfð nohwæðer heorras, ne cægan, ne hlid,
Yet golden treasure inside is hid.
Giet madm gylden is bewrigen inne.
[Eggses! Eggses it is!]
[Ægruru10! Ægruru hit is!]
8 9 10
“But in a downwards place” Literally “day's eyes”; conveys a deep connection between the two “eyes of the day”, the sun and the daisies From “ǣġru”, nom. Plural form of ǣġ; redundant “-ru” for effect
VII. Gollum: Alive without breath,
Hit11 cwic is buton oruð,
As cold as death;
Swa ceald swa dēaþ;
Never thirsty, ever drinking,
Næfre þurstig, ealneg drincende,
All in mail never clinking.
In byrnan gegearwod12, næfre dyniende.
[It is fish!]
[Hit is fisc!]
VIII. Bilbo: No-legs lay on one-leg,
Nænig-scancan legde on an-scancan,
Two-legs sat near on three-legs,
Twa-scancan neah sæt on þreo-scancum,
Four-legs got some.
Feower-scancan begeat dǣl13.
[Fish on a little table, man at table
[Fisc on beode lȳtelum, mann æt beode
sitting on a stool, the cat has the bones]
on stōle sittende, se catt þā bān hæfþ]
IX. Gollum: This thing all things devours:
Þæt þing forswelgð ealle þing:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Fuglas, dēor, bēamas, blostma;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Cyweþ īsen, bītt stīele;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Grinþ hearde stānas into grēote14;
Slays king, ruins town,
Sliehþ cyning, fordēþ ceastre,
And beats high mountain down.
Ond high beorg gefyleþ15.
[Time! Time!]
[Tid! Tid!]
11 12 13 14 15
Subject is implied in modern english. OE sentence is easier to translate with a stated nominative. In this way, it also more closely resembles Exeter Riddles “In chainmail adorned” “four-legs got a part” “Grinds hard stones into grit/sand/earth” – closest approximation to original intent “Fell” used to replace “beats down”
X. Bilbo: “What have I got in my pocket16?”
“Hwæt do ic hæbbe in pohhan minnum?”
[Not fair! Not fair!It isn’t fair,
[ Na riht! Na riht! Na riht hit is,
my precious, is it, to ask us what
min deorwurððð, is hit, tō āscienne unc hwæt
it’s got in its nassty little pocketses?]
hit hæfþ in his lȳtelum pohhumum unsssyfreum?17]
16 17
Classic example of neck-riddle archetype Modified form of “pohhum unsyfreum”, to emulate Gollum-speech
