Featherless bird-riddle facts for kids
The featherless bird-riddle is a famous type of riddle from many different countries. It's all about a snowflake! For a long time, people thought this riddle might be very old, perhaps even from ancient times.
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What is the Featherless Bird-Riddle?
This riddle describes a snowflake using clever comparisons. The "featherless bird" is the snowflake itself. It flies without feathers because it's carried by the wind. It lands on a "leafless tree," which means a bare tree in winter. Then, a "person without hands" or a "maiden without a mouth" comes along. This is the sun, which melts the snow.
The Riddle's Oldest Forms
The featherless bird-riddle was first written down in Latin around the year 900 AD. It was part of a collection called the Reichenau Riddles, found in an old book from a place called Reichenau Abbey.
Here's what the Latin version says, and what it means:
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Volavit volucer sine plumis; |
It flew on wings without feathers; |
This means the snowflake was blown by the wind and then melted by the sun.
Examples from Different Countries
The featherless bird-riddle has been told in many languages across Europe.
German Version
An old German version of the riddle goes like this:
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Es kam ein Vogel federlos, |
There came a bird featherless |
In this version, the "snow (featherless bird)" lies on a "bare tree in winter (leafless tree)." Then, the "sun (speechless maiden)" makes the snow melt (eats the featherless bird).
English Version
A well-known English example of the riddle is:
White bird featherless
Flew from Paradise,
Perched upon the castle wall;
Up came Lord John landless,
Took it up handless,
And rode away horseless to the King's white hall.
Icelandic Version
An example from Iceland shows how similar the riddle is in different places:
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Fuglinn flaug fjaðralaus, |
The bird flew featherless, |
