Riddles (Scandinavian) facts for kids
Riddles are like fun puzzles made of words! They ask a question in a tricky way, and you have to guess the answer. People in Scandinavian countries (like Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland) have loved riddles for a very long time. Even though traditional riddles aren't as common today, they used to be a very popular way to test how clever someone was.
Riddles in Medieval Times
We don't have many riddles from medieval Scandinavia, especially when compared to the many Anglo-Saxon riddles from England. However, old stories about Norse mythology often show characters having "wisdom contests." These were like riddle battles, usually involving the god Óðinn. Also, the complex poems called skaldic verse were often very mysterious, a bit like riddles themselves.
Almost all the riddles that survived from medieval Scandinavia are found in an old Icelandic story called Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks. In this saga, the god Óðinn asks about 37 riddles! Another riddle appears in Þjalar-Jóns saga, and we know of three medieval riddles about birds from around the year 1500.
Unlike some other old riddles, the ones in Hervarar saga have a clear poem-like structure. They often start with phrases like "what wonder is that, which I saw outside, before the doors of Dellingr?" These riddles teach us a lot about Norse mythology, how people lived in medieval Scandinavia, and old ways of writing poetry.
Some of the things these riddles were about include:
- Ale (a type of drink)
- A bridge over a river
- Dew (water drops on grass)
- A hammer
- Spiders
- Chess pieces
- Fire
- Fog
- A shield
- Waves (called "daughters of Hlér" or "women of Ægir")
- An anchor
- Piglets drinking milk from a sow (a female pig)
- A cow
- A falcon carrying a duck
- Óðinn riding his eight-legged horse, Sleipnir
One famous riddle from Heiðreks saga is about a cow. It's a type of riddle found in many places in Europe:
|
Fjórir hanga, |
Four are hanging, |
The answer is a cow! It has four udders (hanging), four legs (walking), two horns (point the way), two back legs (ward off dogs), and one tail (dangles behind).
Another well-known riddle is the "Óðinn riddle," which is a version of the "Rider-and-horse riddle":
|
Hverir eru þeir tveir |
Who are those twain |
This riddle is about Óðinn riding his horse Sleipnir. Óðinn has two eyes, and Sleipnir has two eyes, but together they are "three eyes" if you count Óðinn's one eye (he gave the other away for wisdom) and Sleipnir's two. Or, it could mean Óðinn's two eyes plus the horse's one eye if one is covered. They have ten feet together (Óðinn has two, Sleipnir has eight), and one tail (Sleipnir's). This riddle became very popular and even turned into a children's riddle in modern Sweden!
Riddles in Modern Times
When printing became common, people started publishing books filled with riddles. Many riddle collections were printed in Germany and then in Scandinavia. People also wrote down riddles that were told orally, meaning they were passed down by speaking them, not writing them. Today, riddles are still a fun way to challenge your brain!
