STORM and Other Old English Riddles

by Kevin--Trans. Crossley-Holland ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 1970

On the way a miracle: water become bone."" This is one of 36 riddles translated by Kevin Crossley-Holland from the 10th century Exeter Book. Genuinely puzzling, they characterize everyday things (fire, bread, river) as well as less familiar objects (chalice, bellows) and Christian concerns (the Bible, body and soul). Cross-hatched illustrations with enigmatic clues accompany almost all of them; possible answers and explanations where needed are in the back. We guessed fourteen (the one above is ""ice""), and might have deciphered twelve more with time, but ten require an uncommon familiarity with Old English life and one of these is virtually impossible--the author posits ""a one-eyed seller of onions"" but we're still unconvinced. This is as competent as his earlier works (The Green Children, The Callow Pit Coffer, Wordhoard, et al.) but not as likely to find an audience. Only the most ambitious can weather this Storm.

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1970

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1970

Categories: NONFICTION