A riddle for you in OE

[Linden]

æg hwa secge unþurhsceotendlicnes

It only works in OE but the answer should be familiar to you all.

A pint if we ever meet up to the first person to solve it correctly.

[Linden]

It only works in OE ........................

which needs to be correctly translated into Modern English .......

[Linden]

which needs to be correctly translated into Modern English .......

...to keep the playing field level,  Bosworth and Toller is recommended for 'unþurhsceotendlic'.

[David]

I really do not know what I’m meant to be doing with riddles and Bosworth and Toller did not improve matters.

From the original statement I can’t get Humty Dumpty out of my mind.

Then I thought that you are supposed to hear it a second way, so I thought of
Ǣġhwӕs ecgung þurh scēotend liċnes
They sort of fit together.

Then I decided that I am not cut out for this.

 

[Linden]

I really do not know what I’m meant to be doing with riddles and Bosworth and Toller did not improve matters.

From the original statement I can’t get Humty Dumpty out of my mind.

Then I thought that you are supposed to hear it a second way, so I thought of
Ǣġhwӕs ecgung þurh scēotend liċnes
They sort of fit together.

Then I decided that I am not cut out for this.

Hi David

Glory!   (I owe you a pint!)

Lewis Carroll's Humpty Dumpty is indeed the answer.

'They've a temper, some of them - particularly verbs, they're the proudest - adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs - however, I can manage the whole lot!
 Impenetrability! That's what I say!'

The Anglo-Saxon riddler would have greatly appreciated Humpty Dumpty.

The nursery rhyme about Humpty Dumpty is generally believed to have originated as a riddle.

You might also like this

(from Wikipedia 'Mots d'Heures')

Humpty Dumpty                                Un petit d'un petit
Sat on a wall.                                 S'étonne aux Halles
Humpty Dumpty                               Un petit d'un petit
Had a great fall.                             Ah! degrés te fallent
And all the king's horses                 Indolent qui ne sort cesse
And all the king's men                       Indolent qui ne se mène
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty          Qu'importe un petit d'un petit
Together again.                             Tout Gai de Reguennes.

[lawrence]

I am no wiser - haven't a clue.

[Linden]

I am no wiser - haven't a clue.

æghwa          secge                                         unþurhsceotendlicnes

everyone        let (him) say                            'impenetrability'
= let everyone say 'impenetrability'

æg          hwa        secge                    unþurhsceotendlicnes

an egg    who         may say                'impenetrability'
(= Humpty Dumpty)

Word boundaries (as per example 'æghwa') are tricky in OE poetry.