Describing the world: Aldhelm's 'Enigmata' and the Exeter 'Riddles' as examples of early medieval ekphrasis

Aldhelm's Latin Enigmata and the Old English Exeter Riddles represent different offshoots of the literary riddle tradition. Because Aldhelm's are numbered and labelled and the Exeter Riddles are not, Aldhelm's collection tends more toward definitio (definition) of the objects it describes. The Exeter Riddles call for reader participation differently; the reader must guess the solutions. Nevertheless, many of these Latin and Old English riddles make extensive use of various rhetorical devices. Many of these devices are readily traceable in the Latin tradition in the writings of, for example, Quintilian and Priscian. Aldhelm and the Exeter poet's handling of theme and diction through the careful use of these devices render their texts vividly ekphrastic, or descriptive, and this description is reinforced on multiple levels. Many of the enigmata and riddles also have complex numerical patterning and visual patterns through significant letter and word placement which render these texts iconic, suggestive of their subjects or some aspect of their subjects. Together, the Enigmata and Riddles, considered more for what qualifies them as rhetorical descriptions than for what qualifies them as riddles, may be counted among the many poetic texts that exemplify the range of ekphrastic practice in the early middle ages.