The Demaundes Joyous
The lightness of these, when measured against the Old English Riddles, makes them seem mere bagatelles. Quite a lot of those Old English Riddles are light and jokey also; it is just the labour of translation makes them seem less. But for ease of reading, and sheer fun, we have these.
Did I mention translation? Yes, well, these are also translations – but not from the heavy?, stodgy? Anglo-Saxon – no, they are from the Romance of northern French.
The Demaundes Joyous
1 Who was Adam’s moder?
2 What space is from the hyest space of the se to the depest?
3 How many calves tayles behoveth to reche from the erthe to the skye?
4 Which parte of a sergeaunte love ye best toward you?
5 Which is the moost profitable beest, and that men eteth leest of?
6 Which is the broadest water and leest jeopardye to passe over?
7 What beest is it that hath her tayle between her eyen?
8 Wherefore set they upon churche steples more a cocke than a henne?
9 Why doth an ox or a cowe lye?
10 Which was first, the henne or the egge?
11 Which tyme in the yere bereth a gose moost feders?
– It is always best to have a ‘flavour’ of the kind of answer expected. So, here is the answer to Question 3:
No more but one if it be long ynough.
If you want to try and answer these… then let’s say you must do so in the curious English of their period.
The source of these Demaundes Joyous is Wynkyn de Worde, 1511.
The collection contains about fifty such riddles – I have skipped the more church-orientated, and so maybe a little obscure now eg Why come dogges so often to the churche? etc.
My source says the collection here is based partly on an early sixteenth-century French collection, Demandes joyeuses en maniere de quolibets.
There are some old crocks here: Which came first, egg or hen? But there is no Why did the chicken cross the road? Maybe that is in the other forty, not included.
Some are a little… indelicate? Some just crazy. All have the flavour of their period.
Enjoy.
Happy Festive Season!
michael9murray 