Ic eom mare þonne þes mindan geard, I am greater than this middle plain,
læsse þonne hond wyrm, leohtre þonne mona, less than a hand worm, brighter than the moon,
swiftre þonne sunne. Sæs me sind ealle quicker than the sun. All of the oceans, the flooding,
flodas on fæðmum ond þas foldan bearm, are in my embrace and in my bosom
aregrene wongas. Grundum ic hrine, green meadows. I touch at the ground,
helle underhnige, heofonas oferstige, deep beneath the hell, rise far above heaven,
wuldres eþel, wide ræce and to the glorious homeland I reach out
ofer engla eard; eorþan gefylle, over the yard, to fill the earth,
ealne middangeard ond merestreamas all of the middle world and the ocean roads,
side mid me sylfum. Saga hwæt ic hatte. wide, by myself. Say my name.
translated by Reid Hardaway
Scholars seem to think that this is one of the less cryptic Old English riddles and there is something of a consensus of 'what' the poem is referring to. But I'm not so sure. What/who do you think is the 'I' in the poem? Feel free to leave a comment with your answer - and maybe we can break some new ground in the OE scholarship.
