Riddles Wisely Expounded

"Riddles Wisely Expounded" is a traditional English song, dating at least to 1450. It is Child Ballad 1 and Roud 161, and exists in several variants. The first known tune was attached to it in 1719.

Synopsis
In the earliest surviving version of the song, Inter diabolus et virgo, "between the devil and the maiden" (mid-15th century), the "foul fiend" proposes to abduct a maiden unless she can answer a series of riddles. The woman prays to Jesus for wisdom, and answers the riddles correctly.

In later versions, a knight puts a woman to test before he marries her (sometimes after seducing her), or a devil disguised as a knight tries to carry her off.  The woman knows the answers, and thus either wins the marriage or is free of the devil. In the latter case, the last riddle is often "what is worse than woman?" (the devil).

The riddles vary, but typical ones include
What is longer than the way? -- love
What is deeper than the sea? -- hell
What is louder than the horn?  -- thunder
What is sharper than a thorn? -- hunger
What is whiter than milk? -- snow
What is softer than silk? -- down

Commentary
The motif of riddling in folklore is very ancient, the stories of Oedipus and Samson giving two early examples.  The particular form used here matches the folktale Aarne-Thompson type 875  The Clever Girl where a woman wins a husband by her clever answers to riddles. Other tales of this type include What Is the Fastest Thing in the World? and The Wise Little Girl.

In this ballad, the words of each verse are interspersed with a chorus phrase "lay the bent to the bonny broom". A. L. Lloyd  euphemistically describes this as a phrase of "physiological significance", explaining that the word "bent" means a horn. "Broom" most likely refers to the flowering shrub.

There are many German variants of this ballad, and a Gaelic form was widespread among both Scots and Irish.

Modern retellings

Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary by Pamela Dean
 "A Diorama of the Infernal Regions, or the Devil's Ninth Question," by Andy Duncan

Music

Recordings

See also
List of the Child Ballads
The Fause Knight Upon the Road
The Elfin Knight
Proud Lady Margaret
The Riddle Song

References

External links
Riddles Wisely Expounded with 18th- and 19th-century melodies, and text to "Inter diabolus et virgo"

Category:Child Ballads
Category:Roud Folk Song Index songs
Category:Pages that use Traditional Song boilerplate
Category:Traditional music