Symphosius
Encyclopedia
Symphosius was the author of the Aenigmata, a collection of 100 Latin
riddle
s of uncertain date. They were even attributed to Lactantius
, and identified with his Symposium, but this view is that of a single 18th-century editor, and is not generally accepted.
The riddles themselves, written in tercets of hexameter
s, are of elegant Latinity, leading some to date them as early as the 2nd century; but the prevailing view today is that they were probably composed in the 4th or 5th century. The author's brief preface states that they were written to form part of the entertainment at the Saturnalia
, but this is a literary convention.
The Aenigmata are the only surviving collection of Latin riddles by a single author, and as such they have influenced the genre down to our own time, via the collections of Aldhelm and Tatwine. The editio princeps
was by Joachimus Perionius, Paris, 1533; the most recent editions are:
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
riddle
Riddle
A riddle is a statement or question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and...
s of uncertain date. They were even attributed to Lactantius
Lactantius
Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius was an early Christian author who became an advisor to the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine I, guiding his religious policy as it developed, and tutor to his son.-Biography:...
, and identified with his Symposium, but this view is that of a single 18th-century editor, and is not generally accepted.
The riddles themselves, written in tercets of hexameter
Hexameter
Hexameter is a metrical line of verse consisting of six feet. It was the standard epic metre in classical Greek and Latin literature, such as in the Iliad and Aeneid. Its use in other genres of composition include Horace's satires, and Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to Greek mythology, hexameter...
s, are of elegant Latinity, leading some to date them as early as the 2nd century; but the prevailing view today is that they were probably composed in the 4th or 5th century. The author's brief preface states that they were written to form part of the entertainment at the Saturnalia
Saturnalia
Saturnalia is an Ancient Roman festival/ celebration held in honour of Saturn , the youngest of the Titans, father of the major gods of the Greeks and Romans, and son of Uranus and Gaia...
, but this is a literary convention.
The Aenigmata are the only surviving collection of Latin riddles by a single author, and as such they have influenced the genre down to our own time, via the collections of Aldhelm and Tatwine. The editio princeps
Editio princeps
In classical scholarship, editio princeps is a term of art. It means, roughly, the first printed edition of a work that previously had existed only in manuscripts, which could be circulated only after being copied by hand....
was by Joachimus Perionius, Paris, 1533; the most recent editions are:
- E. F. Corpet, Paris, 1868, with witty French translation
- Elizabeth H. du Bois (Peck), 1912, with elegant English translation
- Raymond Ohl, 1928, with English.
- Fr. Glorie (ed.), Variae collectiones aenignmatvm Merovingicae aetatis (pars altera), Corpvs Christianorvm, Series Latina, 133a (Turnhout: Brepols, 1968), pp. 620–723.
External links
- The Aenigmata of Symphosius, in Latin and English translation from the Peck and Ohl editions with introductory material, at LacusCurtiusLacusCurtiusLacusCurtius is a website specializing in ancient Rome, currently hosted on a server at the University of Chicago. It went online on August 26, 1997; in January 2008 it had "2786 pages, 690 photos, 675 drawings & engravings, 118 plans, 66 maps." The site is the...
- The riddles of Symphosius, complete original texts and links to related sites.