“Ic eom wunderlicu wiht”: Discovering Creation as Sacrament in the Exeter Book Riddles

Abstract

Abstract:Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical invites readers to combat the impending threat of human-caused climate change by reclaiming a sense of the sacramentality of creation. While Francis cites influential Christian figures such as Bonaventure and John of the Cross, the Old English riddles of the Exeter Book provide an unexpected source for such spiritual illumination. The playful depiction of everyday objects in the dramatic structure of the riddles invites the reader to engage with a sense of God as creator and the wondrous character of God’s creation. Cultivating an appreciation of the divine presence in the world of the Exeter Book riddles challenges the reader to break down the distinction between “sacred” and “secular” and to subsequently view the natural world as worthy of stewardship.