Confinatura
Content
Fundo
O exemplo mais antigo de uma disputa de sabedoria entre os reis é o épico sumério Enmerkar e o Senhor de Aratta, desde a primeira metade do segundo milênio aC, seguido de perto pelo egípcio a briga de Apophis e Seqenenre, fragmentária atestada em um BC do décimo terceiro século Papyrus sobre o Faraó Apophis e Seqenenre Tao. A briga de Apophis e Segenenre é ecoada na história posterior de Setne Khamwas e Si-Osire, atestada em papiro no período romano, mostrando que esse tipo de história continuava circulando no Egito. No entanto, esses contos não envolvem enigmas como tal.
Essas histórias egípcias, provavelmente por meio de material grego perdido, parecem ter sido uma inspiração para o relato de um contestado de sabedoria entre o faraó amasis II e o rei da Etiópia, no qual o viés do Sábio de Priene ajuda o faraó, resolvendo os enigmas, em O adivio adivium do primeiro ou segundo século do Plutarco Sapientium. Pelo menos uma das fontes de Plutarco provavelmente foi compartilhada pelo romance de aesop, que se originou em torno do século IV aC (Chs 102-8, 111–23). O romance de Aesop também se baseou em histórias semelhantes de concursos de sabedoria em várias versões da história de Ahikar.
Lista de contos de enigma
A lista a seguir é baseada na pesquisa de Goldberg. Uma coleção Fuller é oferecida por Marjorie Dundas.
(main or original) languageearliest known datetext title and summaryAT numberreferencesHebreweighth to sixth century BCESamson's riddle. In the Book of Judges, Samson poses a riddle to the Philistines at his wedding feast.Goldberg 1993, 17–18.Hebrewseventh to sixth century BCESolomon and the Queen of Sheba. The queen tests Solomon with riddles (including I Kings 10.1–13 and II Chronicles 9.1–12). This inspired various later works: four riddles are ascribed to her in the tenth- or eleventh-century Midrash Proverbs. These plus another fourteen or fifteen tests of wisdom, some of which are riddles, appear in the Midrash ha-Ḥefez (1430 CE). The early medieval Aramic Targum Sheni also contains three riddles posed by the Queen to Solomon. Goldberg 1993, 22–24.Ancient Greeksixth or fifth century BCEHomer's death. Heraclitus describes Homer being prophesied to die upon failing to solve some children's riddle. The story is also told by Hesiod.Goldberg 1993, 15–16.Ancient Greekfifth century BCEOedipus and the Sphinx. The riddle-contest is first alluded to in a play by Epicharmus of Kos.Goldberg 1993, 13–15.Aramaicfirst century BCE or CEKahramâneh and the Young Prince. A young prince wins a bride through a riddle-contest. The related story of Turandot in One Thousand and One Nights, which was the inspiration for several modern plays, involves a riddle-contest: the suitors need to answer all three questions to gain the Princess's hand, or else they are beheaded; In Puccini's opera, Turandot grimly warns Calaf "the riddles are three, but Death is one".851Goldberg 1993, 25–26; 29–31.Aramaicfifth century BCEThe Tale of Ahikar. Ahikar helps his king by solving riddles posed by a rival.Goldberg 1993, 17.Ancient Greekfirst or second century CESeptum sapientium convivium (The Dinner of the Seven Wise Men) in Plutarch's Moralia (2: 345–449). A woman poses riddles at a party.Goldberg 1993, 16–17.Ancient Greekthird century CEApollonius of Tyre. Antiochus tests Apollonius's suitability to marry his daughter. Taylor 1948, 41; Goldberg 1993, 18–20.Sanskritfourth or fifth century CEThe Mahabharata. III.311-12 contains Yaksha Prashna, a series of riddles posed by a nature-spirit (yaksha) to Yudhishthira. III.134 contains the story of Ashtavakra, who answers the riddles posed King Janaka and then defeats one Bandin in a further wisdom-contest. Goldberg 1993, 20–22.Arabictenth century CEThe marriage of Imrou-l-Qais. Imrou-l-Qais will only marry the woman who can solve his riddle.Goldberg 1993, 24-25Persiantenth or eleventh century CEShahnameh. A riddle-contest between Zal and Manuchehr, the emperor of Iran. Manuchehr fears and wishes to dispose of Zal, but is advised that Zal will become an unrivalled hero of Iran, so Manuchehr tests him with riddles, mostly cosmological. Winning the riddle-contest is one of a number of steps for Zal to win the hand of Rudabeh. Also, Buzurjmihr faces a wisdom-contest.Goldberg 1993, 26–27.Sanskriteleventh century CEBaital Pachisi. A vetala tells twenty-four tales, each culminating in a riddle. Unusually, the challenge here is for the hero to not solve a riddle.Goldberg 1993, 25.Persian?uncertainGul and Sanaubar. Suitors to a princess must answer a riddle. Goldberg 1993, 27–28.Old Norsethirteenth century CEHervarar saga ok Heiðreks. The god Óðinn challenges King Heiðrekr to answer his riddles. cf. 927Goldberg 1993, 31–34.Irishthirteenth century CEImthecht na Tromdaime. The text contains at least one riddle, examples of which are very rare in medieval Irish literature. When the hero returns to the hall to punish the excessive demands of its poets, his wisdom is tested through a number of questions, including the following riddle: 'What good thing did man find on earth that God did not find?—A worthy master.' Goldberg 1993, 37.Germanuncertain CEIn the Grimm tale "The Peasant's Wise Daughter", a peasant-girl wins the king in marriage by solving a riddle he poses.875Persianca. 12th century 1762 1926The tale of Princess Turandot, a beautiful yet cold princess who proposes deadly riddles for her suitors. The tale was originally present in compilation Haft Peykar, and inspired Carlo Gozzi's commedia dell'arte Turandot and the more famous opera by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini.851AChristian Schneller, no século XIX, coletou uma história de Wälschtirol (Trentino) que é bastante semelhante às histórias de Turandot: um rei invade o país vizinho e aprisiona o casal real, mas seu filho escapa e é criado por um homem pobre. Anos depois, o garoto viaja para o reino inimigo e descobre que seus pais estão vivos e a princesa está testando potenciais pretendentes com enigmas mortais.
Em um conto do Sri Lanka, a Princesa Riddle: Terávili Kumari Kava, uma princesa adora resolver enigmas. O filho de um rajah se apaixona por seu retrato e se disfarça como um peregrino sem um tostão para conhecer a princesa, como parte de seu plano.