Abraham Cowley was an English poet. He was born in 1618 at London and died in 1667. He was one of the metaphysical school of poets who followed John Donne in his use of far-fetched conceits. He published his first volume, Poetic Blossoms, at the age of fifteen. He entered Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1636, but was ejected as a royalist in 1643, and removed to St John's College, Oxford. He engaged actively in the royal cause, and when the queen was obliged to quit England, Abraham Cowley accompanied her. He was absent from his native country nearly ten years, and it was principally through him that the correspondence was maintained between the king and queen. On the Restoration he returned with the other royalists, and obtained the lease of a farm at Chertsey, held under the queen, by which his income was about 300 pounds sterling per annum. Abraham Cowley's poems have failed to maintain their ancient popularity, but he still holds a high position as a prosewriter and as an essayist. He took a considerable interest in science, and was one of the founders of the Royal Society. His chief works are: Love's Riddle, a pastoralcomedy; Davideis, a scriptural epic; Naufragium Joculare; The Mistress, a collection of love verses; Pindarique Odes; Liber Plantarum; etc. Research Abraham Cowley
David Kelly (also known as Dave Kelly) is an Irish actor. He was born in 1929 at Dublin. He is perhaps best known for his role as the one-armed assistant Albert Riddle in the 1977 televisioncomedy series Robin's Nest, and for his starring role in the 1998 film Waking Ned. Research David Kelly
In Norse mythology, Alvis was a dwarf who wanted to marry Thor's daughter, Thrud. Unlike most suitors, Thor didn't challenge Alvis to a test of strength, but instead challenged him to a riddlecontest. He spent the whole night asking Alvis questions until the day dawned and the rising sun turned
Alvis to stone. Research Alvis
The Sphinx is a composite monster which appears in both Greek and Egyptian mythology. Both sphinx have the body of a lion and the head of a man - though the Egyptians had also two other sphinx with the head of a ram or a hawk. The Greek sphinx has wings, the Egyptian does not. In Greek mythology, the Sphinx posed a riddle to all who sought to pass. This riddle was at last explained by Oedipus, where upon the Sphinx destroyed itself. The Egyptian Sphinx was deemed to represent a real creature fabled to haunt the deserts, and was a god of wisdom and knowledge.
The oldest example of a statue of a sphinx is the Great Sphinx of Gizeh, in lower Egypt. This is a recumbent image of a man-headed lion, hewn out of a rocky knoll near the pyramid of Khafra. It is 57 meters long, the head nine meters long, the face four meters wide, and the height to the top of the head is 20 meters. The features were originally painted red, but were marred by mediaeval Mamelukevandals. Portions of the beard and uraeus are in the British Museum. In front of the breast Thothmes IV set up a granite slab, mentioning Khafra's name, to commemorate the digging of the image out of the drifted sand. Worshipped as Harmachis, there are the remains of an open-air temple between the paws, with an altar dating to Roman times.
The next oldest pair of sphinxes are a granite pair two meters long, bearing the name of Pepi I, of the Vith dynasty. Several examples from Tanis , once regarded as of Hyksos origin, are attributed to Amenemhat III. Under the New Empire avenues of sphinxes, mostly recumbent rams or ram-headed lions (crio-sphinx), were erected at Thebes from temple to temple. An unfinished Sphinx of that period was found in the Gebel Silsila quarries. Research Sphinx
The Riddle Of The Stinson is a drama based upon a true story. It stars Jack Thompson in the tale of one man's attempt to rescue the survivors of a plane crash in almost impenetrable terrain. Research The Riddle Of The Stinson
The USS Riddle was an American Bostwick Class escort destroyer of 1240 tons displacement launched in 1943. The USS Riddle had a top speed of 19 knots and carried a complement of 220. She was armed with three 3 inch dual-purpose guns; two 40 mm anti-aircraft guns; four 20 mm anti-aircraft guns; depth charge throwers and three 21 inch torpedo tubes in a triple mount. Research Riddle
In heraldry a fret is a charge consisting of two narrow bendlets placed in saltire, and interlaced with a mascle. It was supposed to represent the meshes of a fishing-net. Being borne by the family of Harrington it is also sometimes called a Harrington's knot; and riddle-makers have also seen a connection between the Herring-town and the net. Whatever may be the origin, the term fret, or rather frette, occurs frequently in the ancient rolls, but in many cases probably only a single fret is intended. When two or more
frets are borne in the same arms they must be couped, unless each occupies an entire quarter. Research Fret
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Riddle
