Something in the corner

Another one from the Exeter Book. A thousand years on, it still makes people go red.

26 Jan, 2026

I heard of something growing in a corner, swelling and rising and lifting its cover. A proud bride took hold of that boneless thing with her hands. A lord’s daughter covered the swelling thing with a cloth. What is it?

Give me a hint

It happens in a kitchen, and it takes about an hour.

Reveal the answer

Bread dough

Dough, proving under a cloth. Every line has a second meaning, and the riddle never once admits to it.

Source: The Exeter Book, Riddle 45, 10th century