Symphosius

Symphosius (sometimes, in older scholarship and less properly, Symposius) was the author of the Aenigmata, an influential collection of 100 Latin riddles, probably from the late antique period.

[5] A range of circumstantial evidence in the content of the riddles suggests that Symphosius was writing in Roman North Africa.

Here, Symphosius mischievously proves 'prepared to defy Juno's curse and restore to Echo the ability to speak for herself':[13] The complete set of solutions of Symphosius's riddles (according to Hickman du Bois) is:[15] 1. graphium/stilus, 2. harundo/reed, 3. anulus cum gemma/signet ring, 4. clavis/key, 5. catena/chain, 6. tegula/roof-tiles, 7. fumus/smoke, 8. nebula/fog, 9. pluvia/rain, 10. glacies/ice, 11. nix/snow, 12. flumen et pisces/a river with fish, 13. navis/ship, 14. pullus in ovo/chicken in its shell, 15. vipera/viper, 16. tinea/bookworm, 17. aranea/spider, 18. coclea/snail, 19. rana/frog, 20. testudo/tortoise, 21. talpa/mole, 22. formica/ant, 23. musca/fly, 24. curculio/corn-worm, 25. mus/mouse, 26. grus/crane, 27. cornix/crow, 28. vespertilio/bat, 29. ericius/hedgehog, 30. peduculus/louse, 31. phoenix/phoenix, 32. taurus/bull, 33. lupus/wolf, 34. vulpes/fox, 35. capra/she-goat, 36. porcus/pig, 37. mula/male, 38. tigis/tiger, 39. centaurus/centaur, 40. papaver/poppy, 41. malva/mallow, 42. beta/beet, 43. cucurbita/gourd, 44. cepa/onion, 45. rosa/rose, 46. viola/violet, 47. tus/frankincense, 48.

Murra/Myrrh, 49. ebur/ivory, 50. fenum/hay, 51. mola/hill, 52. farina/flour, 53. vitis/vine, 54. amus/fish-hook, 55. acula/needle, 56. caliga/boot, 57. clavus caligarius/boot-nail, 58. capillus/a hair, 59. pila/ball, 60. serra/saw, 61. ancora/anchor, 62. pons/bridge, 63. spongia/sponge, 64. tridens/trident, 65. sagitta/arrow, 66. flagellus/scourge, 67. lanterna/lantern, 68. vitreum/glass, 69. speculum/mirror, 70. clepsydra/water-clock, 71. puteus/well, 72. tubus ligneus/wooden pipe, 73. uter/wine-skin, 74. lapis/stone, 75. clax/lime, 76. silex/flint, 77. rotae/wheels, 78. scalae/flight of steps, 79. scopa/broom, 80. tintinnabulum/bell, 81. laguna/earthenware jar, 82. conditum/spiced wine, 83. vinum in acetum conversum/wine turned to vinegar, 84. malum/apple, 85. perna/ham, 86. malleus/hammer, 87. pistillus/pestle, 88. strigilis aenea/bronze strigil, 89 balneum/bath, 90. tessera/die, 91. pecunia/money, 92. mulier quae geminos pariebat/mother of twins, 93. miles podages/gouty soldier, 94. luscus allium vendens/a one-eyed seller of garlic, 95. funambulus/rope-dancer, 96.

[16] They had some popularity as school-texts among Renaissance humanists: some appear in the anonymous Aenigmata et griphi veterum et recentium (Douai 1604), which Joachim Camerarius translated seventeen into Greek for his Elementa rhetoricae of 1545.