Literature test sic! answers

Some of the Anglo-Saxon literature test answers invariably brought about quite frequent moments of amusement, or even jaw-dropping surprise. Here's a sample.

1. The name of the first English historian, the Venerable Bede, yielded the following sic! alternatives: Bede de Venerable, Beve, J. Bede, Venerable Ben, the Vunerable Bede, Venerable Bene, Venerable Babe (!), Winarable Bed [somebody must have had a great need to sleep].
2. Hrothgar, the king of Danes who couldn't come to terms with Grendel, might be surprised if someone addressed him in the following manner: Heorothod, Hurirgat, Horthot, Hrothal, Hotghart, Hoerod.
3. The English word "consonants" proved problematic for a handful of people. Here are the most inventive attempts: unvowels, componants, conounts, constonances, contanents.
4. The word "metaphor" was slightly easier, though not without its own interesting possibilities: methafor, methafory.
5. Finally, we know remarkably little about the Anglo-Saxon sex-life, but according to a student they merit the name "Anglo-Sexons". Interesting...

The medieval literature test wasn't as eventful as the Old English one. The word "peace" found its sic! variant spelling *pice* (well, the more frequent mistake was "piece", but that's pretty *dysorydżinal*); a branch of holly that the Green Knight was holding in his hand miraculously turned into *a bunch of holy* and then into *a brunch of holly*; the word "fellowship" was supplanted by *failoship*; "unfaithful" became *unfairful*; "helmet" was turned into *hamlet*; the Tabard Inn was changed into *Tabor* and its owner *appears to be* a certain Thomas Becket (sic!); Queen Guinevere was re-christened into *Ginerva* (or, alternatively, *Quinevre*); The Canterbury Tales became *Canterbury Teles*and finally, Geoffrey Chaucer's name was creatively changed into *Choser*. Oh well, nothing can be perfect...

My advice: be aware of the potentials of irregular spelling, but refrain from experimentation in tests and colloquia ;)