Old English Riddle

I was a fighter; now a proud young fighter
wraps me in silver and gold,
and clinching wires. Sometimes men kiss me
sometimes I call good friends, singing,
to battle. Sometimes a warhorse
carries me across the battlefield. Sometimes
a wood horse carries me over the sea
sometimes a girl fills my ring-covered chest;
sometimes on tables, on hard boards,
I lie, decapitated by the fighters.
Sometimes, covered with jewels, I hang
on the wall near drinking men,
the noble gear of war: sometimes a soldier
will carry me on a horse -- then I blow,
swallow, etched with riches, from somebody's chest.
Sometimes I call warriors to wine;
sometimes I give back loot from thugs,
and put the wind up raiders...Guess me!


Note on the Text: The Exeter Book contains in all ninety-five riddles or fragments of
riddles in two groups (10-59, 60-95). This is number 14. Exeter Book Edition: Krapp, George Philip, and Elliot Van Kirk Dobbie, eds. The Exeter Book. ASPR 3. New York: Columbia UP, 1936.
Note on the Image: Two silver gilt drinking horns from Sutton Hoo http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nmia.com/~bohemond/Bootshop/horn-page/horn-images/horn-hoo-van.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.nmia.com/~bohemond/Bootshop/horn-page/sutton_hoo_horn.htm&h=261&w=216&sz=29&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=wWWtdya3IyVogM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=93&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsutton%2Bhoo%2Bhorn%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG