Enigmonim jako forma oznaczania autorstwa w książce staropolskiej

Abstract

In the essay an attempt has been made to interprete the functioning of enigmonims or versified author’s riddles, in the old book. On the examples taken from the files of The Dictionary of Pseudonyms of Polish Writers (in the collection of the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw) the rhymed cryptonyms were shown of the authors of the 17th and the 18th c. — little known creators, translators and panegyrists. They put their encoded personal data on the front covers or at the end of the books. Enigmonims functioned as independent cryptonyms or together with other pseudonyms, they indirectly defined the author. Versified riddles giving data about the name and often also about the profession or beliefs of the author, fulfilled, first of all, advertising and folk functions in the old prints.