Anglo-Saxon Riddles of the Exeter Book/Annotated/23

Barnacle Goose. There was a popular belief that it was born from a barnacle growing on wood, the plank of a boat, or a submerged tree trunk. Dr. Johnson&rsquo;s first definition of Barnacle is &ldquo;A bird like a goose, fabulously supposed to grow on trees.&rdquo; The &ldquo;currents&rdquo; in l. 1 are literally a mountain stream.