Riddles

[mneme]

[edits: credit added where it's due, and typos fixed]
I appear to be in a riddle mindset today, so you all get the "benefit." Two of these are very specific propper nouns, one is the more common sort of riddle:

I killed myself to make myself, and avenged myself shortly after.
He who wields me, built me, yet he is far younger than I.
I serve are those whom I was made to kill, and have done so since my birth.
What am I?
[answered by bigscary]

I drank from a king.
Yet kings have striven to drink from me?
What am I?
[first answered by bigscary]

Hermes's silver snake,
I speed but do not slither,
Burrow but do not dig.
What am I?
[incompletely, but correctly answered by nightface

Comments

[mephistakitten.livejournal.com]

I'd think the last one is water...

The Grail one, can't it also be a sword?

[mephistakitten.livejournal.com]

Oh! Oh oh oh! I need to find my riddles from Mr. Gern! They are delightful and medieval and name common objects and make you think a lot! And there's the Onion Riddle! =D

[mephistakitten.livejournal.com]

Ooooooh I found it!

And a lot of them, too!

http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/english/oldenglish/23.html

I am a wonderful help to women,

The hope of something to come. I harm

No citizen except my slayer.

Rooted I stand on a high bed.

I am shaggy below. Sometimes the beautiful

Peasant's daughter, an eager-armed,

Proud woman grabs my body,

Rushes my red skin, holds me hard,

Claims my head. The curly-haired

Woman who catches me fast will feel

Our meeting. Her eye will be wet.

[mneme]

Ah -- that would be the Onion Riddle, I take it. Pretty neat!

[mneme]

As above; nightface's answer was close enough for #3 (also, water digs, and doesn't match the "hermes's silver snake" kenning, though a river might).

The grail one has a few features that point to it not being a sword:

Kings don't strive to drink -from- a sword, though they might strive to make their swords drink from others.
Many kings have been drunk from by swords, but the object of the riddle had only drunk from one king (which was one major clue not in the draft version of the riddle).