Anglo-Saxon Riddles of the Exeter Book/6

6 (K-D 33)

A thing came marvelously     moving over the waves,
comely from the keel up.     It called out to the land,
loudly resounding.     Its laughter was horrible,
awful in its place.     Its edges were sharp;
hateful it was,     and sluggish to battle,
bitter in its hostile deeds.     It dug into shield-walls,
hard, ravaging.     It spread mischievous spells.
It spoke with cunning craft     about its creation:
“Dearest of women     is indeed my mother;
she is my daughter     grown big and strong.10
It is known to men of old,     among all people,
that she shall stand up beautifully     everywhere in the world.”

Iceberg, slow but deadly as it damages ships. The mother–daughter relationship is simple: water into ice, ice into water.