The Riddle-Game

[Jonwah]

Yep, your right Kanoroch! Narya it is

[gradivus]

I came up with another line to help:

Without notice, by the door I stay,
Until I am taken, outdoors one day.

Had you posted that as the entire riddle and left all the rest out, we'd have guessed it a lot faster!

[e_h_b]

Well I've finally come up with some words to commit to virtual paper, probably will get solved quickly, but here it is...



Game as ancient as Earth itself,
played for fun, yet can save those in need.
Took away something precious,
and hated by those who are cheated,
but the authorites say fair play!




e.h.b

[TheScyphozoa]

The name of this thread. You didn't even need anything after the first line. (Although it should have included the word "middle" in there.)

[e_h_b]

Wow, under a minute. Yep, you're right TheScyphozoa, the Riddle-Game it is. Middle-Earth is supposed to be an older version of earth, so I figured that it would make it a bit harder. Guess not







e.h.b

[TheScyphozoa]

Actually, I think Middle-earth is just the stuff west of the sea and east of Mordor. The elves left Middle-earth, but they didn't leave the planet.

[e_h_b]

/lore mode
Well, Arda was the name of all the earth, including Valinor and surrounding realms (Tolkien later thought that Middle-Earth was just one of a vast series of realms, ie the universe, with Middle-Earth being the most important one). Middle-Earth was the name for all the land from the Sundering Sea to the eastern side of Middle-Earth, far beyond Mordor. It may also be said to include the new lands west of where Valinor was after it was destroyed and the earth was bent.

/lore mode


Someone come up with a harder riddle already





e.h.b

[elvyen]

nice riddle ehb, i especially like that it pays homage to our beloved thread hehe

If TheSchypozoa doesnt mind, Ill throw my latest up before i go to bed



You must at times be cautious in my presence, yet you needn’t be afraid
For my face and bearing are pleasant, and I myself am harmless
Yet you may see my countenance burn steadily with violent fury
A coward shares my name, though I myself have never felt fear
I’m never angry, though I can be quite bitter sometimes
I watch from the treetop, I lay in the meadow;
I travel a long road; but I call no place my home
My strength has restrained the swiftest, and impeded the most driven
Yet I’ve confronted no one, nor spoken a word in protest or threat
Can you guess my name?


it's not lore specific

[Womdon]

Good morning, I see I missed a few riddles. Ah well, that's what I get for not logging in and checking the thread enough.

As for the most recent, I will guess "wind".

[elvyen]

Nope not wind, though that does fit a lot of the lines

[Womdon]

Hmmmm... Interesting riddle, after reading it through a few more times I got to thinking that I was looking at it too specifically. Trying to muscle your way through a riddle rarely works .

That being said, is the answer perhaps "Yellow"?

[elvyen]

"Yellow" is correct

[Womdon]

Cool, nice riddle Elvyen. I'll try to think up a riddle but to be honest it may be a while.

[Womdon]

Ok, took me a bit but I thought one up:

The first shall stay true to its name
Though the third is named the same
While the second place is bought
By that which turns all to naught
Unashamedly guarding the rear
Is ruin's herald and trailer of fear

Joined together a great fruit is born
Of love and mercy amidst the scorn
And if a flip and reversal is nigh
You'll see the dark brother on high
Seek not though the silvery bold
But rather the flame of the gold

EDIT: I was especially amused by the "impeding the most driven" line from the previous riddle very clever elvyen

[gradivus]

The elves left Middle-earth, but they didn't leave the planet.

Not at first. But after the fall of Númenor the Earth was "bent" (i.e., became a globe) and the Blessed Lands were removed from it. At least, that's how I read the myth (Tolkien's conception of what that transformation was supposed to account for, in mythical terms, as described in The Silmarillion).

[gradivus]

The first shall stay true to its name
Though the third is named the same
While the second place is bought
By that which turns all to naught
Unashamedly guarding the rear
Is ruin's herald and trailer of fear

Joined together a great fruit is born
Of love and mercy amidst the scorn
And if a flip and reversal is nigh
You'll see the dark brother on high
Seek not though the silvery bold
But rather the flame of the gold

Oh, I like this one. I can see what's guarding the rear, and I'm pretty sure I know what's bought, but the rest of it eludes me.

[Womdon]

Ah good, someone's making progress with it. I was starting to worry I made it too tough. I will mention that the answer is lore-specific and that both stanzas describe the answer, just in very different ways.

[Kanoroch]

Joined together a great fruit is born
Of love and mercy amidst the scorn
And if a flip and reversal is nigh
You'll see the dark brother on high
Seek not though the silvery bold
But rather the flame of the gold

I can't help but think this has to do with the Trees of Valinor. The great fruit being the last fruit of Laurelin, which turned into the sun. Unless I'm wrong, the moon and sun is referenced in the last two lines "silver bold" and "flame of gold", respectively. Seeking the moon isn't a good idea, as Tilion wasn't a very reliable steersman, remaining in the sky too long and giving chase to the sun.

The first stanza however, puzzles me.

The first shall stay true to its name
Though the third is named the same
While the second place is bought
By that which turns all to naught
Unashamedly guarding the rear
Is ruin's herald and trailer of fear

Maybe the latter part is a reference to Ungoliant? Turned the trees to naught, guarded Morgoth's rear as he left Valinor... trailer of fear could refer to the the clouds of darkness Tulkas and Orome's riders encountered as they gave chase.

Either way, the first 3 lines of the poem confound me.

[elvyen]

wow this is a tough one,
i dont have many thoughts Im ready to add at this point, but I will say that the first stanza makes me think of letters. The last letter (guarding the rear) is "R" because it's the 1st letter (herald) of "Ruin" and the last letter (trailer) of fear. The rest of my musings I'll keep to myself for now until Im more confident hehe

good one womdon
no hints! let us grind this one out hehe

[Womdon]

Ok, deal, no hints . I gotta tell you though, your thinking is pretty good so far.

[gradivus]

I also thought the last group of stanzas refer to Laurelin of the Two Trees, and its final fruit the Sun, or Arien, its guide.

The first group of stanzas seemed to me a literal word riddle regarding the spelling of the answer, ending in the letter "R" and the second letter being "O" or "N" (I'd say "N" for sure except that I think aught means "anything", not "all"), and having the first and third letters the same.

Putting the two together I'd venture a guess, Anar - the name of the fruit that was the Sun.

EDIT: Looking in the dictionary, I see that a secondary definition of aught, after "anything", is "all". Aha!

[Womdon]

Good job, Gradivus, Anar is correct.

And good job Elvyen and Kanoroch, you guys all worked it out very well.

I figured describing N as turning all to naught as pretty safe as it worked with both aught->naught and ever->never. You guys nailed the descriptions in the second stanza as the sun and the moon.

The reversal line refers to the backwards spelling of Anar, Rana, which is the Noldor word for the moon. I'm glad you got it, I really was worried for a bit there that I got too obscure with that one

[gradivus]

The reversal line refers to the backwards spelling of Anar, Rana, which is the Noldor word for the moon. I'm glad you got it, I really was worried for a bit there that I got too obscure with that one

Wow - that one went right over my head; way too obscure for me! I thought the reversal line referred either to the waxing and waning of the Two Trees, or an eclipse of the sun by the moon. I'm afraid my command of Noldor is deficient! I'd better brush up, just in case I'm reincarnated in Middle Earth as I hope (my second choice is ancient Rome; I'm studying Latin too!)

I'd like to check my copy of The Silmarillion tonight before I submit the next riddle (well there, I've given you a hint already!)

[Kanoroch]

Good job, Gradivus, Anar is correct.

And good job Elvyen and Kanoroch, you guys all worked it out very well.

The riddle was fantastic, Womdon. Thanks.

[elvyen]

great riddle womdon!
(though that first line about staying true to it's name still confuses me)

and great guess gradivus! ok now your turn, and you've got to top that one so you'd better get to work hehe