Riddling IV

[CAB]

Dark crowns in a giant green bowl,
Impatient sounds far below

[EllethValatari]

Originally Posted by Keith K

I'm at the end of my range, the last horn blowing.

Has anyone solved this yet?

Well, in the meantime, an easier one:

A puzzle I am and a puzzle I tell;
Say what I ask and thou might fare well.

[Wilhelm]

A puzzle I am and a puzzle I tell;
Say what I ask and thou might fare well.

A bit of a guess but, Tom Bombadil.

Tolkien's letters claim that Tom was intentionally left an enigma - a riddle.
Tom told the hobbits to recite a rhyme if they got into trouble (say what I ask).

[EllethValatari]

Originally Posted by Wilhelm

A bit of a guess but, Tom Bombadil.

Tolkien's letters claim that Tom was intentionally left an enigma - a riddle.
Tom told the hobbits to recite a rhyme if they got into trouble (say what I ask).

Hmm...now that I think of it...your guess almost fits the riddle better than what I was thinking of when I wrote it. Very good answer! However, it is not what I was thinking of....it is from LOTR though.

Hint: The way that your guess falls short is with the line, "say what I ask." Bombadil did not require of them that they recite the rhyme, whereas the thing/person/place I am thinking of requires you to say something.

[CAB]

Originally Posted by EllethValatari

A puzzle I am and a puzzle I tell;
Say what I ask and thou might fare well.

The West-gate of Moria?

[EllethValatari]

Originally Posted by Thurin

The West-gate of Moria?

Yes! Good answer! The West Gate requires that you "Speak, friend, and enter" which ends up being a riddle itself.

[Keith K]

Originally Posted by Thurin

I am quite confident that I know the answer now, due mostly to standing on the shoulders of giants (my fellow riddlers)!

Mt. Mindolluin upon which sits Minas Tirith. It is at the end of the White Mountain range which in Elvish is called Ered Nimrais which translates as Whitehorn Mountains.

Great riddle Keith!

You guys are getting on the right track now, but Mt. Mindolluin is incorrect. Recheck the riddle, and then recheck your Elvish. That ought to do it!

Thanks for trying. Next!

[Midge]

Originally Posted by Thurin

Dark crowns in a giant green bowl,
Impatient sounds far below

This is Entmoot. The dark crowns are the heads of the Ents, and the impatient sounds far below are coming from the little hobbits at their feet.

[EllethValatari]

Originally Posted by Midge

This is Entmoot. The dark crowns are the heads of the Ents, and the impatient sounds far below are coming from the little hobbits at their feet.

I never even thought of that!

Here's another one:

Not by our faces
Nor our measure
Can you tell
Which we are.
But if you know us
You will find us
Beneath the ground,
perhaps?
we aren't
The only ones
who blend together
with our opposites,
you see,
we confuse
the other races
because we're
little
hairy
beasts.


This one takes some artistic license, and is supposed to be funny, not insulting...Good luck!

[Midge]

I'll start with the obvious and ask: is it Hobbits?

They are little and hairy, and I guess you could call Man a beast, because they are of the same class (I think). Hobbits like to live underground, their faces look like Men, their stature is similar to Dwarves...

Is the formatting part of the riddle?

[EllethValatari]

Originally Posted by Midge

I'll start with the obvious and ask: is it Hobbits?

They are little and hairy, and I guess you could call Man a beast, because they are of the same class (I think). Hobbits like to live underground, their faces look like Men, their stature is similar to Dwarves...

Is the formatting part of the riddle?

Good guess, but not quite. Focus more on the lines,

Which we are.

who blend together
with our opposites,

[Wilhelm]

Not by our faces
Nor our measure
Can you tell
Which we are.
But if you know us
You will find us
Beneath the ground,
perhaps?
we aren't
The only ones
who blend together
with our opposites,
you see,
we confuse
the other races
because we're
little
hairy
beasts.

Dwarves?

Male and female (opposites) are indistinguishable to other races

[Wilhelm]

I'm at the end of my range, the last horn blowing.

It's not Mt Mindolluin, It's not the Hornburg, but it does appear to be a location as opposed to a musical instrument...

My next guess will be....

Edoras

'ras' is an elvish translation of horn. Edoras is at the end of the white mountain range. It is located near the mountain Starkhorn. Tolkien describes it as a windswept place (blowing), Theoden and Theodred would obviously know it.

If this is correct, I all but had the answer with Hornburg - I just didn't consider the need for a translation.

[Keith K]

Originally Posted by Wilhelm

It's not Mt Mindolluin, It's not the Hornburg, but it does appear to be a location as opposed to a musical instrument...

My next guess will be....

Edoras

'ras' is an elvish translation of horn. Edoras is at the end of the white mountain range. It is located near the mountain Starkhorn. Tolkien describes it as a windswept place (blowing), Theoden and Theodred would obviously know it.

If this is correct, I all but had the answer with Hornburg - I just didn't consider the need for a translation.

Edoras is not correct. No need for translating, - if you can solve the riddle with a reasonable explanation as to why your answer fits.

The Elvish is merely another avenue you guys can take in solving my riddle.

Keep trying. Y'all are right on the heels of figuring this one out.


ADDITIONAL NOTE: This riddle has nothing to do with the White Mts. or with Rohan. I'm just saying that the Rohirrim would be familiar with it. The educated ones, anyway.

[Noble Elf Lord]

Following the good example.

I'm at the end of my range, the last horn blowing.

Less scrolling, I should think.

Hmm. LotR, right? ............................ .....nothing comes to my mind.

[Keith K]

Since you guys seem stumped with the "end of my range" riddle, here's one to play with in the meantime.

The Unnamed Ringbearer

I am an unknown, of me no one sings.
Yet, I'm one of the few who has handled the ring.


Good luck, riddlers!

[Wilhelm]

The Unnamed Ringbearer

I am an unknown, of me no one sings.
Yet, I'm one of the few who has handled the ring.

My guess will be Deagol


More or less in order...

Sauron, Isildur, Deagol, Smeagol, Bilbo, Frodo, Bombadil, Frodo, Sam, Frodo, Gollum, Lava

[Midge]

If that's the order, I'm going to guess Lava.

[Keith K]

Originally Posted by Wilhelm

My guess will be Deagol


More or less in order...

Sauron, Isildur, Deagol, Smeagol, Bilbo, Frodo, Bombadil, Frodo, Sam, Frodo, Gollum, Lava

Lava! Now that's an interesting guess! Actually, none of these fit the riddle since they all have names and songs sung of them.

The odd thing about this sort of riddle is that the answer is not actually stated in the narrative of LOTR. Rather, it is inferred. To solve it you guys have to trace the history of the ring to find a point where it was handled by an unnamed person.

[Midge]

So is it literally no one sings of this person ever, or just no one sings of this person in relation to the Ring?

Like, did the Barrow-wight touch it, or did one of the Council of Elrond (like Boromir), or did Galadriel touch it? Gandalf, I don't think, ever touched it. Did Shelob touch it?