Riddles in the Downs

[The Might]

Well, I'm back from vacation to annoy you all again...
So let me try...what about Gollum?

I'm living in a land
where enchanted stream flows,
where flowers blossom, and
no fight is there, no foes. - was living with the Stoors near the Gladden

When all my work is done
uphill I sometimes walk
to visit my best friend
to simply sit and talk. - to the Ring he had in the mountains

But when darkness comes down
When lightnings fill the sky
I leave my home and town
When foe is passing by - the storm in the Hobbit; home could refer to his rock in the lake, and town could be Goblin-town, where he went to find some food; he left both as Bilbo, his foe, came.

I'm living in a land
Where cold stone serves for bed - his rock in the Misty Mountains, and also Mordor
All things will come to end
Tomorrow, I'll be dead - He could be saying the riddle while in Mordor before reaching the Sammath Naur.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Ha, Miggy's back! Nice, nice attempt... though no, not what I had in mind. Was the river at Gladden fields enchanted? I never heard about it. And Gollum did not need to go to visit his friend - his "friend", as you put it, was with him all the time. So, nope

[Gil-Galad]

Treebeard!


I'm living in a land - Fangorn
where enchanted stream flows, - Entwash contains the super ent drink
where flowers blossom, and
no fight is there, no foes. - no fighting in the forest

When all my work is done
uphill I sometimes walk - Treebeard lives uphill
to visit my best friend - a friend in the forest
to simply sit and talk. - ents like to sit and talk

But when darkness comes down
When lightnings fill the sky - saurmans magic
I leave my home and town - Treebeard goes off to fight
When foe is passing by - when sarumans army is passing by fangorn

I'm living in a land - Fangorn
Where cold stone serves for bed - simply sits down
All things will come to end - he has been one to state the mortality of the world
Tomorrow, I'll be dead - there is no mroe entings and no more ent-wives so treebeards line is ending

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Good try, but I have to disappoint you. No.

The flaws are only a few, but they exclude Treebeard quite clearly, I think.

"to visit my best friend" - I think it's obvious we speak about one particular friend, and who would that be in Treebeard's case? We know several other Ents, but none is described as being indeed the "best friend".

"to simply sit and talk. - ents like to sit and talk" - oh, you erred here, my friend, and I think quite a lot. Ents like to talk, well, maybe, but surely not to sit! Let the Master himself speak:

Originally Posted by TT Chapter 4

"...And I do not sit down. I am not very, hm, bendable."

And finally:
"I leave my home and town" - Treebeard did not live in any TOWN.

This riddle is one of these that are not much metaphorical - so everything is literal, indeed, how it is written, that's how you should read it. Believe me, it's easy... mwa ha ha ha!!! (now think whatever you want about the last - after someone solves the riddle, you'll know).

[Shards of Narsil]

Could it be Tom Bombadil?


I'm living in a land
where enchanted stream flows,
where flowers blossom, and
no fight is there, no foes.

The Old Forest had an enchanted stream, or maybe it was trees

When all my work is done
uphill I sometimes walk
to visit my best friend
to simply sit and talk.

I don't have my copy of FTR, but I seem to recall that Tom walked uphill to go home and meet with Goldberry.

But when darkness comes down
When lightnings fill the sky
I leave my home and town
When foe is passing by

I'm living in a land
Where cold stone serves for bed
All things will come to end
Tomorrow, I'll be dead

As for the last two verses, I can't specifically relate them to Tom.

[Gil-Galad]

Gandalf?


I'm living in a land - Undying Lands
where enchanted stream flows,
where flowers blossom, and
no fight is there, no foes. - its peaceful in them Undying lands

When all my work is done
uphill I sometimes walk - Where Varda and Manwe live is on a hill
to visit my best friend - could be Varda, or Manwe
to simply sit and talk.

But when darkness comes down - Sauron
When lightnings fill the sky
I leave my home and town - left Undying Lands
When foe is passing by

I'm living in a land - Middle Earth
Where cold stone serves for bed - lives off land
All things will come to end - as a Maia he is aware of the song
Tomorrow, I'll be dead - no that when his task his done he goes back to never be heard of again

[Rumil]

This is a tricky one Legate!

my (somewhat leftfield) guess is Gorbag

I'm living in a land - Morgul Vale
where enchanted stream flows, -Faramir warned Frodo not to drink the water
where flowers blossom, and - pale noisome flowers
no fight is there, no foes. - we're all happy orcs together!

When all my work is done - slaving away for the big bosses
uphill I sometimes walk - a little stroll up through Shelob's lair
to visit my best friend - that charming fella Shagrat
to simply sit and talk. - about the old days when we could ravage and thieve to ours hearts content

But when darkness comes down - the War of The Ring starts
When lightnings fill the sky - signal to start the march on Gondor
I leave my home and town - Minas Morgul
When foe is passing by - Nazgul uneasy, possible spies on the stairs

I'm living in a land
Where cold stone serves for bed - wounded and lying on the floor of Cirith Ungol
All things will come to end
Tomorrow, I'll be dead - when I make a last ditch attempt to finish off Shagrat, the filthy backstabbing snaga!

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Rumil was correct! Great work, buddy! I see even though it was a little bit tricky, you managed it. (As I had planned, at first everyone supposed the answer to be one of the "good guys" because of the flowers and no fights and old friend etc.) And your explanations of all parts of the riddle are perfectly correct. Feel free to take the thread.

[Rumil]

Hi all,

thanks Legate, I admit I had to go to the map to try and find somewhere with a hill, an enchanted stream and a town and work it out like that. Anyway, this one should be quite easy, my rhyming ran away with me, but who's the subject and who is their sweetheart? I want elvish names too!

Oh, I went for a bevy,
and a knees-up levee,
at the good old rub-a-dub dub

You could tell I wasn't thinking,
by the ales I was sinking,
but everyone kept drinking,
arm-in-arm, glasses clinking

Till it all went wrong,
in the middle of the song,
as I gracefully slid to the floor,
But a jolly nice bloke,
the landlord and his folk,
gave me a hand to the door

The next day was dawning,
hungover, sick and yawning,
My sweetheart she was fuming,
her working day was looming,
her voice was loud and booming,
like a trumpet needing tuning

She made it very plain,
for the second time again,
that I should in no way come near,
But despite all the grief,
bumps, bruises, broken teeth,
It was the best fun I've had all year!

good luck but I'm sure you won't need it

[Rumil]

Hi all,

I'm away from the Downs for a fortnight or so, so please carry on riddling,

All the Best,

Rumil

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Rumil

good luck but I'm sure you won't need it

I think we would It does not seem too easy, really... (though I'm sure when we know the answer...)

But please someone try to answer it before I move into that phase that I'll start to think about it and then you won't stop me till I find the answer... noo... it's catching me... help! Must... resist... I don't want to even start thinking about it, really, because really I won't stop from then... and I think more people should show up on this thread

[Rumil]

Well, I'm back!

go on, have a guess, you know you want to! By the way Legate, I have used quite a lot of poetic licence in this one,

Cheers,

Rumil

[Thinlómien]

Possibly The Man in the Moon? That resembles the song Frodo sang in Bree all too much.

[Rumil]

Well done Thinlomien,

indeed it was the Man in the Moon, for an extra few points you could tell me who his sweetheart was and their elvish names,

Your turn to riddle!

Cheers,

Rumil

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Rumil

for an extra few points you could tell me who his sweetheart was and their elvish names,

She was the Sun and their elvish names were Tilion and Arien... Can I have my extra points now? (Unless, of course, you mean the odd man in the moon from the Lost Tales...)

Anyway, here comes the next one.


You can't tell if I'm young or old,
you can't tell if I'm silver or gold.
They say I'm like an Elven queen
but that I'm not and have never been.

[Rumil]

Hi Thinlomien,

truckloads of points already coming in your direction!

for a quick guess, I'll go with a mallorn tree,

Cheers,

Rumil

[Thinlómien]

Thank you, Rumil, but unfortunately you're wrong.

I've edited the riddle: I've replaced "and I've never been" with "and have never been", nothing more special I just thought it would be better English... So don't wonder why it has been edited...

[Gil-Galad]

i'm going to have to go With Arwen on this one...

[Thinlómien]

Nope...

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

You know the feeling when you are trying hard to remember something, but cannot, and feel it just outside of your reach, but you know it is there? That's the feeling I have now. I have the feeling that I know what the answer is, but cannot "remember" it. Unless my feelings are misguiding me

I will try answering Taniquetil now, though I am 99% sure it's not the right answer.

[Thinlómien]

A good guess - about your answer not being correct.

Keep on trying, folks. It's not difficult.

[Gil-Galad]

Varda?

Mainly with the silver and gold, because she created the Stars and has no dedication to either sun(gold) or moon(silver)

EDIT: Touche mr. Lanc...touche

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

You probably mean Varda, Gil?
Varna is a city in Bulgaria.

However you brought back one of my thoughts from yesterday, which was that it could be one of the Valier, more like Vána. However... I am still quite convinced that the answer is somewhere else.

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

I am still quite convinced that the answer is somewhere else.

And you're right in that.

Sorry, Gil & Legate, you're both wrong this time... Keep guessing.

Oh, and the line "you can't tell if I'm silver or gold" is probably slightly debatable , so don't make it the cornerstone of your evidence (I'm not saying here that you shouldn't use it at all, just that you shouldn't take it too literally...) ...

[The Might]

Before I answer I would like to ask for a tip...is the "Elven queen" part also debatable or has the answer really been named that?

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by The Might

Before I answer I would like to ask for a tip...is the "Elven queen" part also debatable or has the answer really been named that?

It/he/she has been described to be like, or been compared to, an Elven queen.

[Rumil]

Is it Goldberry?

I think she was compared with an elven queen,

Cheers,

Rumil

[Thinlómien]

Well done, Rumil, you're right. It is Goldberry. Your turn.

[Rumil]

Yay, thats been bugging me all week, nice one Thinlomien!

good luck with this one

A mighty hunter me,
when I prowl the night,
the beasts take flight
or I'd have 'em for my tea.

I chanced one eve on three,
vast giants of great might,
and most astounding height,
from whom I ought to flee,

But I couldn't be bothered

Cheers,

Rumil

[The Might]

I doubt it's the correct one, but still worth a try...Beorn.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Somehow I am inclined to think that at least the second half is metaphorical (the giants). Unless...

Unless, now it hit me, unless it refers to Bert, Tom and Bill? Then it could be... well, Bilbo (then the hunter part would be also metaphorical... uh-huh, have for TEA? The tea would fit... ) Or in other circumstances, Aragorn (as a Ranger - Hunter), but then I think it was not in the evening, but during the day... Bilbo sounds better.

[Rumil]

Hi Might and Legate,

'fraid it's none of the characters you mentioned. The key thing here is to look at it from the point of view of the subject.

The answer is quite an obscure one!


Cheers,

Rumil

[The Might]

I'm thinking about the threed mountains above Moria.
Though both Gandalf and Aragorn could be meant in this context...though considering the hunter thing, I'll take Aragorn.

[Rumil]

Hi Might,

I'm sorry to say the answer is waaaaay more obscure than Aragorn , I like your thinking but you're definitely barking up the wrong tree!

Cheers,

Rumil

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

The first part makes me think of Smaug or some similar sort of dragon, monster, whatever... but then, the giants don't fit. I have to re-start after the summer, it seems my wits are sleepy or what...

[The Might]

Well, you said obscure, so here's a really obscure answer.

I'd it's the strange fox that sees the Hobbits in a fir-wood.

A mighty hunter me,
when I powl the night,
the beasts take flight
or I'd have 'em for my tea.- a fox is at least in the Shire probably the greatest hunter

I chanced one eve on three,
vast giants of great might,
and most astounding height,
from whom I ought to flee, - Hobbits would appear to a fox as giants

But I couldn't be bothered - the fox strats to think why the Hobbits are there

[Rumil]

Congratulations to The Might,

exactly 100% spot on!

It is indeed the curious fox,

I like to think that in the fox's mind he was as great a hunter as Aragorn or Smaug, its just on a different scale, like the hobbits, who appear giants in comparison with the fox. Of course he would generally flee from hobbits due to their propensity to chuck stones with great accuracy, but realised that they weren't paying any attention to him.

The thread is now all yours,

Happy Riddling!

[The Might]

Well...I must say I was not really expecting that to be correct...but nice to see that my very obscure answer is what you also had in mind.
I'll think of a good riddle, and post it soon.

[The Might]

Has the hunger of a hunter
And likes to laugh
Might look to many weak
But actually is quite tough

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

It could be a hobbit. It reminds me of Treebeard's new description in his list. And the hobbits obviously look weak, but as we know, are actually quite tough.