Riddles in the Dark

[Romeran]

Do you make your posts always < 100 characters to ensure you don't accidentally get any points or do you just have a sneaky method to set yourself back to 0?

ME related again:

Strong I seem, as stern as steel,
Grave in glance but pity I feel;
Fair in face and gold in tress
clad in white and silver dress.

I'm not so great a writing riddles but I enjoy turning them into these little poems

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Nah, just keeping < 100 characters. I can’t rhyme like you in English.

It might be Galadriel?

[Romeran]

Galadriel is a good guess, these certainly could refer to Galadriel, but all of the lines in the poem are either direct quotes or minor adjustments to direct quotes about the subject

[Aikári Salmarinian]

I see, it is a tough one. I don't know, maybe someone else will guess right? You’re a good poet!

[Ercassie]

“Grave and thoughtful was her glance, as she looked on the King with cool pity in her eyes. Very fair was her face, and her long hair was like a river of gold. Slender and tall was she in her white robe girt with silver, but strong she seemed and stern as steel, a daughter of kings. Thus Aragorn for the first time in the full light of day beheld Eowyn, lady of Rohan ..”

It’s from the chapter ‘King of the Golden hall’, in The Two Towers. So my guess to your riddle is Eowyn.

[Romeran]

“Grave and thoughtful was her glance, as she looked on the King with cool pity in her eyes. Very fair was her face, and her long hair was like a river of gold. Slender and tall was she in her white robe girt with silver, but strong she seemed and stern as steel, a daughter of kings. Thus Aragorn for the first time in the full light of day beheld Eowyn, lady of Rohan ..”

It’s from the chapter ‘King of the Golden hall’, in The Two Towers. So my guess to your riddle is Eowyn.

Nailed it! Eowyn is indeed the correct answer. Floor is yours

[Ercassie]

Thankyou for reviving this lovely thread @Romeran And very well then. Here goes:

I am both who and where I am
Not eldest, but twice named.
In my land do the deathless rest
For me does darkness reign.
The master of dew's silver pool
Red blossoms I contrive.
One servant was the first and last
The other one of five.

Middle Earth related. Of course.

[The Good Hunter]

Gonna guess Irmo, aka Lórien for this one

[Ercassie]

And there your guess would be correct Frost. Well done.

For anyone who's interested ..
- He was named Irmo and also Lorien, but Lorien was also the name of his gardens in Valinor.
- He was the younger brother of Mandos and Nienna.
- Miriel, first wife of Finwe, laid her body down to rest in Irmo's gardens and refused to return to it after.
-It was Este and Irmo who begged Varda to let there be night, so that the world might have a chance to sleep.
- He used the cauldron Silindrin to see visions in the dew collected of Silpion/Telperion and wielded poppies in his enchantments of sleep and dreams.
- The two Maiar known to have served in his Valinor gardens were Melian, the first and only Maia to wed an Elf, and also Gandalf, one of the five istari sent to Middle Earth.

[The Good Hunter]

wonderful riddle Cassie, it was only after I figured out it was Irmo that I search and found he grew poppies in his gardens (boy does that give me ideas)
Anyway...

Don't call me a fish
I only live by the sea
Also, there's some elves

[Romeran]

Wonderful riddle indeed Cassie I enjoyed it! Glad to see more riddlers in the dark

Going to take a shot in the dark with: Túna

Don't call me a fish -- it shares a name (accent marks aside) with the tuna fish but is in fact a hill.

I only live by the sea -- "and there in a deep valley that ran down to the sea the Eldar raised a high green hill; Túna it was called." (The Silmarillion, Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië") it 'lives' by sea (well it runs down to the sea, maybe this one is a bit of a stretch)

Also, there's some elves -- "Upon the crown of Túna the city of Elves was built" (ibid) there's some elves living there.

[The Good Hunter]

You are correct good, sir! And your explanation makes my stupid little haiku even funnier

The floor is yours, @Romeran

[Romeran]

I smiled at the haiku also every time I hear/read Túna I still think it sounds weird because of the fish.

ME-related:

Bane of man, a father tossed,
weregild to pay at freedom's cost

Who am I?

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Mansbane, a name given to Felaróf (mearas) by Eorl.

[Romeran]

Haha yeah I thought Bane of Man might have been too much of a giveaway if you remembered that Felaróf was named Mansbane by Eorl.

In any case, you are correct. Floor is yours @Aikári Salmarinian

[Aikári Salmarinian]

ME related:

Kindled from flame
I found them east
And lured them west
Pretty hard at times.

[Romeran]

Going to take a stab with "Oromë"

Kindled from flame -- this one might not fit as well, it could refer to the Elves and the Secret Fire or Eru's creation of the Valar?
I found them east -- Finds the Elves in Cuiviénen
And lured them west -- Leads them to Beleriand
Pretty hard at times. -- It was a hard trek for the elves.

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Romeran: Right! Headperson was, Ainur and Eä were made through the Flame. Floor is yours!

[Romeran]

Thanks! It was a good one :)

ME related:

Forty leagues from end to end,
from moors to marshes I extend.

[Romeran]

Since it's been nearly 48 hours I'll add two more lines to see if this helps

ME related:

Forty leagues from end to end,
from moors to marshes I extend.
Cut in quarters, cloaked in green,
More of half than whole is seen.

[Ercassie]

Could it be The Shire ?

[Romeran]

Could it be The Shire ?

Correct!

In case anyone's wondering here's where the first two lines come from:

"Forty leagues it stretched from the Far Downs to the Brandywine Bridge, and fifty from the northern moors to the marshes in the south." (Prologue: Concerning Hobbits, Lord of the Rings) I guess the second line should have been from downs to bridge or something, since it's fifty from the moors to the marshes.

The second lines coming from "The shire was divided into four quarters" (Prologue: Of the Ordering of the Shire" ) and that, of course, it's populated by mostly halflings

The floor is yours @Ercassie

[Ercassie]

I'll admit I was a little thrown by the 'forty leagues from end to end, from moors to marshes I extend,' until I separated it out, to mean forty leagues stretched east to west, and from moors to marshes stretching from north to south. Even then I wasn't sure I wasn't clutching at straws until you mentioned quarters and halves. That was a good riddle @Romeran

This one is likely to follow my usual pattern of being guessed at first try. But then, it is amusing to compose them anyway.

'I am light of brightness, young of year
I am pastures, forests, gardens fair.
I am winged and have twice took flight
but upon my wings none do i bear.
I am two in twain and not the same
Ruler of the skies, ever for she.
There are more than one bequeathed my name
I passed hand to hand, and came to me.'

Middle Earth Related. Always.

[Aikári Salmarinian]

Gwaihir, but I got a feeling it is not him?

[Ercassie]

I'm sorry but the answer is not Gwaihir, Aiks. I can see why your thoughts went there though, and its' not entirely off the path completely, is all I'm going to say.

[Romeran]

Damn @Ercassie you've really stumped me I keep thinking of things which don't quite fit.

Lorien, the Sun/Moon all seem vaguely right, I even thought Tom Bombadil for a hot minute. The Ruler of the Skies and the last line really have me stumped.

Paging in some of the Lore folks for assistance @Boromir88 @Chrysophylax Dives @Androthelm any of you want to take a stab at the ME riddle above?

[Chrysophylax Dives]

Arggh! Thank you @Romeran. I read this riddle with my morning coffee, have no idea, and now will have this going around my head all day. I have no idea. Please, someone, answer!

Edit: OK, this does not quite fit, but, maybe, what about the crown of Gondor?

[Ercassie]

@Romeran, ironically it is the last line which I felt would certainly give the answer away.

@Chrysophylax Dives, the crown of Gondor is not correct, I'm afraid. But you're getting close there. Gondor also has an association to the answer, just like @Aikári Salmarinian's eagle guess.

If it helps at all, the 'young of year' part is not at all literal, and has more to do with the quality/skill, rather than the actual age, of the answer. So if that red herring is what is throwing you off, don't you let it.

[Drífa]

My guess is the Elessar?
There were two of them supposedly. The first one had the sun's light captured in it and made by Enerdhil. It healed all that was burnt or withered. It was passed down and taken by Eärendil into the west. Some say that Gandalf brought it from the West to Middle-earth and gave it to Galadriel, who passed it down and came to Aragorn. Another writing state that Celebrimbor made the second one for Galadriel, green and shaped like an eagle rising from outspread wings. UT, History of Galadriel and Celeborn, The Elessar

[Romeran]

That's a good guess @Drifa

What about the White Tree of Gondor?

'I am light of brightness, young of year -- the tree comes from the original light bearing trees of Valnior
I am pastures, forests, gardens fair. -- uh something about trees and light = growing stuff?
I am winged and have twice took flight -- Ok so trees aren't winged but Celeborn gives a seed to the Numenoreans (flight numero uno) and then Isildur saves it for Gondor (numero dos)
but upon my wings none do i bear. -- doesn't carry anyone
I am two in twain and not the same -- reference to the two trees? Or that Nimloth of Doriath vs. Numenor?
Ruler of the skies, ever for she. -- the original two trees light up the skies and were favored of Yavanna
There are more than one bequeathed my name -- lots of White Trees of Gondor (four)
I passed hand to hand, and came to me.' -- Something about the seeds being passed down with Aragorn eventually planting the 4th tree.

[Chrysophylax Dives]

I've just spent an hour reading around trying to solve this riddle (when I should be working!) only to conclude that @Drifa already has it: the Elessar or Elfstone.

[Ercassie]

@Drifa does indeed have the correct answer.

'I am light of brightness', referred to it reputedly holding the light of the sun within it. 'Young of year' was a bit of a naughty clue from me, because it not only refers to having originally been made (maybe) in the first age, but also refers to how the Elessar/Elfstone was able to make all that had grown aged and withered look young again.

'I am pastures, forests, gardens fair.' .. well all those things are green, and the gem of the Elessar/Elfstone was of course green. But also, this refers to where Galadriel had been looking to have 'trees and grass about me that do not die'.
'I am winged and have twice took flight' .. because the gem is set in an eagle-shape of jewellery, so the eagle has wings. The 'flight' here is not literal, but figurative, because Idril fled from Gondolin whilst wearing the Elessar, and Earendil later took it with him on his desperate journey from Middle Earth to plead help of the Valar. So 'upon my wings none do i bear.'

'I am two in twain and not the same' .. yes, this is because the history of the Elessar in canon split into two different versions.
'Ruler of the skies', Because the Eagles are considered by many to be the kings of the sky/of birds, as opposed to say the lion which is king of the animals in popular culture. And 'ever for she' refers to Galadriel, because in both of the two contrasting tales of the Elessar, they are given to her.

'There are more than one bequeathed my name' .. Aragorn Elessar uses the name of the Elessar Elfstone, which is his birthright.
'I passed hand to hand, and came to me.' .. so this part refers to the Elessar gem coming through the hands of people who had it in their possession through the years (whichever version you want to look at) and came at last to be owned by a man who is actually named 'Elessar'.

Thankyou all of those who took the time to guess, and I'm sorry it was such a nightmare.

@Drifa, the floor is yours.

[Drífa]

Thanks, Ercassie! I hope this riddle is not too outlandish or incomprehensible. Good luck!

My name, if at all, is only remembered by those in the Valley,
O! tra-la-la lally
And then, only my upper way before I become plain and boggy.
Home to an array of bankers and other fellow floaters,
I was a border beyond which, during a dark and ancient time,
unfriendly people lived, ancestors of the wild kind;
and probably named in their tongue am I.

Middle-earth related.

[Romeran]

This screams river so naturally I had to CHECK ALL THE RIVERS . I think I found it.

A: The river Glanduin (not to be confused with a glad version of Anduin). Here's the quotation that seals the deal:

"If the name Glanduin was remembered at all it would only be in Rivendell; and it would apply only to the upper course of the river where it still ran swiftly, soon to be lost in the plains and disappear in the fens: a network of swamps, pools, and eyots, where the only inhabitants were hosts of swans, and many other water-birds. If the river had any name it was in the language of the Dunlendings." (Unfinished Tales, The History of Galadriel and Celeborn: Appendix D The Port of Lond Daer)

[Drífa]

Correct, @Romeran ! Glanduin exactly! Your up!

[Romeran]

This one is probably going to be super easy but I'm crap with riddles.

Look at me and you will see
things that are and that will be,
but what you'll see I cannot tell
if it be good or it be fell.

M-e related of course.

[Chrysophylax Dives]

You are kidding me, right?? After two days of brain torment on the twain wings that bear nobody but pass hand to hand you offer this, which I guess without thinking!

The Mirror of Galadriel.

(After all that initial exclamation I am probably wrong...)

[Romeran]

Hahah yeah… sorry I couldn’t offer quite the brain teaser in response. I think I enjoy solving riddles more than coming up with them which end up more like slightly vague poems than riddles.

Mirror of Galadriel is indeed correct. Floor is yours @Chrysophylax Dives

[Chrysophylax Dives]

:) So this is my first attempt at riddle making; not sure if this will be terribly easy or terribly difficult.

When first seen I appear like a hobbit wearing a ring,
With no marks on me, though I am a marked thing.
I hold neither jewels, beer, nor star,
But you’ll know what I am when you see I’m a jar.

Middle-earth related.

[Drífa]

Is this Frodo?

[Romeran]

It seems that penultimate line with star at the end is meant to exclude the Phial of Galadriel? It’s technically water I guess but that seems the spirit of the line.

[The Good Hunter]

Gonna go out on a long limb and say... Tom Bombadil?

[Aranadhel]

Barrow wight!

[Chrysophylax Dives]

You are all off on the wrong track! I guess this was difficult rather than easy - though, when you know the answer, it seems so easy; but i guess that is the nature of riddles. I've added two more lines that should give it away:

When first seen I appear like a hobbit wearing a ring,
With no marks on me, though I am a marked thing.
I hold neither jewels, beer, nor star,
But you’ll know what I am when you see I’m a jar.
The instructions you need by day you won't see,
But hark the sound of the snail, one, two, then three.

[Aranadhel]

A Nazgul!

[Chrysophylax Dives]

A Nazgul!

No, No, No!

Edit: sorry @Aranadhel, did not mean to be so emphatic. Let me rephrase: no.

[The Good Hunter]

The thrush?

[Romeran]

Wait are we talking about the Doors of Durin?

When first seen I appear like a hobbit wearing a ring, -- no marks at first
With no marks on me, though I am a marked thing. -- obviously an important door but hidden
I hold neither jewels, beer, nor star, --- doesn't hold jewels, holds dwarves and balrogs
But you’ll know what I am when you see I’m a jar. -- is this a play on ajar?
The instructions you need by day you won't see, -- doors can only be seen at night by star and moon light
But hark the sound of the snail, one, two, then three. -- gotta say the password to enter.

[Aranadhel]

Durin's Door!

[Chrysophylax Dives]

Wow, you are all almost there. @Romeran and @Aranadhel, you are on the right track but you have to take into account the answer of @Sorceress - which is not the answer to the riddle but is right on the snail.

Not that you need another clue by now, but those who read my posts on lore should know which book to look.