Can anyone figure out this riddle?

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AuthorTopic: Can anyone figure out this riddle?
Shock Trooper
Member # 5585
Profile #25
I think the first one is the earth, and the second one is the sun.

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Agent
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Profile Homepage #26
quote:
Originally written by Student of Trinity:



Walks on the water, sinks in the sea.
Doesn't have a fellow; doesn't have a shadow.
Shadows run away from him. Who is he?

I'd go for light here. But Sun might also be it.

- Archmagi Micael

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Master
Member # 4614
Profile Homepage #27
Eh, it's the sun. Light is not really a "thing" or a "he" for that matter.

The first one is rather cryptic, if I do say so myself. The Earth works well for the first line anyway.

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-ben4808

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BANNED
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I'm surprised, ben- I expected "Jesus".

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E Equals MC What!!!!
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Profile Homepage #29
Lighthouse, maybe?

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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #30
Yes, 'the sun' was the answer I intended for the second one. I used it as as a sphinx's riddle in another ancient D&D game, and doggone it if a 'sleeper' player, who hardly ever did anything except roll dice when told to, didn't pipe up with the answer immediately. Grrr.

Lighthouse is creative, but wouldn't fit the 'doesn't have a fellow', since there are lots of lighthouses. And lighthouses cast shadows by day.

I suppose the sun might cast a shadow if the earth were illuminated by a nearby supernova, but that is not an ongoing phenomenon.

[ Sunday, June 26, 2005 19:01: Message edited by: Student of Trinity ]

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Shaper
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Profile Homepage #31
"I have two small red knives with me, and I want to stick them in your neck. What are they?" — Exile 3.

Simple, yet direct.

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Polaris
Posts: 2396 | Registered: Saturday, January 29 2005 08:00
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quote:
Originally written by Infelice:

"I have two small red knives with me, and I want to stick them in your neck. What are they?" — Exile 3.

Simple, yet direct.

That's just mean!

Waht's the answer to this one then?

A young peasant wanted to marry the king's daughter. The king didn't like the idea of his daughter marrying a peasant, but he wanted to appear fair in front of his subjects. The king said that he would put two pieces of paper into a hat, one reading EXILE and the other reading MARRIAGE. Later that day, the peasant overheard the king saying that both pieces of paper would read EXILE, thus ensuring that the peasant would be out of his way for good. The peasant remained undaunted and, as arranged, arrived at the king's court where a large crowd gathered for the big event. The peasant then did something that assured him the hand of the king's daughter. What did he do?

:rolleyes:

Tell me when you get it! :D

- Archmagi Micael

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? Man, ? Amazing
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Profile #33
Did he ask his fiancee to draw for both of them?

*this message sponsored by a ghoul with fangs on Bigail*
Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #34
Take a paper and destroy it before anyone can read it, then cite the other one as evidence that the one taken must have said 'MARRIAGE'.

There are lots of variants of this one around.

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Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Agent
Member # 4506
Profile Homepage #35
quote:
Originally written by Student of Trinity:

Take a paper and destroy it before anyone can read it, then cite the other one as evidence that the one taken must have said 'MARRIAGE'.

There are lots of variants of this one around.

Close, but not quite there...

- Archmagi Micael

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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #36
Well, you weren't very clear on what is supposed to be done with the two papers in the hat, or what options the peasant might have. I bet the principle involved is the same, namely that the king won't be able to admit, in front of everybody, that he made two EXILEs, so that if one EXILE is revealed without being applied to the peasant, the king can be forced to declare that the other one was a MARRIAGE.

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Master
Member # 4614
Profile Homepage #37
That's how I've heard it solved - just about like SoT said: Take one piece of paper, prompty rip it to shreds and throw it in the fireplace, and then ask to see the other one. If it says EXILE, then obviously he had picked MARRIAGE.

How else is it done?

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-ben4808

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Law Bringer
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Profile Homepage #38
In front of the whole court, get up and accuse the King of lying outright.

It won't guarantee you the daughter, and will in fact likely cost you your head, but at least you'll die with a feeling of moral superiority.

...

:P

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Shaper
Member # 5450
Profile Homepage #39
The man could just find another wife to be. However, if he wants that princess, I think that SoT's answer would be a very accurate one.

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Polaris
Posts: 2396 | Registered: Saturday, January 29 2005 08:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 565
Profile #40
Oh come on this is easy!!!!!!

He asks the king to pick one first then he takes one. He asks the king to read out his... therefore the pesant 'must' have the marriage paper as the king has the exile paper :D :P

BTW the original question in this post reminds me strongly of the movie Labrynth. Anyone else remember that?

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Posts: 289 | Registered: Monday, January 28 2002 08:00
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #41
Mmm, solving it the very first time probably wasn't so easy, but recognizing a familiar form was indeed so. You'll note that your answer is a special case of mine, with an assumption that the king will have to obey the peasant's requests about drawing.

People were starting to make progress on my first riddle above, but had only gotten as far as the first line. Any further thoughts?

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Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Law Bringer
Member # 2984
Profile Homepage #42
quote:
Originally written by dreamqueen:

Oh come on this is easy!!!!!!

He asks the king to pick one first then he takes one. He asks the king to read out his... therefore the pesant 'must' have the marriage paper as the king has the exile paper :D :P

BTW the original question in this post reminds me strongly of the movie Labrynth. Anyone else remember that?

The King is going to read his paper, burn it, and claim it read marriage. It's off to Exile you go. ;)

And as for the Ghoul on Bigail one, it went:

I have to knives, they're long and red
I want to stick them in your head.


Which, with the rhyming, sounds a lot better.

[ Thursday, June 30, 2005 04:08: Message edited by: Vote Arancaytar ]

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"I single Aran out due to his nasty temperament, and his superior intellect." --- SupaNik
Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00
Nuke and Pave
Member # 24
Profile Homepage #43
quote:
Originally written by Student of Trinity:


If flesh were grass, what bone would be;
If tears were rain, what moan would be;
If clot were ice, what gore would be;
Would tell the tale, if four were three.


This is a bit unfair in that it doesn't really tell you what the question is -- you have to kind of connect the dots for that.
...

Line 1: ground?
Line 2: thunder
Line 3: a lake? (or hail?)
The common theme here seems to be a thunderstorm. (possibly with hail)

Am I close?

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Posts: 2649 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Agent
Member # 4506
Profile Homepage #44
quote:
Originally written by dreamqueen:

Oh come on this is easy!!!!!!

He asks the king to pick one first then he takes one. He asks the king to read out his... therefore the pesant 'must' have the marriage paper as the king has the exile paper :D :P

BTW the original question in this post reminds me strongly of the movie Labrynth. Anyone else remember that?

Yeah...

SoT's was also correct, I suppose...

- Archmagi Micael

--------------------
"You dare Trifle with Exile?" - Erika the Archmage
--------------------
My Scenarios:
Undead Valley : A small Undead problem, what could possibly go wrong?
--------------------
Proof of Richard Black's existance:
Richard Black - PROOF of his existance (the Infernal one's website).
Posts: 1370 | Registered: Thursday, June 10 2004 07:00
Guardian
Member # 2339
Profile #45
quote:
Originally written by Vote Arancaytar:



I have to knives, they're long and red
I want to stick them in your head.


Which, with the rhyming, sounds a lot better.

I believe the answer is fangs.

Well, if people are posting riddles:

I am the worst thing that can happen.
I cause thousands of deaths whenever I appear.
Contrary to what you might think, not many will try to stop me without helping me.
Some people try to help me come.
Just this century, I have devastated the Earth at least four times!
What am I?

[ Thursday, June 30, 2005 12:31: Message edited by: Zephyr Tempest ]

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Posts: 1779 | Registered: Monday, December 9 2002 08:00
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #46
Yeah, you're sort of on track, Zeviz; but actually Multiple Monikers and Ben were a bit closer, for just the first line.

I think all the lines should seem fair in retrospect, except possibly the last one, because as I warned, it's a bit vague about just how you're supposed to determine the overall answer. But with this additional warning, once you got the first three lines the fourth should become clear.

So sez me. It is notoriously easy to compose riddles which seem doable when you make them up, but are simply impossible to anyone else. As I remember this one, my D&D players needed a fair amount of coaxing, so maybe it isn't as fair as I hoped.

[ Thursday, June 30, 2005 12:41: Message edited by: Student of Trinity ]

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Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Nuke and Pave
Member # 24
Profile Homepage #47
I guess DnD context is a good clue:

1. Earth
2. Air
3. Water
4. Elements (Earth, Air, Water and Fire are 4 types of elemental magic.)

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Be careful with a word, as you would with a sword,
For it too has the power to kill.
However well placed word, unlike a well placed sword,
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Posts: 2649 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #48
That's definitely along the right lines; in fact, it is probably better than the answer I had in mind. Good job.

I had in mind 'fire', as the fourth that would complete the set. It isn't obvious that the last line is telling you to identify the missing fourth; but there are lots of old-fashioned riddles which are elliptical in this sort of way, so I figured I was within the bounds of riddletic license.

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Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
...b10010b...
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Profile Homepage #49
I worked out the first three lines, but the last line threw me because I thought it was more complex than it was. I expected the answer to be a four-letter word that related to all three of the above lines, and that became some kind of implement for conveying information when you took away one letter. I became so enamoured of the idea that the phrase "if four were three" was intended to imply a syncopation that I kept working along those lines, and didn't get particularly far.

[ Thursday, June 30, 2005 14:26: Message edited by: Thuryl ]

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