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-   -   Riddles in the Downs (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=10582)

Rumil 06-20-2009 04:24 PM

Give me but 24 hr,


still mourning t6he Saffies defeating the Lions

(not entireky sober)

Morsul the Dark 06-30-2009 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rumil (Post 600868)
Give me but 24 hr,


still mourning t6he Saffies defeating the Lions

(not entireky sober)

Still drunk? Bump!;)

Rumil 06-30-2009 02:08 PM

hic!
 
Ah, recovered now!

(though I don't entirely recall making that post ;))

erm yeah, in a bit, honest!

Rumil 06-30-2009 04:29 PM

Here we go Morsul,

what will you make of this one?

I sleep and wait, I wait and sleep,
here within the shadows deep.
I watch the stars turn overhead,
t'ween branches dark and leaves unshed.
The old grey stone is at my back,
my time is long but life I lack.
Still tall am I, of noble mien,
but old and grey and weak I deem.
Years from now my wait will end,
and I will words of wisdom lend,
to carefree folk with open faces,
that dare to seek forbidden places.
When I've said my say, well that's my time,
but it's not for them, or for their line.


Cheers

Morsul the Dark 06-30-2009 07:30 PM

sleep and wait, I wait and sleep,
here within the shadows deep.
I watch the stars turn overhead,
t'ween branches dark and leaves unshed.
The old grey stone is at my back,
my time is long but life I lack.
Still tall am I, of noble mien,
but old and grey and weak I deem.
Years from now my wait will end,
and I will words of wisdom lend,
to carefree folk with open faces,
that dare to seek forbidden places.
When I've said my say, well that's my time,
but it's not for them, or for their line.

Clever sir, hopefully I am more clever...

is it Galadriel's mirror?

Rumil 07-01-2009 01:58 PM

mirror-mirror
 
Hi Morsul,

nope! :D

Though co-incidentally I must say Galadriel's mirror does fit reasonably well when I look at it again. Tall maybe, but of noble mien.... not so applicable.

Nice, nearly 2 for the price of one,

Guess again,

Morsul the Dark 07-01-2009 04:33 PM

the only other thing coming to mind is...

The tree of isildur... but that seems wrong...

Rumil 07-01-2009 04:49 PM

Not the tree
 
Hi Morsul,

no, not the Tree,

I guess it might help if I admitted the 'life I lack' is not 100% literal,

Cheers,

Morsul the Dark 07-02-2009 07:02 AM

see now
i;m thinking the king of mirkwood....

Rumil 07-02-2009 12:41 PM

Thranduil....
 
No, 'fraid not Morsul,

you'll find the answer somewhere in LoTR (how's that for a clue!)

Happy cogitation,

Rumil

Hakon 07-02-2009 01:12 PM

This probably one of the worst guesses so far. I think it might be Glorfindel.

Rumil 07-02-2009 01:28 PM

Blondie
 
Hi Hakon,

no, not Glorfindel, I'm sure he was of noble mien, but I don't deem him old, grey and weak ;)

Try again!

Morsul the Dark 07-02-2009 03:47 PM

Certain parts jump out... but don't make sense altogether.. for example Thedoen seems to fit a lot.... but not all of it yet until I think of something out, I'll say

Theoden

Rumil 07-02-2009 04:05 PM

Ednew
 
Hi Morsul,

not Theoden I'm afraid,

(though you are getting 'warmer')

Eönwë 07-02-2009 04:28 PM

Is it the Argonath?

Rumil 07-02-2009 04:41 PM

No Pasaran
 
Hi Eonwe,

nope, not the Argonath, though some lines do fit well, but not all of them!

Cheers

R

Hakon 07-02-2009 04:56 PM

Not all lines fit this, but I think it might work. Is it Treebeard?

Rumil 07-02-2009 05:06 PM

Oramba ruma tumbelorne
 
Hoom, hooom, hmmm,


hmmm

Haaaaakonn,


hmmmmm


hooom


No

sorry, not Treebeard, though a fair bit does fit except 'weak'

;)

Mnemosyne 07-02-2009 05:10 PM

Durin in the Mirrormere? Not exactly tall by our standards, but by a dwarf's or a hobbit's...

Then again, checking the canon, it looks as if it's his crown, not he himself.

Rumil 07-02-2009 05:30 PM

The Axeman
 
Hi Mnem,

nope, not Durin, or any of the other Durins

(not tall - though perhaps he was a tall chap as Dwarves go?)

off topic - but was Durin's Crown the stars visible in daytime or three of the Misty Mountain snowy peaks??

Guess away all, will check back tomorrow,

R

Mnemosyne 07-02-2009 06:03 PM

Stars visible in daytime, as far as I can tell.

Darn, there was a gray stone there and everything.

Morsul the Dark 07-02-2009 06:52 PM

I thought of the argonath too....lol

Hmm...

let us see Gollum? no not at all... Faramir.... no.... Ah! but Boromir?....no no grey stone.... Beorn... thinking.....

Beorn?

Hakon 07-02-2009 07:09 PM

Beorn is not weak. It can't be him.

Morsul the Dark 07-02-2009 07:14 PM

I know... But I'm finding answers that fit Most of the clues but not all of them... and also it's apparently someone from LOTR not the Hobbit, so that's why it's wrong though I'm sure you have a better answer to put forward?

Hakon 07-02-2009 08:23 PM

Is it Denethor?

Rumil 07-03-2009 03:06 PM

Riddle Roundup
 
Evenin' all,


time for Riddle-Roundup-


so,


from the top....


Morsul- you're quite correct in that-


no its not Gollum


not Faramir either


neither is it Boromir


But as for Beorn.....


Nope, not him!


Oh, and Hakon-


its not Denethor either!


And you will indeed find the answer in LoTR.

May your riddling re-commence

Eönwë 07-03-2009 04:16 PM

I was thinking it might be the Barrow-Wights or the Dead Men of Dunharrow, but then "t'ween branches dark and leaves unshed"?

Hmmm... this requires more thought.

Rumil 07-03-2009 04:34 PM

Dead close..
 
Hi Eonwe,

not right but

getting warmer......

Hakon 07-03-2009 06:09 PM

Hmm. I almost said the Barrow Wight earlier. Maybe it is the Witch King, no he is not weak same with Sauron. Is it Tom Bombadil? I thought of him earlier but he does not lack life nor is he weak. Hmmm. Is it Aragorn or Gandalf?

Rumil 07-03-2009 07:01 PM

Process of Elimination
 
Hi Hakon,

er..

Hmm. I almost said the Barrow Wight earlier. - no
Maybe it is the Witch King, - no
no he is not weak same with Sauron. -you are correct, it's not Sauron either
Is it Tom Bombadil? - no
I thought of him earlier but he does not lack life nor is he weak. - quite
Hmmm. Is it Aragorn - no
or Gandalf? -no

There you go, six for the price of one ;)

The answer is an obscure one, in no way a major character,

Happy riddling....

R

Morsul the Dark 07-03-2009 07:09 PM

Wait a minute.... oo oo oo!

Theodred? Thoden's son?

Rumil 07-04-2009 05:23 AM

Dred, Theodred
 
Fraid not Morsul,

Guess on!

Eönwë 07-04-2009 08:43 AM

Is it one of the Two Watchers at Cirith Ungol? (But actually, again, there is that tree thing)

Rumil 07-04-2009 08:58 AM

Watch and Wait
 
Hi Eonwe,

nope not the Watchers, you were closer last time ;)

Rumil

Hakon 07-04-2009 12:06 PM

If Eonwe was closer last time, does that mean it is one of the like wraiths/undead of the story? Is it the Mouth of Sauron?

Rumil 07-04-2009 12:26 PM

Big Mouth
 
Hi Hakon,

not the Mouth either ;)

with reference to Eonwe's earlier guess, think geographically...

(That's shockingly indiscreet, I'm sure I've given it away now!)

Pitchwife 07-04-2009 02:26 PM

Is it by any chance the mysterious old man who sat on the threshold to the Paths of the Dead and mysteriously died after telling Brego and his son Baldor that the way is shut?

Rumil 07-04-2009 03:34 PM

Pitchwife is the winner!
 
Well done Pitchwife,

Eonwe was so nearly there but you squeezed in and got it,

Would you care to explain the lines before you post your Riddle or should I?

All the best,

Rumil

Morsul the Dark 07-04-2009 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitchwife (Post 602636)
Is it by any chance the mysterious old man who sat on the threshold to the Paths of the Dead and mysteriously died after telling Brego and his son Baldor that the way is shut?

you know what sucks? I thought of that on the way to work this morning:mad:

Oh well too late GO Pitchwife!:D

Pitchwife 07-04-2009 04:54 PM

Thanks, Rumil! Here's my explanation:

I sleep and wait, I wait and sleep,
here within the shadows deep.
I watch the stars turn overhead,
t'ween branches dark and leaves unshed.

- Well, he must have sat there for quite a while (centuries, millennia?) beneath the black trees of the Dimholt.
The old grey stone is at my back,
- i.e. the Door to the Paths of the Dead
my time is long but life I lack.
- spending several centuries in suspended animation, it would seem.
Still tall am I, of noble mien,
but old and grey and weak I deem.

- 'tall and kingly he had been, but now he was withered as an old stone.'
Years from now my wait will end,
- when the Rohirrim come to Harrowdale,
and I will words of wisdom lend,
to carefree folk with open faces,

- i.e. Bregor and Baldor,
that dare to seek forbidden places.
- i.e. the Paths of the Dead.
When I've said my say, well that's my time,
- because he died after saying his say
but it's not for them, or for their line.
- as Baldor found out at the cost of his life. It was for Aragorn, centuries later again.

Great riddle, by the way! I've always found this one of the most intriguing passages in LotR - we never get to know who the old man was, how long he had been sitting there or what he was doing there in the first place. About as much an enigma (although in a different way) as the secret identity of Tom Bombadil!

And honestly, I didn't really 'squeeze in' - I guessed it more or less on first sight 2 or 3 days ago but hesitated to post the answer because I didn't (and still don't) have any idea for a new riddle. So bear with me, everybody, this is going to need some time.
(Morsul, sorry to frustrate you! I'd actually like to let you take the thread, if you've got sth up your sleeve, but my wife says that's 'chickening out', so you'll just have to wait.)


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