Riddles in the Downs

[Galadriel55]

Yay!

In spirit of reviving ancient things and waking ancient wights, here is a Legate-style riddle. Please explain as much as you can when you answer.

To some, I am but fairy tale,
The subject of your jest.
To others, few, who know me well,
I took an endless quest.

With slander, mockery, and slur
You tarnish my good name.
However, one thing you have gotten sure:
Punctuality's not my claim.

Relic old from ancient times
I guard against all foes.
My charge to you revealed designs,
To others - secret words.

[Urwen]

Well, I shuffled through Tom Bombadil, Treebeard and Gandalf, but none of them fits the riddle in its entirety.

[Galadriel55]

You are correct in concluding these three names are not the answer. But if you wish for more comments, please provide an explanation of what lead you to each guess.

[Urwen]

Sure. Here are my explanations for each:

Tom
To some, I am but fairy tale, - Not much is really known about Tom
The subject of your jest. - see below
To others, few, who know me well,
I took an endless quest. - He had various adventures

With slander, mockery, and slur
You tarnish my good name. - Some hobbits have a distaste for all things outside of the Shire, including Tom
However, one thing you have gotten sure:
Punctuality's not my claim. - He does things at his leisure

Relic old from ancient times - Tom is known as the oldest
I guard against all foes. - he doesn't seem to be afraid of anything
My charge to you revealed designs,
To others - secret words. - this one I really can't fit here.

Treebeard
To some, I am but fairy tale,
The subject of your jest. - Ents are not generally known
To others, few, who know me well,
I took an endless quest. - To find the Entwives

With slander, mockery, and slur
You tarnish my good name. - Some of the Shire-folk did in the first book.
However, one thing you have gotten sure:
Punctuality's not my claim. - He isn't hasty, to be sure.

Relic old from ancient times
I guard against all foes. - He protects the trees
My charge to you revealed designs,
To others - secret words. - Saruman's designs

Gandalf
To some, I am but fairy tale,
The subject of your jest. - To Hobbits, he is primarily known for his tricks and jokes
To others, few, who know me well,
I took an endless quest. - To stop Sauron, which presumably took a long time

With slander, mockery, and slur
You tarnish my good name. - At least in Gondor and Rohan
However, one thing you have gotten sure:
Punctuality's not my claim. - He comes and goes at his leisure

Relic old from ancient times
I guard against all foes. - It's in his job description
My charge to you revealed designs, - His sojourn with Saruman revealed Saruman's true designs
To others - secret words. - The inscription on the Ring and the one on doors to Moria.

[Galadriel55]

Ok, so here are a few general tips based on those guesses.
1. "You" is the same throughout the riddle. "Others", however, are not.
2. Both the quest and the jest are pretty specific; thus, your answers for Treebeard fit much better here than for Bombadil. Neither is correct though as neither person in the answer.
3. The relic is not the speaker. Read carefully.
4. The last two lines refer to specific events.


See if that helps redirect you a bit.

[Urwen]

So the answer isn't the relic but connected to the relic? And they guard against all foes, as in, all of them? In that case, another answer comes to mind, but....no one mocked them. Except possibly us readers.

[Urwen]

I am beginning to think it might not be a person....

[Huinesoron]

If YOU is the same ?person? throughout, then we know that they:

-Treated the speaker as a fairy tale.
-Made a joke about them.
-Tarnished their name with 'slander, mockery, and slur'.
-Had 'designs' revealed to them by one of:
--The speaker's instructions ('I charge you to...')
--The speaker's ward ('He is in my charge')
--The speaker's actions in battle ('CHAAARGE!')
---Which also revealed 'Secret words' to others.
--'Designs' could mean pictures or plans.

No thoughts on who yet, because my only thought was Gandalf.

hS

[Urwen]

Maybe the 'endless quest' is guarding that object. Also, I am going to assume it's one of the 'good guys'. Also, relic is defined as tombstone or a tomb.

[Urwen]

Ah, it came to me. It was so obvious.

Right, so....Tilion?

To some, I am but fairy tale,
The subject of your jest. - in a song
To others, few, who know me well,
I took an endless quest. - to protect the flower

With slander, mockery, and slur
You tarnish my good name. - in a song
However, one thing you have gotten sure:
Punctuality's not my claim. - in a song, he overslept

Relic old from ancient times
I guard against all foes. - Telperion's flower, of course
My charge to you revealed designs,
To others - secret words. - The words on Door of Durin is only revealed in moonlight

[Galadriel55]

Excellent answer!

Tilion, aka the Man in the Moon, one who is known in truth to be unreliable on his path while chasing Arien but is most certainly not deep in his drink!

His charge, the Moon, revealed the designs on the gates of Moria, as well as the Moon runes on a certain map.

Over to you!

[Urwen]

Time to dig up something obscure, then....

[Urwen]

I stand tall
Arrayed in red
The color of fall
Atop of my head

Come to me, woe-bringer
Come to me and hide
You and your party I'll assist
I let you see far and wide

But beware:
For my master's heart isn't true
And please be aware
That I can't protect you