Riddles in the Downs

[Rumil]

Give me but 24 hr,


still mourning t6he Saffies defeating the Lions

(not entireky sober)

[Morsul the Dark]

Originally Posted by Rumil

Give me but 24 hr,


still mourning t6he Saffies defeating the Lions

(not entireky sober)

Still drunk? Bump!

[Rumil]

Ah, recovered now!

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

erm yeah, in a bit, honest!

[Rumil]

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]

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]

Hi Morsul,

nope!

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]

the only other thing coming to mind is...

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

[Rumil]

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]

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

[Rumil]

No, 'fraid not Morsul,

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

Happy cogitation,

Rumil

[Hakon]

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

[Rumil]

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]

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]

Hi Morsul,

not Theoden I'm afraid,

(though you are getting 'warmer')

[Eönwë]

Is it the Argonath?

[Rumil]

Hi Eonwe,

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

Cheers

R

[Hakon]

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

[Rumil]

Hoom, hooom, hmmm,


hmmm

Haaaaakonn,


hmmmmm


hooom


No

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

[Mnemosyne]

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]

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]

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

Darn, there was a gray stone there and everything.

[Morsul the Dark]

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]

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

[Morsul the Dark]

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]

Is it Denethor?

[Rumil]

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]

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]

Hi Eonwe,

not right but

getting warmer......

[Hakon]

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]

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]

Wait a minute.... oo oo oo!

Theodred? Thoden's son?

[Rumil]

Fraid not Morsul,

Guess on!

[Eönwë]

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

[Rumil]

Hi Eonwe,

nope not the Watchers, you were closer last time

Rumil

[Hakon]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

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

Oh well too late GO Pitchwife!

[Pitchwife]

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.)