Cryptic Clues - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Mithalwen · 09-20-2012, 04:51 PM

If I say sacred flower of verse does it help?

Galadriel55 · 09-20-2012, 05:36 PM

Things that just fit by dumb hammering down (with the blows mostly landing on fingers):

Poros - Po is a river=flower in Italy, or could be a pun on Poe.

...Which is my best - and only - guess so far.

Things that might fit with some craftier and more diligent hammering:

Cair Andros
Celebros
Rauros
Aros
Ladros

There are no more "-ros"es, scions or no. I'm totally lost.

Aros makes very little sense cryptic-wise, so I think I can eliminate that one. Ladros and Celebros don't seem impossible to hammer to the right shape. Rauros and Cair Andros are a bit oddly-shaped if you take the -ros away.

Nothing makes sense straight-clue-wise.

I promise to think more about it this evening.

EDIT: I just found out that there is a Rau River in Tanzania. So Rauros also fits with the same logic as Poros, but both look equally ridiculous from the straight clue perspective.

EDIT2: I was thinking before that it's Elros because of this meaning of "el". I thought it somehow refers to "sacred". Well, I was wrong.

Mithalwen · 09-20-2012, 09:03 PM

No. None of those. It is a person. The sacred river is mainly literary as indicated by the "of verse" that I added. BUT not aME river as previously established. It does come from what I fondly but clearly wrongly imagined was one of the most famous poems in the English language (it is a "standard clue" which I borrowed being lazy!!!).

The person only appears in HoME maybe UT though the house and person of which he is a scion is rather better known. No hammeering is required.

Galadriel55 · 09-20-2012, 09:13 PM

Would the answer then be Alphros? I don't remember ever encountering that name in my readings, but looking up river poetry lead me to a sacred river Alph...

Mithalwen · 09-20-2012, 09:34 PM

Hurrah. Alphros, 24th Prince of Dol Amroth and grandson of Imrahil.

wanders off muttering about the man from Porlock and what they clearly aren't teaching in schools anymore....

The Squatter of Amon Rûdh · 09-21-2012, 02:11 AM

I considered Alph but hadn't heard of Alphros. There's nothing wrong with my Coleridge; it's my HME that's rusty.

Mithalwen · 09-21-2012, 03:43 AM

And drunk the milk of Paradise.

Well that is reassuring...

Just shows that obscure and obvious is a very individual thing....

09-20-2012, 04:51 PM	#1
Mithalwen Pilgrim Soul Join Date: May 2004 Location: watching the wonga-wonga birds circle... Posts: 9,461	If I say sacred flower of verse does it help? __________________ “But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.” Christopher Tolkien, Requiescat in pace

09-20-2012, 05:36 PM	#2
Galadriel55 Blossom of Dwimordene Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: The realm of forgotten words Posts: 10,494	*beats self over the head for excessive unhelpfulness* Things that just fit by dumb hammering down (with the blows mostly landing on fingers): Poros - Po is a river=flower in Italy, or could be a pun on Poe. ...Which is my best - and only - guess so far. Things that might fit with some craftier and more diligent hammering: Cair Andros Celebros Rauros Aros Ladros There are no more "-ros"es, scions or no. I'm totally lost. Aros makes very little sense cryptic-wise, so I think I can eliminate that one. Ladros and Celebros don't seem impossible to hammer to the right shape. Rauros and Cair Andros are a bit oddly-shaped if you take the -ros away. Nothing makes sense straight-clue-wise. I promise to think more about it this evening. EDIT: I just found out that there is a Rau River in Tanzania. So Rauros also fits with the same logic as Poros, but both look equally ridiculous from the straight clue perspective. EDIT2: I was thinking before that it's Elros because of this meaning of "el". I thought it somehow refers to "sacred". Well, I was wrong. __________________ You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera Last edited by Galadriel55; 09-20-2012 at 06:41 PM. Reason: grammar

09-20-2012, 09:03 PM	#3
Mithalwen Pilgrim Soul Join Date: May 2004 Location: watching the wonga-wonga birds circle... Posts: 9,461	No. None of those. It is a person. The sacred river is mainly literary as indicated by the "of verse" that I added. BUT not aME river as previously established. It does come from what I fondly but clearly wrongly imagined was one of the most famous poems in the English language (it is a "standard clue" which I borrowed being lazy!!!). The person only appears in HoME maybe UT though the house and person of which he is a scion is rather better known. No hammeering is required. __________________ “But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.” Christopher Tolkien, Requiescat in pace

09-20-2012, 09:13 PM	#4
Galadriel55 Blossom of Dwimordene Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: The realm of forgotten words Posts: 10,494	Would the answer then be Alphros? I don't remember ever encountering that name in my readings, but looking up river poetry lead me to a sacred river Alph... __________________ You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera

09-20-2012, 09:34 PM	#5
Mithalwen Pilgrim Soul Join Date: May 2004 Location: watching the wonga-wonga birds circle... Posts: 9,461	In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree... Hurrah. Alphros, 24th Prince of Dol Amroth and grandson of Imrahil. wanders off muttering about the man from Porlock and what they clearly aren't teaching in schools anymore.... __________________ “But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.” Christopher Tolkien, Requiescat in pace

09-21-2012, 02:11 AM	#6
The Squatter of Amon Rûdh Spectre of Decay Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Bar-en-Danwedh Posts: 2,178	And on her dulcimer she played, singing of Mount Abora I considered Alph but hadn't heard of Alphros. There's nothing wrong with my Coleridge; it's my HME that's rusty. __________________ Man kenuva métim' andúne?

09-21-2012, 03:43 AM	#7
Mithalwen Pilgrim Soul Join Date: May 2004 Location: watching the wonga-wonga birds circle... Posts: 9,461	For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise. Well that is reassuring... Just shows that obscure and obvious is a very individual thing.... __________________ “But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.” Christopher Tolkien, Requiescat in pace Last edited by Mithalwen; 09-21-2012 at 03:48 AM.