Riddles (word-play, not Tom)

[RainbowSprite]

(Please forgive me if I am not in the right spot)

I need a riddle to get into Ravenclaw, and wondered if anyone had a good one. :confused: I am no good at them myself, but it's necessary for the fic I'm working on.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

If there is a better place to post this, I'd be eternally grateful if someone would point me there.

~*RS*~

[Lobena Bricatta]

I don't know either
but here I have a few



It occurs once in every minute

Twice in every moment

And yet never in one hundred thousand years.

-- The letter 'M'.


It has a golden head

It has a golden tail

But it hasn't got a body.

-- A golden coin.


It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,

Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.

It lies behind stars and under hills,

And empty holes it fills.

It comes first and follows after,

Ends life, kills laughter.

-- The darkness.


If you break me

I do not stop working,

If you touch me

I may be snared,

If you lose me

Nothing will matter.

-- Hope.


My life can be measured in hours,

I serve by being devoured.

Thin, I am quick

Fat, I am slow

Wind is my foe.

-- A candle.



You can see nothing else

When you look in my face

I will look you in the eye

And I will never lie.

-- A mirror.



I am always hungry,

I must always be fed,

The finger I lick

Will soon turn red.

-- A fire.



Each morning I appear

To lie at your feet,

All day I follow

No matter how fast you run,

Yet I nearly perish

In the midday sun.

-- A shadow.

I'm a strange contradiction; I'm new, and I'm old,

I'm often in tatters, and oft decked with gold.

Though I never could read, yet lettered I'm found;

Though blind, I enlighten; though loose, I am bound,

I'm always in black, and I'm always in white;

I'm grave and I'm gay, I am heavy and light-

In form too I differ - I'm thick and I'm thin,

I've no flesh and bones, yet I'm covered with skin;

I've more points than the compass, more stops than the flute;

I sing without voice, without speaking confute.

I'm English, I'm German, I'm French, and I'm Dutch;

Some love me too fondly, some slight me too much;

I often die soon, though I sometimes live ages,

And no monarch alive has so many pages.

-- A book.

There's someone that I'm always near,

Yet in the dark I disappear.

To this one only I am loyal,

Though in his wake I'm doomed to toil.

He feels me not (we always touch);

If I were lost, he'd not lose much.

And now I come to my surprise,

For you are he - but who am I ?

-- Your shadow.



I'm often held, yet rarely touched;

I'm always wet, yet never rust;

I'm sometimes wagged and sometimes bit;

To use me well, you must have wit.

-- Tongue.


*Smiles and waves*
Hope it helps

[RainbowSprite]

Lobena,
Thank you so much!
I'm deciding between the mirror and the tongue - both seem perfect.
:D

[Lobena Bricatta]

Glad to be assistance,

I have actually used the mirror one in my CP but no one has figured it out, I have had three pm's so far about it, silly people...

need anything else just pm me;)

[Mollie Black]

I know that Lobena already answered your question, but I just wanted to point something out that you may or may not consider.

slightly unimportant DH fact

In DH, one of the riddles they answer has no specific answer, but many logical answers. Like the question, 'which came first, the chicken or the egg?'. There are two possible answers, and backing up your answer is the key.

end slightly unimportant DH fact

More examples:

Why did the chicken cross the road, if it wasn't to get to the other side?

When is the best time to eat breakfast?

Are zebras white with black stripes, or black with white stripes? (Although I don't believe they know of zebras...)

I just had to get my two knuts in, sorry.

--Mollie

[Dark_Lady_Z]

Ooh! I have one! It's from "The Hobbit":

A box without hinges,key, or lid

Yet golden treasure inside it's hid:confused:






Answer: an egg

[Snape's Talon]

I wonder whether the riddle presented to a seventh-year would be the same one presented to a first-year or if the door takes into account their age and thus would accept a different answer based on their experience or lack thereof.

Also, would it know whether the supplicant was Ravenclaw or from another House?

Slight DH spoiler alert!








Remember, Luna was with Harry when they confronted the door.

[Dark_Lady_Z]

No I think all riddles go for the all people. Luna said (in DH) that if you get the question wrong you have to wait for someone else to get it. So, it could have been a different student.:)

[mugglegurl]

I have a riddle:

What's more powerful than God, more evil than the devil?
Poor people have it, rich people don't want it.

-Nothing

I know you probably already got your riddle that you needed, but I figured I'd throw it out there for anyone else.

[HARRYHARRYHARRYs_twin]

Possible DH spoiler ahead

Might I mention that it doesn't nessicaraly be a riddle to get in. It asked Carrow where Vanished objects go. So you can ask a question such as 'What is the incantation for a Silencing Charm?'

Just thought I'd mention that bit of information. :)

~Selina

[MrsRuebeusHagridDursley]

I have a riddle:

What's more powerful than God, more evil than the devil?
Poor people have it, rich people don't want it.

-Nothing


Actually, I belive the second line is:

"Poor people have it, rick people want it." Because rich people supposedly have whatever they want, so they would want nothing.

At least, I think that's how it goes.

Warning! Some unimportant DH spoilers below!

Also, yes, the riddles are the same for all people (McGonagall is given the same one as Carrow) but would the door accept different answers?

Like Luna's answer. Obviously somebody like Hermione woudn't have given that particular answer. Would they be left out of the common room, or would the door accept multiple answers for the same question. Remember, the door doesn't say "correct", it says things like "nicely phrased". So it seems like it would accept different answers.

End DH spoilers!

But here's a differnent type of riddle.

Where do chickens come from?

You could say "the egg because their life begins once they emerge from it" or you could also say "the chicken who lays the egg because that's where the egg comes from".

It's kind of a twist on the chicken or the egg question.

I hope I helped some!

~Morgan:)

[RainbowSprite]

I really appreciate all the help - you've pointed out alot that I really wasn't considering the nuances of. Someone asked if the door would know you whether or not you are Ravenclaw, and I think anyone who answers could get in (since McGonegall got in) but I plan on having a group of Ravenclaws open it anyway and then Ginny's going to follow them in.
You are all very clever, and this Gryffindor appreciates help with the word-play department, as it's not my strong suit!

:D