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vexx32

By vexx32
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The Mechanic

The Mechanic

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Posted (edited)

To gather the hints: It is symbolically related to the night and day cycle and also related to war. It is a physical object and the use of this object. Also it is a recreational, competitive activity and some call it a sport even though that is debatable. The shoes are there for a good reason. Any hints I missed?

So what fits the hints and the riddle?

Chess? It is ancient, has the black/white symbolism of night/day. It is related to war and sieges, can be played by a lot of people. Some call it sport, some not. It is a physical object that is used recreational and competitive...But tit doesn't fit to the shoes does it?

Edited by The Mechanic
Added a bit of explanation for my guess.
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vexx32

vexx32

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a duel ?

who knows

Nope. :)
To gather the hints: It is symbolically related to the night and day cycle and also related to war. It is a physical object and the use of this object. Also it is a recreational, competitive activity and some call it a sport even though that is debatable. The shoes are there for a good reason. Any hints I missed?

So what fits the hints and the riddle?

Chess? It is ancient, has the black/white symbolism of night/day. It is related to war and sieges, can be played by a lot of people. Some call it sport, some not. It is a physical object that is used recreational and competitive...But tit doesn't fit to the shoes does it?

Nicely done. And... yes, it does fit the shoes, actually.

[TABLE=width: 800, align: center]

[TR]

[TD]'Tis the tune of an ancient song;[/TD]

[TD]It's old. That's all.[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]The harbinger's call heralds harms,[/TD]

[TD]It's a war-game.[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Gathers rich, poor, right and wrong.[/TD]

[TD]From the highest Kings to the lowly Pawns.[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Menace be mustered with psalms[/TD]

[TD]The psalms were referring to Bishops. ;)[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]And shoes; let the sieges begin.[/TD]

[TD]Shoes were actually horseshoes (of the Knights), and the sieges referred to Rooks, which are siege towers. Or castle battlements, judging by the look of some chess sets. Either way.[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Every man has their day,[/TD]

[TD]Every piece on the board can be crucial at some point.[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Every man has their flaws and sin,[/TD]

[TD]But every piece can be taken and has its weaknesses.[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]But all today enter, and pray.[/TD]

[TD]Every serious chess player hopes they'll win, especially where tournaments are concerned.[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]At sovereign behest, the day is done,[/TD]

[TD]Game ends when the King is checkmated, but he is never actually taken.[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]But only then, and not before.[/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]The endless songs are sung in fun,[/TD]

[TD]Casual games are generally pretty calm and, well, casual.[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Yet the silent song has solemn core.[/TD]

[TD]In contrast, tournaments are often somber, solemn, and quiet; everyone's generally quite serious.[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

Edited by vexx32
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vexx32

vexx32

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That's a hard question to answer, because I've been doing it a long while. The way I did it first isn't how I do it now, but it ends up coming out the same. As it is now, I basically just focus on what I'm riddling about and write verse. It's pretty natural to me. As for a solid method, I'd recommend this:

  1. Figure out what the riddle's going to be about.
  2. Write down key aspects of the thing (could be shape, colour (or colour range, if it comes in more than one colour), purpose... basically anything that defines it. Rule #1 is never mention the thing's name directly. I mean, you can, but it's a bit pointless. Also try to avoid cliches unless you have a specific purpose in mind, as their connections are quite easy to see.
  3. Group the aspects that are similar; these will be the verses.
  4. Rewrite the aspects in as brief a form as you can. Remember that all the important information must still be there, but you can hide a few things and dispense with unimportant details based on context. For example, I used shoes to reference horseshoes, as chess has horses (Knights), and psalms as an indirect but quite clear religious connotation which leads to Bishops. It can be quite indirect, but it must still make a good amount of sense when the answer is found. It should (hopefully) not be so obscure that one doesn't think the answer fits at all when they stumble upon it. (Drawing the connection from shoes to Knights was, in my case, a bit of a stretch, but everything else made enough sense that it didn't make it impossible to get. Thankfully.)

If you're making a riddle about a piano -- it's an instrument, it has black and white keys, it has strings, it comes in a variety of shapes, it can be used to compose music, it is played in a variety of settings, etc.
Once you have your brief list of aspects, rewrite them. Be creative. Use synonyms, change bits around (try to preserve grammar and keep everything making sense), rephrase things, put different aspects in different orders to help you rephrase things. I like to use rhymes, because that kind of structure makes you think a bit about the words you can and can't use, and it forces you to rephrase things in a certain way. I find it helpful for obscuring the riddle.
Last, but by no means least, replace direct references with metaphors or indirect references. If I was rewriting the chess riddle, I might mention something about day and night. Or I might mention materials chess sets are frequently made of (or just one, to confuse people a bit; I've seen chess sets made of chocolate and involving alcohol, so I could mention that and neglect to mention that they can be made of things like wood, metal, and plastic as well). It's an awful lot of dancing around what your meaning is, without ever actually directly referencing it.
Lastly, see how it reads. Make sure it flows smoothly. If the flow breaks at certain points, figure out why. Be especially careful to avoid breaking flow where one idea meets another; this can tend to indicate to readers that one idea ends there and the next begins there, in too obvious a manner. You can break flow deliberately, to throw people off the scent, but I prefer to make it flow nicely. It's just personal preference for me.
Additional note: spelling and grammar are important. Use them, and use them well.

Oops, that was long. sorry. Hmm. Might put it in the OP, too.

Edited by vexx32
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The Mechanic

The Mechanic

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Wait...I won? Hu. So chess was right after all. I'll come up with a riddle but it may take a bit of time. So in the meanwhile, if anyone has one it shall be posted.

EDIT: Or rather not. I made a short riddle and I think for the first thingy like this I ever made in English it is not half-bad. Might be easy though.

Not to be the only to carry the name

it has neither company nor aim.

In olden times a deity's name it carried

only to be seen in the morning, it never hurried.

Never to be seen passing between the dusk and the dawn.

Edited by The Mechanic
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Starwhip

Starwhip

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'Tis the sun, I believe.

EDIT:

No, it wasn't half-bad, in terms of word choice. For a first-timer especially. But if I got the answer as stated above, (as I hope) it was rather easy.

ALSO:

@Vexx32: "Philosopherator", niiiice :)

Edited by Starwhip
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Starwhip

Starwhip

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Well, the last time I checked it was "Philosophical Moderator". But that was a long time ago.

And... As for the riddle, it couldn't be Mercury (Or if it is, the riddle is horribly misleading with "It never hurried")

Maybe Mars? That's visible at night though.

Hold up, did it say "Between dawn and dusk" or Between dusk and dawn"? I have to go check.

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Red Iron Crown

Red Iron Crown

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Actually, to my logic, it can't be Venus because sometimes it's visible in the evening.

That and s/he already said it wasn't Venus when I guessed it. :P

For a new page:

Not to be the only to carry the name

it has neither company nor aim.

In olden times a deity's name it carried

only to be seen in the morning, it never hurried.

Never to be seen passing between the dusk and the dawn.

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Starwhip

Starwhip

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Posted
Not to be the only to carry the name

it has neither company nor aim.

In olden times a deity's name it carried

only to be seen in the morning, it never hurried.

Never to be seen passing between the dusk and the dawn.

For the new page.

So it's never seen at night. Which, logically, could mean the Sun, but that's been denied.

As has Venus.

Mercury makes no sense, because it mythology Mercury has been depicted as the "Messenger God" and is associated with speed.

"It has neither company nor aim"

So... no moons, and no specific place it is going to.

"Only to be seen in the morning"

Mmh. So it's not a bird (another guess, but wrong for many reasons.)

And it is not a star, because stars are seen at night.

Is the riddle itself correct?

But if I had to guess another guess, I would say sunrise or sunset. Because I've got nothing better.

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The Mechanic

The Mechanic

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For the new page.

So it's never seen at night. Which, logically, could mean the Sun, but that's been denied.

As has Venus.

Mercury makes no sense, because it mythology Mercury has been depicted as the "Messenger God" and is associated with speed.

"It has neither company nor aim"

So... no moons, and no specific place it is going to.

"Only to be seen in the morning"

Mmh. So it's not a bird (another guess, but wrong for many reasons.)

And it is not a star, because stars are seen at night.

Is the riddle itself correct?

But if I had to guess another guess, I would say sunrise or sunset. Because I've got nothing better.

Actually Mercury was what I had in mind. The never hurried line was more to be seen in the sense of a cyclical appearance. To be fair, it might have been a bit ill-worded.

Not to be the only to carry the name. -> Referring to quicksilver, also known as Mercury and Mercury project.

it has neither company nor aim. -> No moons, orbiting the Sun.

In olden times a deity's name it carried -> "Apollo, the ancient Greek name for the planet Mercury, when observed just before dawn as a morning star" (Source)

only to be seen in the morning, it never hurried. -> Morning star as well as orbit

Never to be seen passing between the dusk and the dawn. -> Not visible in the night, reference to the God Mercury guiding souls into the underworld.

Well, it could have been formulated a bit better.

Edited by The Mechanic
Added explanation.
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