Riddle Me This
A Rough Guide to Riddling
". . . the riddle-game was sacred and of immense antiquity, and even wicked creatures were afraid to cheat when they played at it."
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
". . . the riddle-game was sacred and of immense antiquity, and even wicked creatures were afraid to cheat when they played at it."
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
Author’s Note
I’ve been spinning riddles for a couple of years now, and I think the time’s come to actually think about them. And what better way to think than through forced essay composition? (Which I do actually enjoy.) The things I want to talk about, having read very little which is scholarly concerning the riddle (and doubtless there are scads of things already written), are the different types of riddles, the purpose of the riddle, various elements of riddles, some Zelda-specific qualities of the riddles on this website, and, ultimately, a rough heuristic guide, process, or set of skills for their solution.
What are Riddles, and What are They for?
Well, what is a riddle? Fair enough question, and I suppose the answer is simple. The Encyclopedia Americana, in its 1920’s incarnation, held it to be a “composition with an intentionally double or veiled meaning, which is propounded for another to discover the meaning.” It then went on to distinguish between conundrums, more commonly called plays upon words (Q: What does the fat butcher weigh? A: meat), and enigmas, which are the metaphorical, secretive allusions and veilings of the subject about which the riddle speaks. And as the Encyclopedia immediately pointed out, in an almost Tolkienian way, enigmas are “the more ancient and serious form of the riddle. Enigmas, or dark sayings, were frequently used by the ancients to disguise important truths, which it was not deemed safe or advisable that everyone should know. Kings sent enigmas to each other, ambassadors delivered their messages in this form, and the oracles of the gods were frequently conveyed in the form of an enigma.” [1]
Now, it is safe to say that we moderns view riddles only as a pastime — a quirky hobby to pass the time and entertain ourselves and our friends; we do not hold riddles of import in determining our children’s suitors [2], in communicating with elected officials, and certainly not in the contemporary pulpit. When God speaks, it is expected He use the vernacular, and certainly without any fluff. So, riddling is mostly just a good way to pass whiles. But is that all the activity — crafting, exchanging, analyzing, solving — is good for? That I’ve begged the question should give you my answer: no, of course not. Good riddles are like good poetry: they test the creator (and solver), they open our eyes to the multifaceted world of reality and perception, and they delight in mental dexterity and the profundity of language.
Elli Köngäs Maranda wrote about being “convinced that whatever other functions riddles and riddling may have in various cultures, there is a basic, perhaps universal function, which is cognitive. . . . Functionally, myths seem to reinforce the established order, whereas the primary function of riddles is to question at least certain kinds of established order. Where myths prove the validity of land claims, the authority of social and cultural rules, or the fitness of native conceptual classifications, riddles make a point of playing with conceptual borderlines and crossing them for the pleasure of showing that things are not quite as stable as they appear . . . Riddles play with boundaries, but ultimately to affirm them (like a child playing with mud to find and define the boundaries of his body.)” [3] In this sense, riddles do not only seek to entertain us, but are also doorways into perception and category — a construct which takes the essence of a thing apart, in order to put it back together again in a new light. In this way, the Sphinx shows us that our lives last but a day, and Gollum reimagines the wind as that which toothless bites and mouthless mutters.
Why Riddles?
Ultimately, as with so many human cultural phenomena, riddling comes down to passing time. We want to shift the feeling of a moment, to change our perception in order to stave off boredom, to retreat into a space more resembling the free play of childhood, and to take our mind off the exigencies of the literal world. We want to invite delight into our lives. For these reasons, alongside myriad others, we tell jokes, shape stories, gossip, and engage in small talk. But riddles are a very special thing, because they are not meant to be immediately consumed and disposed of, but are things to be pondered over, chewed, and stored in the mind’s vaults. Indeed, sometimes, they can be haunting. They are carefully-crafted mental objects that we pick up for a time and try to solve, as one would solve a wooden puzzle or untie a knot. They are meant to amuse us, and to make us think, and question. They can expand our conceptions of ourselves and the world.
Riddles are not primarily functional objects: although they engage in both encryption and “masking,” it is not because we want to bar someone from understanding in perpetuity, as in the world of espionage and encoding ciphers. In the end, the craftsman of a riddle wants the riddle to be solved, for only in the riddle’s solution can we know its worth as a riddle. And we should bear in mind that a riddle is primarily a form of dialogue or human communication; it is one wherein the referent is veiled by the asker and unmasked by the answerer, to be sure, but this too is a type of sharing. Indeed, it is a very unique and special form of communication in which both parties come to greater understanding by pitting mind against mind, as one does in sports and games. In riddling, however, the arena is the near infinity of a language and the primary opponents are the limitations of your own understanding.
I’ve been spinning riddles for a couple of years now, and I think the time’s come to actually think about them. And what better way to think than through forced essay composition? (Which I do actually enjoy.) The things I want to talk about, having read very little which is scholarly concerning the riddle (and doubtless there are scads of things already written), are the different types of riddles, the purpose of the riddle, various elements of riddles, some Zelda-specific qualities of the riddles on this website, and, ultimately, a rough heuristic guide, process, or set of skills for their solution.
What are Riddles, and What are They for?
Well, what is a riddle? Fair enough question, and I suppose the answer is simple. The Encyclopedia Americana, in its 1920’s incarnation, held it to be a “composition with an intentionally double or veiled meaning, which is propounded for another to discover the meaning.” It then went on to distinguish between conundrums, more commonly called plays upon words (Q: What does the fat butcher weigh? A: meat), and enigmas, which are the metaphorical, secretive allusions and veilings of the subject about which the riddle speaks. And as the Encyclopedia immediately pointed out, in an almost Tolkienian way, enigmas are “the more ancient and serious form of the riddle. Enigmas, or dark sayings, were frequently used by the ancients to disguise important truths, which it was not deemed safe or advisable that everyone should know. Kings sent enigmas to each other, ambassadors delivered their messages in this form, and the oracles of the gods were frequently conveyed in the form of an enigma.” [1]
Now, it is safe to say that we moderns view riddles only as a pastime — a quirky hobby to pass the time and entertain ourselves and our friends; we do not hold riddles of import in determining our children’s suitors [2], in communicating with elected officials, and certainly not in the contemporary pulpit. When God speaks, it is expected He use the vernacular, and certainly without any fluff. So, riddling is mostly just a good way to pass whiles. But is that all the activity — crafting, exchanging, analyzing, solving — is good for? That I’ve begged the question should give you my answer: no, of course not. Good riddles are like good poetry: they test the creator (and solver), they open our eyes to the multifaceted world of reality and perception, and they delight in mental dexterity and the profundity of language.
Elli Köngäs Maranda wrote about being “convinced that whatever other functions riddles and riddling may have in various cultures, there is a basic, perhaps universal function, which is cognitive. . . . Functionally, myths seem to reinforce the established order, whereas the primary function of riddles is to question at least certain kinds of established order. Where myths prove the validity of land claims, the authority of social and cultural rules, or the fitness of native conceptual classifications, riddles make a point of playing with conceptual borderlines and crossing them for the pleasure of showing that things are not quite as stable as they appear . . . Riddles play with boundaries, but ultimately to affirm them (like a child playing with mud to find and define the boundaries of his body.)” [3] In this sense, riddles do not only seek to entertain us, but are also doorways into perception and category — a construct which takes the essence of a thing apart, in order to put it back together again in a new light. In this way, the Sphinx shows us that our lives last but a day, and Gollum reimagines the wind as that which toothless bites and mouthless mutters.
Why Riddles?
Ultimately, as with so many human cultural phenomena, riddling comes down to passing time. We want to shift the feeling of a moment, to change our perception in order to stave off boredom, to retreat into a space more resembling the free play of childhood, and to take our mind off the exigencies of the literal world. We want to invite delight into our lives. For these reasons, alongside myriad others, we tell jokes, shape stories, gossip, and engage in small talk. But riddles are a very special thing, because they are not meant to be immediately consumed and disposed of, but are things to be pondered over, chewed, and stored in the mind’s vaults. Indeed, sometimes, they can be haunting. They are carefully-crafted mental objects that we pick up for a time and try to solve, as one would solve a wooden puzzle or untie a knot. They are meant to amuse us, and to make us think, and question. They can expand our conceptions of ourselves and the world.
Riddles are not primarily functional objects: although they engage in both encryption and “masking,” it is not because we want to bar someone from understanding in perpetuity, as in the world of espionage and encoding ciphers. In the end, the craftsman of a riddle wants the riddle to be solved, for only in the riddle’s solution can we know its worth as a riddle. And we should bear in mind that a riddle is primarily a form of dialogue or human communication; it is one wherein the referent is veiled by the asker and unmasked by the answerer, to be sure, but this too is a type of sharing. Indeed, it is a very unique and special form of communication in which both parties come to greater understanding by pitting mind against mind, as one does in sports and games. In riddling, however, the arena is the near infinity of a language and the primary opponents are the limitations of your own understanding.
Not Your Normal Riddles — Why Zelda Riddles?
Serendipity, of course! As with nearly everything in my life, riddling was not a planned endeavor. When I first met my friend Matt through this website in 2014, we exchanged countless emails. One of them, strangely, wonderfully, ended not with a benediction, but with a riddle:
With fire of power are two-dozen lit;
Upon rings enciphered they glow.
Sealed path now shown, beyond truth’s gaze in stone,
Into death and shadows below.
Now, obviously here the imagery is clear, concise, and poetic, and any longtime Zelda fan will recognize the answer. Of course, this was the highlight of my evening that night. Already happily crafting many riddles about things I loved in the series, I shot back:
Forgotten are the children there,
They fill with music all the air.
A trysting place, a broken tree,
Abandoned after Fate's decree.
Again, not difficult, but poetic, and somewhat haunting. Both riddles are clearly about places, which is fairly abnormal in terms of riddling. Most riddles take as their subject an object of common conception; indeed, most riddles attempt to veil something known to everyone, so that all can have a seat at the table in answering. But, in the specific context of Zelda, it makes little sense to describe trees, birds, or the sky generally: after all, these things exist in the real world, and Zelda is a fictional land full of idiosyncrasies and special referents. Why not explore those instead? Why not choose to look at Fairy Fountains, Majora’s Mask, or The King of Red Lions in a new light? How can we broaden our perception of these fantastical beings, places, and concepts through a common language? What might we gain from it? I would argue: a great deal. Both in the act of creation and the act of unraveling a riddle, the mind is greatly altered in its understanding. No longer is a bomb just a bomb, but something laden with feeling, context, and enciphered meaning. Places take on the weight of literary history, and characters’ backstories and struggles are clarified and deepened. As with the entire intention of this website — to help people increase their appreciation of Zelda, and, through that, of life in general — riddles aid us in appreciating what we experience. How can one hear “What has roots as nobody sees?” and, upon seeing a mountain, not imagine the subterranean depths, still tunnels, and yet-unknown creatures living beneath something so obvious, and so vast? At least I can never see a mountain the same way again. That is the power of a riddle.
The riddles on this website are similar to riddles the world over in many ways, yet they differ in key aspects. With all riddles, they share a delight in language, a desire to veil something commonplace, and the unique force of communication born of the asking and answering. Yet they are different in that they are distinctly bounded conceits: you know the answer will be something unique to Zelda; it will be derived from one of nineteen games (give or take at this point in 2021); and, lastly, it will likely be a memorable element of that game. In this way, Zelda riddles are simultaneously easier and more difficult than the riddles of the wider world.
Lastly, I like to ask myself, who’s telling these riddles? To the extent that it’s possible to frame them in this way, I like to imagine that these riddles are told by the actual denizens of Hyrule: puzzles passed around stable campfires in Hebra or Akkala, tests given by an elder Goron to a novice, or a hobby of Princess Zelda herself, teasing apart a tough metaphor in the castle’s study. After all, they are explorations of things that are peculiarly Hyrulean in nature, and so they should first and foremost be seen as intangible relics of the world of the Three Golden Goddesses, fit for the brains and bewilderment of all Hyrule’s peoples. [4]
Serendipity, of course! As with nearly everything in my life, riddling was not a planned endeavor. When I first met my friend Matt through this website in 2014, we exchanged countless emails. One of them, strangely, wonderfully, ended not with a benediction, but with a riddle:
With fire of power are two-dozen lit;
Upon rings enciphered they glow.
Sealed path now shown, beyond truth’s gaze in stone,
Into death and shadows below.
Now, obviously here the imagery is clear, concise, and poetic, and any longtime Zelda fan will recognize the answer. Of course, this was the highlight of my evening that night. Already happily crafting many riddles about things I loved in the series, I shot back:
Forgotten are the children there,
They fill with music all the air.
A trysting place, a broken tree,
Abandoned after Fate's decree.
Again, not difficult, but poetic, and somewhat haunting. Both riddles are clearly about places, which is fairly abnormal in terms of riddling. Most riddles take as their subject an object of common conception; indeed, most riddles attempt to veil something known to everyone, so that all can have a seat at the table in answering. But, in the specific context of Zelda, it makes little sense to describe trees, birds, or the sky generally: after all, these things exist in the real world, and Zelda is a fictional land full of idiosyncrasies and special referents. Why not explore those instead? Why not choose to look at Fairy Fountains, Majora’s Mask, or The King of Red Lions in a new light? How can we broaden our perception of these fantastical beings, places, and concepts through a common language? What might we gain from it? I would argue: a great deal. Both in the act of creation and the act of unraveling a riddle, the mind is greatly altered in its understanding. No longer is a bomb just a bomb, but something laden with feeling, context, and enciphered meaning. Places take on the weight of literary history, and characters’ backstories and struggles are clarified and deepened. As with the entire intention of this website — to help people increase their appreciation of Zelda, and, through that, of life in general — riddles aid us in appreciating what we experience. How can one hear “What has roots as nobody sees?” and, upon seeing a mountain, not imagine the subterranean depths, still tunnels, and yet-unknown creatures living beneath something so obvious, and so vast? At least I can never see a mountain the same way again. That is the power of a riddle.
The riddles on this website are similar to riddles the world over in many ways, yet they differ in key aspects. With all riddles, they share a delight in language, a desire to veil something commonplace, and the unique force of communication born of the asking and answering. Yet they are different in that they are distinctly bounded conceits: you know the answer will be something unique to Zelda; it will be derived from one of nineteen games (give or take at this point in 2021); and, lastly, it will likely be a memorable element of that game. In this way, Zelda riddles are simultaneously easier and more difficult than the riddles of the wider world.
Lastly, I like to ask myself, who’s telling these riddles? To the extent that it’s possible to frame them in this way, I like to imagine that these riddles are told by the actual denizens of Hyrule: puzzles passed around stable campfires in Hebra or Akkala, tests given by an elder Goron to a novice, or a hobby of Princess Zelda herself, teasing apart a tough metaphor in the castle’s study. After all, they are explorations of things that are peculiarly Hyrulean in nature, and so they should first and foremost be seen as intangible relics of the world of the Three Golden Goddesses, fit for the brains and bewilderment of all Hyrule’s peoples. [4]
How to Solve a (Zelda) Riddle
So, riddles: enigmatic, interpretive, descriptive, creative, perplexing, infuriating, endlessly entertaining. Description aside, how do we actually engage with them? By what process are they solved? Inasmuch as it is possible, you should treat each riddle like a tangible artifact: pick it up from its museum pedestal, hold it in front of you, and interact with it as much as is possible in as many different ways as you can. Then, set it down, make some tea, play the piano, and come back and pick it up again. As we will see, the subconscious mind too has its role to play.
Part One: Conscious Analysis
The Denotative Stage:
1. Read the riddle.
2. Read it again aloud.
3. Initial impressions: does an answer immediately come to you unbidden? If so, remember it to check it against your further analyses. Occasionally, something unknowable will present itself at first glance. Intuition can be a powerful thing.
4. Look up and memorize the words you don’t know: thrown off by “senescence”? That’s easy enough to look up. Why not improve your vocab?
5. Categorization: is the riddle speaking about a place, a person, an item, a recurring theme, a concept, or something like a game itself? As best as you can, try to figure out what the riddle is broadly about.
6. If none of this yields a result, then move on to Stage Two.
The Connotative Stage:
1. Alternative definitions: If a word is still giving you trouble, or you think that a certain word holds the key to the riddle’s solution, try to obtain secondary or even quaternary definitions. For instance, did you know that the word “obtain” does not only mean “to get; to acquire” but also “to be prevalent” or “to prevail”? How does that change your reading of the riddle?
2. Connotation: What do the words hint at? In the riddle above, why use the word “tryst” instead of something more commonplace, like “meeting”? Connotation provides the answer to this question, meaning the way a word feels, or what it conjures in the mind in terms of sensations, emotions, or ideas. Whereas a “meeting” connotes bureaucracy and business, a “tryst” speaks to a furtive, private, perhaps romantic meeting between two people who cannot — will not — be discovered. And that makes all the difference in the world.
3. Metaphorical imagery: In what clothing is the riddle attempting to hide itself? This is the job of the metaphor. And there is no easy way to analyze a metaphor but to imagine it and to make as many mental connections as is possible. It is simple to see how a bomb is an “ebon shell,” but it is less clear what precisely the “bezel for the brightest gem” refers to. As in the riddle above, where my friend wrote “beyond truth’s gaze in stone,” we need to look first to representations of truth within the game series before the answer reveals itself.
4. Wordplay and Layout: Is the answer to the riddle something of a game on its own, or does the structure of the riddle give away the answer? Occasionally, yes! While most of the riddles are enigmas, in the sense given above, a few could be considered conundrums, and paying close attention to the sounds of words, their organization, and the actual form of the riddle can sometimes let the cat out of the bag.
The Integrative Stage:
1. Look at your assumptions — what are you imagining? If the riddle is still giving you a rough time, take everything you think you know and toss it out the window. Begin again at square one. Look on the riddle with fresh eyes. Perhaps this word doesn’t have the connotation you imagined that it did; perhaps the structure isn’t hiding any secrets; perhaps the meter is just pleasant sounding. While our intuitions can be powerful, they can also be powerfully misleading.
2. Break down everything and put it in your own words: rephrase the riddle in your own idiolect. Make it yours. Take the basic concepts and change all the verbiage. The diction is a veil: alter it to fit your needs.
3. Look for misdirection: obviously, you cannot know for certain, but at least be wary of this. Sometimes, things are made unduly difficult in order to misdirect the guesser away from a simple answer; the reverse is also true.
4. Change your lens or perspective: perhaps this riddle is not, after all, an attack on capitalism in Kakariko Village; Malo Mart is many things, but we should be able to look at it through many different pairs of eyes.
And if all these things have ceased to give you the answer . . .
So, riddles: enigmatic, interpretive, descriptive, creative, perplexing, infuriating, endlessly entertaining. Description aside, how do we actually engage with them? By what process are they solved? Inasmuch as it is possible, you should treat each riddle like a tangible artifact: pick it up from its museum pedestal, hold it in front of you, and interact with it as much as is possible in as many different ways as you can. Then, set it down, make some tea, play the piano, and come back and pick it up again. As we will see, the subconscious mind too has its role to play.
Part One: Conscious Analysis
The Denotative Stage:
1. Read the riddle.
2. Read it again aloud.
3. Initial impressions: does an answer immediately come to you unbidden? If so, remember it to check it against your further analyses. Occasionally, something unknowable will present itself at first glance. Intuition can be a powerful thing.
4. Look up and memorize the words you don’t know: thrown off by “senescence”? That’s easy enough to look up. Why not improve your vocab?
5. Categorization: is the riddle speaking about a place, a person, an item, a recurring theme, a concept, or something like a game itself? As best as you can, try to figure out what the riddle is broadly about.
6. If none of this yields a result, then move on to Stage Two.
The Connotative Stage:
1. Alternative definitions: If a word is still giving you trouble, or you think that a certain word holds the key to the riddle’s solution, try to obtain secondary or even quaternary definitions. For instance, did you know that the word “obtain” does not only mean “to get; to acquire” but also “to be prevalent” or “to prevail”? How does that change your reading of the riddle?
2. Connotation: What do the words hint at? In the riddle above, why use the word “tryst” instead of something more commonplace, like “meeting”? Connotation provides the answer to this question, meaning the way a word feels, or what it conjures in the mind in terms of sensations, emotions, or ideas. Whereas a “meeting” connotes bureaucracy and business, a “tryst” speaks to a furtive, private, perhaps romantic meeting between two people who cannot — will not — be discovered. And that makes all the difference in the world.
3. Metaphorical imagery: In what clothing is the riddle attempting to hide itself? This is the job of the metaphor. And there is no easy way to analyze a metaphor but to imagine it and to make as many mental connections as is possible. It is simple to see how a bomb is an “ebon shell,” but it is less clear what precisely the “bezel for the brightest gem” refers to. As in the riddle above, where my friend wrote “beyond truth’s gaze in stone,” we need to look first to representations of truth within the game series before the answer reveals itself.
4. Wordplay and Layout: Is the answer to the riddle something of a game on its own, or does the structure of the riddle give away the answer? Occasionally, yes! While most of the riddles are enigmas, in the sense given above, a few could be considered conundrums, and paying close attention to the sounds of words, their organization, and the actual form of the riddle can sometimes let the cat out of the bag.
The Integrative Stage:
1. Look at your assumptions — what are you imagining? If the riddle is still giving you a rough time, take everything you think you know and toss it out the window. Begin again at square one. Look on the riddle with fresh eyes. Perhaps this word doesn’t have the connotation you imagined that it did; perhaps the structure isn’t hiding any secrets; perhaps the meter is just pleasant sounding. While our intuitions can be powerful, they can also be powerfully misleading.
2. Break down everything and put it in your own words: rephrase the riddle in your own idiolect. Make it yours. Take the basic concepts and change all the verbiage. The diction is a veil: alter it to fit your needs.
3. Look for misdirection: obviously, you cannot know for certain, but at least be wary of this. Sometimes, things are made unduly difficult in order to misdirect the guesser away from a simple answer; the reverse is also true.
4. Change your lens or perspective: perhaps this riddle is not, after all, an attack on capitalism in Kakariko Village; Malo Mart is many things, but we should be able to look at it through many different pairs of eyes.
And if all these things have ceased to give you the answer . . .
Part Two: Subconscious Processing
1. Let your brain just chew on it, and, after several weeks, when you’re in the shower or lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, the answer may simply arise from the hadal depths of the human psyche.
Some Examples Out of the Kindness of My Heart
Simple #6
Extend, contract from place to place,
Secret boon of a ghostly race.
Here we have a fairly simple riddle, denotatively pointing at its referent. The riddle speaks to something that extends and contracts; it helps one move from place to place; finally, it is a prize won from a competition with a ghost. What things extend and contract in Zelda? Well, first and foremost the hookshot comes to mind. Does that fit the first line? Yup, absolutely. And the second? Well, if it’s true, the hookshot is given to you after you beat a ghost in a race. Remembering back to Ocarina of Time, we recall racing Dampé’s ghost in Kakariko Graveyard, and, upon winning, he gives us an item. So, it all checks out! The answer is indeed the hookshot.
Middling #12
Kept from ascension,
Trapped beyond the grave;
Savior gifted timely prize —
Lighthearted gift it gave.
Alright, a bit trickier, this one . . . Upon reading, though, it should be obvious that the riddle points to some sort of spirit. We read “ascension” and “trapped beyond the grave” and “savior,” meaning that it is likely a spirit that we rescue — an entity that is being kept from passing on into the next life. And once it is saved, it gives a gift that is both “timely” and “lighthearted.” Well, that’s confusing. (If something is confusing in a riddle, nine times out of ten that’s where the answer lies.) So, here we have a lot of connotation: the ghost is miserable at being trapped in the material plane, and it gives some sort of funny, uplifting present. First things first, a list of spirits: we have Poes of many varieties, the Hero’s Shade, the spirits of the Champions, and many actual ghosts tied to certain locations all throughout the franchise. Do any come to mind? Well, we can rule out any that don’t give gifts, and that narrows it down to only a few. Are any gifts memorable (i.e. lighthearted and timely)? Well, a secret seashell from the ghost in Link’s Awakening is neither; we can capture Poe Souls, but those could hardly be considered gifts; but what about the Ghost in Yoll Graveyard from Oracle of Ages? Well, it is indeed trapped in the material world under a headstone, unable to reach the afterlife. If he is saved, he presents his savior with the Poe Clock. Hey, now, that’s timely, isn’t it? (There’s some wordplay for you: this poem is then both an enigma and a conundrum.) But what about lighthearted? Well, the in-game description reads: “You got the Poe Clock. It lightens the heart?” And there we have it.
Challenging #7
Walk across the ropes,
Beneath protector's gaze;
Bounded by a golden arch,
Ancient are these ways.
Here we are in challenging territory. We can expect a formidable opponent. (And, due to the nature of highly metaphorical riddles, I’ll have to give an abbreviated version of the process; actually solving it would take significantly longer.) First of all, we read. What comes to mind? Something about tightropes, maybe? Perhaps some statues looking down on us? Maybe this is a dungeon? But which one? Is there one with a golden archway that’s really old? These are all excellent ideas, but sadly, they are all wrong. We are being misled by superficial markers: here we are not having something described directly, but are engaged deeply in metaphor. What things could be said to be metaphorical? “Walking” perhaps? “Ropes”? Protector’s gaze seems too specific to be too metaphorical, as does “ancient are these ways,” so we can perhaps assume that these things are fairly literal. And the golden arch could be almost anything. So, let’s focus primarily on “walking” on these “ropes.” Maybe we’re not actually walking, but we are likely moving — otherwise, why give a verb that signifies changing locations? And not ropes, but synonyms: threads, cables, strings? “Strings” calls to mind an instrument. “Walking” would then be akin to playing, which speaks to playing a string instrument, so a lyre, guitar, harp, or something. And obviously the instrument is old, and likely golden in color. A few famed instruments come immediately to mind: the Guitar of Waves? The Surf Harp? The Goddess Harp? The Sea Ukulele? Ultimately, it will come down to what we mean by “beneath protector’s gaze”? In remembering or looking at these instruments one by one, only one can be said to have a protector spirit in its design. If we recall Gaepora’s words from Skyward Sword, Loftwings are “guardian birds that the goddess bestows upon each of us as a symbol of her divine protection.” So, the riddle speaks to playing the Goddess Harp, as the harp is embellished with two Loftwing heads. Oftentimes, the answer to a riddle hinges upon something very slight, and so, in the end, nothing can be overlooked without risking the entire riddle’s solubility.
Final Thoughts
There are nearly two hundred riddles currently on this website, and no one has solved them all (I too am working on solving one or two at any given time). I am reminded suddenly that riddles are a nice microcosm of the human experience: a constant striving for understanding in the face of the continual unknown. Just as there is no foreseeable end to knowledge, so too is there no end to finding a new way to look at something old — and that is precisely the invitation and power of the riddle.
In the spirit of the riddle, happy guessing.
1. Let your brain just chew on it, and, after several weeks, when you’re in the shower or lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, the answer may simply arise from the hadal depths of the human psyche.
Some Examples Out of the Kindness of My Heart
Simple #6
Extend, contract from place to place,
Secret boon of a ghostly race.
Here we have a fairly simple riddle, denotatively pointing at its referent. The riddle speaks to something that extends and contracts; it helps one move from place to place; finally, it is a prize won from a competition with a ghost. What things extend and contract in Zelda? Well, first and foremost the hookshot comes to mind. Does that fit the first line? Yup, absolutely. And the second? Well, if it’s true, the hookshot is given to you after you beat a ghost in a race. Remembering back to Ocarina of Time, we recall racing Dampé’s ghost in Kakariko Graveyard, and, upon winning, he gives us an item. So, it all checks out! The answer is indeed the hookshot.
Middling #12
Kept from ascension,
Trapped beyond the grave;
Savior gifted timely prize —
Lighthearted gift it gave.
Alright, a bit trickier, this one . . . Upon reading, though, it should be obvious that the riddle points to some sort of spirit. We read “ascension” and “trapped beyond the grave” and “savior,” meaning that it is likely a spirit that we rescue — an entity that is being kept from passing on into the next life. And once it is saved, it gives a gift that is both “timely” and “lighthearted.” Well, that’s confusing. (If something is confusing in a riddle, nine times out of ten that’s where the answer lies.) So, here we have a lot of connotation: the ghost is miserable at being trapped in the material plane, and it gives some sort of funny, uplifting present. First things first, a list of spirits: we have Poes of many varieties, the Hero’s Shade, the spirits of the Champions, and many actual ghosts tied to certain locations all throughout the franchise. Do any come to mind? Well, we can rule out any that don’t give gifts, and that narrows it down to only a few. Are any gifts memorable (i.e. lighthearted and timely)? Well, a secret seashell from the ghost in Link’s Awakening is neither; we can capture Poe Souls, but those could hardly be considered gifts; but what about the Ghost in Yoll Graveyard from Oracle of Ages? Well, it is indeed trapped in the material world under a headstone, unable to reach the afterlife. If he is saved, he presents his savior with the Poe Clock. Hey, now, that’s timely, isn’t it? (There’s some wordplay for you: this poem is then both an enigma and a conundrum.) But what about lighthearted? Well, the in-game description reads: “You got the Poe Clock. It lightens the heart?” And there we have it.
Challenging #7
Walk across the ropes,
Beneath protector's gaze;
Bounded by a golden arch,
Ancient are these ways.
Here we are in challenging territory. We can expect a formidable opponent. (And, due to the nature of highly metaphorical riddles, I’ll have to give an abbreviated version of the process; actually solving it would take significantly longer.) First of all, we read. What comes to mind? Something about tightropes, maybe? Perhaps some statues looking down on us? Maybe this is a dungeon? But which one? Is there one with a golden archway that’s really old? These are all excellent ideas, but sadly, they are all wrong. We are being misled by superficial markers: here we are not having something described directly, but are engaged deeply in metaphor. What things could be said to be metaphorical? “Walking” perhaps? “Ropes”? Protector’s gaze seems too specific to be too metaphorical, as does “ancient are these ways,” so we can perhaps assume that these things are fairly literal. And the golden arch could be almost anything. So, let’s focus primarily on “walking” on these “ropes.” Maybe we’re not actually walking, but we are likely moving — otherwise, why give a verb that signifies changing locations? And not ropes, but synonyms: threads, cables, strings? “Strings” calls to mind an instrument. “Walking” would then be akin to playing, which speaks to playing a string instrument, so a lyre, guitar, harp, or something. And obviously the instrument is old, and likely golden in color. A few famed instruments come immediately to mind: the Guitar of Waves? The Surf Harp? The Goddess Harp? The Sea Ukulele? Ultimately, it will come down to what we mean by “beneath protector’s gaze”? In remembering or looking at these instruments one by one, only one can be said to have a protector spirit in its design. If we recall Gaepora’s words from Skyward Sword, Loftwings are “guardian birds that the goddess bestows upon each of us as a symbol of her divine protection.” So, the riddle speaks to playing the Goddess Harp, as the harp is embellished with two Loftwing heads. Oftentimes, the answer to a riddle hinges upon something very slight, and so, in the end, nothing can be overlooked without risking the entire riddle’s solubility.
Final Thoughts
There are nearly two hundred riddles currently on this website, and no one has solved them all (I too am working on solving one or two at any given time). I am reminded suddenly that riddles are a nice microcosm of the human experience: a constant striving for understanding in the face of the continual unknown. Just as there is no foreseeable end to knowledge, so too is there no end to finding a new way to look at something old — and that is precisely the invitation and power of the riddle.
In the spirit of the riddle, happy guessing.
Notes and Works Cited:
[1] The Encyclopedia Americana; a Library of Universal Knowledge, Edited by George Edwin Rines, Encyclopedia Americana Corp., 1920.
[2] “. . . also when a suitor or young man came to ask for a girl, three or more riddles were posed to him, to test his mind with them, and if he could answer and interpret them, he received the girl, otherwise not, but was classified as stupid and good for nothing.”
Maranda, Elli Köngäs (quoting Christfrid Ganander). “Riddles and Riddling: An Introduction.” The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 89, no. 352, 1976, pp. 127–137. JSTOR.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Of course, not every riddle, referent, or metaphor can be seen in this light. Several aspects of several riddles preclude this framing device, as they are dependent on real-world interpretations and facts about the Zelda franchise. There is likely no understanding of the “Zelda Timeline” for the people of Hyrule; nor do they know what Mammon is, let alone the “uncanny valley.”
[1] The Encyclopedia Americana; a Library of Universal Knowledge, Edited by George Edwin Rines, Encyclopedia Americana Corp., 1920.
[2] “. . . also when a suitor or young man came to ask for a girl, three or more riddles were posed to him, to test his mind with them, and if he could answer and interpret them, he received the girl, otherwise not, but was classified as stupid and good for nothing.”
Maranda, Elli Köngäs (quoting Christfrid Ganander). “Riddles and Riddling: An Introduction.” The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 89, no. 352, 1976, pp. 127–137. JSTOR.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Of course, not every riddle, referent, or metaphor can be seen in this light. Several aspects of several riddles preclude this framing device, as they are dependent on real-world interpretations and facts about the Zelda franchise. There is likely no understanding of the “Zelda Timeline” for the people of Hyrule; nor do they know what Mammon is, let alone the “uncanny valley.”