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Incubator Q&A A sphinx's riddle with the solution "Death"

I tried to make this one just a little tricky to give your players something to think through. Thirty White Horses, the hardest of Gollum's riddles,[1] was short with a persistent metaphor. I'm aim...

posted 1y ago by Michael‭ · edited 1y ago by Michael‭

Answer

#3: Post edited by

Michael‭ · 2025-07-22T23:26:11Z (about 1 year ago)
Refer to Gollum's riddle by its first line, not its answer.

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I tried to make this one just a little tricky to give your players something to think through. Thirty White Horses, the hardest of Gollum's riddles,[^1] was short with a persistent metaphor. I'm aiming for slightly-less-hard than that one.
Enjoy this poem about a fishing trip:
> A mayfly dawn
> A river trip
> A pouring out
> For thirsty lip
>
> A shallow beam
> A flashy toss
> Grandfather rows
> The catch across
## Explanation
> A mayfly dawn
Mayflies live as adults for a single night. They mate at sunset, and by dawn some species are already dead. They also make great fishing bait.
> A river trip
This is an allusion to the boat-trip-to-cross-over myths like Charon and the Styx. You'll see this come up a lot in this riddle.
> A pouring out
> For thirsty lip
"[Pour one out][pour] for the dead." This is not thirsty fishermen drinking a beer.
> A shallow beam
Still the riverboat allusion. But this time, "shallow" may help your party think of graves.
> A flashy toss
The *fishing* interpretation of this line is a fancy cast. But the *death* interpretation is dropping a coin for the ferryman into the grave.
> Grandfather rows
Grandfather is a generic term for your elders. This could be your long-deceased ancestors coming to bring you over to them on the far side. It could be a name for Time personified. Or just for Death.
> The catch across
It's not fish that he's bringing!
[^1]: For me, anyway. It's the only one I couldn't solve.
[pour]: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pour_one_out

I tried to make this one just a little tricky to give your players something to think through. Thirty White Horses, the hardest of Gollum's riddles,[^1] was short with a persistent metaphor. I'm aiming for slightly-less-hard than that one.
Enjoy this poem about a fishing trip:
> A mayfly dawn
> A river trip
> A pouring out
> For thirsty lip
>
> A shallow beam
> A flashy toss
> Grandfather rows
> The catch across
## Explanation
> A mayfly dawn
Mayflies live as adults for a single night. They mate at sunset, and by dawn some species are already dead. They also make great fishing bait.
> A river trip
This is an allusion to the boat-trip-to-cross-over myths like Charon and the Styx. You'll see this come up a lot in this riddle.
> A pouring out
> For thirsty lip
"[Pour one out][pour] for the dead." This is not thirsty fishermen drinking a beer.
> A shallow beam
Still the riverboat allusion. But this time, "shallow" may help your party think of graves.
> A flashy toss
The *fishing* interpretation of this line is a fancy cast. But the *death* interpretation is dropping a coin for the ferryman into the grave.
> Grandfather rows
Grandfather is a generic term for your elders. This could be your long-deceased ancestors coming to bring you over to them on the far side. It could be a name for Time personified. Or just for Death.
This is also a place where you can adjust to make the riddle easier.
- **A figure rows** very neutral
- **A strain of oar** also neutral
- **He turns and guides** an additional touch of transition
- **Grim Charon poles** giving it away
> The catch across
It's not fish that he's bringing!
[^1]: For me, anyway. It's the only one I couldn't solve.
[pour]: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pour_one_out

#2: Post edited by

Michael‭ · 2025-07-22T21:44:29Z (about 1 year ago)
Refer to Gollum's riddle by its first line, not its answer.

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I tried to make this one just a little tricky to give your players something to think through. The hardest of Gollum's riddles[^1] was the "teeth" one: short with a persistent metaphor. I'm aiming for slightly-less-hard-than-that.
Enjoy this poem about a fishing trip:
> A mayfly dawn
> A river trip
> A pouring out
> For thirsty lip
>
> A shallow beam
> A flashy toss
> Grandfather rows
> The catch across
## Explanation
> A mayfly dawn
Mayflies live as adults for a single night. They mate at sunset, and by dawn some species are already dead. They also make great fishing bait.
> A river trip
This is an allusion to the boat-trip-to-cross-over myths like Charon and the Styx. You'll see this come up a lot in this riddle.
> A pouring out
> For thirsty lip
"[Pour one out][pour] for the dead." This is not thirsty fishermen drinking a beer.
> A shallow beam
Still the riverboat allusion. But this time, "shallow" may help your party think of graves.
> A flashy toss
The *fishing* interpretation of this line is a fancy cast. But the *death* interpretation is dropping a coin for the ferryman into the grave.
> Grandfather rows
Grandfather is a generic term for your elders. This could be your long-deceased ancestors coming to bring you over to them on the far side. It could be a name for Time personified. Or just for Death.
> The catch across
It's not fish that he's bringing!
~~[^1]: For me, anyway. It's the one I couldn't solve.~~
[pour]: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pour_one_out

I tried to make this one just a little tricky to give your players something to think through. Thirty White Horses, the hardest of Gollum's riddles,[^1] was short with a persistent metaphor. I'm aiming for slightly-less-hard than that one.
Enjoy this poem about a fishing trip:
> A mayfly dawn
> A river trip
> A pouring out
> For thirsty lip
>
> A shallow beam
> A flashy toss
> Grandfather rows
> The catch across
## Explanation
> A mayfly dawn
Mayflies live as adults for a single night. They mate at sunset, and by dawn some species are already dead. They also make great fishing bait.
> A river trip
This is an allusion to the boat-trip-to-cross-over myths like Charon and the Styx. You'll see this come up a lot in this riddle.
> A pouring out
> For thirsty lip
"[Pour one out][pour] for the dead." This is not thirsty fishermen drinking a beer.
> A shallow beam
Still the riverboat allusion. But this time, "shallow" may help your party think of graves.
> A flashy toss
The *fishing* interpretation of this line is a fancy cast. But the *death* interpretation is dropping a coin for the ferryman into the grave.
> Grandfather rows
Grandfather is a generic term for your elders. This could be your long-deceased ancestors coming to bring you over to them on the far side. It could be a name for Time personified. Or just for Death.
> The catch across
It's not fish that he's bringing!
[^1]: For me, anyway. It's the only one I couldn't solve.
[pour]: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pour_one_out

#1: Initial revision by

Michael‭ · 2025-07-22T21:40:58Z (about 1 year ago)

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I tried to make this one just a little tricky to give your players something to think through. The hardest of Gollum's riddles[^1] was the "teeth" one: short with a persistent metaphor. I'm aiming for slightly-less-hard-than-that.

Enjoy this poem about a fishing trip:

> A mayfly dawn  
> A river trip  
> A pouring out  
> For thirsty lip
>
> A shallow beam  
> A flashy toss  
> Grandfather rows  
> The catch across

## Explanation

> A mayfly dawn

Mayflies live as adults for a single night. They mate at sunset, and by dawn some species are already dead. They also make great fishing bait.

> A river trip

This is an allusion to the boat-trip-to-cross-over myths like Charon and the Styx. You'll see this come up a lot in this riddle.

> A pouring out  
> For thirsty lip

"[Pour one out][pour] for the dead." This is not thirsty fishermen drinking a beer.

> A shallow beam

Still the riverboat allusion. But this time, "shallow" may help your party think of graves.

> A flashy toss

The *fishing* interpretation of this line is a fancy cast. But the *death* interpretation is dropping a coin for the ferryman into the grave.

> Grandfather rows

Grandfather is a generic term for your elders. This could be your long-deceased ancestors coming to bring you over to them on the far side. It could be a name for Time personified. Or just for Death.

> The catch across

It's not fish that he's bringing!



[^1]: For me, anyway. It's the one I couldn't solve.

[pour]: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pour_one_out

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