Solving a riddle
If you have not already, please read the page on the Anatomy of a Riddle. That page goes into the different types of riddles and how they are made up. In order to solve a riddle, you must first be able to identify it. That is one of the most important steps because without that, you will not know what difficulty you are facing.
Finding the metaphors |
Specific kowledge |
For the more difficult riddles that involve metaphors that may construe the meaning behind the riddle, you must identify the metaphor and break it down before going any further. One way of identifying a metaphor is by looking for the broad words in the riddle such as a mention of time, emotion, or being. This of course does not work for every single example, but it is a place to start.
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If a riddle mentions any names, places, or words that seem specific to a topic, do some research. The riddle may be themed upon that topic and by doing some research you may be able to decipher other parts of the riddle or even find the answer in your searching. Even if you guessed incorrectly and the riddle is not related to that topic, you learned something new today!
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PIECING it all together
In order to solve a riddle, you must take all the parts of it and find the answer. Lets use an example.
Riddle of the Sphinx
What walks on four legs in the morning,
Walks on two legs at noon,
And walks on three legs at night?
The Riddle of the Sphinx was once unsolved by any man. Its simple request, to find a being that walks on a certain number of legs during certain times of day, seems simple. That’s the thing that tricks people, they are thinking of the wrong answer. You must see that if one looks at the riddle this way, it truly is impossible.
The day that the sphinx is referencing is not 24 hours long, but rather an entire lifetime. Birth, life, and death (or at least near death). The second use of language is with the term “legs”. If we generalize this term to just mean an extremity of the body, natural or not, this may make our journey to the solution a little easier. If any of you have an idea or don’t here is the answer.
The answer is Man. He crawls, then walks, then needs a cane to continue on. The answer was right in front of us the entire time; it was us! Simple phrasing made it impossible to solve.
Riddle of the Sphinx
What walks on four legs in the morning,
Walks on two legs at noon,
And walks on three legs at night?
The Riddle of the Sphinx was once unsolved by any man. Its simple request, to find a being that walks on a certain number of legs during certain times of day, seems simple. That’s the thing that tricks people, they are thinking of the wrong answer. You must see that if one looks at the riddle this way, it truly is impossible.
The day that the sphinx is referencing is not 24 hours long, but rather an entire lifetime. Birth, life, and death (or at least near death). The second use of language is with the term “legs”. If we generalize this term to just mean an extremity of the body, natural or not, this may make our journey to the solution a little easier. If any of you have an idea or don’t here is the answer.
The answer is Man. He crawls, then walks, then needs a cane to continue on. The answer was right in front of us the entire time; it was us! Simple phrasing made it impossible to solve.