Bilbo engages Gollum in a riddle-game, as portrayed in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Riddle-game[1] was an ancient game played by Bilbo Baggins and Gollum in Gollum's cave, whereupon they struggled for dominance against one another, as recounted in the fifth chapter of The Hobbit.
Having found the One Ring beforehand in the cave, Bilbo won the game by asking Gollum what he had in his pocket. The opinions of the Authorities differ on this issue, whether or not Bilbo's question was a riddle-but they all agreed upon the fact that Gollum had accepted the question as a riddle, and was now obliged to give an answer or lose the game.[1] Gollum, of course, did not know, and frustratedly pardoned himself to his island home. Bilbo then escaped using the One Ring's property of invisibility, and would rejoin Thorin and Company at the eastern foot of the mountains.[2]
The riddles[]
Riddle 1 (Gollum):
What has roots as nobody sees,
Is taller than trees,
Up, up it goes,
And yet never grows?
Answer: a Mountain
Riddle 2 (Bilbo):
Thirty white horses on a red hill,
First they champ,
Then they stamp,
Then they stand still.
Answer: Teeth
Riddle 3 (Gollum):
Voiceless it cries,
Wingless flutters,
toothless bites,
Mouthless mutters.
Answer: Wind
Riddle 4 (Bilbo):
An eye in a blue face
Saw an eye in a green face.
“That eye is like to this eye”
Said the first eye,
“but in low place”
Not in high place.”
Answer: Sun on the daisies
Riddle 5 (Gollum):
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.
Answer: Darkness
Riddle 6 (Bilbo):
A box without hinges, key or lid,
Yet golden treasure inside is hid.
Answer: Egg
Riddle 7 (Gollum):
Alive without breath,
As cold as death;
Never thirsty, ever drinking,
All in mail never clinking
Answer: Fish
Riddle 8 (Bilbo):
No-legs lay on one-leg,
two legs sat near on three legs,
four legs got some.
Answer: Fish on a little one-legged table, man at table sitting on a three-legged stool, the cat gets the bones
Riddle 9 (Gollum):
This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down.
Answer: Time
Riddle 10 (Bilbo):
What does Bilbo have in his pocket?
Answer: The One Ring of Power
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Afrikaans | Raadspel |
| Albanian | Lojë shoshë |
| Amharic | የእንቆቅልሽ ጨዋታ |
| Arabic | لغز لعبه |
| Armenian | Հանելուկ Խաղ |
| Assamese | ৰহস্যৰ খেল |
| Azerbaijani | Tapmaca oyunu |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | загадка гульні |
| Bengali | ধাঁধা খেলা |
| Bosnian | Zagonetka igra |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Игра на гатанки |
| Cambodian | ល្បែងផ្គុំរូប |
| Catalan | Joc d'endevinalles |
| Cebuano | Tigmo nga dula |
| Chinese | 谜语游戏 |
| Cornish | Dismyk Gwari |
| Corsican | Ghjocu di enigmi |
| Croatian | Zagonetka igra |
| Czech | Hádanka hry |
| Danish | Gådedysten |
| Dari | بازی پازل |
| Dutch | Raadsel Spel |
| Esperanto | Enigma Ludo |
| Estonian | Mõistatus mäng |
| Filipino | Laro ng bugtong |
| Finnish | Arvoitus peli |
| French | Jeu de l'énigme |
| Frisian | Riedsel wedstriid (Western) |
| Friulian | Gjoc enigmatic |
| Galician | Xogo de enigma |
| Georgian | რიდლი თამაში |
| German | Rätselspiel |
| Greek | Παιχνίδι αίνιγμα |
| Gujarati | રિડલ ગેમ |
| Haitian Creole | Devinèt jwèt |
| Hebrew | משחק החידות |
| Hindi | पहेली खेल |
| Hungarian | Rejtvényes játék |
| Icelandic | Ráðgáta leikur |
| Irish Gaelic | Cluiche a tomhaiseanna |
| Italian | Gioco di enigmi |
| Japanese | 謎のゲーム |
| Kannada | ರಿಡಲ್ ಗೇಮ್ |
| Kazakh | Жұмбақ ойыны (Cyrillic) Jumbaq oyını (Latin) |
| Konkani | कोड्याचो खेळ |
| Korean | 수수께끼 게임 |
| Kurdish | Lîstika Şertonek (Kurmanji) |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | табышмак оюн |
| Laotian | ການຫຼິ້ນຄຳທວາຍ |
| Latvian | Mīklu spēle |
| Lithuanian | Mįslių žaidimas |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Загатка игра |
| Malagasy | Lalao Milalao |
| Malaysian | Teka-teki permainan |
| Marathi | कोडे खेळ |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | онөсого Тоглоом |
| Nepalese | पहेली खेल |
| Norwegian | Gåten Spillet |
| Occitan | Jòc d'enigma |
| Pashto | د لوبې لوبې |
| Persian | بازی معما |
| Polish | Gry zagadka |
| Portuguese | Jogo de acertijo |
| Punjabi | ਬੁਝਾਰਤ ਖੇਡ |
| Romanian | Joc de ghicitori |
| Russian | Головоломка игра |
| Sanskrit | प्रहेलिका क्रीडा |
| Sardinian | Giogu de indovinellos |
| Scottish Gaelic | Geama tòimhseachain |
| Serbian | Загонетка игра (Cyrillic) Zagonetka igra (Latin) |
| Sindhi | ڳجهارت واري راند |
| Sinhalese | රයිල්ඩ් ගේම් |
| Slovak | Hádanka hra |
| Slovenian | Uganka igra |
| Somali | Hal-xiraale Ciyaarta |
| Spanish | Juego de adivinanzas |
| Sundanese | Kaulinan Babadean |
| Swahili | Mchezo wa kitendawili |
| Swedish | Gåta Spel |
| Tamil | புதிர் விளையாட்டு |
| Tatar | Табышмак уены |
| Telugu | రిడిల్ గేమ్ |
| Thai | เกมปริศนา |
| Turkish | Bilmece oyunu |
| Turkmen | Bulmaç oýun |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Загадка ігри |
| Uzbek | Жумбоқ ўйин (Cyrillic) Jumboq o'yin (Latin) |
| Vietnamese | Trò chơi đố |
| Welsh | Gêm Pos |
| Yiddish | רעטעניש שפּיל |
| Yoruba | Adiitu idaraya |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "Prologue", 4. Of the Finding of the Ring
- ↑ The Hobbit, Chapter V: "Riddles in the Dark"