THE SPHINX’S RIDDLES

Prepare to test your wit against the sphinx’s riddles. After

each riddle, its answer will appear on the following page.

1. I go from city to city, yet I never move. What am I?

Road
2. What goes up but never comes down?
Age
3. A man is stranded on a forested island. Lightning
strikes the western edge of the island, setting the
trees on fire. The wind is blowing from the west, such
that the fire is slowly spreading across the whole
island, burning everything to the ground. He has no
tools of any kind, and the island’s cliffs are too high
and too steep for him to jump or climb down. Yet, the
man survives. How does he do it?
 The man takes a branch, moves westward
through the forest until he reaches the fire. He
lights the branch, then moves back eastward. He
set a section of the forest on fire at the eastern
edge of the island. This burns away an isolated
patch of the forest, as the wind is blowing from
the west. Once it is burned away, he then stays
in that cleared section, while the rest of the island
burns.
4. I am Sir Hamlot from the Land of Baloney. My land
has very strict laws. In the Land of Baloney, pebbles
exist, but boulders do not. Boots exist, but coats do
not. Daggers exist, but longswords do not. Now give
me a statement of “In the Land of Baloney, ____
exist, but ____ do not,” and I will see if you
understand our law.
The Land of “Below-Knee”, any object taller than
knee height does not exist. For example, buckets
exist, but brooms do not.
5. A worker fell from the roof of a 12-story building. Even
without any kind of safety equipment, he was not
seriously injured. How was this possible?
He fell onto an 11th-story balcony
6. I can be taken, but never given. He who takes me
never speaks of me for fear I shall be destroyed.
What am I?
Vow of silence
7. Earth is near. Water bestrewn. Fire makes clear. Air
creates dune. What am I?
Sand
8. The dungeon warden tells the prisoner, “If you tell a
lie, I will hang you. If you tell the truth, I will decapitate
you.” What can the prisoner say to save himself?
You are going to hang me.
9. What loses its head in the morning and gets it back at
night?
Pillow
10. What is always in front of us, but cannot be seen?
The Future
11. I run, but I cannot walk. I have a mouth, but I do
not talk. I have a bed, but I do not sleep. What am I?
River
12. I’m tall when I’m young. I’m short when I’m old.
What am I?
Candle
13. I’m hot when it’s cold. I’m cold when it’s hot. What
am I?
The Opposite
14. For some, I am big. For others, I am cold. I have
rooms, and I have doors. You will possess me even
during your funeral. What am I?
Heart
15. You are at home when a rock smashes through
your window. You look and see three brothers running
away: Jacob McGregor, Mark McGregor, and Patrick
McGregor. The next day, you find a mysterious note
on your doorstep, it reads as follows: “? McGregor”
Which of the three boys broke your window?
“? McGregor” = Question Mark McGregor, he is
the guilty one.
16. What food do you discard the outside, then cook
the inside, then eat the outside, then discard the
inside?
Corn (maize)
17. The little princess was trapped in the evil wizard’s
tower. There she found four doors that opened up to
the following:
● Molten lava that would scorch her to ash
● A mad jester with a warhammer who would
bludgeon anyone to death
● Deadly frost that would freeze her instantly
● Archers who would shoot any woman or man
indiscriminately
Which door should the little princess take?
The door with the archers. They would shoot any
woman or man, but the little princess isn’t an
adult.
18. The baroness’s favorite statue was found broken.
The only person who had been at home at the time
was her husband. He claimed that he had been
napping by the warm hearth when he heard a crash in
the gallery. He chased the culprit out of the house, but
when he went into the cold air outside, the lenses of
his spectacles fogged up. Being unable to see, the
vandal escaped. However, the baroness knew her
husband was lying, and she told him to admit that it
was he who had broken the statue. How did she know
this?
Lenses do not fog up when going from warm air
to cold air.
19. Within a perilous labyrinth, you come across three
doorways. The first leads to a raging inferno, the
second leads to a deadly assassin, and the third
leads to a lion that has not eaten in three months.
Which do you choose?
The third door. If the lion has not eaten in three
months, it will be dead.
20. Complete the following poem by placing a 6-letter
word in each blank. Each word is different, but they all
use the same six letters (anagrams).
A ___ sat on his ___ grey,
Watching the ___ of the parting day,
And this was his lay:
“Thou ___ the weak,
Thou ___ the strong,
To thee the ___ of battles belong.”
And the wind with a ___ bore off his song.
 A sutler sat on his ulster grey,
Watching the lustre of the parting day,
And this was his lay:
“Thou rulest the weak,
Thou lurest the strong,
To thee the result of battles belong.”
And the wind with a rustle bore off his song.
May your adventures be many!
—Esper