Riddles are a staple in J.R.R. Tolkien’s world. It is, as a matter of fact, a very old game played by the hobbits to settle disputes among them. The riddle game, as it is called, makes players fight each other by asking riddles until one of the players fails to provide the right answer. Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien can’t get enough of the Lord of the Rings riddles! Thus, we’ve collected some Lord of the Rings riddles from the Trilogy for you to try. We also added more LOTR-inspired riddles that will make you use your head to answer.
As if the riddles are not enough, a small history section dedicated to the story of how the riddle game began in the Lord of the Rings is included below. It also has a short narrative of Bilbo Baggins and Gollum’s famous riddle game. Lucky for Bilbo, he didn’t end up as Gollum’s dinner after playing (spoiler alert!)
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Gollum’s Riddles, is he a Riddle Hobbit?
J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary world of second breakfasts, riddle hobbit games, and fantastical settings painted within our heads while we read/watch have taken on a whole culture in itself. Whether you’ve read all the books cover to cover multiple times, you have the movies and each of Gollum’s riddles memorized, or all the above, one’s nerdy heart is changed once they enter the Lord of the Rings realm. Once a hobbit, always a hobbit, right?
Well, there’s nothing quite like stepping up to the mossy stone plate and trying your hand at Gollum’s riddles and scratching your noggin on a few riddle hobbit oddities. One can never come across too many Lord of the Rings Riddles!
Before escaping into the depths of Gollum’s riddles and the battle of witts of riddle hobbit games, let us strike up an interesting question to ponder. Was the trickster Gollum a Hobbit, and was he still a Hobbit after his transformation? This question can open to much discussion and is sort of a riddle hobbit within itself.
Thanks to the courtesy of Gandalf and his questions with Gollum, we as an audience discover quite a lot of background information on his past and that burning question: is Gollum a Hobbit?
Before this persona of Gollum came to be and started riddling out Gollum’s Riddles, he was a Stoor Hobbit by the name of Sméagol. The mighty ring was found by Sméagol’s relative Deagle while they were on a fishing trip for Sméagol’s 33rd birthday (Aww, how nice). During the fishing excursion, Deagle found the ring laying at the bottom of the river bed. And after refusing to give the ring to Sméagol as a birthday present upon his request, Sméagol kills Deagle and takes the ring for himself (Not so nice).
As we know, the ring is incredibly and scarily powerful, causing corruption to whoever beholds it. Sméagol quickly begins to change for the worse as he uses the ring for evil intentions and thieving; he even adopts a mannerism of an odd gurgling sound. With that and his bad ways, he earns the name Gollum for this new off-putting characteristic and is also banished and shunned from his family and home. Now known as Gollum, he retreats to living under the hills and in a cave, where he continues to wear the ring, and it takes an inevitable toll on him. Creating and forming him into the eerie Gollum we know.
Now that we have some background info on what came before Gollum’s Riddles and riddle hobbit alike, the evidence can point to Gollum, very deep down, having the origins of a Stoor Hobbit and therefore is technically a Hobbit. Isn’t that an interesting book discussion question intertwined in the Lord of the Rings Riddles to think about?
Riddle 1
What has roots as nobody sees,
Is taller than trees,
Up, up it goes,
And yet never grows?
Answer: Mountain
Riddle 2
Thirty white horses on a red hill,
First they chomp,
Then they stomp,
Then they stand still
Answer: Teeth
Riddle 3
Voiceless it cries,
Wingless flutters,
Toothless bites,
Mouthless mutters
Answer: Wind
Riddle 4
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
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 out first and follows after
Ends life, kills laughter
Answer: Dark
Riddle 6
A box without hinges, key or lid
Yet golden treasure inside is hid
Answer: Egg
Riddle 7
Alive without breath,
As cold as death,
Never thirsty, ever drinking,
All in mail never clinking
Answer: Fish
Riddle 8
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
This thing all things devours;
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats mountain down
Answer: Time
Riddle 10 (Bonus Question)
What does Bilbo have in his pocket?
Answer: The One Ring of Power
24 Lord of the Rings-Inspired Riddles
The fame of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy inspired many people to make their own Lord of the Rings riddles. Here are some LOTR-riddles sourced from Riddles and Answers that fans take pleasure in making.
- What did Frodo say when he saw the elves dancing?
Answer: It must be Christmas time - What do you call a dark lord that works at KFC?
Answer: Lord of the wings - There’s one that is called Smaug, who in The Hobbit guarded gold. The fire that he breathed means that you would never be cold. What is it?
Answer: A dragon - What to the Orcs around Lorien fear the most?
Answer: Elf-inflicted wounds - How did the hobbit ruin the boxing match?
Answer: He tried to destroy the ring - Who did Saruman get married to?
Answer: Sarugirl - What would Legolas carry if he went into the debt collection business?
Answer: A Bill-Bow - What did Borimir say to the Rolling Stones?
Answer: Have you not heard? One does not simply rock into Mordor! - Born and raised in Dale, I can be seen in the center of Gondor. I’ve never been in the Shire. But, you’ll always find me at the end of the road. Who am I?
Answer: The letter “d” - What is the difference between Sauron and the Easter bunny?
Answer: Nobody knows, no one has seen either one. - What do you call the wraith king?
Answer: A ring leader - What do you call a wizard who can hit a white ball with a club?
Answer: Cangolf - On the mountain, ‘twas forged. The power it contains. Izildur has it. But, they lost it again.
Answer: The ring of power - Why did Frodo read The Lord of the Rings 50 times?
Answer: Because it was hobbit-forming - What do you call a hobbit party?
Answer: A little get together - Why did they come out with a Lord of the Rings movie?
Answer: The fans were Baggins for it - How many quarters does it take to play the new Lord of the Rings arcade game?
Answer: None, it only takes Tolkiens. - What did Frodo say when he saw the trees dancing?
Answer: That’s ENT-ertainment - A king of riches, a pawn of poor. After the game, the same box they board. It takes them where hierarchy is no more. What is it?
Answer: Death - What is Gollum’s favorite bird?
Answer: A smea-gull - In caves of mold, in depths untold. We harvest a crop of silver and gold. Lacking in light, we seek to fight. We vanquish our foes, though terrible in might. What is it?
Answer: Goblins - I am bald and made of stone with fiery hearts, I stand alone. What am I?
Answer: The Lonely Mountain - In the north of Eriador, covered in ice, is where a bewitched kingdom lies. It’s kind was corrupted by the thing on Sauron’s hand. Can you tell the name of the land?
Answer: Angmar - Why don’t you ask a hobbit for money?
Answer: Because they’re already a little short
Gandalf’s Riddle of the Ents
Gandalf the Grey, also called Gandalf the White in the latter part of the story, is a favorite character from the book. He is a wizard and one of the protagonists. Gandalf also holds one of the Three Rings, which gives him great power. His ring is the Ring of Fire and he used fireworks to keep the hobbits of Shire entertained.
King Theodon asked Gandalf what caused the Huorns to appear during the Battle of the Hornburg. Theodon. He asked if it was “wizardry,” but Gandalf replied that it was “a power far older” before he started reciting a poem, to which Theoden later identified as a riddle. The poem that Gandalf recited to King Theodon is called Gandalf’s Riddle of the Ents.
Ere iron was found or tree was hewn,
When young was mountain under moon;
Ere ring was made, or wrought was woe,
It walked the forests long ago.
History of Riddles in the Lord of the Rings
The riddle game is regarded as very ancient in J.R.R. Tolkien’s story. The rules of the game were set and agreed upon by the Authorities. Thus, the game is considered sacred and is highly respected by everyone.
The most famous of riddles from the Lord of the Rings were the ones that Gollum and Bilbo Baggins threw at each other during their riddle game inside the Misty Mountains. The prize of the game of utmost importance to the story. If Bilbo won, Gollum would show him the way out of the Misty Mountains. But if Gollum won, Bilbo would be his food for dinner!
The two exchanged riddles until Bilbo asked, “What I have got in my pocket?” Gollum gave a wrong answer after being given three chances to answer it correctly. But, he still wanted to eat Bilbo and so he planned a scheme to use the ring (Gollum’s “My Precious”) against Bilbo. However, he found it was missing and only then did he realize what the correct answer to Bilbo’s last riddle was: The One Ring of Power.
Given how Gollum was able to provide correct answers, except during the last part of the game, Gandalf thought that Gollum was once a hobbit himself.
More Riddles to Enjoy
If you like these Lord of the Rings riddles, then you might want to check out other riddle articles that we have on our site:
- 72 Best Halloween Riddles for the Spooky Season
- The Best 7 Second Riddles to Keep You Guessing
- Best Dad Riddles to Keep them Guessing
And if riddles get boring and confusing, you can ditch them for This or That Questions instead!
Have fun and enjoy more amazing content from Card Sayings!