Riddle me this
The more you feed it, the more it will grow high. But if you give it
water, then it will quickly die.
What could it be? Some kind of animal that lives without water? A desert
plant?
The answer is—fire.
That’s a riddle, of course. An old, old riddle. Riddles are probably the
oldest of all games. In ancient times, men who could make up and solve
riddles were thought to be the best leaders and wisest men. Riddles were
used to teach children many important facts of life. Almost everybody in
the world plays the riddle game.
The Aborigines of Australia ask this riddle: The strongest man cannot
stand against me. I can knock him down, yet I do not hurt him. And he
feels better because I have knocked him down! What am I?
The answer is—sleep.
Here’s an old English riddle that’s also a rhyme: Flour of England,
fruit of Spain, Met together in a shower of rain:
Put in a bag tied round with a string, If you’ll tell me this riddle,
I’ll give you a ring. The answer is—a plum pudding.
People of India know this riddle:
I wear many coats, And I have a hot temper! What am I?
The answer is—an onion.
In Africa there’s a riddle that goes:
Who is the old lady
that cries when she’s knocked by a child?
The answer is—a drum.
And this is a riddle from Spain:
There’s a lazy old woman with one tooth in her head.
But with that tooth, she gathers a crowd.
The answer is—a churchbell.
And one of the oldest riddles of all is this one:
What flies forever
And rests never?
The answer, of course, is—the wind.
Everywhere in the world, children love to ask riddles and try to answer
them.
