Password

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Urwen

In the meantime, amuse yourself with Riddles in the Downs thread. It needs revitalization too.

You've said the answer to your previous riddle elsewhere, so it wouldn't really be guessing. Do you want to post a different one? I've had an idea or two for riddles myself, but I don't think I'll have time to actually write one in the next little while.

[Urwen]

Here's a theme which wasn't done before, but I feel is appropriate at this moment.

1. Shaken-up substance, with a vowel. This emerges.
2. Everlasting, circularly? Ah, you, they call back, for it.
3. Band time! Enjoy it!
4. The long look, archaically, reveals this.
5. Gold. Used up, like bread. Jumbled closure. This appears.
6. Lightened, he says, shortly. Just like this usually is.
7. At the close, wrath returns. For this.

You'll understand why when you solve it.

[Urwen]

I had hoped this would be solved today for ~reasons~... *disappointed*

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

I had hoped this would be solved today for ~reasons~... *disappointed*

I mean, it's Christmas Day, you'll be lucky to get anyone on at all...

... but I did Christmas on the 23rd, so:

#7: I looked at 'endegar' (END + RAGE backwards), and the Gateway suggested ENDERI... which is END + IRE. They're the intercalary days of the Elven/Numenorean calendar.

So immediately we're looking at days and seasons, and possibly just at intercalary days. Let's have a looksee...

#3 suggests RINGDAY (band + time), which is indeed a Telcontarian feast-day (enjoy it!). Could be CORMARE instead.

#6: 'shortly, like this usually is' suggests one of the leap-months. Since the Enderi have already been used... LITHE is lit+he, and is not only usually 3 days rather than 4, but also short for 'Lithedays'.

__R__LE... okay, I have a theory, let's test it.

... yep. #4: YESTARE is 'ye (olde) stare', and is the first intercalary day in the New Reckoning. That means I'm going to guess the password as:

FORYULE, a spelling of the Shire name for December (roughly).

I'm not sure about the other three... #5 should logically be URIME or URUI, as the only calendar word starting with U (it's August), but I can't make it fit the clue.

Still, at least I've tried! A very fine Yule to all.

hS

[Urwen]

Well, that's why I wanted it to be solved today...

[Pervinca Took]

Oh! When you said appropriate for the time, I thought you meant plagues and illnesses in Middle-earth!

Merry Christmas, Passworders!

[Galadriel55]

Fine password, and well-timed! Happy Christmas to all!

[Urwen]

These are correct. The rest are not.

1. Shaken-up substance, with a vowel. This emerges.
2. Everlasting, circularly? Ah, you, they call back, for it.
RINGDAY: Band time! Enjoy it!
YESTARE: The long look, archaically, reveals this.
5. Gold. Used up, like bread. Jumbled closure. This appears.
LITHE: Lightened, he says, shortly. Just like this usually is.
ENDIRE: At the close, wrath returns. For this.

By the way, I found this on Reddit.

[Pervinca Took]

Shaken-up substance, with a vowel. This emerges.

Assuming that FORYULE is right, perhaps FORELITHE for number one?

FROTH for shaken-up substance?

Hmmm. Maybe not.

[Galadriel55]

For 2, I had a thought that the first half could become OVER, from ever with a circle. But that can only mean OVERLITHE, and I don't see how that fits the second half.

[Urwen]

When I said the rest are wrong, I also meant the password is wrong.

Try again.

[Pervinca Took]

For 5, wondering if there is a feast day ending in -DEN (a jumble of END that looks as if it could end a word).

[Urwen]

Originally Posted by Pervinca Took

Shaken-up substance, with a vowel. This emerges.

Assuming that FORYULE is right, perhaps FORELITHE for number one?

FROTH for shaken-up substance?

Hmmm. Maybe not.

Remember your 'chemical in a swamp' clue...

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Pervinca Took

For 5, wondering if there is a feast day ending in -DEN (a jumble of END that looks as if it could end a word).

#5: How about UNDOME, meaning 'evendim', or twilight? The derivation would be:

'Gold. Used up, like bread.' -- [A]u, chemical symbol for gold sliced from one end.

'Jumbled closure.' -- 'end' is in the final five letters.

??? -- somehow get 'om' in there too.

The only other time-related U-word I can find is UIAL (morning twilight), which could be obtained as an anagram of laurie (Quenya 'golden') with most of the end chopped off.

Originally Posted by Urwen

Remember your 'chemical in a swamp' clue...

#1: That sounds like a clue for Elemmire, which suggests your clue uses 'element' for substance, so an anagram of 'element' plus a vowel. Which... I... can't find. :-/ Closest I can come is MENELYA (Q. 'Wednesday'), which has ELEM[e]N[t] + A.

#2: 'ah, you, they call back' = ends with UR? It almost has to start with a vowel, too, given its place in the password... the best possibility I can find is ARANDUR, sounds like 'around'; Sindarin for Steward, with the Steward Mardil having reformed the Gondorian calendar.

hS

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

#2: 'ah, you, they call back' = ends with UR? It almost has to start with a vowel, too, given its place in the password... the best possibility I can find is ARANDUR, sounds like 'around'; Sindarin for Steward, with the Steward Mardil having reformed the Gondorian calendar.

*facepalm* I was trying to work with AU, not getting very far though.

Also considered LAC, from CAL(L) backwards, but I think the only thing that comes up there is BLACK YEARS.

[Urwen]

My bad. 'substance' means 'matter'...

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

My bad. 'substance' means 'matter'...

Aha! In that case, METTARE, the last day of the year, which to the Dunedain fell on the same day as Hobbitish Yule.

So where are we at?

#1 Mettare, New Year's Eve
#2 ??? [Everlasting, circularly? Ah, you, they call back, for it.]
#3 Ringday, end of September
#4 Yestare, New Year's Day
#5 ??? [Gold. Used up, like bread. Jumbled closure. This appears.]
#6 Lithe, before and after Midsummer
#7 Enderi, the middle-days of the year

The theme of 'intercalary days' is still very strong - Ringday is the only potential exception, and in leap-years it was doubled and definitely intercalary.

So what other intercalary days are there in Middle-earth?

-1 and 2 Yule, the Yuledays (Shire)
-Overlithe and Mid-Year's Day, part of the Summerdays (Shire)
-Loende, another Mid-Year's Day (Gondor)
-Tuilérë and Yáviérë, approximately the equinoxes (Gondor)
-Potentially Durin's Day, or Dwarves' New Year

I think that's it? Potentially also solstice and equinox, since various festival-days fall on them. And I suppose leap day as a generic term.

None of which looks very likely! Unless there's an acronym involved, both answers should be vowels, but there's... not really any in there other than Overlithe, and I can't fit it to either clue.

hS

[Urwen]

Hint for 5: What word do you use to describe used up bread? Clue: it's __ bread.

[Huinesoron]

Not even Mettare? Yikes, I was confident on that one.

Originally Posted by Urwen

Hint for 5: What word do you use to describe used up bread? Clue: it's __ bread.

... stale? Is the only word I can think of that's close to that meaning. Which suggests a word similar to Austale[?] or Orstale[?], either with the end scrambled or an anagram of [something closure-ish] on the end.

I can't come up with anything that fits that description though, so I'll leave it for others.

I will add that the Hobbit name for April, Astron, is derived from Old English for 'Easter', so might fit the theme. Also that all seven Sindarin weekday names start with 'Or' for gold.

Also, charmingly and unrelatedly, I've randomly discovered the Quenya word for 'introverted': óricuvoitë, 'keeping one’s own counsel (not necessarily sinister)'.

hS

[Urwen]

METTARE: Shaken-up substance, with a vowel. This emerges.
2. Everlasting, circularly? Ah, you, they call back, for it.
RINGDAY: Band time! Enjoy it!
YESTARE: The long look, archaically, reveals this.
AUSTALENDE: Gold. Used up, like bread. Jumbled closure. This appears.
LITHE: Lightened, he says, shortly. Just like this usually is.
ENDIRE: At the close, wrath returns. For this.


You were close with 5, so I included it.

[Huinesoron]

Middle Quenya, huh? That opens up some new options...

Is the password MERYALE, M.Q. for 'holiday'?

hS

[Urwen]

METTARE: Shaken-up substance, with a vowel. This emerges.
E: Everlasting, circularly? Ah, you, they call back, for it.
RINGDAY: Band time! Enjoy it!
YESTARE: The long look, archaically, reveals this.
AUSTALENDE: Gold. Used up, like bread. Jumbled closure. This appears.
LITHE: Lightened, he says, shortly. Just like this usually is.
ENDIRE: At the close, wrath returns. For this.

[Huinesoron]

Okay, one left.

I think "Everlasting, circularly?" might mean a synonym of "everlasting" anagrammed. Then the word ends with UR.

Slight problem... the only words on Encyclopedia of Arda or Tolkien Gateway that fit the E...UR model are names (Earendur, Earnur, and Elendur). Eldamo adds the location-name Eneadur, but that's it.

I suppose 'ah, you, they call back' could be something like -UARE? But the only word ending with that is 'quáre', 'fist' in Quenya; not helpful.

I've finally remembered the existence of the Three Prayers of Numenor, which all start with E and have an RU in them (though not reversed); but none of them seem to fit either.

hS

[Urwen]

Actually, it doesn't end with UR.

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

Actually, it doesn't end with UR.

Hmm.

Okay. Holidays or festivals beginning with E: Erukyermë, Erulaitalë, Eruhantalë, Enderë [the singular of Enderi].

'They call back' could also refer to the entire word, in which case we also need these words ending with E: Loëndë, Tuilérë, Yáviérë, Overlithe, Yule.

And the following words (old or current) with festival-related meanings: Merende, Kalende (both mean 'festival').

I think the most likely is YAVIERE; it includes the letters of 'ever', with 'Ya, I' left over, which is at least vaguely related to 'Ah, you'. It would run backwards, of course.

Alternately, MERENDE is possible: it starts with 'Me R', which is the mirror of 'Ah [R], you', and ends with, well, ENDENDENDEND, cut off, which is sort of like 'endless'. Again it would be backwards.

Failing that, I at least hope I've found it somewhere in these lists...!

hS

[Urwen]

How about you try doing 'ah, u' backwards? And surround it with synonym for 'everlasting'?

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

How about you try doing 'ah, u' backwards? And surround it with synonym for 'everlasting'?

Ahhhh, that's clever. So I /think/ ERUHANTALE is UHA surrounded by ETERNAL. But it's too late on the clock for me to be sure of all the letters.

hS

[Urwen]

METTARE: Shaken-up substance, with a vowel. This emerges.
ERUHANTALE: Everlasting, circularly? Ah, you, they call back, for it.
RINGDAY: Band time! Enjoy it!
YESTARE: The long look, archaically, reveals this.
AUSTALENDE: Gold. Used up, like bread. Jumbled closure. This appears.
LITHE: Lightened, he says, shortly. Just like this usually is.
ENDIRE: At the close, wrath returns. For this.

And over to you.

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

And over to you.

Woo! That was a tough one; thanks!

Feel like it's been a while since I've done this, so here goes:

1. - Georgia back and like the French open up.
2. - Multiply the middle by a hundred to find Dernhelm, soaking wet.
3. - Eager? No - make a Japanese shift and move it around before he flies.
4. - Pharazon in his hubris: "My leg am Huorn! No, wait, I mean my--"
5. - A topic or tune, an I definitely object.

hS

[Urwen]

3. Eagle? R to L and then rearrange it?

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

3. Eagle? R to L and then rearrange it?

Precisely.

1. - Georgia back and like the French open up.
2. - Multiply the middle by a hundred to find Dernhelm, soaking wet.
EAGLE - Eager? No - make a Japanese shift and move it around before he flies.
4. - Pharazon in his hubris: "My leg am Huorn! No, wait, I mean my--"
5. - A topic or tune, an I definitely object.

hS

[Galadriel55]

1. With GA back, and LA being a form of French "the", perhaps AGLAROND?

5. A rather silly answer - THE EYE? It's a definite form and a more object-like variant of "an I".

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

1. With GA back, and LA being a form of French "the", perhaps AGLAROND?

Well, GA is the right interpretation of Georgia, but you're misparsing the rest.

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

5. A rather silly answer - THE EYE? It's a definite form and a more object-like variant of "an I".

You're about halfway there on this one.

hS

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

Well, GA is the right interpretation of Georgia, but you're misparsing the rest.

How about GATE for part of it, then? GA + ET backwards, and it opens up. The rest I can't fit though, in either language. Given the Eagles, perhaps BLACK GATE?

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

How about GATE for part of it, then? GA + ET backwards, and it opens up. The rest I can't fit though, in either language. Given the Eagles, perhaps BLACK GATE?

Just GATE will do fine. It's "Georgia + back ['and', like the French] = open up".

GATE - Georgia back and like the French open up.
2. - Multiply the middle by a hundred to find Dernhelm, soaking wet.
EAGLE - Eager? No - make a Japanese shift and move it around before he flies.
4. - Pharazon in his hubris: "My leg am Huorn! No, wait, I mean my--"
5. - A topic or tune, an I definitely object.

hS

[Galadriel55]

Is the password GREAT? Suggesting RIVER for #2, from RIDER, changing V=5 and D=500. Hurray for all the Great things Tolkien!

[Pervinca Took]

5. THEME - a great one from the music of the Ainur?

Oh! And 'an' turns from the indefinite article into the definite article, 'the,' with 'me' for I ... oh, again! The subject pronoun becomes the object one.

4. Is this just AR? Does AR mean 'great?'

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Is the password GREAT? Suggesting RIVER for #2, from RIDER, changing V=5 and D=500. Hurray for all the Great things Tolkien!

Yes and yes.

Originally Posted by Pervinca Took

5. THEME - a great one from the music of the Ainur?

Oh! And 'an' turns from the indefinite article into the definite article, 'the,' with 'me' for I ... oh, again! The subject pronoun becomes the object one.

Precisely this!

Originally Posted by Pervinca Took

4. Is this just AR? Does AR mean 'great?'

I think it means 'king'; 'AR' is not the answer.

GATE - Georgia back and like the French open up.
RIVER - Multiply the middle by a hundred to find Dernhelm, soaking wet.
EAGLE - Eager? No - make a Japanese shift and move it around before he flies.
4.A - Pharazon in his hubris: "My leg am Huorn! No, wait, I mean my--"
THEME - A topic or tune, an I definitely object.

hS

[Galadriel55]

I thought it was a sound-alike, but it's not exactly. In his hubris, Pharazon gathered an ARMAMENT (arm + am + ent).

[Urwen]

Armanent? Great armanent?