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        riddles >> what am i >> A lonely wanderer
        
(Message started by: maryl on Jun 16^th, 2003, 5:42pm)

Title: A lonely wanderer
Post by maryl on Jun 16^th, 2003, 5:42pm

A lonely wanderer, wounded with iron, I am smitten with war-blades, sated with strife,
Worn with the sword-edge; I have seen many battles, Much hazardous fighting, oft without hope
Of comforts or help in the carnage of war Ere I perish and fall in the fighting of men.
The leavings of hammers, the handiwork of smiths, Batter and bite me, hard-eged and sharp;
The brunt of the battle I am doomed to endure. In all the folk-stead no leech could I find
With wort or simple to heal my wounds; But day and night with the deadly blows
The marks of the war-blades double and deepen.

Title: Re: A lonely wanderer
Post by Speaker on Jun 16^th, 2003, 6:46pm

Well into the fray.

I kept coming back to Jesus as being wounded with iron on the cross.
That led me to consider all the smiting and other damage that are inflicted on the philosophy of "man's love for his fellow man," and how there is no leech to cure us of this ill. But, they don't seem to come together into a good answer.

anywho...

Title: Re: A lonely wanderer
Post by Icarus on Jun 16^th, 2003, 7:01pm

Except for "a lonely wanderer" and "worn with the sword-edge", I would say whiskers. It fits the rest I think, but I don't see these two phrases. (Okay, "sated with strife" doesn't fit either, but I am thinking this phrase is more "colorful imagery", than descriptive.)

Title: Re: A lonely wanderer
Post by Speaker on Jun 16^th, 2003, 7:06pm

I like that idea Icarus. I also tried to find something mundane and that would have existed whenever this riddle was written.

How about lonely wanderer as in they keep finding their way back even after they have been eliminated.

Title: Re: A lonely wanderer
Post by Speaker on Jun 16^th, 2003, 7:15pm

How about a wart? :P

Title: Re: A lonely wanderer
Post by James Fingas on Jun 17^th, 2003, 10:01am

What about a shield or some part of armour?

Title: Re: A lonely wanderer
Post by maryl on Jun 17^th, 2003, 10:19am

on 06/17/03 at 10:01:11, James Fingas wrote:

What about a shield or some part of armour?

Ah, but alas, thou doth smite me through words of ancient understanding, and casteth mine riddle asunder. I bewail mine final resting place and hearken no more to the quest of the unconquerable. Go forth yonder and seek yet another.

Title: Re: A lonely wanderer
Post by Icarus on Jun 17^th, 2003, 6:32pm

I had thought of "shield" (or armor) as well, but rejected it for many of the same reasons as I didn't like my whiskers answer.

How is a shield "A lonely wanderer"?
How is it "sated with strife"?
"No leech could I find with wort or simple to heal my wounds" is only true if one demands that this phrase be interpreted very literally (doctoring with herbs cannot fix a shield), even though much of the rest must be interpreted figuratively.

Title: Re: A lonely wanderer
Post by maryl on Jun 18^th, 2003, 11:42am

I would think the phrase "lonely wanderer" just means it goes to wherever the battle is, and it is alone in it's defence. Although of course it doesn't actually have feelings-it's entire existence consists of strife, and because it is a shield no human remedy can help it.
(I had more trouble understanding the monsters in my previous riddle.) And I really liked your whiskers reply, but I couldn't see how whiskers could be a lonely wanderer, actually maybe "a" whisker could be, ya, that is a good guess.