Alabaster Coffins
Trivia brain teasers have some element of trivia in them, but they are not just pure trivia questions.
A fortress of an island,
Rocky and forlorn;
Surrounded by a still, dark,
Ageless ocean.
With raiment white,
He crosses the sea,
In his boat, a coffin of
Alabaster.
What am I?
HintThis riddle refers to a painting from the year 1880. The artist made four different versions throughout the 1880's, but the gist of each was the same.
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Answer
A painting by Arnold Bocklin, called The Isle of the Dead.
Arnold Bocklin produced several different versions of the painting. All of them have an oarsman, and a standing figure in white clothes in a small boat crossing a sea of dark water towards a rocky island. The boat has something in it, which is usually thought of as a coffin. The figure in white is often taken to be Charon, and the water represents the Acheron. The first version was created in 1880 after a lady, whose husband had recently died, requested it. The other versions are located in collections in Basel, Berlin and Leipzig.
In Greek mythology, Charon is the ferryman of the dead. Acheron, or the "river of woe", is a river in Hades.
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Comments
GebbieRose   
Aug 16, 2006
| Very nicely done! These are very striking works of art. Thank you for bringing them to our attention!  |
akl21
Aug 16, 2006
| You're welcome! Thank you very much for such a kind comment. |
bebo 
Aug 22, 2006
| This teaser was well researched(  ) and i learnt some new stuff! Nice one! |
akl21
Aug 22, 2006
| Thanks! |
DaleGriffin 
Aug 23, 2006
| poo this is poo |
DaleGriffin
Aug 23, 2006
| cool teaser |
akl21
Aug 23, 2006
| Thanks dale. |
Club33
Sep 11, 2006
| I liked it. Learn something new every day... |
akl21
Sep 11, 2006
| Thank you. It's always nice to learn somethign! |
akl21
Sep 11, 2006
| *something |
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