Brain Teasers
Lord of the Rings?
My story whispers ancient lore;
The force at times my rings will hide.
I've sixty minions, maybe more:
Those unseen, these by my side.
Wand'ring far from glowing light,
Shape-shifting puzzles curious eyes;
Oft my glorious rings shine bright,
While men debate my family's size.
My aspect seems to wax and wane,
As the force dictates the deed;
My namesake ruled vast fields of grain,
But, legends tell, devoured his seed.
What am I?
The force at times my rings will hide.
I've sixty minions, maybe more:
Those unseen, these by my side.
Wand'ring far from glowing light,
Shape-shifting puzzles curious eyes;
Oft my glorious rings shine bright,
While men debate my family's size.
My aspect seems to wax and wane,
As the force dictates the deed;
My namesake ruled vast fields of grain,
But, legends tell, devoured his seed.
What am I?
Hint
Where are those rings?Answer
Answer: The planet SaturnSaturn is named after the Roman god of the harvest. When the force of gravity causes Earth's orbit to take us into the plane of Saturn's rings, they seem to disappear, and the shape of the planet appears to change. Most of Saturn's 60 or more moons are visible only through strong telescopes. The sixth planet from the Sun in the Solar System, Saturn receives little heat and light. There is still controversy about the number of planets in the "family" of the Solar System. With the demotion of Pluto, some say there are eight planets. However, counting Pluto and also the dwarf planets Eris and Ceres, others would say there are eleven known planets. As the god of the harvest, Saturn ruled over all agriculture. Because he feared his children were about to kill him, he devoured them.
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Comments
who would eat their own children?
Thank you for your comment. What is said that Saturn did is certainly unthinkable and horrible. Goya, in his 1821 painting of Saturn as he was devouring one of his children, protrayed all the ghastly aspects of that deed.
wow saturn ur own children!! thats scary!!!
Lots of gods ate their kids.
Get a book on the greek gods and you'll find many stories like that.
It's sick and wrong in every way.
Get a book on the greek gods and you'll find many stories like that.
It's sick and wrong in every way.
Great teaser, very well written.
re: eating kids, yeah, all the greek/roman gods got up to some bizarre stuff.
re: eating kids, yeah, all the greek/roman gods got up to some bizarre stuff.
The eating of children represents the fear the the child will surpass the father.
I have to agree with you, but it's a sad concept. Our children are our future; they're the next generation. Some people "devour" their kids in other ways, by controlling them even after they are grown, and striving to keep their lives too narrow. We need to be coaches and cheerleaders when they leave the nest, and watch from the sideliines when they get into the game.
Wow! Early weekend mornings bring out the philosopher!
Wow! Early weekend mornings bring out the philosopher!
Excellent teaser, and great explanation!
Impressive, well-written, and a really good explanation! Thanks for a truly fun and educational riddle!
Easy, but very nicely written. Good job.
Good job
Easy teaser, but very interesting story. I knew very littl of the lore. Thanks!
You took the words right out of my mouth, Jabdr. Excellent teaser and I knew the correct answer, but never heard the story. Very interesting. Thanks for posting, Mosca.
Beautifully written and you got me...
I was looking for a connection to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
I was looking for a connection to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
i guessed saturn becuase of the rings. i didn't know the actual refernces in the text.
Solvable, but difficult. Very informative answer, I learned something new today. Thanks Mosca. Very well done. A pleasure to read.
I knew from the start it was some kind of ringed planet, but no specifics. Pretty ez in that aspect.
Great teaser. Very informative
I guessed saturn before i read it.
Lord of the rings with a ? made me think nothing to do with the movie, what else has rings?Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm? Maybe Saturn... LOL X 1,000,000
Lord of the rings with a ? made me think nothing to do with the movie, what else has rings?Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm? Maybe Saturn... LOL X 1,000,000
I suspected Saturn all along, but really enjoyed the information you put together. Thanks!
EZ but good
I didn't get it but it was interesting reading the answer explaining all the clues. Feel like I've learnt something today!
VERY interesting - I knew it was Saturn but didn't know anything about the story behind it.
I knew it was something in the sky, but have never ever heard that story and I took Mythology in High School. Nice teaser though.
Nicely done!
Further info on Goya's famous painting: It's titled (in Spanish) "Chronos Eating His Children." Chronos was the ancient Greek name of the god the Romans called Saturn. Goya must have had a freaky sense of humor, because he didn't sell the painting, but hung it in his own dining room for guests to admire as they ate dinner. (Or possibly he kept the painting because no one else wanted it. LOL)
First to comment in 2014 I solved this one easily. The rings gave it away. As a poet myself, I appreciate your verse. Thanks!
Again .... proud to be the first comment of 2014 to this excellent story and riddle.
I gave it tops for fun (enjoyment).
Where is everybody ????
C'mon .... we need some comments and conversation !!!!
Braingle is dyin' here ...
I gave it tops for fun (enjoyment).
Where is everybody ????
C'mon .... we need some comments and conversation !!!!
Braingle is dyin' here ...
OOOOOOPPPPPSSSSSSiieeeee
(Sorry, Babe)
Ya beat me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BB02
(Sorry, Babe)
Ya beat me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BB02
Saturn - got it!! Good teaser - thanks for posting!
Well written.
Easy, I knew it from the title. But I really enjoyed the poem. Great job!
I thought Saturn was a discontinued automobile. LOL
No idea, but enjoyed the poetry & explanation.
I love the explanation and description! I was thinking something along the lines of stars and constellations, so I wasn't entirely far off. Excellent teaser!
I'm so glad this made teaser of the day! This gem has been hiding in the archives all along and I never found it.
Easy as a puzzle. Terrific brain food for poetry, riddles, astronomy, and mythology.
Easy as a puzzle. Terrific brain food for poetry, riddles, astronomy, and mythology.
Very interesting... wow....
Very happy to see this one again. It is just written so well. I have enormous respect for mosca doing the research, writing the double rhyming couplets the read so beautifully, and for presenting interesting info in the answer. This should be revisited every few years. Wonderful.
Fairly easy with the focus on rings, but likely just because I love science. It was really well written, and I'm happy to see the high difficulty level, meaning others found it challenging. Nice job.
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