Are you searching for the riddles from The Hobbit? You’ve come to the right place!
This article presents the riddles from the famous “Riddles in the Dark” chapter, where Bilbo Baggins and Gollum engage in a high-stakes riddle contest.
Each riddle is accompanied by an emoji and its answer, making it easy and fun for readers of all ages.
🧩 Gollum’s Challenging Riddles
- 🌄 What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees, up, up it goes, and yet never grows?
Answer: A mountain - 🌬️ Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters.
Answer: The wind - 🌑 It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, cannot be heard, cannot be smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills, and empty holes it fills. It comes first and follows after, ends life, kills laughter.
Answer: Darkness - 🐟 Alive without breath, as cold as death; never thirsty, ever drinking, all in mail never clinking.
Answer: A fish - ⏳ This thing all things devours: birds, beasts, trees, flowers; gnaws iron, bites steel; grinds hard stones to meal; slays king, ruins town, and beats high mountain down.
Answer: Time
🧠 Bilbo’s Clever Riddles
Bilbo, though unassuming, matches Gollum’s riddles with his own clever challenges.
- 🦷 Thirty white horses on a red hill, first they champ, then they stamp, then they stand still.
Answer: Teeth - 🌼 An eye in a blue face saw an eye in a green face. ‘That eye is like to this eye’ said the first eye, ‘but in low place not in high place.’
Answer: The sun shining on daisies - 🥚 A box without hinges, key or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid.
Answer: An egg - 🪑 No-legs lay on one-leg, two legs sat near on three legs, four legs got some.
Answer: Fish on a little table, man at table sitting on a stool, the cat has the bones - 💍 What have I got in my pocket?
Answer: The One Ring
🔍 Additional Riddles from Middle-earth
Beyond the famous exchange between Bilbo and Gollum, The Hobbit and the wider lore of Middle-earth are rich with riddles and puzzles.
- 🔥 I am not alive, but I grow; I don’t have lungs, but I need air; I don’t have a mouth, but water kills me.
Answer: Fire - 💨 I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind.
Answer: An echo - 🕰️ I have hands but cannot clap.
Answer: A clock - 🧵 I’m found in socks, scarves, and mittens; and often in the paws of playful kittens.
Answer: Yarn - ☁️ I have no wings, yet I can fly. I have no eyes, yet I can cry.
Answer: A cloud
🎭 Riddles Reflecting Characters
Some riddles in The Hobbit reflect the characters who pose them, offering insight into their personalities and roles in the story.
- 🧙♂️ I have keys but open no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter but not go outside.
Answer: A keyboard - 🕵️♂️ The more you take, the more you leave behind.
Answer: Footsteps - 🕯️ I’m tall when I’m young, and I’m short when I’m old.
Answer: A candle - 🔮 I’m always in front of you but can’t be seen.
Answer: The future - 🧶 What has many needles but doesn’t sew?
Answer: A Christmas tree
🧙♀️ Magical Riddles of Middle-earth
The magical world of Middle-earth is filled with enchanting riddles that captivate the imagination.
- 🧝♂️ Woven with magic, light as air, it hides the wearer with utmost care.
Answer: An Elven cloak - 🐉 A kingdom lost, a dragon’s lair, a quest for home and treasures rare.
Answer: Erebor (The Lonely Mountain) - 🌳 Tall as a tower, old as the hills, moving so slowly, it hardly feels.
Answer: Treebeard (an Ent) - 🦅 Mighty and proud, it soars on high, catching the wind, under the sky.
Answer: The Great Eagles - 💎 Cloaked in silence, a king’s despair, guarded by one who covets the air.
Answer: The Arkenstone
🧩 Fun Riddles for Young Hobbits
Here are some simple and fun riddles inspired by The Hobbit, perfect for young readers.
- 🐾 I have furry feet and love to eat, I live in a hole, cozy and neat.
Answer: A hobbit - 🍽️ I come at the end of a meal, sweet and delightful, a tasty deal.
Answer: Dessert - 🌈 I come after rain, colors in a line, a beautiful arc, a sign so fine.
Answer: A rainbow - 🛏️ I have a head and a foot, but no body. What am I?
Answer: A bed - 🕰️ I run but never walk, I have a face but no eyes, hands but no arms.
Answer: A clock
Conclusion
The riddles in The Hobbit are more than just a game between Bilbo and Gollum; they are a window into the rich lore and creativity of Middle-earth.
Each riddle challenges the mind and reflects the depth of Tolkien’s world.
