Riddle

Definition and Forms

A riddle is composed of two parts: a question (or image) and an answer connected by a cognitive link, based on a metaphor, lexical or grammatical ambiguity, or some other “block element” making the riddle more difficult to solve. A riddling occasion presumes at least two participants: a riddler posing a question and a riddlee who is challenged to find the question’s answer. This means riddling is always competitive, and the relationship between the two parties is hierarchic: The riddler (to whom the answer is known) is in a superior position, until the riddlee correctly comes to the solution.

In traditional societies, riddles are part of the verbal art of adults and play an important role in rites of passage such as initiation ceremonies, courtship, weddings, and wakes. However, many individuals may organize riddle contests or engage in leisuretime riddling. The function of riddles is complex, but inevitably they provide amusement and fulfill the cognitive function of reaffirming the common values in a community.

Traditional riddles are usually fix-phrased, involving formulated or archaic language. Objects, characters, and topics included in the riddle text are drawn from an environment familiar to both the riddler and riddlee. True riddles are descriptive texts that, as Archer Taylor states, compare an object to an entirely different object (e.g., in the riddle, “Thirty white horses on a red hill. Now they dance, now they prance, now they stand still.” The solution is “teeth”).

Following true riddles, the most significant riddle subgenres are joking questions, wherein puns shift the frame of reference; wisdom questions, requiring specific knowledge; neck riddles, based on odd, personal experience presented in a narrative frame of saving one’s life; and parody riddles, intended to confuse the riddlee by using and frustrating conventional riddle patterns. Visual and literary riddles also have a long and continuing history.

Classic riddles attached to the traditional, rural lifestyle have now reached the state of static folklore or become children’s lore. Riddling, as a type of discourse, is still widely used, especially by young adults. Contemporary riddle forms exploit the question-and-answer format as a base for wordplay and improvisation. Punning riddles or conundrums mainly involve linguistic triggers, coupling similarity of form with difference in meaning (e.g., “What is black and white and red all over?” “A newspaper”). A droodle is a visual form of conundrum. It is a simple drawing claimed to represent an unexpectedly complex situation (e.g., a horizontal line described as an old lady dragging a goat, yet only the rope can be seen).

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