Riddles have long held a special place in stories, from ancient myths to modern fantasy. They’re puzzles that invite us to think sideways—to see the hidden meaning in the words. One particularly captivating riddle comes from Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses, where the cruel and cunning Amarantha poses a riddle with life-or-death consequences.
Many fans have puzzled over the answer to Amarantha’s riddle, but it’s more than just a test of intelligence—it’s a powerful symbol of the story’s themes: sacrifice, love, and truth.
In this blog post, we’ll explore that famous riddle and reveal its answer. Then, we’ll take you through 33 more engaging riddles, each with a clever twist and a brief explanation. Perfect for fans of fantasy, riddles, or a good mental challenge.
1. Riddle:
“There are those who seek me a lifetime but never we meet,
And those I kiss but who trample me beneath ungrateful feet.
At times I seem to favor the clever and the fair,
But I bless all those who are brave enough to dare.
By large, my ministrations are soft-handed and sweet,
But scorned, I become a difficult beast to defeat.
For though each of my strikes lands a powerful blow,
When I kill, I do it slow.”
- Answer: Love
- Explanation: The riddle describes love in all its forms—sought after, abused, gentle, painful, and slow in heartbreak. The clues in the metaphors (“kiss,” “bless,” “brave enough to dare”) all reflect how love behaves toward different people.
2. Riddle:
What can fill a room but takes up no space?
- Answer: Light
- Explanation: Light illuminates a space without occupying physical volume.
3. Riddle:
The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
- Answer: Footsteps
- Explanation: Taking steps leaves a trail—nothing physical is taken, but you leave more behind.
4. Riddle:
I have keys but open no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter but can’t go outside. What am I?
- Answer: Keyboard
- Explanation: It contains “keys” and “space” and allows you to “enter” via the Enter key.
5. Riddle:
What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
- Answer: The letter “M”
- Explanation: A wordplay riddle focused on letters, not time.
6. Riddle:
What can be broken, but is never held?
- Answer: Promise
- Explanation: You can “break” a promise, but it’s not a physical object.
7. Riddle:
The more of me you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
- Answer: Footsteps
- Explanation: A repeated riddle because of its deceptively simple yet poetic nature.
8. Riddle:
What runs around a house but never moves?
- Answer: Fence
- Explanation: A fence encircles a home without movement.
9. Riddle:
What has hands but can’t clap?
- Answer: Clock
- Explanation: Clock hands show time, not gestures.
10. Riddle:
What begins with T, ends with T, and has T in it?
- Answer: Teapot
- Explanation: It starts and ends with “T” and holds tea.
11. Riddle:
What has one eye but cannot see?
- Answer: Needle
- Explanation: The “eye” refers to the hole through which thread passes.
12. Riddle:
What can’t be used until it’s broken?
- Answer: Egg
- Explanation: You have to crack an egg to cook it.
13. Riddle:
I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?
- Answer: Candle
- Explanation: As a candle burns, it shrinks.
14. Riddle:
What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
- Answer: Penny
- Explanation: Describes a coin using simple, relatable imagery.
15. Riddle:
What comes down but never goes up?
- Answer: Rain
- Explanation: Rain falls from clouds but doesn’t rise.
16. Riddle:
What gets wetter as it dries?
- Answer: Towel
- Explanation: It absorbs water while drying something else.
17. Riddle:
What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do?
- Answer: Your name
- Explanation: Others say your name more often than you do.
18. Riddle:
Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?
- Answer: Ton
- Explanation: “Ton” is heavy; “not” is the reverse.
19. Riddle:
What has a neck but no head?
- Answer: Bottle
- Explanation: Bottles have necks but no heads.
20. Riddle:
What kind of room has no doors or windows?
- Answer: Mushroom
- Explanation: A fun pun on the word “room.”
21. Riddle:
What kind of coat is always wet when you put it on?
- Answer: Paint
- Explanation: Refers to a coat of paint—applied when wet.
22. Riddle:
What is full of holes but still holds water?
- Answer: Sponge
- Explanation: Its porous structure allows it to absorb water.
23. Riddle:
What goes up but never comes down?
- Answer: Age
- Explanation: Once you grow older, there’s no reverse.
24. Riddle:
What begins and ends with an “e” but contains only one letter?
- Answer: Envelope
- Explanation: A play on physical letters inside envelopes.
25. Riddle:
What can you catch but not throw?
- Answer: Cold
- Explanation: You “catch” a cold but don’t physically throw it.
26. Riddle:
What can you hold in your left hand but not in your right?
- Answer: Your right hand
- Explanation: You can’t hold your right hand with itself.
27. Riddle:
What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
- Answer: The future
- Explanation: It’s coming but invisible.
28. Riddle:
What gets bigger the more you take away from it?
- Answer: Hole
- Explanation: Removing material makes it larger.
29. Riddle:
What has ears but cannot hear?
- Answer: Corn
- Explanation: “Ears of corn” are the clue—not literal hearing.
30. Riddle:
What has many teeth but can’t bite?
- Answer: Comb
- Explanation: A comb has teeth for hair—not for eating.
31. Riddle:
What do you throw out when you want to use it, but take in when you don’t?
- Answer: Anchor
- Explanation: Anchors are thrown out to stop a ship, then pulled in when sailing.
32. Riddle:
What has four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?
- Answer: Human
- Explanation: A classic riddle of the Sphinx. A baby crawls (4 legs), walks as an adult (2), and uses a cane in old age (3).
33. Riddle:
What word is pronounced the same if you take away four of its five letters?
- Answer: Queue
- Explanation: Remove “u,” “e,” “u,” and “e,” and you still have “Q” left, which sounds the same.
Conclusion
The answer to Amarantha’s riddle—love—reminds us that even the most terrifying puzzles in fiction often have the simplest truths at their core. In the end, love, logic, and lateral thinking are all tools we use to unravel the mysteries of riddles.
Which riddle was your favorite? Did any of them completely stump you—or spark a new riddle idea of your own? Share your thoughts and challenges in the comments below. Let’s keep the riddle magic alive—one clever twist at a time!