The Hobbit Riddles: Bilbo vs Gollum
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Every riddle here is also a level in the Kingdom. Solve them on the map, keep your lives, earn stars and raise a landmark with each one. Good luck, and have fun!
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Deep under the Misty Mountains, Bilbo played a riddle game with his life on the line. Here are all the riddles from The Hobbit's famous chapter in order, retold in our own words with answers and context, followed by original Middle-earth puzzles in the same spirit. See if you'd have beaten the Gollum riddles, precious.
Browse all the puzzles on this page ▾
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1. Gollum's first riddle asked about something with roots that nobody sees, standing taller than the trees, going up and up yet never growing. What is it? Easy
Need a hint?
Bilbo was sitting inside one at the time.
Show answer
A mountain. An easy warm-up for Bilbo, since he'd just walked under the Misty Mountains to get into that cave.
Roots unseen, taller than trees, growing upward without living growth all point to a mountain.
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2. Bilbo answered with a riddle about thirty white horses on a red hill: first they champ, then they stamp, then they stand still. What are they? Medium
Need a hint?
Open your mouth and count.
Show answer
Teeth. Poor Bilbo immediately regretted reminding Gollum about eating.
Thirty white horses on a red hill that champ then stamp then still describe teeth in pink gums.
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3. Gollum's next puzzle described something that cries without a voice, flutters without wings, bites without teeth, and mutters without a mouth. What is it? Medium
Need a hint?
You hear it whistle through the crags.
Show answer
The wind. Gollum learned this one long ago, before he crept under the mountains.
Crying, biting, and muttering with no voice, teeth, or mouth all describe the invisible wind.
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4. Bilbo countered with an eye in a blue face that saw an eye in a green face, saying that eye is like this eye, but in low place, not high place. What is it? Medium
Need a hint?
Day's eye. Say the flower's name slowly.
Show answer
The sun shining on daisies. A cruel choice, since Gollum hadn't seen the sun in ages.
A blue-face eye watching a green-face eye is the sun above seeing daisies, day's eye, below.
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5. Gollum hissed about a thing that can't be seen or felt, heard or smelt, that lies behind stars and under hills, and fills empty holes. What is it? Hard
Need a hint?
Turn off every light in the house.
Show answer
Dark. Gollum knows it well. It came to him easily, living down there in the black.
Unseen, unfelt, filling holes behind stars and under hills describes dark, which fills all empty space.
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6. Bilbo's turn: a box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure hides inside. What is it? Easy
Need a hint?
Crack it open for the gold.
Show answer
An egg. Bilbo only thought of it while remembering breakfast back in Bag End.
A lidless hingeless box holding golden treasure is a shell around a yolk, so an egg.
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7. Gollum asked about a creature that is alive without breath and cold as death, never thirsty yet always drinking, in armor yet never clinking. What is it? Medium
Need a hint?
Its armor is made of scales.
Show answer
Fish. Gollum's favorite meal, which made the riddle easy for him and hard for a hobbit far from any river.
Cold, breathless, always drinking, and armored yet silent describes a scaly fish underwater.
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8. Bilbo's hardest offering: no-legs lay on one-leg, two-legs sat near on three-legs, and four-legs got some. What's the scene? Hard
Need a hint?
Count the legs of everything in a small kitchen.
Show answer
A fish on a little one-legged table, a man sitting on a three-legged stool, and a cat getting the scraps.
Counting legs, one-leg is a table, three-legs a stool, four-legs a cat, no-legs the fish.
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9. Gollum's final true riddle: this thing devours all things, birds, beasts, trees, and flowers. It gnaws iron, bites steel, and grinds mountains to meal. What is it? Hard
Need a hint?
Bilbo's actual answer was a panicked request for more of it.
Show answer
Time. Bilbo only got it by luck, squeaking for more time and accidentally shouting the answer.
Something that devours all life and grinds even mountains and iron down is time itself.
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10. Bilbo's last question wasn't a fair riddle at all. Fiddling with something in his pocket, he blurted out: what have I got in my pocket? Medium
Need a hint?
Gollum called it his precious.
Show answer
The One Ring. Gollum demanded three guesses, tried handses, knife, and string or nothing, and lost the game.
Not a real riddle but a pocket question whose hidden answer is the One Ring.
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11. I have a round green door and a perfectly round window, and I sit under a hill but I'm no cave. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
Bag End is the most famous one.
Show answer
A hobbit hole. And that means comfort.
A round door and window set under a hill yet not a cave describes a cozy hobbit hole.
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12. I arrive uninvited, eat all your seed cakes, and leave your pantry empty, yet you end up thanking me. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
Bilbo's unexpected party.
Show answer
A company of thirteen dwarves (and one wizard).
Uninvited guests who empty the pantry yet earn thanks are Thorin's thirteen dwarves and Gandalf.
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13. I sleep on gold I never spend, I fly but own no feather, and one missing cup wakes my temper. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
He lives under the Lonely Mountain.
Show answer
A dragon. Smaug noticed a single stolen cup out of a whole mountain of treasure.
Sleeping on unspent gold, flying featherless, and raging over one cup describes the dragon Smaug.
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14. I'm sharp in the dark and I glow blue when the wrong crowd gets close. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
Bilbo named his after it stung a giant spider.
Show answer
An elvish blade, like Bilbo's sword Sting. It glows when goblins or orcs are near.
A blade glowing blue when goblins draw near is Bilbo's elvish sword Sting.
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15. Three of us argued about how to cook our dinner until the sun turned us all to stone. What are we? Easy
Need a hint?
Their names were Tom, Bert, and William.
Show answer
Trolls. Gandalf kept them bickering until dawn did the rest.
Three creatures bickering over dinner until sunrise turns them to stone are the trolls.
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16. I'm a mark on a door that means burglar wants a good job, plenty of excitement and reasonable reward. Who scratched me there? Medium
Need a hint?
The owner of the door was not consulted.
Show answer
Gandalf. He marked Bilbo's freshly painted door so the dwarves could find it.
A burglar's mark scratched on a fresh door was left by the wizard Gandalf.
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17. By day I set out honey and bread for my guests. By night, something huge and black-furred growls outside the door. I am one host, not two. Who am I? Medium
Need a hint?
Gandalf introduced the dwarves to him two at a time, very carefully.
Show answer
Beorn, the skin-changer who is sometimes a man and sometimes a great bear.
A single host, man by day and huge bear by night, is the skin-changer Beorn.
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18. I carried fourteen travelers over a burning forest, and no thanks were needed, only wind beneath my wings. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
The Lord of them lived on a high rocky perch.
Show answer
An eagle. The Great Eagles rescued the company from the goblins' fire.
A winged rescuer carrying fourteen over fire for only wind's thanks is a Great Eagle.
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19. I'm a black stream in Mirkwood. Drink from me and you'll forget your errand and sleep for days. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
The fattest dwarf found out the hard way.
Show answer
The enchanted river. Bombur fell in and had to be carried, snoring, for the rest of the forest.
A black Mirkwood stream that brings forgetful sleep is the enchanted river that felled Bombur.
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20. I'm the one bare patch on a dragon's jeweled waistcoat, and one old thrush told an archer where to find me. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
Bilbo spotted it first and talked about it too loudly.
Show answer
The hollow in Smaug's armor, the weak spot Bard hit with his black arrow.
The one bare patch on the dragon's jeweled hide, told by a thrush, is Smaug's weak spot.
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21. I'm a key that fits no door you can see, and I open a passage only on Durin's Day. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
Thorin's map held the clue in moon letters.
Show answer
The key to the secret side door of the Lonely Mountain, when the last light of Durin's Day reveals the keyhole.
A key opening a hidden passage only by Durin's Day light fits the Lonely Mountain's side door.
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22. Escape from my halls came in empty wine barrels, floating down the river to Lake-town. Whose halls am I? Medium
Need a hint?
Thranduil never found out how his prisoners vanished.
Show answer
The Elvenking's halls in Mirkwood. Bilbo packed the dwarves into barrels and rode one out himself.
Halls escaped by barrel down the river to Lake-town are the Elvenking Thranduil's.
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23. I'm a game with strict rules, sacred and ancient, played for a hobbit's life in the dark. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
This whole page is named after it.
Show answer
The riddle game itself. Even Gollum dared not cheat at it openly, for the game was sacred long before his time.
An ancient sacred contest played for a hobbit's life in the dark is the riddle game itself.
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24. Which answer did Bilbo actually shout for Gollum's riddle about the thing that devours all things? Easy
He squeaked for more time to think, and time happened to be the answer. Pure burglar's luck.
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25. What were the stakes of the riddle game between Bilbo and Gollum? Easy
If Bilbo won, Gollum would show him the way out. If Gollum won, well, Gollum eats what he catches.
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26. How many guesses did Gollum demand for the unfair pocket question? Easy
Three guesses, precious. He tried handses, then knife, then string or nothing. All wrong.
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27. Gollum solved Bilbo's egg riddle instantly without any trouble. Medium
False. It stumped him for a good while, until he remembered stealing eggs from nests long ago and hissed out the answer.
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28. The riddle game in The Hobbit is described as an ancient and sacred contest whose rules even wicked creatures fear to break. Easy
True. That's the only reason Gollum agreed to show the way out instead of simply attacking, at least at first.
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29. Bilbo won the riddle game with a proper, fair riddle. Easy
False. What have I got in my pocket is a question, not a riddle, and Bilbo knew it. Gollum accepted anyway and lost.
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30. Alive without breath, cold as death, always drinking, dressed in silent armor. Gollum's own favorite answer. What is it? Medium
Show answer
Fish
Breathless, cold, always drinking, and silently armored describes Gollum's favorite fish.
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31. It fills the cave where Gollum paddles his little boat, it lies behind stars and under hills, and no lamp survives it forever. What is it? Medium
Show answer
The dark
Filling Gollum's cave behind stars and under hills where no lamp lasts is the dark.
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32. ⛰️ + 🌲🌲 + ⬆️ Easy
Need a hint?
Bilbo was standing inside the answer.
Show answer
A mountain (roots unseen, taller than trees, up it goes). Gollum's opening riddle in emoji form.
Mountain plus two trees plus an up arrow rebuilds the mountain riddle in emoji.
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33. 📦 + 🚫🔑 + 🟡 Easy
Need a hint?
Think of Bilbo daydreaming about bacon and this.
Show answer
An egg (a box with no key, golden treasure inside). Bilbo's breakfast-inspired riddle in emoji form.
A box with no key holding something golden inside spells out the egg riddle in emoji.
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34. I'm the Heart of the Mountain, a great white jewel that shines by its own light, and the one treasure Thorin wanted above all the hoard. What am I? Medium
Show answer
The Arkenstone.
A self-shining white jewel, Heart of the Mountain and Thorin's obsession, is the Arkenstone.
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35. I quietly slipped the Mountain's greatest jewel out of the treasure and handed it to Thorin's rivals, hoping to trade it for peace. Who am I? Medium
Show answer
Bilbo Baggins.
The burglar who slipped the great jewel to Thorin's rivals for peace is Bilbo Baggins.
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36. I'm a famous blade drawn from a troll hoard and carried by a dwarf-king. The goblins who feared me called me Biter. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver.
A troll-hoard blade the goblins called Biter, borne by a dwarf-king, is Thorin's Orcrist.
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37. I'm the sword the goblins named Beater, forged long ago in a lost elf-city and carried through the quest by a grey wizard. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Glamdring, the Foe-hammer.
The elf-forged sword the goblins named Beater, carried by the grey wizard, is Gandalf's Glamdring.
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38. A giant Took ancestor once knocked a goblin king's head clean off into a rabbit hole, and folk say that stroke invented a certain game. Which game? Medium
Show answer
Golf.
A Took knocking a goblin's head into a rabbit hole is the joke origin of golf.
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39. Thorin gave me to the burglar as a parting gift: a small shirt of rings, light as a feather yet harder than dragon scales, made of a rare silver metal. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A coat of mithril mail.
A feather-light ring-shirt harder than dragon scales in rare silver metal is mithril mail.
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40. Chatting with the dragon, the hobbit boasted that he was Barrel-rider, Ringwinner, and Luckwearer, but he was far too clever to give this one thing away. What did he withhold? Hard
Show answer
His real name.
Barrel-rider, Ringwinner, and Luckwearer were riddling titles hiding his real name from Smaug.
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41. The goblins sang a cruel song about fifteen birds in five fir-trees as they piled kindling beneath the branches. Who were the fifteen birds, really? Hard
Show answer
The trapped company of Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves.
The goblins' fifteen birds in fir-trees were really the treed company of Bilbo, Gandalf, and dwarves.
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42. To lure your many-legged captors away from your friends, you sing insults and call them Attercop and Lazy Lob. What kind of creature are you taunting? Medium
Show answer
A giant spider of Mirkwood.
Taunting many-legged captors as Attercop and Lazy Lob means teasing Mirkwood's giant spiders.
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43. I ruled a foul cavern under the Misty Mountains and demanded to know why dwarves dared trespass, right up until a wizard's bright sword ended me. Who am I? Hard
Show answer
The Great Goblin.
The cavern lord who challenged the dwarves until a bright sword slew him is the Great Goblin.
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44. I'm the Last Homely House east of the Sea, where a lord of the elves held Thorin's map to the moon and read the letters hidden on it. What place am I? Medium
Show answer
Rivendell.
The Last Homely House where an elf-lord read the map's moon letters is Rivendell.
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45. I'm secret writing that stays invisible until moonlight shines behind me, and only on a night matching the very season and shape of moon when I was penned. What am I? Medium
Show answer
Moon-letters.
Writing invisible until matching moonlight shines behind it describes moon-letters.
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46. I'm a whole town of men built on wooden posts out over the water, living in the long shadow of a dragon's mountain. What am I? Medium
Show answer
Lake-town, also called Esgaroth.
A town on wooden posts over water beneath the dragon's mountain is Lake-town, Esgaroth.
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47. I'm a grim archer of the lake, heir to the vanished lords of Dale, and I loosed the shaft that brought the great worm crashing down. Who am I? Medium
Show answer
Bard the Bowman.
The grim lake archer and heir of Dale who felled the worm is Bard the Bowman.
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48. I'm an old bird wise enough to understand the speech of men, and I carried word of the dragon's one bare spot straight to the bowman's ear. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A thrush.
An old bird understanding men's speech that carried news of Smaug's bare spot is a thrush.
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49. I marched from the Iron Hills with five hundred grim kinsmen to stand beside Thorin's people, and after the battle I was named King under the Mountain. Who am I? Hard
Show answer
Dain Ironfoot.
The Iron Hills leader of five hundred crowned King under the Mountain is Dain Ironfoot.
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50. Men, elves, and dwarves nearly came to blows until goblins and wargs poured down and forced old foes to fight side by side. History named that clash for how many armies? Medium
Show answer
Five armies.
Old foes forced together against goblins and wargs gives the Battle of Five Armies.
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51. We were two young dwarf brothers, sons of Thorin's sister, and we died shielding our fallen uncle with our own bodies. Who were we? Medium
Show answer
Fili and Kili.
Two young brothers, Thorin's nephews, who died shielding their uncle are Fili and Kili.
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52. I'm a creeping madness for gold that settled on Thorin among his recovered treasure, hardening his heart and making him break his given word. What am I? Medium
Show answer
The dragon-sickness.
A creeping greed for gold that hardened Thorin's heart is the dragon-sickness.
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53. When the wizard turned up leaning on his staff at the garden gate, the flustered hobbit greeted him with two harmless little words, and the wizard promptly picked them apart every way they could be meant. What were the words? Easy
Show answer
Good morning.
The two harmless words Gandalf dissected at the gate were Good morning.
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54. The dwarves left a note offering the burglar cash on delivery and a share of the total profits, if any. What fraction of the treasure was promised to him? Medium
Show answer
One fourteenth.
The dwarves' note promised the burglar a one fourteenth share of the total profits.
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55. I sit on the hobbit's fire and whistle a cheery song the moment I'm ready to pour out tea. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A kettle
Something on the fire that whistles when it is ready to pour tea is a kettle.
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56. Hobbits love to hunt me in damp fields after rain, and I pop up overnight with a neat little round cap. What am I? Easy
Show answer
Mushrooms
Round-capped growers that spring up overnight in damp fields after rain are mushrooms.
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57. Fill me, light me, and watch a contented hobbit puff soft rings of smoke into the evening air. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A pipe
A thing you fill and light to blow rings of smoke is a hobbit's pipe.
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58. A hobbit eats breakfast, and because one meal is never quite enough, sits straight back down for me. Which meal am I? Easy
Show answer
Second breakfast
The extra meal a hobbit takes right after breakfast is called second breakfast.
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59. I'm the green and peaceful country of rolling hills and tidy farms where hobbits live far from any adventure. What am I? Easy
Show answer
The Shire
The green land of tidy hobbit farms and rolling hills is the Shire.
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60. I'm a cold hollow deep in the mountain's heart, where Gollum once paddled his boat and something small and golden lay lost for ages. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A cave
A dark mountain hollow where Gollum paddled and the Ring lay lost is a cave.
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61. Dragons hoard me, dwarves dig me from deep stone, and I gleam bright in the dark though I make no light of my own. What am I? Easy
Show answer
Gold
The gleaming metal dwarves dig and dragons hoard is gold.
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62. I fall soft and silver by night, I reveal the secret letters on a dwarf's old map, and I never warm a single stone. What am I? Easy
Show answer
Moonlight
Silver night light that reveals moon-letters yet gives no warmth is moonlight.
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63. Small and sturdy, I hauled the dwarves' baggage over hill and dale until trolls and rivers whittled our numbers away. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A pony
The small sturdy pack animal that carried the dwarves' baggage is a pony.
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64. Thorin's folk pluck me by firelight, and my deep tune of gold and mountains can make even a hobbit long for far-off caverns. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A harp
The stringed instrument the dwarves play by the fire in Bag End is a harp.
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65. I'm a wise old black-feathered bird of the Lonely Mountain, friend to Thorin's people, and I carry their news on swift wings. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A raven
The wise black bird that carries messages for the dwarves of the Mountain is a raven.
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66. I hum through Beorn's tall meadows all day and turn his clover blossoms into sweet golden food for his table. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A bee
The humming insect that makes honey from Beorn's clover is a bee.
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67. I'm a piece of folded old parchment marked with a Mountain and a hidden door, and Gandalf handed me across the table at Bag End. What am I? Easy
Show answer
Thorin's map
The old parchment showing the Mountain and its secret door is Thorin's map.
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68. I trail the burglar everywhere in the sunlight, copying his every step, yet in Gollum's black cave I vanish completely. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A shadow
A silent copy that follows in the sun but disappears in the dark is a shadow.
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69. Shout in the mountain halls and I fling the tail of your words back at you, though I own no voice and I die the instant you fall silent. What am I? Hard
Show answer
An echo
A voiceless repeater that returns your words and stops when you do is an echo.
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70. I dance without feet and eat without a mouth, I swell when you feed me dry sticks, and Smaug breathes me though he is not my master. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Fire
A footless, mouthless thing that grows on fuel and pours from a dragon is fire.
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71. I curl up grey from a hobbit's pipe and from a crackling bonfire alike, here for a breath, then gone into the sky leaving no trace. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Smoke
The grey curl that rises from pipe and fire then fades into the air is smoke.
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72. I have no legs yet I run for leagues, no mouth yet I roar over the stones, and a floating barrel once rode my back to freedom. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A river
A legless runner that roars over stones and carried the barrels is a river.
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73. I start at a round green door and go ever on, and though I never stir a step myself, I carry every traveler bold enough to set foot on me. What am I? Hard
Show answer
The road
The unmoving path from Bilbo's door that bears every traveler onward is the road.
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74. I'm born a thin silver sliver, I fatten to a full round coin, then waste away to nothing, and I do the whole thing over again each month. What am I? Hard
Show answer
The moon
The silver thing that waxes full then wanes to nothing each month is the moon.
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75. I'm a dull dry biscuit the Lake-men bake for long journeys. No treat for the tongue, yet I'll keep a hungry traveler walking for days. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Cram
The plain hard travel-biscuit of the Lake-men is called cram.
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76. Bilbo pocketed me at Beorn's house and planted me back home, where I grew into a fine tree he loved to sit beneath. What was I? Hard
Show answer
An acorn
The seed Bilbo took from Beorn's and grew into his garden tree was an acorn.
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77. I'm the dark power lurking in a black southern tower of Mirkwood, the real reason Gandalf slipped away from the company on urgent business. Who am I? Hard
Show answer
The Necromancer
The shadowy power in southern Mirkwood that drew Gandalf away is the Necromancer.
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78. I'm the goblin captain who led the mountain host to the great battle to avenge my father, who fell to the dwarves long ago. Who am I? Hard
Show answer
Bolg
The goblin leader at the great battle avenging his father is Bolg.
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79. We're wild wolves in league with the goblins, and one fiery night we treed the whole company in a stand of fir-trees. What are we? Hard
Show answer
Wargs
The goblin-allied wolves that treed the company in the firs are wargs.
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80. I'm tall in my youth and short in my old age, I weep as I work, and my single bright hair keeps the dark out of a hobbit's cellar. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A candle
A thing that shrinks as it burns, drips wax, and lights the dark by one flame is a candle.
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81. We're scattered like cold jewels across the night, older than the sun by the elves' reckoning, and no dragon's hoard can match our number. What are we? Hard
Show answer
The stars
Countless ancient night-jewels beyond any hoard's number are the stars.
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82. I creep across the Mountain's stones on cold nights and write white feathery patterns on Bilbo's round window, yet a touch of sun undoes me. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Frost
The white pattern that forms on cold glass and melts in the sun is frost.
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83. Gaze into still water and I gaze right back, matching you move for move, yet I am no twin of yours and I shatter the moment the water stirs. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A reflection
The mirror-image in still water that vanishes when it ripples is a reflection.
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84. I am the one thing three squabbling trolls feared most, for my first pale light over the hills turned all their bickering into solid stone. What am I? Hard
Show answer
The dawn
The sunrise whose first light petrified the arguing trolls is the dawn.
Gollum's riddles from Riddles in the Dark
Mountain, wind, darkness, fish, and time: the cave dweller's five puzzles retold in order, with the answers Bilbo scrambled for.
Bilbo's riddles with answers
Teeth, sun on the daisies, an egg, fish on a table, and the not-quite-fair pocket question that ended the game.
Original Middle-earth riddles
Past the famous ten, the set continues with new riddles written in the same old style, plus quiz rounds about the chapter itself.
Your score
FAQ about The Hobbit Riddles: Bilbo vs Gollum
How many riddles are in The Hobbit?
The riddle game holds nine true riddles, five from Gollum and four from Bilbo, before Bilbo wins with the question about what is in his pocket. This page covers all ten exchanges in order.
Are these the exact riddles from the book?
No, they are retold in our own words with the same answers and the story context around each one. The later cards are original riddles inspired by Middle-earth, not quotes from the novel.
Can I use these Hobbit riddles for a party or game night?
Yes. Read them aloud in your best Gollum voice and make players commit to an answer before anyone taps the card. Losers wash the dishes, winners keep their pockets private.
If Bilbo and Gollum's riddle game left you hungry for more magical wordplay, cast your mind over our Harry Potter riddles for wizards and witches. Then sharpen your wits even further with our lateral thinking puzzles that reward clever, sideways thinking.