The Collection
Every logic puzzle here is machine-checked by a solver before it is published: one provable solution, no ambiguous clues. Classic imports from the public domain are labeled until they pass review.
Showing 50 of 124 puzzles
Seen Only by the Sleeping
No one sees me while they are awake, but they see me when asleep. I speak without a voice and move without walking. I am a deceiver, and yet I tell nothing but the truth.
Drink Me Young, Eat Me Old
If you had taken me in my youth you might have drunk my blood. Now that I am old, eat me wrinkled and dry, and crush my bones together with my flesh.
One Father, Twelve Children
There is one father and twelve children. Each of the twelve has twice thirty children of two kinds: some are white and some are black, and though they never die, they all pass away.
Two Feet, Four Feet, Three Feet
There is a creature on earth that is two-footed, four-footed and three-footed, and goes by one name. Alone of all that move on land, in the air or in the sea, it changes its nature; and when it walks on the most feet, it…
Hairy Under My Cover
I am very hairy, but my covering hides my hairs unless there is a hole in it. I amuse many boys, and if one of them throws me badly he stands there looking a fool.
Born in the Mountains
I was born in the mountains; my mother was a tree and my father is fire. I am a blackened mass, but if my father melts me in a deep vessel, I keep the chariot of the sea from harm.
Silent When Shut
Wood gave birth to me and iron reshaped me. I am the secret keeper of the Muses. When I am shut I am silent; when I am opened, I speak.
A Brain Without a Head
I have a brain but no head; I am green and grow out of the ground on a long neck. I am like a ball set upon a flute, and if you look inside me you will find my grandfather.
Sweeter Than My Mother
I bear the same name as my mother and I am sweeter than she is, but she is tall and I am tiny. She cannot be eaten except for her head; I can be eaten whole except for my insides.
Lips That Open in Vain
If you look at me, I look at you too. You look with eyes, but I have none. You have a voice, but I speak without one, for I have only lips that open in vain.
Black, White and Yellow
I am black, white, yellow, dry and wet; and when I am spread on plains of wood, I speak without uttering a sound.
The Virgin That Bears Fruit
I am a virgin woman and the child of a virgin woman, and as a virgin I bear fruit every year.
Two Sisters
There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other, and having given birth she is in turn born of her. They are sisters of one blood, and both sisters and mothers.
The Friend of Pallas
I am the friend of Pallas and bring forth countless children, which men crush under stones. When they perish there is light for the lamp, medicine for the sick, and oil for the athlete in the games.
Bitter Life, Sweet Death
Bitter is my life and sweet is my death, and both of them are water. I die pierced by bloodless spears; and if I am buried in a living tomb, I am first moistened by the blood of my kin.
The Beast in the Wood
I once saw a beast running on its back through a wood cut by steel, and its feet never touched the earth.
Say My Name
If you do not speak, you say my name. But can you keep quiet? For in speaking, you say my name too.
One Wind, Two Ships
One wind, two ships, ten sailors rowing, and one steersman directing both.
The Widow's Riddle
My father-in-law killed my husband, and my husband killed my father-in-law. My brother-in-law killed my father-in-law, and my father-in-law killed my father. Who am I?
The Black Child of a White Father
I am the black child of a white father; a wingless bird, flying even to the clouds of heaven. I bring forth tears of mourning in the eyes that meet me, and at my birth I dissolve into air.
Hidden Truth
Here is something known; yet it seems to be nowhere. You can’t find it no matter how hard you look, even though it's here. What is it?
Waiting Inside the Shell
I am a living being waiting to hatch, enclosed tightly within my shell. What am I?
Traveller Over Water
I sail on the waters, transporting people and goods. What am I?
Home to Many Fishes
I flow continuously and am home to many fishes. What am I?
Undone by the Sun
I cloak the world in dampness, thick and gray, yet disappear with the sun. What am I?
Tall by the Water
I grow tall by water and can be made into flutes. What am I?
Riddle C
I bear a human's name after their death. The name remains empty, though sweet life has fled. Still, for the good, there is life after life's time.
Riddle XCVII
I am quite modest, observing the law of modesty well; I boast no rude speech nor seek to speak indiscreetly. I answer only to those who ask.
Riddle XCVI
I fear no traps nor hidden deceits. For God has given me these forms, and no one can stir me until they are stirred themselves.
Riddle XCV
In the sky among the stars, with earth lying beneath, a skilled traveler moves with art; the path is brief and shows no foothold.
Riddle XCIV
Now you can see what it would be hard to believe: one eye exists, yet many thousands of heads are here. What it has, it sells; from where does it get what it lacks?
Riddle XCIII
I was once feared for my military might, having six feet that none could deny. Now I have scarcely two, since wealth eludes me.
Riddle XCII
I have endured more than one body should. I carried three souls, all nurtured within me. Two are gone, but the last one barely survived.
Riddle XCI
I was once earth, hidden in hard places. Now, I've gained a new name and price from fire, and I am no longer called earth, yet earth comes from me.
Riddle XC
I am always dedicated to chance, not knowing what the future holds. I bring both joy and sorrow with my unpredictable falls.
Riddle LXXXIX
Harmless fire enters every house. It is nearby, yet no one fears it. The house isn’t naked, but the guest is.
Riddle LXXXVIII
I am made of brass, wet with foreign droplets, and admired for my golden shine. A little work will make me break into a sweat.
Riddle LXXXVI
I do not claim strength from my entire body, but I'm always ready to fight with my head. My head is large, and it carries all my weight.
Riddle LXXXIV
My name in Greek is also the name of a sheep. Three great goddesses quarrelled over me; I was the trick of a handsome youth, and many sisters kept watch over me.
Riddle LXXX
I am stiff and curved, made of brass, and spread around. Inside, you’ll find an image that resembles a tongue. When I’m set down, I don’t speak, but when I’m moved, I make sound.
Riddle 25
Once, we were three who share a common name; from the three comes one, but all mix together. Each is good in itself, but the best one contains them all.
Riddle 24
My mother is Earth, and my father is Prometheus; two pointed ears govern me from a hollow belly. In a pitiful fall, my mother divided me.
Riddle 22
I am the mother of cleanliness, bound tightly by two hands on a level surface. I am led, and I lead others in return.
Riddle 21
We are those who rise toward heaven, reaching the heights, a simple structure united by one bond. By clinging to us, one may ascend high.
Riddle 20
Four equal sisters, they skillfully run, competing together while sharing one task. They are close yet never touch, always keeping their distance.
Riddle 19
I possess great virtue: I become soft through fire, and dead fire adheres to me. The fire resides within me though it may not always be seen.
Riddle 16
I do not die instantly when my breath departs; it goes forth yet comes back in time. Sometimes I have much spirit, sometimes none at all.
Riddle 15
The earth covers me, while the streams are secreted among the grass; I have no banks, and I am carried on wood that once supported wood.
Riddle 14
Deep water that hides beneath the soil, I cannot emerge without venturing through pierced veins. Painfully do I rise, drawn by the toil of another.
Riddle 12
I am familiar with every shape, yet none is unknown to me. My glory shines inward, revealing nothing until it has been seen before.
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