Ancient Riddles Trivia Quiz

Difre

March 1, 2025

0Points

551

TIL, I couldn\'t have functioned without Google...

‘There is a house. One enters it blind and comes out seeing. What is it?’

A church

A library

A hospital

A school

You enter school not knowing (blind), but you come out with knowledge and understanding (seeing).

‘What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?’

A human

A cane

A chair

A tree

A human

As an infant, a person crawls on all fours (four legs) in the morning of their life. As an adult, they walk on two legs at noon (the prime of their life). In their later years, they may use a cane for support, effectively having three legs in the evening of their life.

‘Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.’

Flies on fruit

Maple syrup in a tree

Bees inside a lion’s carcass

Corn in a husk

**Bees making a honeycomb inside the carcass of a lion.**

Out of the eater (the bee, which eats nectar) comes something to eat (honey). Out of the strong (the bee’s strong labor), comes something sweet (honey).

‘When I am alive I do not speak. Anyone who wants to takes me captive cuts off my head. They bite my bare body. I do no harm to anyone unless they cut me first, then I soon make them cry.’

An onion

A fish

A chili pepper

A snake

An onion

When an onion is alive (growing), it doesn’t speak. People can take onions captive (harvest them) and cut off their heads (the top part of the onion). When onions are bitten into (peeled and eaten), their bare body is exposed. Onions don’t harm anyone unless they’re cut first, and then they can release irritating chemicals that make people cry.

‘Four hang, four sprang, two point the way, two to ward off dogs, one dangles after, always rather dirty. What am I?’

A cow

A carriage

Wheels

A pig

A cow

Cows have four teats that “hang” from their udder, four legs that “spring” as they walk, two horns that “point” outward. Some breeds of cow have two long, sharp horns that can be used to defend themselves against “dogs.” They also have a tail that “dangles,” and it’s often “dirty.”

‘Everyone who goes on the road eventually stops for a rest. But my road never ends, and I never get to stop. I endure a perpetual journey which the years cannot stop, Nations and kings cannot prevent my journey.’

Time

A river

The Moon

The Sun

This riddle means that human civilizations and rulers come and go, but the sun’s journey remains uninterrupted. No human power can stop the sun from rising and setting.

‘A house full of spines and a guest small of body with an unharmed back, pierced by sharp spears. This unarmed dweller travels with armored crops.’

A cactus

A porcupine

A hedgehog

A rose

A hedgehog

The “house full of spines” refers to the hedgehog’s back, which is covered in sharp spines. The hedgehog is the “unarmed dweller” that travels with “armoured crops” (its own spines, which protect it).

‘An ox ploughs a field all day. How many footprints does he leave in the last furrow?’

None

Four

Eight

No one knows

None

Because the ox is ploughing the field, it’s digging into the soil and turning it over. As a result, the ox’s footprints are being erased or covered up by the freshly ploughed soil. In the last furrow, the ox’s footprints are immediately filled in by the ploughed soil, leaving no visible footprints behind. Therefore, the ox leaves no footprints in the last furrow.

‘I have little courage but great resources; I do not seek wealth, but I give it to others. Wandering around, I eat humble foods, and I am often forced to give up my wealth. People keep my body close to them. I have no money, but even kings value me.’

A cow

A purse

A tree

A sheep

A sheep has little courage but provides great resources (wool, milk, and meat). It doesn’t seek wealth, but it helps people by providing these resources. Sheep eat humble foods (grass), and people keep their bodies (or body parts, like wool) close to them. Even kings might value the resources provided by a sheep.

‘I look at you whenever you look at me. You see, but I see not, no sight have I. I speak but have no voice; your voice is heard. My lips can only open uselessly. What am I?’

A mask

An echo

Your reflection

Your shadow

Your reflection

A reflection looks back at you whenever you look at it. Although you can see your reflection, it cannot see itself. When you speak, your reflection appears to speak back, echoing your voice. The reflection’s lips appear to move, but they don’t actually open or close in a meaningful way.

“What we caught, we threw away; what we didn’t catch, we kept. What did we keep?”

Lice

Fish

Bedbugs

Anchors

Lice

When a person catches lice, they typically throw them away or get rid of them. However, the nits (eggs) that you don’t catch or remove are kept on your head or body. In other words, the unwanted lice are discarded, while the unwanted nits remain.

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Your noggin’s a little too modern…

Well, your mind is a touch too modern to solve these ancient riddles! Or maybe you just don’t care for riddles. Don’t feel bad about your low score! Riddles are meant to be difficult. And hey, I’d like to see Plato try to navigate TikTok’s “For You” page.

Riddles are no match for you!

Wow! You know your way around a riddle. From Ancient Greece to Norse mythology, your ability to solve riddles is almost unbeatable. Sure, you missed a few questions, but all in all, I would still want you on my trivia team!

Time-traveler status!

Either you’re a time traveler or a MENSA member because there is NO way anyone else could solve this many ancient riddles. From human life cycles to honeybees, the Sphinx would be no match for you! Since you’re such a smarty-pants, here’s a bonus riddle: What has an eye but cannot see? Tell us the answer in the comments!

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Ancient Riddles Trivia Quiz

‘There is a house. One enters it blind and comes out seeing. What is it?’

‘What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?’

‘Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.’

‘When I am alive I do not speak. Anyone who wants to takes me captive cuts off my head. They bite my bare body. I do no harm to anyone unless they cut me first, then I soon make them cry.’

‘Four hang, four sprang, two point the way, two to ward off dogs, one dangles after, always rather dirty. What am I?’

‘Everyone who goes on the road eventually stops for a rest. But my road never ends, and I never get to stop. I endure a perpetual journey which the years cannot stop, Nations and kings cannot prevent my journey.’

‘A house full of spines and a guest small of body with an unharmed back, pierced by sharp spears. This unarmed dweller travels with armored crops.’

‘An ox ploughs a field all day. How many footprints does he leave in the last furrow?’

‘I have little courage but great resources; I do not seek wealth, but I give it to others. Wandering around, I eat humble foods, and I am often forced to give up my wealth. People keep my body close to them. I have no money, but even kings value me.’

‘I look at you whenever you look at me. You see, but I see not, no sight have I. I speak but have no voice; your voice is heard. My lips can only open uselessly. What am I?’