We Have a Winner! {Silmarillion Award for Best Riddling and Poetry}

Oh, hello there. It's much too early for tea, do come back lat-- Oh. Is it that time already? Well then.


*rushes onto stage*


*scans audience and clears throat*


Good morning! I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve. But I am getting used to unfamiliar faces intruding upon my quiet routine, so here I am at the request of the fine folk in charge of the Silmarillion Awards.


You've likely already guessed it would be me presenting the Silmaril for Riddling and Poetry. For the sake of riddles, however, I'm inclined to introduce myself thusly. . .


I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led. And through the air. I am he who walks unseen. I am the clue-finder, the web-cutter, the stinging fly. I am he that buries his friends alive and drowns them and draws them alive again from the water. I came from the end of a bag, but no bag went over me. I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles. I am Ring-winner and Luckwearer; and I am Barrel-rider--better known as Bilbo Baggins.

It brings me great pleasure to present this award to someone nearly as skilled at riddles and rhymes as I am. Perhaps you can hazard a guess? Here's a poetical conundrum to help you along.


Ancient I am
And enchanted too
With the power of four
I am magically imbued


With wisdom vast
I peer inside minds
Their thoughts and intentions
I sort and divide


September is when
My song will ring out
Then I hem and I haw
Then proclaim with a shout


The house you belong in
One out of four
My most famous student
I placed in Gryffindor


My name should be clear
I'm grouchy and grim
And I sing and I speak
Through a rip near my brim


*smiles a self-contented smile*


Not half bad, considering I've never met him--er, it--before today. Ahem. The winner of the 2016 Riddling and Poetry Silmaril is . . .


*consults a paper*

The Sorting Hat!

Congratulations, my dear fellow! You bear a striking resemblance to the hat of a grouchy wizard in my acquaintance. But that is neither here nor there. For your wise counsel to the new students of Hogwarts, and your guidance often presented in the form of poems and songs, you deserve this gleaming jewel.

Many notable poets and riddlers were contending for this award. You may be interested in seeing how they fared.

Best Riddling and Poetry

111 out of 123 voters answered this question.

The Sorting Hat (Harry Potter Series) 36 / 32%

Curdie Peterson (The Princess and the Goblin) 31 / 28%

Sir Eanrin (Tales of Goldstone Wood) 28 / 25%

Gummy (The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall) 8 / 7%

Leonard the Lightning Tongue (Tales of Goldstone Wood) 8 / 7%

Some close competition among the top three, but in the end, the famous Sorting Hat emerged the winner!

Thank you all for your participation. The Silmarillion Awards would be impossible if not for you! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've tea to steep, a pipe to smoke, and a book to read.

*awkwardly waves goodbye and retreats offstage*

Me: Thank you for taking time away from your comfy morning, Bilbo, to present this award. Congrats again to the Sorting Hat, and thanks to all of you!

Don't forget to visit all the stops. You can see the schedule HERE. And please feel free to join the fun during the last weekend of July, during which time many of us will be celebrating with a Tolkien Party!

No veren! [Enjoy yourself/be joyous]