Guest Posted May 5, 2008 Report Share Posted May 5, 2008 I was born before the earth But named for the shining dawn And though I swim in creek and firth I never breed or spawn. I have worth set as a brick Or as a fett’ring chain But don’t be fooled by FeS’ trick I don’t live in his vein. Immortal as can earthly be To me, mankind has prayed But I’m destroyed without a plea By the Princeps’ God of Trade. Lauded for my purity I’ll corrupt a good man’s soul And I profess with surety Your fortune I control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted May 5, 2008 Report Share Posted May 5, 2008 When you post your answer, post "why" you think it's the answer by breaking down the stanzas and lines. Have fun ~WB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted May 5, 2008 Report Share Posted May 5, 2008 The FeS clue gave it away to me....liked this though. Perfect level of difficulty and well written! Gold! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 Yeah, that one wasn't too difficult. It's Gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 akaslickster Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 (edited) What was gold before Earth?The FeS clue gave it away to me....liked this though. Perfect level of difficulty and well written! Gold!Who am I or What am I? Edited May 6, 2008 by akaslickster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 itachi-san Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 I knew it was gold the moment I read 'brick' (light bulb moment I guess) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 When you post your answer, post "why" you think it's the answer by breaking down the stanzas and lines. Have fun ~WB The answer is "gold", because... I was born before the earth - Generated by the death of stars who predated the Earth. But named for the shining dawn - I have no idea. I give! And though I swim in creek and firth - People pan for gold in running water. I never breed or spawn. - Makes sense - it's not alive. I have worth set as a brick - Gold is commonly made into bricks.... Or as a fett’ring chain - ...and sold as chains for jewelry. But don’t be fooled by FeS’ trick - FeS is the chemical formula for Iron Sulfide, a.k.a., "fool's gold". I don’t live in his vein. - Gold is also found in "veins" in the Earth. Immortal as can earthly be - Gold doesn't rust, corrode, etc. To me, mankind has prayed - Golden idols, maybe? But I’m destroyed without a plea By the Princeps’ God of Trade. - Mercury is the Roman god of trade; allowing gold to come into contact with the metal mercury will ruin the gold. Lauded for my purity - "Pure as gold" is an expression of purity. I’ll corrupt a good man’s soul - The love of money is the root of all evil... And I profess with surety Your fortune I control. - Gold = fortune. Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 The answer is "gold", because... ...Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Welcome to the forum ekinseyjr! That was very worthy first post with an excellent breakdown. However, please read the "Important: READ BEFORE POSTING" message at the top of the page. Use of spoiler tags to hide answers keeps it fun for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 real nice ekinseyjr. I wouldn't have guessed that death of the stars thing! I like this puzzle writersblock, it's pretty cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 one last analysis. "But named for the shining dawn"- Gold's chemical symbol is Au, short for aurum. Aurora was the greek goddess of the dawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 This one seemed pretty easy, but glad you all liked it. Just to fill in the blanks where ekinseyjr didn't. (BTW, good analysis ek!) Named for the shining dawn = Au for the latin Aurum, which means "shining dawn" But I’m destroyed without a plea By the Princeps’ God of Trade. = Mercury will actually dissolve gold, not just ruin it. And I profess with surety Your fortune I control. = All modern world markets and currencies can trace directly to a "gold standard" system. Thus, all world markets are backed to a large extent by the gold owned by the nation issuing the currency. This is why a nation just can't "print" money without causing inflation and ruining currency exchange. I think that "FeS" should have maybe been written "Fes". Maybe would have disguised it more. Anyway, good job one and all. Maybe I'll do another later in the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Guest
I was born before the earth
But named for the shining dawn
And though I swim in creek and firth
I never breed or spawn.
I have worth set as a brick
Or as a fett’ring chain
But don’t be fooled by FeS’ trick
I don’t live in his vein.
Immortal as can earthly be
To me, mankind has prayed
But I’m destroyed without a plea
By the Princeps’ God of Trade.
Lauded for my purity
I’ll corrupt a good man’s soul
And I profess with surety
Your fortune I control.
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