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My body is pure,
surrounded by darkness
and crossed by it.

Opposite of my limiting siblings,
granting true freedom of choice.

Ignoring me will do you no harm
but if you don't pay attention I may be the reason you die.

Hint 1

You could walk all day, travel for years and never see me. But once you bring the right means you will see me often along your journey.

Hint 2

You know it's me from far away but won't stop for me and if rarely you even look back at be, you may not recognize me anymore.

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  • $\begingroup$ Are you curiosity? $\endgroup$
    – Xylius
    May 5, 2016 at 11:18
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    $\begingroup$ @Xylius I have a body, you can touch me $\endgroup$
    – Zibelas
    May 5, 2016 at 11:36
  • $\begingroup$ Oh, okay then haha $\endgroup$
    – Xylius
    May 5, 2016 at 11:37
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    $\begingroup$ @Zibelas Dean Winchester? Good point. Haha sorry, I'll get more serious now. $\endgroup$
    – SendersReagent
    May 5, 2016 at 12:03
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    $\begingroup$ I think you should put the "I have a body, you can touch me" hint in a more visible place. I guess most ppl are missing it. $\endgroup$
    – Mario Garcia
    May 5, 2016 at 14:43

12 Answers 12

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You are

a speed limit derestriction sign. More precisely you’re this sign:

French speed limit derestriction sign, courtesy of Wikipedia

My body is pure,

Or, you know, white.

surrounded by darkness and crossed by it.

Circled and crossed by black.

Opposite of my limiting siblings,
granting true freedom of choice.

Its siblings, the speed limit signs, restrict speed; this one “frees” you from their restriction.

Ignoring me will do you no harm
but if you don't pay attention I may be the reason you die.

You don’t have to speed up when you see this sign. However, if you do, you better remain attentive: crashing at high-speed certainly could kill you.

Hint 1:

You could walk all day, travel for years and never see me. But once you bring the right means you will see me often along your journey.

No such sign is needed for pedestrian, nor appear along train lines. Once you take your car, though, you’ll probably see me more often (at least in some countries).

Hint 2:

You know it's me from far away but won't stop for me and if rarely you even look back at be, you may not recognize me anymore.

Signs are designed to be seen for afar, when driving. This sign, unlike a stop sign or a priority sign, never requires you to stop. However, if you look at its back, you can’t know which kind of sign it is.

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  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Is this like an autobahn thing? I've never seen one in the states $\endgroup$
    – gannolloy
    May 8, 2016 at 0:43
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    $\begingroup$ @gannolloy I have no idea about Germany, but it does (or at least did) exist in Belgium and France. There is no doubt this riddle is quite cultural; I’m just in the right pool for once. $\endgroup$
    – Édouard
    May 8, 2016 at 9:53
  • $\begingroup$ @Édouard I added a new one, feel free to try it out. This time I hope without any regional references $\endgroup$
    – Zibelas
    May 10, 2016 at 18:35
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Are you

A heart?

My body is pure,

the pure of heart

surrounded by darkness

The heart is within the chest and hence surrounded by darkness

and crossed by it.

Cross your heart = swear something is true

Opposite of my limiting siblings, granting true freedom of choice.

Following your heart implies freedom to try new/daring things, while perhaps listening to your limiting brain may prevent you from taking risks and thus narrow your options. Thanks, cr0.

Ignoring me will do you no harm

We all ignore our hearts most of the time

but if you don't pay attention I may be the reason you die.

But at the same time heart disease is a major killer!

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  • $\begingroup$ I thought this but had no explanation for it. Mostly it was the cross thing. Maybe it's these five, though I don't see where freedom comes in there over the others. $\endgroup$
    – SendersReagent
    May 5, 2016 at 12:53
  • $\begingroup$ Nice answer...analogous to mine as well, given the Heart of the Solar System or the Sun of The Individual. $\endgroup$
    – cr0
    May 5, 2016 at 13:28
  • $\begingroup$ Opposite of my limiting siblings, granting true freedom of choice. Heart is often related to will-power, as we say "have a strong heart" or "follow your heart", and that is where freedom of choice comes in. Limiting siblings could be the parts of the brain which are in the head whereas the heart is in the body - we may want to "follow our heart to infinity" but are limited by our brain. Other organs may also serve as 'limiting siblings'... $\endgroup$
    – cr0
    May 5, 2016 at 13:28
  • $\begingroup$ @DanRussell Since it fits everything and explains all but is not the correct answer, I added a hint. $\endgroup$
    – Zibelas
    May 5, 2016 at 17:32
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You are a

Yellow Light

My body is pure,

Uniform yellow orb

surrounded by darkness and crossed by it.

When illuminated, the other two lights are off, above and below it. Between yellow lights, darkness passes through the middle light.

Opposite of my limiting siblings, granting true freedom of choice.

On Red, you must stop. On green you must go. Yellow is a judgement call.

Ignoring me will do you no harm but if you don't pay attention I may be the reason you die.

Ignoring the yellow light and speeding through the intersection at the last second usually wont be a problem because there is a slight delay between when the next light turns green, but if you don't pay attention to traffic lights at all you could wreck very easily.

Hint 1:

You could walk all the time and never encounter a traffic light, but once you start driving a car you will see them often

Second Hint:

You can see the lights change from several hundred feet away, but only stop for red lights. If you can get through a yellow and check the rearview, the intersection will most likely have turned to red, changing its appearance.

I'm going to keep updating this until a hint is posted that doesn't fit...

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  • $\begingroup$ I was thinking the same thing, but green. $\endgroup$
    – KeyboardWielder
    May 5, 2016 at 18:30
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    $\begingroup$ I agree with yellow over green. It more likely fits the title as well as the "surrounded by darkness" explanation given in this answer. $\endgroup$
    – Bulldogg6404
    May 6, 2016 at 12:20
  • $\begingroup$ I'm honestly pretty shocked this isn't right, it fits perfectly. $\endgroup$
    – gannolloy
    May 6, 2016 at 15:55
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The Sun

My body is pure, surrounded by darkness and crossed by it.

Talk about pure...! The Sun is also surrounded by darkness, and as planets eclipse it, it appears to be 'crossed' by darkness as we only see the dark side of the planet.

Opposite of my limiting siblings, granting true freedom of choice.

Limiting siblings could be planets, which the Sun is 'opposite' of in many ways. The Sun is the source of a lot of features and phenomenona in our solar system on Earth and in that light (pun intended), it grants true freedom of choice.

Ignoring me will do you no harm but if you don't pay attention I may be the reason you die.

You don't need to pay much mind to the Sun, you can survive without giving it much thought. However if you don't pay attention to hazards associated with it, it could be the reason you die (e.g. by skin cancer).

And...

The title also may hint to this answer!

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  • $\begingroup$ Why don't you try with Fire?Fire might suite more. $\endgroup$
    – Arun Xavier
    May 5, 2016 at 13:20
  • $\begingroup$ @ᴊᴀᴠʏ fire is a good one too. I'll add an answer for that, thanks for the suggestion. $\endgroup$
    – cr0
    May 5, 2016 at 13:31
  • $\begingroup$ "I have a body, you can touch me", one could discuss that you can touch the sun xD $\endgroup$
    – Mario Garcia
    May 5, 2016 at 13:44
  • $\begingroup$ @MarioGarcia that's true lol. We feel it's rays more tangibly than we touch something abstract like curiosity. You could touch the sun itself too...similar to touching a fire I suppose, in that it is not solid but rather gas and plasma. $\endgroup$
    – cr0
    May 5, 2016 at 13:49
  • $\begingroup$ Umm, I see your point, but if I were the author, I would never say: You can touch me as a hint for "sun". I think the fire approach fits better. the reasoning was good tho! $\endgroup$
    – Mario Garcia
    May 5, 2016 at 13:52
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A similar but different approach from my previous answer...thanks @ᴊᴀᴠʏ for the suggestion.

Fire

My body is pure, surrounded by darkness and crossed by it.

Pure as plasma! Fire is often surrounded by darkness, at least in comparison to its own emanation of light. "Crossed" can mean "marked" and the presence of fire is marked by darkness in the form of blackening of a wick, the ground, or whatever else it chars.

Opposite of my limiting siblings, granting true freedom of choice.

Limiting siblings could ice, as in fire and ice. In many ways fire and ice is opposite - ice can restrict travel and is constriction of atoms, whereas fire emits light and heat and enables greater travel and choices. Our "inner fire" could be said to represent our freedom of choice as in will-power.

Ignoring me will do you no harm but if you don't pay attention I may be the reason you die.

You don't need to pay much mind to fire, you can survive without giving it much thought as it won't come and bite you. However if you don't pay attention to hazards associated with it, it could be the reason you die (e.g. by house fire, burns, explosions).

And...

The title also may hint to this answer as well!

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Here is a long shot...

BATMAN! :D

Trying to explain:

My body is pure,

His body is pure, in contrast to other heros with modified DNA

surrounded by darkness and crossed by it.

We all know how he's called...the Dark Knight

Opposite of my limiting siblings, granting true freedom of choice.

His limiting/limited siblings are the bats, are ... useless compared to him? He grants freedom...to those who deserve it

Ignoring me will do you no harm

as long as you follow the law, he will be no danger to you

but if you don't pay attention I may be the reason you die.

but if you dare commit a crime...oh dear, you better start praying, for there will be no safe place on earth for you xD

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    $\begingroup$ Canonically he does not kill, so last line is broken. $\endgroup$
    – Mindwin Remember Monica
    May 5, 2016 at 15:27
  • $\begingroup$ @Mindwin but for those who commit certain crimes, being captured by him for prosecution could lead to a death sentence $\endgroup$
    – gabe3886
    May 5, 2016 at 16:05
  • $\begingroup$ @gabe3886 the Arkham Asylum would be empty if that was so. $\endgroup$
    – Mindwin Remember Monica
    May 5, 2016 at 16:06
  • $\begingroup$ You can safely ignore Batman; he won't harm civilians, but if you are being... told off, and you don't pay attention... $\endgroup$
    – wizzwizz4
    May 5, 2016 at 18:06
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Jellyfish

Since :
My body is pure surrounded by darkness and crossed by it.

It's just like jelly pure, and its the light ( or darkness can be cross jellyfish )

Ignoring me will do you no harm but if you don't pay attention I may kill you.

Not sure but : if you do not harm it it will not harm you but if he bites you you will get hurt.

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    $\begingroup$ Jellyfish don't bite $\endgroup$
    – Xylius
    May 5, 2016 at 11:44
  • $\begingroup$ Not a jellyfish and the middle part of the riddle can't be explained by a jellyfish as well, sorry $\endgroup$
    – Zibelas
    May 5, 2016 at 11:48
  • $\begingroup$ A jellyfish sting can indeed be deadly $\endgroup$
    – humn
    May 5, 2016 at 12:04
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Seems like everyone's listing the elements, here comes another:

You are:

Lightning

My body is pure,

Pure energy

surrounded by darkness

Darkness in the sky

and crossed by it.

Lightning 'cross the sky

Opposite of my limiting siblings,

Thunder

granting true freedom of choice.

thunder of freedom

Ignoring me will do you no harm

You can safely ignore it, but

but if you don't pay attention I may be the reason you die.

Lightning strikes might be your end (did you angered Thor?)

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    $\begingroup$ Liked this one, still, I don't think you can touch the light...I think OP should put that hint in a more visible place. $\endgroup$
    – Mario Garcia
    May 5, 2016 at 14:42
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    $\begingroup$ This is a great one. Thunder is a good fit for limiting sibling, as the light can be seen almost without limit whereas thunder is much more limited - are the two opposite? Also as Mario said, the 'body that can be touched' clue may disqualify a lot of our plasma-type guesses. $\endgroup$
    – cr0
    May 5, 2016 at 15:11
  • $\begingroup$ Missed the comment "I have a body, you can touch me", ah I wonder what is the answer now! $\endgroup$
    – Alex
    May 5, 2016 at 15:28
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Im still trying to get each clue but I think it is:

water

My body is pure,

A body of water. Water can also be pure.

surrounded by darkness and crossed by it.

not sure about these, but you can cross water on a boat etc.

Opposite of my limiting siblings,

granting true freedom of choice.

not sure yet

Ignoring me will do you no harm,

but if you don't pay attention I may be the reason you die

if you don't pay attention, you can die by dehydration or even drowning.

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Is it

The joker?

Surrounded by darkness and crossed by it

In Tarot, the joker is often times surrounded by (and affected by) darkness. Could also be a reference to Batman's Joker (as mentioned by wizzwizz4)

Opposite my limiting siblings, granting true freedom of choice

This was what made me think of this. The four suits are all limiting, and their numbers typically make them more so, but a joker is typically considered wild.

Ignoring me will do you no harm

Jokers are typically ignored in card games

But if you don't pay attention, I may be the reason you die.

Maybe a reference to Old Maid, but... Not positive on this one. As mentioned by wizzwizz4 below, this could the Joker from Batman.

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    $\begingroup$ The Joker (Batman's enemy) could work for a few... $\endgroup$
    – wizzwizz4
    May 5, 2016 at 18:30
  • $\begingroup$ @wizzwizz4 Good point! $\endgroup$
    – SendersReagent
    May 5, 2016 at 18:33
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I'm guessing

a brain

My body is pure, surrounded by darkness and crossed by it.

The brain's in the skull. Pretty dark in there. It's also pure, delicious meat.

Opposite of my limiting siblings, granting true freedom of choice.

Eyes can only see what's in front of us, whereas the brain, through critical thinking, comes up with our choices

Ignoring me will do you no harm but if you don't pay attention I may be the reason you die.

You don't have to pay attention to your physical brain, but if you aren't aware of the world around you, you'll fall into a hole or get hit by a car

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How about

epiphany

My body is pure, surrounded by darkness and crossed by it.

epiphany breaks the darkness of confusion; not sure about the crossed part

Opposite of my limiting siblings, granting true freedom of choice.

confusion can immobilize you, but an epiphany clarifies viable options

Ignoring me will do you no harm but if you don't pay attention I may be the reason you die.

you can ignore an epiphany unless your life depends on finding a solution

Hint 1

recognizing an epiphany itself requires an epiphany

Hint 2

you can never stop your thoughts and, if you miss a fleeting thought, you can never quite recapture it

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