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I, myself, make no sound
but you've heard me, at any rate
With my help, you may be drowned
I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

I am quite the hair raiser

What am I?

Edit: Apologies for creating a puzzle that is too broad and I can see why it has been marked as so. I'm not going to modify the riddle to make it less broad because I want to honour the current answers that people have put forward in the riddle's current state - some of which are very good. I don't think that changing/extending the riddle would be just. Therefore, this riddle will probably get closed.

Intended answer:

volume

I, myself, make no sound

Volume itself does not create sound

but you've heard me, at any rate

You can hear sounds at multiple volumes

With my help, you may be drowned

You can be drowned out by volume

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

Volume can be big, small and a vast quantity

I am quite the hair raiser

Volume increases the thickness of your hair and makes it look bigger

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    $\begingroup$ Wow, I'm surprised this hasn't been closed as too broad yet. Looking forward to seeing the answer! $\endgroup$
    – Avigrail
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:21
  • $\begingroup$ I am curious why the last sentence is separated from the others, and does not rhyme... $\endgroup$
    – Kai Hartmann
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:22
  • $\begingroup$ It is inviting a lot of answers. There is a specific answer though that matches the lines in the riddle more purposefully than the current provided answers. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:23
  • $\begingroup$ @hypern Don't worry, I'm the last person to close a question! It's a good riddle :) $\endgroup$
    – Avigrail
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:27
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I'm tempted to write an answer for "Jason Voorhees" $\endgroup$
    – Beska
    Jul 13, 2016 at 14:07

21 Answers 21

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The answer is: A Wave.

I, myself, make no sound but you've heard me , at any rate

Referring to Sound Waves

With my help, you may be drowned I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

Referring to Waves in water

I am quite the hair raiser

This one is tricky so have assumed its either: a Shockwave or is also a reference to Sound Waves - goosebumps when listening to music?

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  • $\begingroup$ Its a good idea with good reasoning, but its not the answer $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 11:04
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    $\begingroup$ There are various related hairstyles that would apply for the last part $\endgroup$
    – Separatrix
    Jul 13, 2016 at 11:36
  • $\begingroup$ whatever i think about the solution ,it somehow related to waves $\endgroup$
    – Numberknot
    Jul 13, 2016 at 11:44
  • $\begingroup$ @hypern it's not the answer? What part of the puzzle does this not fit? $\endgroup$
    – vijrox
    Jul 13, 2016 at 16:13
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    $\begingroup$ @vijrox It fits very well for all but the last line. When you think of a wave, you don't immediately think of your hair. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 16:15
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Hmm, my guess is a

Current?

I, myself, make no sound

Currents, which are just a directed movement themselves make no sound

but you've heard me, at any rate

But the movements of whatever the current is carrying makes noise, an electric current makes a buzz, a water current will sound like rushing water, etc.

With my help, you may be drowned

A strong ocean/river current can pull you under or out to sea and you'lll drown

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

Small rivers can have currents as well as large trans-atlantic currents in the ocean

I am quite the hair raiser

An electric current going through you can cause your hair to stand up

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  • $\begingroup$ This is a clever idea but its not the answer. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:00
  • $\begingroup$ This was my first guess, too. $\endgroup$
    – Kai Hartmann
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:17
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While posting the previous answer another idea came into my head:

Wind

I, myself, make no sound

Wind makes no sound itself

but you've heard me, at any rate

You probably "heard" the wind, but what you hear is just the air or some small dust that is twisting in your ears(or some other small particles)

With my help, you may be drowned

Wind blowing you off a boat/ship into the water? Some tornado/whirlwind?

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

Wind can blow differently, from light breeze to hurricane

I am quite the hair raiser

Wind does raise your hair :)

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2
  • $\begingroup$ I really like this idea, its not the answer thought. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 12:23
  • $\begingroup$ Actually, the wind does make sound. Not out on its own, though -- it makes sound when it brushes past something. $\endgroup$
    – anon
    Jul 13, 2016 at 19:04
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My guess is that you are

Silence

I, myself, make no sound

Obviously, silence makes no sound

but you've heard me, at any rate

What we actually call "silence" is still not total silence, you still always hear something no matter not quiet it is

With my help, you may be drowned

If you can't make sound or nobody can hear you(and see you ofc) when you are drowning you will probably drown

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

Just as any other natural thing? Not sure about this one

I am quite the hair raiser

When watching horror movies your hair raises from fear when there's some scary-freaky silent moment :)

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  • $\begingroup$ Good idea but since is not the answer $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 12:21
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I think it's 'fear'.

I, myself, make no sound

'Fear' makes no sound.

but you've heard me, at any rate

If your heart beats, you hear it.

With my help, you may be drowned

"Drown in fear", is that a valid expression?

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

'Fear' can be big, small, great(?)

I am quite the hair raiser

If you get frightened, you might get goosebumps.

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  • $\begingroup$ Nice idea but fear is not the answer. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:17
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    $\begingroup$ @hypern you mean "I fear that's not the answer"? $\endgroup$
    – Mithical
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:21
  • $\begingroup$ @Mithrandir haha. I fear my response was not as clever as yours. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:25
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air

I, myself, make no sound

doesn't make any sound

but you've heard me, at any rate

when air moves at a rate > 0 it makes a noise (wind, whistling)

With my help, you may be drowned

Drown without air, can't breathe

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

it is in and of itself small, but there is a ton of it so it is big and I consider it great because it keeps me alive

I am quite the hair raiser

hair blown in the wind

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1
  • $\begingroup$ Nice idea but its not that one. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:52
4
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I'll throw an answer into the mix

I think you are:

Lightning or Storm (thanks to Daniel Kennedy)

I, myself, make no sound

Lightning and elements of a storm are silent themselves.

but you've heard me, at any rate

We hear some of the affects of the storm components (thunder, items crashing around in the wind).

With my help, you may be drowned

Storms as sea can cause shipwrecks, or large rainstorms (often accompanied by lightning) can cause drowning.

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

There are big storms (Hurricanes), and small storms (drizzle). There are great storms (again, thanks to Daniel Kennedy).
Lightning itself seems big, but truthfully is very small, but is great in many ways (1.21 gigawatts!)

I am quite the hair raiser

Being near a lightning strike can be considered a "hair-raising" experience, literally and figuratively.

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  • $\begingroup$ I really like the reasoning here but was thinking the actual word might be "storm". Essentially for the same reasoning as above with a few minor changes. For the third line I thought the explanation was more likely to be storms at sea causing shipwrecks etc. Also for the fourth line I think storm could fit better with big (i.e. large storm) small (i.e. localized storm cell) and great (there was a storm in 1987 in the UK called 'The Great Storm' and I'm sure there are many others.) $\endgroup$
    – Daniel Kennedy
    Jul 13, 2016 at 15:47
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i think

lyrics

i, myself, make no sound

lyrics are reading material

but you've heard me, at any rate

we can hear song which offcourse had a lyrics at any rate(almost)

With my help, you may be drowned

lyrics can drowned us by their meaning of words

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

some songs lyrics are small,big and eminem.

I am quite the hair raiser

eminem can raise your hair

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  • $\begingroup$ The answer isn't lyrics $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 12:22
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I think you are:

Static

I, myself, make no sound

You are white noise, which is sound at all frequencies and hence no particular sound

but you've heard me, at any rate

On an untuned radio or TV

With my help, you may be drowned

Static drowns out sounds

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

I don't see how to make this one work.

I am quite the hair raiser

Rubbing a comb briskly and then holding against your hair makes it stand on end by static electricity.

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1
  • $\begingroup$ Its not the answer, I would find it difficult to reason for big, small, great too. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:51
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New answer!

Idea

I, myself, make no sound

Ideas are in your head, they make no sound

but you've heard me, at any rate

This either alludes to you hearing yourself think about the idea, or hearing everyone elses ideas

With my help, you may be drowned

When you think too much about an idea you will become stuck on it, feeling overwhelmed and feel like you're drowning.

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

You can big ideas ("What's the big idea"), small ideas, and great ideas.

I am quite the hair raiser

I'm not sure if this is when you have a great idea you get so excited your hair can stand up, or perhaps a reference to a lightbulb going off in your head which would entail some metaphorical electricity making your hair stand up.

BONUS!

In response to most answers you said you liked the idea

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1
  • $\begingroup$ I like the bonus at the end - it would have been quite cheeky of me if the answer actually is idea, but its not. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:16
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Maybe a

vinyl record?

I, myself, make no sound

A vinyl record itself doesn't make sounds

but you've heard me, at any rate

You can play them at different rotation speeds. But I guess not everyone here has heard vinyl records playing :(

With my help, you may be drowned

Drowned in music

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

They are available in different sizes, and some people still are convinced the best way of listening music is listening to vinyl records

I am quite the hair raiser

Excitement by listening to music

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1
  • $\begingroup$ I'm one of those people who hasn't heard one playing unfortunately. Nice idea but its not the answer. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:54
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My Guess is:

Text

I, myself, make no sound

Text is just the writen word

But you've heard me, at any rate

When you read text you say in your head

With my help, you may be drowned

Bit unsure of this one, but if you have enough text to read you have feel you are drowning in the text

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

Text font can be big or small, the contents can be great works of art

I am quite the hair raiser

Read a good book and you will feel your hair raise

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1
  • $\begingroup$ Just like text can be, I think your idea is creative. But its not the answer. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:05
1
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My guess is

Fall, as in the season

I, myself, make no sound

The sound of leaves falling makes no sound

but you've heard me, at any rate

The crunch of fallen leaves makes noise (not exactly the "sound of fall", but still...)

With my help, you may be drowned

drowned in leaves....?

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

Depending on the severity, it can be big, small or great.

I am quite the hair raiser

Stuck here. You get goosebumps looking at beautiful autumn scenes?

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    $\begingroup$ Its not this. The answer has more specific reasoning. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 13:56
1
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I think you might be a

Shark.

Most of the answers would be self explanatory except,

but you've heard me, at any rate,

for which I do not have an answer. But could have something to do with:

SHARK WEEK!!!!!

But, my answers would be,

they are silent, they can drown you, they're small sized, big sized, and even named great, and most people are scared of them.

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    $\begingroup$ Please provide the other clues you know the answer for. $\endgroup$
    – EKons
    Jul 13, 2016 at 18:20
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I think what we have here is

a drop of water

I, myself, make no sound

a drop of water, by itself, doesn't make noise. it has to hit something or join with other droplets.

but you've heard me, at any rate

dripping taps, rushing water, etc

With my help, you may be drowned

if many droplets "team up" you can drown in water.

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

water is kinda a big deal (it's needed for life), but a droplet is small. Water droplets form great seas and oceans.

I am quite the hair raiser

water is used to style hair, and people are afraid of water/drowning. Also humidity in the air can cause super frizzy hair.

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1
  • $\begingroup$ Not the answer I'm looking for. My hair tends to get flattened by water actually :) $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 14:54
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I think the answer is

Music

I, myself, make no Sound

Music itself makes no Sound.

but you've heard me, at any rate

Different pitches and speeds of the song.

With my help, you may be drowned

You can drown into good music.

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

There is big music, there is small music and there is great music.

I am quite the hair raiser

A reference to goosebumps.

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    $\begingroup$ Whaddya mean Music makes no sound? $\endgroup$
    – Mithical
    Jul 13, 2016 at 14:25
  • $\begingroup$ I guess it is because music itself is abstract, and what actually make sound are things like instruments or speakers, not the "music" :) $\endgroup$
    – RiddlerNewComer
    Jul 13, 2016 at 14:33
  • $\begingroup$ @Mithrandir RiddlerNewComer is right. My thoughts are, that the band makes the sound and not the music. $\endgroup$
    – Claudio P
    Jul 13, 2016 at 14:35
  • $\begingroup$ Music generally is a collection of sounds unless you're talking about written music I guess. But its not music. $\endgroup$
    – hypern
    Jul 13, 2016 at 14:57
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How about,

I myself make no sound

Musical notes. They don't produce sounds themselves.

but you've heard me, at any rate

Regarding the tempo of the musical play perhaps?

With my help, you may be drowned

Overwhelm with sounds.

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

The musical notes themselves.

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Well, similar to water (although I thought this before reading!) I think it's:

Rain

I, myself, make no sound:

Rain itself is simple a drop of water, it makes a sound upon hitting something

but you've heard me, at any rate:

Everyone's heard the rain, and it can be a little shower (slow rate) or torrential (high rate)

With my help, you may be drowned

I've heard of people being drowned in the rain, but either way you can certainly drown in a body of water made by the rain, such as a puddle or a lake or even the sea

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

Rain clouds cover a large area, rain droplets are small, and the force of rain is pretty great

I am quite the hair raiser

Rain can accompany a storm, but my hairs usually stand up on end when sitting in a glasshouse with the rain from the sound :)

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0
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I think it is

PRESSURE

I, myself, make no Sound

Pressure does not transmit sound waves, that we can hear

but you've heard me, at any rate

We often talk about pressure and its rates in the classroom

With my help, you may be drowned

As deeper as one dives into the ocean, pressure increases and it pulls the person down with more force, so it helps to drown

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

We often hear people talk about how small or big is the pressure in some region(atmospheric for example), and when people say: 'I am under great pressure'(figuratively speaking of course), which is a common phrase

I am quite the hair raiser

For example, when people go for a ride in the roller coaster they get their hair raised because of the atmospheric pressure

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This answer follows in the same vein as a few others but has not been proposed exactly.

What am I?

You are (a pool of) water.

I, myself, make no sound

Still water is silent.

but you've heard me, at any rate

Disturbances to the water makes waves and splashes that we can hear.

With my help, you may be drowned

You can drown when swimming in a body of water.

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

Water exists in many forms - for example, in small puddles, big lakes, and great oceans.

I am quite the hair raiser

People will often have their hair raised toward the surface when photographed underwater. You can see many examples of this by googling "underwater hair".

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0
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$\Huge\text{Silence}$

I, myself, make no sound

Silence is the absence of sound.

but you've heard me, at any rate

You can sometimes hear a low-frequency sound when you're in a very silent environment.

With my help, you may be drowned

You don't hear something strange when you're breathing pure nitrogen.

Since the clue said may, not will, breathing pure nitrogen is a case of drowning without suffocating.

I'm big, I'm small and I'm great

Silence is a big deal, not a big deal, and great! (Oh Yeah, shut up everybody, I NEED SILENCE!!!! Oh, Yeah...)

I am quite the hair raiser

Silence is creepy, if you have ever seen a horror movie.

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3
  • $\begingroup$ Hello darkness, my old friend... $\endgroup$
    – John
    Jul 13, 2016 at 19:36
  • $\begingroup$ @John This is my answer LOL!!! $\endgroup$
    – EKons
    Jul 13, 2016 at 19:37
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, and it reminded me of a great song! $\endgroup$
    – John
    Jul 13, 2016 at 19:39

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