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Read the following riddle and guess what I am!

I was born from a real tree.

Everybody bows down to me.

I can be very large, or also very small.

I have authority over people.

I can be human, but I do not have to be

Humans use Me to hurt each other.

What am I?

CORRECT ANSWERER: @Tom :)

BEST ANSWERER: @AeJey

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    $\begingroup$ me, "I was born from a real tree" - I'm stumped $\endgroup$
    – Sam Harrington
    Jan 5, 2018 at 18:44
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    $\begingroup$ I didn't think riddles like this qualified as lateral-thinking? Also, mentioning specific answers in the question is highly unusual. $\endgroup$
    – jpmc26
    Jan 5, 2018 at 21:23
  • $\begingroup$ @jpmc26 err...okay i'll delete that tag $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 21:24

16 Answers 16

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A straight answer is a

Ruler

I was born from a real tree.

A ruler made from wood.

Everybody bows down to me. I like my riches. I have authority over people.

A person exercising government or dominion. They often love their riches.

EDIT 1: I CAN BE HUMAN.

Yes, the person in charge.

EDIT 2: I CAN BE USED TO HURT PEOPLE.

Used to get hit on the knuckles with a few rulers on their side in primary school. Ouch!

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    $\begingroup$ Nice interpretation, and it does seem to tick the wordplay aspect nicely. $\endgroup$
    – Phylyp
    Jan 5, 2018 at 10:23
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    $\begingroup$ This could be the answer OP looking for $\endgroup$
    – ran
    Jan 5, 2018 at 12:38
  • $\begingroup$ Congrats! :)))) $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 20:05
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I think you are

Money

Explanation:

Paper comes from trees which is used to make money. People worship money (bow down to money). Money can make people do things they wouldnt otherwise do. Money often has the face of a human. Brb hiring an assassin on @NL628 with my money

Or maybe youre a

Staff

explanation:

The staff of a wizard is wooden and comes from a tree. When a king holds a staff everyone bows down because of the authority. Another form of staff work for money as they like their riches. Staff can be human staff working for money or a staff can be a wooden weapon if you hit someone hard enough with it.

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    $\begingroup$ I like the first answer, nice one :-) $\endgroup$
    – Phylyp
    Jan 5, 2018 at 10:12
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    $\begingroup$ @Phylyp thanks! hopefully one of them is right $\endgroup$
    – BISHOP
    Jan 5, 2018 at 10:17
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    $\begingroup$ Dollars bills are made of cotton. $\endgroup$
    – Mindwin Remember Monica
    Jan 5, 2018 at 16:02
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    $\begingroup$ humans as money may be terrifying... $\endgroup$
    – Wilf
    Jan 5, 2018 at 21:05
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Are you a

Short Wooden Door Frame

Explanation

I was born from a tree.

Wooden door frames are made out of tree (wood)

Everybody bows down to me.

Everybody bows down to enter a short door

Or Maybe you are a

Casket/Coffin

I was born from a tree.

caskets are made out of tree (wood)

Everybody bows down to me.

Everybody bows in front of casket at funeral

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  • $\begingroup$ nope not quite :)) $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:09
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Perhaps you are a:

Seed

Explanation:

I was born from a tree:

E.g. acorn or other seed

Everyone bows down to me:

Planting the seed

I like my riches:

Rich in fruit (also, seeds were once a form of currency)

I have authority over people:

Once legal tender, everyone needs to eat (fruit it will eventually bear or consumed as it is)

I can be human:

Human seed (sperm cell)

I can be used to hurt people:

Planting a seed in someones mind, acorns on a string.

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Are you a

Gavel

I was born from a tree.

wooden Gavel

Everybody bows down to me

It is a symbol of the authority

I like my riches.

It is a symbol of the authority and right to act officially in the capacity of a chair or presiding officer. So its definitely rich.

I have authority over people.

The sound of the gavel strike controls the whole court.

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  • $\begingroup$ check my edit :P $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:40
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I think you are:

A crown

I was born from a real tree.

A tree has a crown, the upper part. It grows/is born from a real tree.

Everybody bows down to me.

The crown signifies a person of authority that people bow to

I like my riches.

Kings, who commonly have crowns, are associated with riches.

I have authority over people.

Kings, who commonly have crowns, are considered to have authority. Of course nowadays that is not so clear cut.

And extra:

Guillotine´s have certainly a connection to crowns, though perhaps they are not friends. The crown as "orders of the king" has certainly hurt a lot of people, people executed et cetera, but from the comments: a crown of thorns also hurts. The crown can stand for a king, which is a human.

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    $\begingroup$ This is my guess too. As to hurting people, how about one made of thorns? $\endgroup$
    – Angew is no longer proud of SO
    Jan 5, 2018 at 10:24
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    $\begingroup$ My own interpretation was different, but good suggestion! $\endgroup$
    – Niels
    Jan 5, 2018 at 10:27
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How about a

Chair

I was born from a real tree.

A Chair made from wood.

Everybody bows down to me. I like my riches. I have authority over people.

As in a Chairperson who has authority over an organised group and oftain the group's finances

EDIT 1: I CAN BE HUMAN.

Yep

EDIT 2: I CAN BE USED TO HURT PEOPLE.

WWF?

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  • $\begingroup$ Chair was my thought too.. "I can be used to hurt people": Typical old western etc movie seen when people hit others with chairs in a saloon fight. $\endgroup$
    – ntg
    Jan 8, 2018 at 8:44
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Well, my guess would be that you're talking about

A cross and/or Jesus. The cross is sometimes referred to as "the tree" or it can be seen as metaphorically being born from a tree because it is made of wood. Alternately, you could say that Jesus was "borne" or carried from the tree, hence the wordplay tag. The "bowing down" and "authority" parts follow pretty obviously. "I like my riches" is a little more difficult. If we are leaning to the Jesus answer, then maybe this means riches in Heaven. If it is the cross itself, then I would guess this may refer to all the jeweled gold and silver crosses out there. Then again, we could be talking about the Christian church that was "born" from the crucifixion and this may be the temporal or spiritual riches of the church itself.

Hints

The first hint "I CAN BE HUMAN" sounds more like the Jesus answer but the second hint "I CAN BE USED TO HURT PEOPLE" sounds more like the cross itself. The church could fit with both but I can't make myself 100% happy with any of these.

If this is not it, I hope these ramblings may lead someone else to the correct answer.

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  • $\begingroup$ Hmmm you're still getting farther away. Try the hint I gave in the question :) $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 8:13
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    $\begingroup$ I have this horrible feeling that when someone finds the answer the rest of us are going to groan at not making the connection! $\endgroup$
    – Phylyp
    Jan 5, 2018 at 8:20
  • $\begingroup$ @Phylyp oops :)) $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 7, 2018 at 7:16
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Could it be

An arrow

I was born from a real tree.

An arrow is made of wood

Everybody bows down to me.

Wordplay on bow?

I like my riches.

Arrow used for stock prices

I have authority over people.

Directional arrows

I CAN BE HUMAN.

Arrow the superhero

I CAN BE USED TO HURT PEOPLE.

Arrows can certainly hurt people!

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Are you

A guillotine

My reasoning is

The frame is made of wood. Everyone sent to the guillotine bows before it. In the French revolution it was often the rich/ nobles who were executed.

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    $\begingroup$ ohhhh you're closer :P $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:21
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    $\begingroup$ Is it a punishment device? :-) $\endgroup$
    – Phylyp
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:26
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    $\begingroup$ nope lol its not :P $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:27
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    $\begingroup$ well technically everythings a punishment device if you hit someone with it hard enough... $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:28
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    $\begingroup$ Hmm, I was thinking of stocks ( en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stocks ) but that doesn't seem to be it. $\endgroup$
    – Phylyp
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:29
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I guess that you are a

coffin

because

coffins are made of wood,

and

at least symbolically, everybody eventually submits to one.

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  • $\begingroup$ nope not quite :)) $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:09
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You are a

Fruit lying under the tree.
Everybody has to bow down if they want to take you.

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  • $\begingroup$ nope not quite :P $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:13
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    $\begingroup$ Everybody not somebody $\endgroup$
    – Jamal Senjaya
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:13
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It feels to me like

a monarchist symbol of power.

This is how I see it:

I was born from a real tree.

Kings and Queen are born from noble blood genealogical trees. Scepters can be made of wood.

Everybody bows down to me.

Everybody bows down to power. (Or at least, in monarchy, everybody is supposed to bow down to power.)

I like my riches.

If I consider European, and particularly French XVI to XVII centuries, kings liked riche people because they could take their money and give them some illusion of power.

I have authority over people.

Symbol of power obviously have power over people.

Hints

Kings are human and you can hit people with a sceptre.

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Are you a

A treasure chest?

Explanation:

I was born from a tree.

Treasure chest are made of wood

Everybody bows down to me.

Everybody bows down to dig it up??

I like my riches.

Chests are full of riches!

I can control people.

It can control people by their greed.

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  • $\begingroup$ ermmm...a little farther away that ran's answer. the bowing part doesn't really make sense. $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:30
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I guess that you are :

The rods of the Kings , or the kings chair.

I was born from a tree.

The rods made from woods

Everybody bows down to me.

Everybody bows down to the king with his rod.

I like my riches.

The king is rich.

I can control people.

Everyone who has me can control others.

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  • $\begingroup$ Ooo you're the closest one of all $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:34
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    $\begingroup$ @NL628 I have add kings chair. $\endgroup$
    – Jamal Senjaya
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:36
  • $\begingroup$ nope still not there yet :) $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:38
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Are you

A hangman's noose

My reasoning is

Made of hemp, people look like they're bowing after being hanged, tipping the hangman for a clean end

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    $\begingroup$ Ok, revised my answer based on that... also interpreting tree in a different - human - way :-) $\endgroup$
    – Phylyp
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:41
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    $\begingroup$ sorry, but i meant real tree :P $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:42
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    $\begingroup$ try the hint... $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:54
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    $\begingroup$ Oh, you've stumped me :-) $\endgroup$
    – Phylyp
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:58
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    $\begingroup$ do u want me to tell? ill tell u on a private chat :P but you mustn't post it lol $\endgroup$
    – NL628
    Jan 5, 2018 at 7:58

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