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This riddle is dedicated to Avigrail, a brilliant riddler.

There are four parts to this puzzle. Each of them points towards the same solution, and you can get the solution from any one on its own, but I'll only accept an answer that includes explanations of how to solve all four.

This is the interesting one (also probably the easiest):

for all Lambda unique e L for all unique r

In this riddle, all the clues point towards the concept of the answer:

I might be metal, or you might
Find me in woods or at the beach.
I can answer your questions -
Always truly, but oft unwelcome.

In this riddle, all the clues point towards the English word for the answer:

I might be paper.
Half of me has it;
Or, with repeats,
Only one lacks it.

In this riddle, all the clues point towards the German word for the answer:

I might be paper.
I rhyme with a predator.
Bond a fork and then
A twisted limb frozen.

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    $\begingroup$ Given this edit I suspect the political statement is more important than the riddle to you. $\endgroup$
    – Jon 'links in bio' Ericson
    Dec 31, 2014 at 17:26
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    $\begingroup$ @JonEricson You suspect wrongly then. I spent a long time composing the riddle and only thought of including the first paragraph at the last moment. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Dec 31, 2014 at 18:16
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    $\begingroup$ @JonEricson Closing a question because it contains the word 'predator' is really not on. I think I'm going to create a meta post about this. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Dec 31, 2014 at 18:20

2 Answers 2

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I think the answer is

mirror

which I got starting with the German word bit:

Predator - eagle. German words rhyming with 'eagle' - siegel (seal) and spiegel (mirror), both ending with "gel", a twist of "leg", which is encouraging, and only the latter names a newspaper, Der Spiegel. That explains lines 1, 2 and 4 and leaves line 3. A pie fork is a kind of fork, and if "s" refers to a type of sigma bond, then "Bond a fork" gives "Spie" and we've got "Spie" + "gel" - tick!

The English word bit:

The Mirror is an English-language newspaper. "Half of me" is "m". "Or, with repeats" is "or" plus "rr", a doubling of the letter "R" used for "repeat". That gives m+or+rr and the last line tells us that only "one" is lacking, meaning the letter "i". m+or+rr+i gives "mirror".

What's going on with the flip of the string of symbols to give "Avigrail" is

mirroring

Now the first bit:

A mirror might be metal, and can reflect accurately even if to do so is often unwelcome. Which leaves "you might / Find me in woods or at the beach" - possibly meaning reflection in a lake or the sea?

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For the first part,

for all Lambda unique e L for all unique r

can be rendered as

$$ \forall \Lambda ! e \mathrm{L} \forall ! \mathrm{r} $$

which seems to spell "Avigrail" if you flip each letter.

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  • $\begingroup$ The L could be a T $\endgroup$
    – warspyking
    Dec 30, 2014 at 20:47
  • $\begingroup$ Or if numbers exist, l could be t and e could be 9/6 somehow $\endgroup$
    – warspyking
    Dec 30, 2014 at 20:47
  • $\begingroup$ Why the $\exists$ signs? $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Dec 30, 2014 at 21:30
  • $\begingroup$ @randal'thor I thought "unique" was shorthand for "there exists a single", but I guess you can have the ! separately. Removing the E's makes it easier to see the answer. $\endgroup$
    – xnor
    Dec 30, 2014 at 21:40
  • $\begingroup$ It's late and maybe I've had a glass wine too many, but the 2nd riddle somehow reminds me of anvil with some similarity to Avi(grai)l? Yes, too much wine... $\endgroup$
    – BmyGuest
    Dec 30, 2014 at 21:45

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