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I represent both joy and fear
I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too
I am now retired, but I like to explore my land
If you've seen it you know I'm never settled
They used to see me around not so long ago

HINT #1

I was joy in ancient Greece, but I am fear in modern America

HINT #2

I am the colors of a sunset, but nothing about me is calm

HINT #3

I have a cult in modern America

HINT #4

It is the worst time to be me

HINT #5

There is a phobia named after me

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  • $\begingroup$ "They used to see me around not so long ago" who is 'they'? $\endgroup$ – NicolasB Apr 17 '19 at 14:24
  • $\begingroup$ @NicolasB the people $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 18 '19 at 22:13
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    $\begingroup$ I'm considering voting to close this question as too broad, but I withhold my judgement until I see the answer. $\endgroup$ – Brandon_J Apr 29 '19 at 21:55
  • $\begingroup$ @Brandon_J i'll post the answer in 24 hours. $\endgroup$ – Mel May 1 '19 at 4:34
  • $\begingroup$ @Mel 24 hours or 24 days ? Either way it's quite overdue :p $\endgroup$ – Keelhaul May 29 '19 at 14:37

14 Answers 14

Active Oldest Votes
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The answer is

WAR

  • I represent both joy and fear

WAR would mean victory to one side(which would mean joy). But there is always the fear of loss of life and defeat.

  • I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too

Not so sure about this, but: war would definitely mean killings ==> loss of life ==> death of people ==> war eats the children of the land. Also, more soldiers would mean end of the war one way or the other, which would mean eating the war itself.

  • I am now retired, but I like to explore my land

There aren't any large-scale active wars anymore, but there is a lot of military unrest, and there are glimpses of wars and air strikes happening once in a while.

  • If you've seen it you know I'm never settled

A soldier who's been in a war would know that a war can never end completely. It would always return in some form or the other.

  • They used to see me around not so long ago

There were frequent wars not so long ago, WW II was over just over 60 years ago, followed by wars here and there across the world.

  • HINT 1: I was joy in ancient Greece, but I am fear in modern America

Kids(boys mainly) were taught to fight in battle and war right from their childhood. A man would hands-down choose dying in battle over living without it. (Who'd forget SPARTA???). Well, now we all, as ordinary blokes, fear war. Don't we? The motive all around is clear and simple: Avoid war at all costs.

  • HINT 2: I am the colors of a sunset, but nothing about me is calm

Not that sure about this: Colors of a sunset: Mostly red. War: red again. While the sun has a soothing and calming red around it when it sets. But, the red of war is nothing but the bloodied bodies of soldiers and victims of war, not so calm I guess.

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  • $\begingroup$ You're close in the sense that there is a war associated with it. But it is not historic. $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 15 '19 at 6:37
  • $\begingroup$ War associated with it?? Is/Was it some event/happening then? $\endgroup$ – Rai Apr 15 '19 at 10:36
  • $\begingroup$ depends which news source you read $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 16 '19 at 23:25
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    $\begingroup$ There is a new hint up. $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 16 '19 at 23:28
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I think the answer is

Mars

I represent both joy and fear

The clues helped. The Greeks worshiped Ares, and the Roman counterpart was Mars, both associated to the red planet though we kept the Roman name. Modern Americans fear Mars either thanks to media such as War Of The Worlds or the daunting prospect of trying to send humans to a planet that is rather uninhabitable without the protection of sealed bases or outposts.

I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too

I imagine the conditions on Mars would eat children and adults alike. As for kids, the can eat a Mars bar by the piece.

I am now retired, but I like to explore my land

The Mars rover(s) perhaps?

If you've seen it you know I'm never settled

Mars' orbit does not seem linear when tracked; it makes a loop in the sky. This was unsettling to see as well as being unsettling the ancients that started tracking Mars' orbit. This discovery helped break us away from a geocentric pattern of thought.

They used to see me around not so long ago

The ancients have tracked Mars for centuries.

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  • $\begingroup$ Nope. Notice The statement colors not color of the sunset. The sunset is not just red. $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 16 '19 at 23:24
  • $\begingroup$ There is a new hint up. $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 16 '19 at 23:28
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I think the answer is:

Fire

line 1:

I represent both joy and fear

means:

Fire gives us warmth and light, which brings happiness to the world. On the other hand, there are fires, which frightens us

line 2:

I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too

means:

The fire can burn / cook things and there are things that we can eat only by being cooked by fire and also Fire can only exist where there is oxygen and it supposedly eats it, and we (also exist because of the oxygen) used in the fire.

line 3:

I am now retired, but I like to explore my land

means:

Today, the fire is investigating the land, as it were, with electricity that has infrastructure all over the world,But she herself without any processing, retired.

line 4:

If you've seen it you know I'm never settled

means:

The fire is never calm and its flames are always dancing.

line 5:

They used to see me around not so long ago

means:

In the past, the use of live fire was greater, while today electricity is used.

HINT #1:

means:

In my opinion, this is not really Greece, but rather the past periods in which fire was a symbol of life and without it, they could not manage (cooking, heat in cold places), while today the fire is more than a symbol of fires and wars(Gunpowder, etc.).

HINT #2:

means:

The fire is in the colors of the sunset and, as stated, is not calm

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  • $\begingroup$ I think this might be it! Too bad I have reached my daily voting limit :{ (5 hours to go!) $\endgroup$ – Mr Pie Apr 16 '19 at 18:41
  • $\begingroup$ Nope. Also Your line 2,3 does not make sense in relation to the statements within the riddle. $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 16 '19 at 23:23
  • $\begingroup$ There is a new hint up. $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 16 '19 at 23:28
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Answer:

You are communism.

  • I represent both joy and fear:

This could be because workers loved it because it gave them rights, while capitalists was afraid of it because its duty was to make factories public in order for everyone to be able to produce their things. But fear could even be related to the fact that American were afraid of Russia during the World wars because of their weapons.

  • I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too

There are some legends that say communists used to eat kids. Kids “eat” it by assimilating its values.

  • I am now retired, but I like to explore my land

Nowadays communist doesn’t exist anymore (kinda), but a lot of people love it and try to re establish it.

  • If you've seen it you know I'm never settled

Communism is a utopia so even if they tried to establish it in Russia/ China ecc, it wasn’t the one promulgated by Marx.

  • They used to see me around not so long ago

Russia was communist a few time ago, China as well.

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A book?

Because

People take pleasure in reading books

and

Banned books are fearful.

Though

Though I don't understand about the 3rd and 4th line.

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    $\begingroup$ Nope. New hint is up. $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 15 '19 at 1:13
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The answer hopefully is:

wonder!

Because

wonder is joy and fear

and

children wonder all the time (in both ways too, getting lost, and asking questions)

Also,

wonder is a reason for exploration. If you wonder all the time you never settle anywhere.

And,

I'm actually not sure about the last line =(

  Note: I confused 'wonder' and 'wander' with what I said about children getting lost,
        but i'm keeping it because it might be a 'purposeful coincidence'.

Edit - This is wrong. Oops. I'll keep working on it.

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    $\begingroup$ nope. There is a hint up. $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 14 '19 at 4:25
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I think the answer is:

justice or social justice

line 1:

I represent both joy and fear

means:

Justice contains joy for those who walk in the path of justice and fear for those who do what they want

line 2:

I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too

means:

Justice is created according to the standard of actions we do (actions are supposedly the children of man) and on the other hand we also eat the consequences of our actions

line 3:

I am now retired, but I like to explore my land

means:

We are in a generation where justice is supposedly found retired because there are not many who follow it, but it still exists

line 4:

If you've seen it you know I'm never settled

means:

We believe that justice will eventually be revealed sooner or later.

line 5:

They used to see me around not so long ago

means:

Until not many years ago people were honest and innocent on their way.

HINT #1:

means:

ancient Greece-Antisthenes maintained that virtue was sufficient in itself to ensure happiness and Plato also sees a type of happiness stemming from social justice but in modern America-Or in the entire modern world, people are afraid to be perceived as honest or supportive of justice for fear of being interpreted as weak

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    $\begingroup$ Nope. New hint is up. $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 15 '19 at 1:13
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Perhaps this is a

Goat

Because

I represent both joy and fear

-

Per the hint, goats were associated with deities of spring (Demeter) and celebration (Dionysus) in ancient Greece, but these days many Christian-dominated societies use goats (or features of goats) to represent paganism or (for some reason) devil-worship and witchcraft, therefore these symbols are feared by some groups.

-

I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too

-

This is the part I'm least sure of. A young goat is a "kid", so there might be some connection, but humans in the US rarely eat goat meat (we gladly consume their milk and milk products though). It's easier to force this to fit if non-human children are considered -- carnivorous animals like to prey on goats, and of course, as an omnivorous scavenger, a goat may eat carrion if it's hungry enough.

-

I am now retired, but I like to explore my land If you've seen it you know I'm never settled

-

Goats typically graze. If they stay in one place too long they'll just eat all the vegetation until it's gone, and then they are forced to move on. It's nearly impossible to settle in a single place with goats, unless you have huge plots of land for them to rotate through.

-

They used to see me around not so long ago

-

This depends greatly on who "they" are. Of course goats are still very much alive, but it's unusual to see one in the wild except in some specific places. Lots of people use goat products without ever personally encountering one, since you'd have to visit a farm or one of their remaining natural habitats -- the former being a much safer experience, of course.

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    $\begingroup$ Nope. New hint is up. $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 15 '19 at 1:13
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I do not know why I'm trying a third time, but maybe this time it will be true and now my answer will be:

Buddhism

line 1:

I represent both joy and fear

means:

In Buddhism, karma drives saṃsāra – the endless cycle of suffering and rebirth for each being. Good, skilful deeds and bad, unskilful deeds produce "seeds" in the unconscious receptacle that mature later either in this life or in a subsequent rebirth

line 2:

I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too

means:

Rebirth refers to a process whereby beings go through a succession of lifetimes as one of many possible forms of sentient life, each running from conception to death

line 3:

I am now retired, but I like to explore my land

means:

The Buddhist teaching tradition identifies two types of Nirvana, the founder of Buddhism, the Buddha, he believed he came to these two countries and is now probably still researching them

line 4:

If you've seen it you know I'm never settled

means:

It has multiple streams

line 5:

They used to see me around not so long ago

means:

Buddhism began in the fifth or sixth century BC,It still penetrated the West only during the 18th to 20th centuries

HINT #1:

means:

Buddhism will change the way of life in ancient Greece, where it advocated life in terms of enlightenment and waste. Whereas according to the Buddhist system there is support for segregation

HINT #2:

means:

Flag of Buddhism(the colors):enter image description here

HINT #3:

means:

Buddhism is very popular in the West and in modern America

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  • $\begingroup$ You're reading too deeply between the lines. There are no hidden meanings. The sentences are direct reference for the most part. $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 18 '19 at 22:14
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks anyway for the response, I appreciate it! $\endgroup$ – Tahel Apr 18 '19 at 22:20
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Extremely tentative, partial, and probably wrong answer

Some of the clues suggest that you might be

ORANGE.

I represent both joy and fear

To quote Wikipedia:

"In Europe and America orange and yellow are the colours most associated with amusement, frivolity and entertainment. In this regard, orange is the exact opposite of its complementary colour, blue, the colour of calm and reflection. Mythological paintings traditionally showed Bacchus (known in Greek mythology as Dionysus), the god of wine, ritual madness and ecstasy, dressed in orange."

and, on the other hand,

"Orange is the colour most easily seen in dim light or against the water, making it, particularly the shade known as safety orange, the colour of choice for life rafts, life jackets or buoys. Highway temporary signs about construction or detours in the United States are orange, because of its visibility and its association with danger."

Note that this all fits reasonably well with HINT #1.

I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too

I don't understand the first part if this is right -- but children certainly eat oranges.

I am now retired, but I like to explore my land

I don't understand the first part if this is right, but there are plenty of places called Orange.

If you've seen it you know I'm never settled

... Most of them have plenty of inhabitants, though, and my guess is that "never settled" means "never inhabited by people". There doesn't appear to be any Arctic or Antarctic region called Orange.

They used to see me around not so long ago

Don't understand this either.

Hint #1 I mentioned above. #2 is obvious. #3 might refer to

the Hare Krishnas (more formally the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) who exist in the USA as well as many other places, and wear orange robes. Or it might (I hope not) be some sort of allusion to the current President of the USA...

Hint #4 I don't understand if this answer is right; again

I hope it isn't a reference to the current POTUS.

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Are you:

SKIN

I represent both joy and fear

Skin covers our facial expressions

I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too

Skin completely covers children and is gradually stretched/reformed? Perhaps also animal skin?

I am now retired, but I like to explore my land

Although your skin may be fully formed, it is consistently moving around your body.

If you've seen it you know I'm never settled

See above

They used to see me around not so long ago

Not too sure, maybe reference to parts of skin? Can't see your toes anymore, etc.

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  • $\begingroup$ You're reading too deeply between the lines. There are no hidden meanings. The sentences are direct reference for the most part. $\endgroup$ – Mel Apr 30 '19 at 5:08
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Wild shot but worth a try:

Lightning

I represent both joy and fear:

In early Greek civilisation, lightning was seen to be a manifestation of the gods and hence, sacred. I guess that could lead to joy ... ?

I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too:

Lightning can 'eat' children by striking them down. Not too sure about the 'by the piece'. Children can also eat lightning-shaped candy? Lmao.

I am now retired, but I like to explore the land:

In ancient Greek mythology, lightning was sent down to the Earth for us to harness fire. Nowadays, we no longer harness lightning with the advent of electric technology. But lightning still strikes random parts of the land.

If you've seen it you know I'm never settled:

Lightning is literally created by moving charges ... never settled. Never stationary.

They used to see me around not so long ago:

Lightning comes once in a while. So some they are bound to have seen it 'not so long ago'.

Am almost entirely sure this is not the final answer but could you tell me if I'm anywhere close?

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Think I've got it. You are:

Clowns

I represent both joy and fear

Clowns are both funny and scary

I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too

Pennywise eats children, not sure about the other one

I am now retired, but I like to explore my land

Not sure on this one

If you've seen it you know I'm never settled

Also not sure on this

They used to see me around not so long ago

Unsure BUT I THINK IT'S CLOWNS

With the hints:

Clowns were revered in ancient Greece but are now feared by many. They are often the colors of the sunset (red, orange, yellow, etc). Perhaps AHS clown cult? Not sure why it's the worst time to be them. There is also DEFINITELY a phobia of clowns.

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We'll try once more:

Eyelids/eyes

I represent both joy and fear

You often shut your eyelids when you cry, or when you are happy.

I eat children by the piece, and they eat me too

As your eyes close, things disappear or are "eaten" piece by piece

I am now retired, but I like to explore my land

Re"tired" -> maybe a play on "tired" -> when you shut your eyes, they still move about, especially in REM sleep

If you've seen it you know I'm never settled

If you're awake and you shut your eyes (perhaps the "land"), they still move around

They used to see me around not so long ago

Your eyes "see you around"

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  • $\begingroup$ nope. there was a new hint added 23hrs ago. this answer is 9 hrs ago.try looking at the hints. $\endgroup$ – Mel May 1 '19 at 4:33

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