Thanks Rhodri!
JP
Qui mieux fait, mieux vault.
On Mon, Apr 14, 2014 at 3:59 PM, Rob Howell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Greetings all
>
> A number of you have answered this correctly and Rhianwen requested that I
> explain it. Since they were for her originally, here it is :)
>
> The answer is the Royal Pavilion.
>
> I am taller than any man but my arms touch the earth
> The center pole is taller than any man but its ropes and stakes touch the
> earth. In a sense, they stretch like arms covered in a cloak.
>
> My kin hosted the bee-wolf and I ward bee-sisters
> I see the Royal Pavilion as serving much the same role as a mead-hall
> would for Anglo-Saxon kings. In the poem Beowulf, much of the action
> happens in Heorot Hrothgar's mead-hall. Beowulf essentially means Bee-wulf.
> This made me think of the Bee-sisters, so I used the connection to ensure
> we'd think of Calontir.
>
> Many hands have dressed me drawn by love to adorn me
> Here I was thinking of the floor, the table, the light hooks, and frankly
> the pavilion itself. Not many tents have cooler things :)
>
> I have seen kings give gold and queens give cups
> Lots in this line. This, as does the next line, refers to our pay that we
> have been given for wars, but also for awards given out. Notably, for the
> queens, this includes the Queen's Chalice. Also, I have a soft spot for the
> year that Maerwynn gave cups to everyone at Gulf Wars.
>
> Coins uncounted have I held yet I can claim no wealth
> Again, a reference to the pay that has been given at wars.
>
> Long roads have I traveled lit only moonlight
> This is fairly obvious, but is also an oblique thank you to all of those
> who have driven the Kingdom trailer for the benefit of the rest of us.
>
> I have seen blood and pain and bliss and love
> Basically a brief way to describe the muddle of all of us after the day's
> battle. Bliss, by the way, is a very oblique reference to the taste of
> chicken soup after fighting, and is therefore, a subtle thank you to the
> Soup Kitchen.
>
> I am crossed by few for I am warded by falcons
> This is a reference to the actual crosses and falcons on the pavilion
> itself. It is also a thank you to those involved in making it ("crossed by
> few"), which of course includes Rhianwen herself.
>
> I am the soul of a kingdom so say what I am called
> To me, the Royal Pavilion is truly the soul of Calontir. For those who
> have never had the opportunity to be there on a foreign battlefield after a
> day's battles with a pile of us, in the afternoon with a few people doing
> projects or just hanging out, or with it shaking as we sing Cruiscin Lan in
> lantern light, I am afraid I cannot truly do it justice. For those who have
> had the opportunity, I have no need to try.
>
> So there it is, the Royal Pavilion.
>
> Now, I promised a hint for Riddle Two. Halvgrimr's direction to me was to
> write riddles that referred to Rhianwen. She's definitely referred to in
> the second riddle, and once you figure out the method I used, it will
> probably unlock much of the rest of it.
>
> Ironically, by the way, I thought the first riddle harder than the second
> even after I removed the two lines in the second riddle that simply made it
> too obvious.
>
> Thanks all
>
> Rhodri
>
