Author: Golden Owl Hunter

600 enigma text

WHEN AL-MAR ALLIES TO PRAENESTE FIBULA, DARKNESS SHINE
BDI,J. DF,F. CFD. BJ. HJ. EA,B. BC. E. DC,B.
CDI,B. BAB,H. BE. CD. FB. BCG,J. BIG,D. BE.
BG. BJD,B. DB. BGH,C.
BC. E.

 

Quand Al-Mar s’allie à la fibule de Préneste, les ténèbres resplendissent

BDI,J.   DF,F.   CFD.   BJ.   HJ.    EA,B.   BC.   E.   DC,B.
CDI,B.   BAB,H.   BE.
CD.   FB.   BCG,J.   BIG,D.   BE.   BG.   BJD,B.   DB.   BGH,C.
BC.   E.

 

See also:

600 – Generally accepted solution

600 – Madits and links

580 – Generally accepted solution

THE RIGHT WAY IS THE WAY OF THE OPPOSITE WAY, AND INVERSELY
19.9.13.12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19 will be worth 1
12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19.18.9.13.8.15.4 will be worth 2
9.13.16.16.9.13.9.5.18 will be worth 3
25.1.12.14.18.9.13.16.9.13 will be worth 4
8.15.4.1.12.9.19.18.15.1.6 will be worth 5
18.9.13.13.5.18.18.1.12.18.9.13.12.15.19 will be worth 6
20.18.21.15.15.4.9.18.9.13.8 will be worth 7
9.13.18.9.15.19.19.9 will be worth 8
15.4.1.12.14.18.1.12.10 will be worth 9
19.18.9.13.12.15.19.14.1.12 will be worth 0

Solvability:  The answer to this clue is certain – but there may be more to it than meets the eye.

Solving this clue reveals 10 French towns that each give a letter and number which will be used to decode the next clue.

B ourges will be worth 1
C herbourg will be worth 2
D ieppe will be worth 3
E pernay will be worth 4
F orbach will be worth 5
G erardmer will be worth 6
H éricourt worth 7
Issoire will be worth 8
J arnac will be worth 9
A ngers will be worth 0

Is there any use for these towns aside from the next clue, or are they more or less random?

How the solution is reached

This is a musical puzzle. The inverted ‘meaning’ of the title involves swapping numbers for letters, then swapping those into musical notes. First you need to replace all the numbers with the letters using the numbers to show the rank in the alphabet, so 1 = A, B = 2, C=3 etc. Then, the order of the letters is reversed, and, whenever a musical note appears in the sequence, we replace the letters composing these notes by the letter corresponding to this note. This solution is suggested by the visual with the list of musical notes, B, A, G etc.

So where the text says ‘LA’ we translate that to A, ‘SI’ we turn to B etc. See this Wikipedia page for the full list.

Here is the detail of the decoding (thanks to WikiChouette) – note the inversion between the 2nd and the 3rd column.

LA = A; SI = B; DO = C; RE = D; MI = E; FA = F; SOL = G

 

19.9.13.12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19 SIMLOSRUOIS (SI) OUR (SOL) (MI) S (B) OUR (G) (E) S
12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19.18.9.13.8.15.4 LOSRUOISRIMHOD (DO) H (MI) R (SI) OUR (SOL) (C) H (E) R (B) OUR (G)
9.13.16.16.9.13.9.5.18 IMPPIMIER (RE) I (MI) PP (MI) (D) I (E) PP (E)
25.1.12.14.18.9.13.16.9.13 YALNRIMPIM (MI) P (MI) RN (LA) Y (E) P (E) RN (A) Y
8.15.4.1.12.9.19.18.15.1.6 HODALISROAF (FA) OR (SI) (LA) (DO) H (F) OR (B) (A) (C) H
18.9.13.13.5.18.18.1.12.18.9.13.12.15.19 RIMMERRALRIMLOS (SOL) (MI) R (LA) R (RE) M (MI) R (G) (E) R (A) R (D) M (E) R
20.18.21.15.15.4.9.18.9.13.8. TRUOODIRIMH H (MI) RI (DO) Ourt H (E) RI (C) Ourt
9.13.18.9.15.19.19.9 IMRIOSSI ISSOIR (MI) ISSOIR (E)
15.4.1.12.14.18.1.12.10 ODALNRALJ J (LA) RN (LA) (OD) J (A) RN (A) (C)
19.18.9.13.12.15.19.14.1.12 SRIMLOSNAL (LA) N (SOL) (MI) RS (A) N (G) (E) RS

The visual

The visual contains the letters BAGFEDC, which are all musical notes, and there are three musicians, the instruments appear to be a saxophone and a double bass. The double bass has a highlighted shape which suggests a circle and a line of light. It is not clear whether this is significant in any way.

Points to consider

The towns when plotted on a map appear to be in a particular order, creating a clockwise rotation of a circle around Bourge. This may be significant because Bourges is the city we discover in the ‘Opening’ clue 530.

Cherbourg and Bourge are mentioned in clues x and 530, the other towns do not appear in any other clues.

Max did use the plotting of towns on a map in a previous treasure hunt in the Treasury of Malbrouck one clue involved connecting 40 cities on the map to draw a ram’s head. This shape does not appear to be anything recognisable.

Many towns could have been chosen to represent the letters A to J but it seems Max deliberately chose towns that form a rotation of clockwise direction from Bourge. If the title’s ‘opposite way’ is to be believed we might be expected to think counter-clockwise.

In conclusion

We have discovered an A=0, B=1, C=2 method to decode the next clue.

It is not clear whether the towns themselves, or their order or placing on the map, gives information that serves some other purpose in solving the Golden Owl treasure hunt.

There is no obvious use for Angers = 0. Why did Max include this town and number?

It is possible that the 10 towns and cities listed here are a red herring, or perhaps they are used at the ‘super solution’ stage.

See also

Clue 5 – 580 enigma text

580 enigma madits

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580 enigma text

THE GOOD SENSE, IT IS THE WAY OF THE OPPOSITE WAY, AND VICE VERSA

19.9.13.12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19 will be worth 1
12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19.18.9.13.8.15.4 will be worth 2
9.13.16.16.9.13.9.5.18 will be worth 3
25.1.12.14.18.9.13.16.9.13 will be worth 4
8.15.4.1.12.9.19.18.15.1.6 will be worth 5
18.9.13.13.5.18.18.1.12.18.9.13.12.15.19 will be worth 6
20.18.21.15.15.4.9.18.9.13.8 will be worth 7
9.13.18.9.15.19.19.9 will be worth 8
15.4.1.12.14.18.1.12.10 will be worth 9
19.18.9.13.12.15.19.14.1.12 will be worth 0

 

 

LE BONS SENS, C’EST LE SENS DU CONTRESENS, ET INVERSEMENT

19.9.13.12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19  vaudra 1
12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19.18.9.13.8.15.4  vaudra 2
9.13.16.16.9.13.9.5.18  vaudra 3
25.1.12.14.18.9.13.16.9.13  vaudra 4
8.15.4.1.12.9.19.18.15.1.6  vaudra 5
18.9.13.13.5.18.18.1.12.18.9.13.12.15.19  vaudra 6
20.18.21.15.15.4.18.9.13.8  vaudra 7
9.13.18.9.15.19.19.9  vaudra 8
15.4.1.12.14.18.1.12.10  vaudra 9
19.18.9.13.12.15.19.14.1.12  vaudra 0

See also:

580 – Generally accepted solution

580 – Madits and links

 

780 – Generally accepted solution

FIRST STEP…

Where you want,
By the nag and the coachman.
But where you must,
By the compass and the foot.

Solvability: Many mysteries still to solve with this clue.

There is more debate about this clue than almost any other. However, Max said this clue give an “important thing” and many people believe this is the game measure of 33cm.

The reasons are as follows:

The ‘pied du roi’  or royal foot was an old french measure, and the word ‘step’ in the title also hints at this measure A common value was close to 33cm.

The visual shows a compass. The perimeter is 33 cm, and Max was quick to confirm the diameter of 10.5cm when he was asked about this.  The method to work out the perimeter of the circle = 2 x Pi x radius, where the radius = diameter / 2 = 5.25 cm and Pi = 3.1415, or about 22/7.

The 33cm measure fits very well with the measures mentioned in the book, to give neat whole numbers eg. 185km rather than messy numbers like 176.457889km!

The visual

Max was forced to explain some elements of the image. The foreground shows the dial of a compass , the background shows the crossing of a pedestrian and a horse carriage. He explained that we are seeing the compass in the pedestarian’s hand. The white needle, which we can assume we must follow points to the south, the black needle to the north. It’s an odd drawing with it’s back to front N,E,S,W. Many people assume the ‘bad horse’ route is abandoned, so it seems we head south following the compass. Where do we head to? That is not clear in this enigma.

Points to consider

The starting point of this enigma is the place found in the previous enigma 530, so the city of Bourges. We can assume the ‘first step’ will be taken from Bourges by taking a virtual step on our map.

The text of this puzzle is about opposites, desire versus duty with the words  ‘want’ and ‘must,’ poor transport with a prescribed coach route and unruly horses, versus a clear plan to walk with a compass in hand.

None of this is clearly understood, and the biggest problem I have with this puzzle is the mystery the first line. If Max wanted to give us the measure and the direction south he doesn’t need a coach and horses at all. So why does he introduce this element?

If the pedestrian is our hero heading south the way he ‘must’ what purpose is served by the nags pulling a coach to the south? It could be that this is one of the leftover clues to solve in the super solution stage.

The coachman and the pedestrian could be understood to cross at Bourges on an axis generally oriented north-south. The coachman and his horse appear to be introduced rather pointlessly and not followed.

The notion of a circle, centered on ‘Bourge’ the  ‘Opening’ is reinforced. The circle is crossed in the middle by the north-south axis. The pedestrian moves away from Bourge, perhaps along a radius of the circle. We are not interested in the coach but we note that it was on the same axis in the opposite direction.

Max said this clue gives an, “important thing” which is almost certainly the ‘measure’ which is referenced in three later clues so essential to solving the treasure hunt. Yet, in this short clue, the ‘compass and the foot’ line is the only line important to this element. No one seems to understand the purpose of the first line.

Let’s look at this short clue in french.

Où tu voudras,
Par la rosse et le cocher.
Mais où tu dois,
Par la boussole et le pied

‘Rosse’ is an odd word, rarely used, I’ve seen it translated as ‘brat’ or ‘wayward horse’ it is a poor assistant to the coachman in getting where he wants to go. Perhaprs the compass and the ‘foot’ (game measure) will efficiently take you where you have to go. The unruly horse and the coachman will take you where you desire to go? It doesn’t seem to make any sense.

In conclusion

Many people believe this clue gives the game measure of 33cm and if it’s not that then it’s revealed somewhere in this clue.

The compass is believed to give a general direction to take, apparently South, although there is some debate about the direction.

This clue follows enigma revealing ‘Bourges’ so it can be assumed we travel south from Bourges

No one seems to understand the purpose of the first sentence referring to the coachman and horse, why mention a coachman who is not of any apparent use in solving the enigma?

See also

Clue 3 – 780 enigma

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Next clue >

530 – Generally accepted solution

OPENING
My first, first half of the half of the first age,
Precedes my Second and Third, seeking their way.
My Fourth is inspired, my Fifth is in rage,
But, without protest, follows my Fourth and the roman alpha.
My Sixth is hidden at the limits of ETERNITY.
My Seventh, standing, spits his venom.
To find my all, just to be wise,
Because the Truth, in truth, will not be an oracle’s affair.

Solvability: We discover the opening of the game is in Bourges, but there are still a few mysteries here. 

This enigma identifies the starting city of the game, Bourges.

How the solution is reached

This is a simple riddle with each line revealing part of the word. Some of these answers don’t translate well to English, but I’ll do my best to explain.

My first, first half of the half of the first age

B for baby

Precedes my Second and Third, seeking their way.

OU où is a phrase to ask when seeing the way “où?”

My Fourth is inspired, my Fifth is in rage,

R because the air is inspired

But, without protest, follows my Fourth and the roman alpha.

G is in in rage and follows my fourth, the R, and the Roman Alpha A ;

My Sixth is hidden at the limits of ETERNITY.

E is the start and end letter of ETERNITE

My Seventh, standing, spits his venom.

S is the noise a snake makes SssS

So the opening, or starting place is BOURGES.

The visual

The cockerel is the symbol of France, and the bird is standing against the French map, with its head roughly on the city of Bourge. It appears to be crowing, symbolising the morning, the start of the day.

Points to consider

The main body of the clue spells out the word Bourges, but there are still some unsolved elements of this clue.

To find my all, just be wise (‘Sage’)
Because the Truth, in truth, will not be an oracle’s affair.

This phrase uses the idea of wisdom (Sage in the original French) versus divination, the archaic French word ‘Devin’ (translated here to oracle) suggests a soothsayer, so perhaps the opposite of wisdom, black magic or guesswork?

The Truth, in truth is odd phrasing. It’s not clear what this means.

The word ‘oracle’ is not a perfect translation. The french word ‘devin’ could mean divinator, soothsayer, or oracle, but ‘devin’ resonates in French as “deux vingt” which translates to “two twenty”. French hunters have thought that it could be an allusion to the Paris meridian, which is roughly at 2°20 from the Greenwich meridian.

Max said the capitalisation of letters didn’t matter, except in the word ETERNITE. So why is this word highlighted? It could be that this is one of the leftover clues for the ‘super solution’ but it could be relevant now.

In conclusion

We start the game in Bourges, marking this on the map. There seems to be nothing else to do here, but it’s worth considering extra clues in the image or the last two lines of the text.

See also

Clue 2 – 530 enigma text

530 enigma madits

< Previous clue

Next clue >

530 – Madits and links

‘Madits’ are the things Max said (‘Max dits’) about the treasure hunt. He answered searcher’s questions on a Minitel service (an early form of internet.)

A summary Max gave to Le Figaro Magazine (published on Friday, June 27 , 1997 , pages 120-121) :

  • This riddle gives a place to start the game, and this starting place is also the key to moving on to the next riddle.
  • The rooster in the visual is not a weather vane.
  • The word “Sage” is only for puzzle 530, but you can solve the charade without understanding this word.
  • What the word “All” in the penultimate line represents is not the “All” referred to in riddle 650.

Some more Madits:

QUESTION n ° 39 FROM 2000-10-19
TITLE: GRAIL
IS THE ROOSTER IN THE 530 SINGING?
IT DOES NOT MATTER. FRIENDSHIPS – MAX
QUESTION n ° 19 FROM 2001-12-05
TITLE: VISUAL 530
YOU SAID THAT IT IS NOT IMPORTANT THAT THE COCKERAL SINGS. DO WE HAVE TO DETERMINE WHAT TIME OF DAY IT IS? IF YES, I THINK THAT WE HAVE THE MEANS TO DO SO. ULYSSE
I HAVE SAID ON MANY TIMES THAT THIS MOMENT HAS NO IMPORTANCE, ULYSSES … FRIENDSHIPS – MAX
QUESTION n ° 11 FROM 1995-09-05
TITLE: COCKERAL
ON THE HEAD OF THE ROOSTER THERE IS: A) A RIDGE B) A FEATHER C) NO IMPORTANCE D) I CANNOT ANSWER …. FRIENDSHIPS
A FEATHER. BUT THE BREED OF THE ROOSTER HAS NO IMPORTANCE (IF THAT’S WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW!) FRIENDSHIPS – MAX
QUESTION n ° 43 OF 1996-05-23
TITLE: 530
IS THIS ENIGMA RELATED TO THE GAME OF CHESS, MAX?
NO. I HAVE ALREADY EXPLAINED THIS. FRIENDSHIPS – MAX
QUESTION n ° 38 FROM 2001-12-13
TITLE: 560
AT THE END OF THE RIDDLE AM ​​I FAR FROM THE ‘FROZEN NORTH’ AS IT IS DESCRIBED IN THE RIDDLE 530? THE OPENING IS NOT SOMETHING THAT OPENS INTO INFINITY YOU HAVE SAID. SO: THE OPENING CANNOT BE AN ANGLE, AM I RIGHT IN STATING THAT?
THE OPENING IS NOT AN ANGLE. FRIENDSHIPS – MAX
QUESTION n ° 14 FROM 1996-08-28
TITLE: BAD FAITH ISN’T CUSTOM?
THERE IS NO GRASS DEPICTED IN THE 530. WILL YOU AFFIRM THAT THESE GREEN AND YELLOW FEATURES ON THE FEET OF THE ROOSTER ARE NOT A PLANT? AND THAT BECKER HAS NOT EVOKED BRUSHWORK SHOWING GRASS?
OF COURSE THERE IS A SIMILAR GRASS IN THE 530! WHAT I WANTED TO SAY IS THAT THE THING IS EVOKED AND CANNOT BE COMPARED WITH THOSE OF THE 520 OR THE 500! THEN I WILL MAKE YOU AT EASE: DO NOT TAKE ANY ACCOUNT OF THE GRASS BRUSHES IN THE 530, THEY HAVE NO ROLE TO PLAY! FRIENDSHIPS – MAX

LINKS

You will find more Madits on Airyn’s excellent Wikichouette site. (French)

Madits discussed by Carpe Diem (French)

530 enigma text

OPENING
My first, first half of the half of the first age,
Precedes my Second and Third, seeking their way.
My Fourth is inspired, my Fifth is in rage,
But, without protest, follows my Fourth and the roman alpha.
My Sixth is hidden at the limits of ETERNITY.
My Seventh, standing, spits his venom.
To find my all, just to be wise,
Because the Truth, in truth, will not be a Devin’s affair.


OUVERTURE

Mon Premier, première moitié de la moitié du premier âge,
Précède mes Second et Troisième, cherchant leur chemin.
Mon Quatrième s’inspire, mon Cinquième est en rage,
Mais, sans protester, suit mon Quatrième et l’alpha romain.
Mon sixième, aux limites de l’ETERNITE se cache.
Mon Septième, dressé, crache son venin.
Pour trouver mon tout, il suffit d’être Sage,
Car la Vérité, en vérité, ne sera pas affaire de Devin.

See also:

530 – Generally accepted solution

530 – Madits and links

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