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Etymology Mystery Cache

Hidden : 10/23/2009
Difficulty:
4 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

THIS IS A PUZZLE CACHE - THE CACHE IS NOT AT THE LISTED COORDINATES


Etymology is a fascinating field of study. A professor of mine from college would spend hours in our biology classes going over the simplest of words and exhaustively showing it's origin and evolution. I cherish the value in letters and words. I am always amazed at how letters can be scribbled down together and form recognizable sounds that we eventually call words. Where would we be today without the scrawlings of Greek and Roman scholars?

 

I enjoy the way a story teller weaves their mural of words. JRR Tolkien, Stephen King, JK Rowling, Clive Cussler each have their unique styles of brushing their pens against canvas and giving us worlds and characters to delight and thrill us.

Many will recognize this small piece from a very beloved classic. Anyway. Here is it is. Enjoy.

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What Is A Hobbit?

In a hole in the groun there lived a hobit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of wors and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothin in it to sit dow on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that mens comfort.

It had a perectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoe, with panelled walls, and floors, tiled and carpeted, provied with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats – the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill – The Hill, as all people for many miles round called it – and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep-set rond windows looking over his garden, and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river.

I supose hobbits need some description nowaays, since they have become rare and shy of the Big People, as they call us. They are (or were) a little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded dwarves. Hobbits have no beards. There is little or no magic about them, ecept the ordinary everyday sort which helps them disappar quietly and quickly when large stupid folk like you and me come blundering along, making a noise like elephants which they can hear a mile off. They are inclined to be fat in the stoach; they dress in bright colors (chiefly green and yellow); wear no shoes, because their feet grow natural leathery soles and thick warm brown hair like the stuff on their heads (which is curly); have long clever bron fingers, good – natured faces, and laugh deep fruity laughs (especially after dinner, which they have twice a day when they can get it).


From: "The Hobbit" by JRR Tolkien.

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Well, that is all I have...

Happy Hunting.

~TMM007

Please rehide cache EXACTLY as you found it. And also be mindful of security ... we want this cache to last a long, long, long time...

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~~!!Congrats to rscaensd for the FTF!!~~
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Original Cache Contents:
 FTF prize - FTF gets to choose which of the 'grand prizes' to take. STF prize - STF gets sloppy seconds. I will not disclose them here but trust me they are good.
Silver Carribeaner
The LEO TB
The Lady Bug TB
The Vancouver Key Ring TB that has traveled 31,162Miles!!
US Flag Swag Pin
Swag for the kids.
Cache Log
Pens to sign log

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You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.

Just determine for N XX.XXX and for W 0X.XXX

At the GZ... your still gonna have to hunt... it's a puzzle cache but I promise your within 10 feet +/-.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

[Puzzle]Gur Fbyhgvba vf va gur gvgyr, N=1, O = 3, I = 4 naq K=8. [Cache]Va onfxrgonyy vg'f pnyyrq na nveonyy. Va objyvat vg vf n ____ onyy.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)