Riddle

A serpent swam in a silver urn, A golden bird did in its mouth abide, The serpent drank the water, this in turn, Killed the serpent. Then the gold bird died.

Choose an answer

A.A candle
B.A lantern
C.A torch
D.An oil lamp
Hint: It's a 3-word phrase with 9 letters, starting with "A".

Answer

An oil lamp

Why this is the answer

In this old riddle, the "serpent" is the burning wick drawing up oil (the "water") from the lamp's silver reservoir, while the "golden bird" is the flame -- once the oil (the serpent's life) runs out, the flame dies too.

This riddle is filed under Rhyming Riddles and rated Hard.

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