Halloween puzzle solved

Unicorn (Unicorn@Indenial.com)
Tue, 03 Nov 1998 16:56:40 -0500

"The ORIGINAL Halloween Puzzle"

In a crypt is the following:
Two mothers and their sons
Two fathers and their daughters
Two husbands and their wives
Two maidens (read: VIRGINS!)
The complication is that there are only six graves.
No tricks, no play on words. Can you figure it out?
~~~~~~~~~~~

A212: 2 sons are also fathers and husbands; 2 wives are also mothers
and
daughters; 2 maidens make 6 total.

^v^: No, kidding? Restating the puzzle doesn't solve it.

EM: Not everybody in the crypt is dead, some are just visiting, you
know
bringing flowers and all that.

^v^: Er... Didn't I say, "No tricks?"

DG: 2 mothers married their two sons and had two daughters who died
virgins.
thank g-d ,the fathers must have died during labor or they would have
jumped
em.

^v^: Just where do *you* get your ideas?

CL: There are two adult men and two adult women who are married and
each have
a daughter, who are maidens. The sons are unborn children, obviously
buried
with their mothers.

^v^: Hmmm... "Obviously?" There is nothing obvious about it. Also,
your
solution is a bit morbid, don't you think?

SJ: Mothers and Fathers (also the Wives & Husbands) share a grave = 2
Daughters (also the maidens) = 2 Sons = 2

^v^: Sharing graves? Didn't they share enough during their lifetimes?
They
might want the final rest by themselves, don't you think?

EP: everyone is related. the mothers are the madiens and the fathers
are the
husbands

^v^: Huh? Mothers are the "maidens?" Geez, last time that happened,
the
three kings brought their gifts to the infant.

W: two sets of parents, one with a son, one with a daughter, and each
set of
parents are having affairs with the other set of parents, hence, the two

maidens..........

^v^: You're not even close. Sorry.

BZ: The husbands and wives are the same as the mothers, and fathers,
and
both
the mothers and maidens are pregnant with the men's children, thereby
leaving 4 pregnant women, and 2 men = 6

^v^: Oy Vey..... {shaking my head}

BW: That was an easy one :-) In the crypt are 6 people: 2 men
and 4 women - 2 husbands, 2 wives, and 2 daughters. There
are no sons. -Dr. Pangloss

^v^: May I suggest that you stick to your profession, Doc?

CW: The awnser to the puzzle is that there are 2 grandmothers, 2 of
their
sons, and the son's daughters are all buried in there. Am I right?

^v^: VERY close! But who married whom and gave birth to whom?

B98: three couples, grandparents, parents, and son and daughter

^v^: Er... And the son is a Maiden, too?

Puzzle Solution:

There are 2 Mothers. Each Mother had a son. Each Mother
married the *other* Mother's Son, becoming a Mother/Wife
and making him a Son/Husband. Then, each couple had a
Daughter/Maiden, making a Son/Husband also a Father.
All six people are accounted for in the graves. NOBODY is
visiting, although that's a nice thought. NOBODY is burried
pregnant, which is a horrible thought. There is NO incest
involved, which is even a more horrible thought. No Maidens
(read: Virgins) are pregnant and/or have given birth.

About the only unusual thing is that the *boys* married older
women, which is not too terrible. What makes is a bit difficult
(?) to solve is the fact that people don't think of men marrying
their buddy's Mothers, breaking old paradigms.

Solution in grapic form:

Mother Mother >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 2 graves
* *
* *
* *
* *
* *
* *
Son, Husband Son, Husband >>>>>>>>>>> 2 graves
Father Father
* *
* *
* *
Daugher, maiden Daughter, maiden >>>>>>> 2 graves

Shall I start the puzzle list now? Naaaaahhh.....