A Short Explanation of Ambiguity

It appears we have two camps in the chase of Forrest Fenn's treasure. Those in Camp One admit the poem is ambiguous.

This camp has the light on. Those smart campers!

People in Camp Two (the wrong camp, in my opinion) say the poem is "easy" to solve if you read it the "right" way. This may be true, but what is the right way?

So, what is ambiguity? Is it the same as vague? Many people think so, but it isn't. Ambiguous riddles can sometimes be solved using a series of "rules" or "steps," while vague riddles can't lead to a specific "solve."

Which one points in the right direction?

Solving an ambiguous riddle can lead you to go with confidence. Solving a vague riddle requires luck.

So, the poem is ambiguous, in my opinion. Probably intentionally so. Forrest himself says solving it is difficult, but not impossible.

There are all types of ambiguity, which is the reason why there are so many theories that seem to "fit" a solve. Man, I've been there. I've probably been on every bandwagon of theories that bounce around like the bubble gum machine bouncy balls Joe hoards in the glove department of my car.

A sampling of theories for "in the wood":
1. A literal wooded place
2. A petrified tree trunk
3. Behind a tree
4. In an outhouse (since ruled out)
5. In a place named "wood."
6. In a coffin (since ruled out--I think)
7. In the foundation of a ruined building'
8. In a log
9. In something made of wood, like a canoe
10. In relation to a woodwind instrument.

I think "in the wood" means something else, but I'm not divulging it. :)

Why The Poem is ambiguous:

1 There is more than one meaning to many of the words. "Warm" can mean "not quite hot," or that you are close (as in the kid's game), or it can mean a color in the warm spectrum--orange, yellow, red, etc. So warm is an ambiguous word. "Halt" can mean a railroad stop, or a temporary stop, or even a slowing down. Halt is an ambiguous word. Various meanings can be attributed to almost every other word in the poem.

2. The grammar is ambiguous. Why are there mistakes in the grammar?  Why the commas in odd spots? There is a reason, in my opinion, because the writer crafted the poem to be intentionally ambiguous.

How do you solve an ambiguous riddle? I'll tell you a secret. I believe you solve it by context (and so do the people who study such things). Context means finding out exactly what those commas, periods, apostrophes and other punctuation mean. Context is reading the poem in the correct way. Which words are nouns? Which are verbs? Which are prepositions and adverbs? Interpreting words out of context can lead to all kinds of problems. Just ask Bible scholars.

The placing of commas can change the context of a sentence. I've went over this before. If you say "Let's eat Grandma," Grandma is in big trouble. If you say, "Let's eat, Grandma," Grandma is being invited to eat (maybe cookies). Changing the place of commas can change a noun to a verb, or a verb to a noun.

Most people read "the canyon down" as canyon being a noun and down as an adjective. In the context, however, down is actually another noun. So, that rules out many meanings.

But, all this is really supposition, because the poem is ambiguous, and to solve it, you not only have to figure out the meanings to the words in their context, but also the author's rules. Which, apparently, are all in the poem. I haven't found them all yet. I think I've found most of them, but I can't know I'm right until I go with confidence and have the chest in my hands.

Before you play a game, you gotta know the rules.