In this riddle, "I crawl on the earth and rise on a pillar" – what am I?

Introduction / Context:
This riddle describes something that "crawls on the earth and rises on a pillar". The words suggest a thing that changes its position and shape depending on conditions, rather than an animal that physically climbs. The best known answer is a shadow. When the sun is high or low at different times of the day, a person's or object's shadow can appear to creep along the ground and later stretch up the side of a pole, wall, or pillar. This is a clever example of how natural phenomena can be turned into imaginative word puzzles.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The subject "crawls on the earth", suggesting it lies flat on the ground.
• It also "rises on a pillar", suggesting it can stretch up vertical surfaces.
• The riddle does not mention independent movement by muscles or legs.
• We assume normal sunlight and objects that cast shadows.

Concept / Approach:
The key insight is that a shadow is not a physical object but an area where light is blocked. When the sun is near the horizon, an object's shadow extends across the ground, appearing to crawl or stretch along the earth. As the sun moves, the same shadow can fall on the side of a pillar, wall, or tree, climbing upward. This behaviour fits both parts of the riddle. Animals such as snakes or ants can crawl or climb, but they are not typically said to "rise on a pillar" in such an abstract way. The metaphor of a crawling and rising shadow solves the puzzle neatly.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: List possible candidates that can be on the ground and later appear on a vertical surface: animals, plants, smoke, vines and shadows. Step 2: Note that the riddle does not describe independent climbing actions or physical effort; it simply describes a change in where the thing appears. Step 3: Recall how shadows behave during the day, stretching along the ground in the morning or evening and moving onto walls and pillars as the sun's angle changes. Step 4: Compare this with a snake, ant or vine, which would require physical motion to climb a pillar, not just a change in light. Step 5: Conclude that the only candidate that elegantly explains both "crawling on the earth" and "rising on a pillar" is a shadow.

Verification / Alternative check:
Visualise a lamp post on a sunny afternoon. Its shadow stretches along the ground, looking like it is crawling across the earth. As the sun moves, this shadow shifts and can extend up the side of a nearby pillar or even the post itself. The shadow has no physical substance, but its outline moves exactly as the riddle describes. In contrast, smoke rises into the air rather than lying flat and then climbing a pillar. A vine may grow up a pillar but does not typically "crawl on the earth" in the same striking way. This mental picture confirms that the riddle is about a shadow.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
A snake: Can crawl on the ground and may climb some objects, but the riddle sounds more like a passive change than active crawling and climbing by an animal.
Smoke: Usually rises upward and disperses; it does not clearly "crawl on the earth" in ordinary descriptions.
A vine: It climbs slowly by growth, not by crawling, and is not commonly described as rising and shrinking with changes in light.
An ant: Walks and climbs actively, but again the riddle does not speak about legs or physical effort, only about appearance.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners often focus on literal crawling and immediately think of animals such as snakes or insects. Another mistake is to forget that non material phenomena like shadows can be the subject of riddles. The story like phrasing about crawling and rising is designed to make you imagine movement, but in reality it is a poetic way of describing the shifting pattern of light and darkness. To improve at such puzzles, it is helpful to regularly consider non living candidates like shadows, reflections, echoes and wind, not only living creatures.

Final Answer:
The thing that crawls on the earth and rises on a pillar is a shadow.