I will here explain how Ottendorf Cipher works.
Look at the following three lines,
1) This line is the first.
2) Now comes the second one.
3) Perhaps the third line.
Now if I say
(1-4), (1-3), (2-6) ,(3-1), (1-5), (3-2) = simple
Here (X –Y), where X is the line number and Y in the letter on the line X (skip all the spaces in between letters, they are not counted)
i.e ( 1-4) = "s" , first line, fourth letter :)
Now lets come to the first puzzle.
An English mathematician, logician, author, and photographer.
To find the answer to this puzzle we need answers to the six other puzzles that followed.(this time I have provided the answers :)
1) What is the name of one of the most learned men of all times who always described himself as "omo sanza lettere" (unlettered man)? = Leonardo Da Vinci (he often referes to himself as such)
2) Eating ______ is a crime equivalent to eating the heads of one's parents" = Beans (Pythagoras' famous expression)
3) The famous Latin proverb typifying Romans (and can easily typify a modern Hamas-led government strategy!). = "If you want peace prepare for war"
4) O3.7.5.5.4.7.6.6.7.? (What's the ? mark standing for)
O3 refers to the sun - (3) is the number of letters in the name - and then 7 = mercury , 5 = venus, 5 = earth and so on…the names of the planets and the ninth one "?" = Pluto ( though Pluto is no more a planet now but when I designed the puzzle it was still a planet :)….so the Answer here is PLUTO
5) What has two pairs of wings, three eyes, and a three-jointed beak, and it can be heard from a quarter-of-a-mile away when calling its ladylove? = Common Cicada
6) To what corresponds the hieroglyphic sign of 16 in the "Hieroglyphica" of Horappolo? = Pleasure (meaning the age from which this notion comes into the game)
So the following are the lines and the answers:
1) Leaonardo Da Vinci
2) Beans
3) If you want peace prepare for war
4) Pluto
5) Common cicada
6) Pleasure
and now look at the Ottendorf Cipher:
4-2 5-1
2-2 1-5
3-6 6-7
5-8 1-6
2-5 3-4
___6-2_
___1-1_
Considering that each of two columns is a word - name and surname - we have, beginning with (4-2) - line number 4 and the letter that comes in the 2nd position i.e "L"
Similarly, second letter of the first word (first column) is "e"
Third letter is "w"
Fourth letter is "i"
Fifth letter is "s"
The second column starts with (5-1) = "C"
Second letter is "a"
Third letter is "r"
Fourth letter is "r"
Fifth letter is "o"
Sixth letter is "l"
Seventh letter is "l"
Now lets see which are the two words we got!!!
Lewis Carroll
I know it wasnt all as easy as i claimed, and thanks to all the people who tried. Special thanks to Anu who was instrumental in bringing a more clarified and easy-to-understand reformulation of this puzzle.
P.S. There were two mistakes in the Ottendorf code of the answer for which i apologize and which might have perhaps deterred some of getting correct answers put together.
