Mythical Quiz 1

The following quiz questions are all mythical in context

1. Which hero killed the Gorgon, Medusa:
    a: Perseus
    b: Achilles
    c: Theseus
    d: Jason?

2. Which is leprechaun usual occupation?

3. Where did the Greek Gods live?

4. What was used to suspend the sword of Damocles?

5. She is called ARTEMIS by the Greeks, the goddess of the hunt. How is this goddess referred to by the Romans?

6. How did the German maiden called Lorelei lure the sailors on the River Rhine to their death?

7. Which hero did Ariadne, the daughter of the King Minos, help to escape from the Labyrinth?

8. William Tell had which nationality?

9. Who was Orpheus's wife?

10. The month of January was named after which Roman God?

11. Which son of Zeus functioned as messenger and herald of the Gods?

12. Over which rich island did Polycrates rule?

13. Who married Jocasta after solving the riddle of the Sphinx and what was unusual about the whole marriage?

14. Who was the eldest son of Oceanus, and became guardian of the largest Greek River?

15. Who was the father of Icarus?

ANSWERS

1. a: PerseusMedusa was killed by the hero Perseus with the help of Athena and Hermes. He killed her by cutting of her head and gave it to Athena, who placed it in the center of her Aegis, which she wore over her breastplate. From Medusa's dead body the giant Chrysaor and the winged horse Pegasus, her son by Poseidon, sprang forth.

2. Shoemaker In Irish mythology, a leprechaun is a type of male faerie said to inhabit the island of Ireland. They are a class of "faerie folk" associated in Irish mythology and folklore, as with all faeries, with the Tuatha D? Danann and other quasi-historical peoples said to have inhabited Ireland before the arrival of the Celts. Leprechauns and other creatures of Irish mythology are often associated with "faerie forts" or "faerie rings". They usually take the form of old men who enjoy partaking in mischief. Their trade is that of a cobbler or shoemaker. They are said to be very rich, having many treasure crocks buried during war-time. According to legend, if anyone keeps an eye fixed upon one, he cannot escape, but the moment the eye is withdrawn he vanishes. Paintings of this have been found in abandoned houses in the Irish countryside.

3. Mount OlympusMount Olympus is the home of the Twelve Olympians, the principal gods in the Greek pantheon. The Greeks thought of it as built up with crystal mansions wherein the gods, such as Zeus (The King of Gods and Goddesses), dwelt. It is also known in Greek mythology that when Gaia (mother earth) gave birth to the Titans (the ancestors of the gods) they used the mountains in Greece as their thrones since they were so huge, and Cronus (the youngest and most powerful of the Titans) sat on Mount Olympus itself. The etymology and meaning Olympus (Olympos) is unknown, and it may be of Pre-Indo-European origin.

4. A single hairDamocles is a figure featured in a single moral anecdote which was a late addition to classical Greek culture. The figure belongs properly to legend rather than Greek mythology. Damocles was an excessively flattering courtier in the court of Dionysius I of Syracuse, Italy. He exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly fortunate. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day, so he could taste first hand that fortune. In the evening a banquet was held, where Damocles enjoyed being waited on like a king. Only at the end of the meal did he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging by a single piece of horsehair directly above his head. Immediately, he lost all taste for the fine foods and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be so fortunate. The Sword of Damocles is a frequently used allusion to this tale, epitomizing the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power. It is also used to denote a precarious situation and sense of foreboding thereof, especially one in which the onset of tragedy is restrained only by a delicate trigger or chance. Moreover, it can be seen as a lesson in the importance of understanding someone's experience.

5. DianaIn Roman mythology, Diana was the virgin goddess of the hunt, in literature the equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis, though in cult she was Italic in origin. Born with her twin brother Apollo on the island of Delos, Diana was the daughter of Jupiter and Latona. Diana was the huntress goddess, associated with wild animals and woodlands. She also later became a moon goddess, supplanting Luna, and was an emblem of chastity. Oak groves were especially sacred to her. She was praised in poetry for her strength, athletic grace, beauty and hunting skill.

6. She sang whilst combing her hairThe name comes from the old German words "lureln" (Rhine dialect for "murmuring") and "ley" (rock). The translation of the name would therefore be: "murmur rock" or "murmuring rock". The heavy currents, and a small waterfall in the area (still visible in the early 19th century) created a murmuring sound, and this combined with the special echo the rock produces which acted as a sort of amplifier, then gave name to the rock itself. The murmuring is hard to hear today due to the urbanization of the area. Other theories include attributing the name to the many accidents, by combining the word "luren" (lurk) with the same "ley" ending, with the translation "lurking rock".

7. TheseusKing Minos of Crete had waged war on Athens and won. He then demanded that seven Athenian youths and seven maidens be sent every ninth year (some accounts say every year) to be devoured by the Minotaur. When the third sacrifice came round, Theseus volunteered to go to slay the monster. He promised to his father, Aegeus, that he would put up a white sail on his journey back home if he was successful. Ariadne, Minos' daughter, fell in love with Theseus and helped him get out of the maze by giving him a ball of thread, allowing him to retrace his path. Theseus slew the minotaur with his sword and led the other Athenians back out the labyrinth. Theseus took Ariadne with him but on the return trip abandoned her on the island of Naxos. Ariadne cursed him when she noticed he had abandoned her. He also failed to fly white sails on his return journey, thus causing his father (Aegeus) to throw himself into the Aegean sea, which is named after him.

8. SwissWilliam Tell was a legendary hero of disputed historical authenticity who is said to have lived in the Canton of Uri in Switzerland in the early 14th century. He was known as an expert marksman with the crossbow. At the time, the Habsburg emperors were seeking to dominate Uri. Hermann Gessler, the newly appointed Austrian Vogt of Altdorf raised a pole in the village's central square with his hat on top and demanded that all the local townsfolk bow before it. As Tell passed by without bowing, he was arrested. He received the punishment of being forced to shoot an apple off the head of his son, Walter, or else both would be executed.

9. EurydiceHis wife is sometimes known as Agriope. While fleeing from Aristaeus (son of Apollo), she strode on a serpent and was bitten, which brought her to her death. Distraught, Orpheus played such sad songs and sang so mournfully that all the nymphs and gods wept and gave him advice. Orpheus went down to the lower world and by his music softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone (the only person to ever do so), who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth. But the condition was attached that he should walk in front of her and not look back until he had reached the upper world. In his anxiety he broke his promise, and Eurydice vanished again from his sight.

10. JanusIn Roman mythology, Janus was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, and endings. His most apparent remnants in modern culture are his namesakes, the month of January and the caretaker of doors and halls, hence we now have the word Janitor.

11. Hermes

12. Samos

13. Oedipus - it was unusual because she was his Mother

14. Achelous

15. Daedalus