The World wide Mythology Trivia Quiz

Saft · **on:** January 18, 2011, 02:48:10 PM

Thought it was about time for a worldwide mythology based trivia quiz since mythology is just awesome and that due to the factor that before writing stories had to be passed around by oral language than the written language and even then only a minority could read and write thus mythological based art was intended to portray in a physical way for stories to be understood to the majority. Now, it has been stressed to me by the lecturer that there are many versions of the one mythology aspect, doesn't make them wrong just that there are different versions. So with that in view, questions and the acceptance of answers should in theory be based on the more common version.
Since this is also world wide mythology, any aspect can be asked as a question.

So here is the first question:

Because the Greek titan Kronos had betrayed his father Oranos and killed him, he feared that any offspring that he had would do the same to him and displace his rule. What did he do to combat this and what did his sister-wife Rhea do to prevent him from combatting her last child (Zeus)?

The Friendly Sharptooth · **Reply #1 on:** January 18, 2011, 02:56:02 PM

Gross as it must sound, Kronos devoured his children as soon as they were born. Rhea secretly gave birth to Zeus in Crete, giving Kronos a stone that was wrapped up to be swallowed instead, and Kronos was fooled. I took mythology in high school and absolutely loved it.

Saft · **Reply #2 on:** January 18, 2011, 03:10:56 PM

Right. And then Zeus and his siblings rose up and defeated the titans. One has to feel sorry in a way for Kronos but as metnioned, he did murder his father...

(I only chose the Greek myth since it's one that I know more about, but anyone can ask whatever myth base they desire).

The Friendly Sharptooth · **Reply #3 on:** January 18, 2011, 03:40:09 PM

There was a goddess who was hired as a nursemaid for a young prince. This goddess grew fond of the boy and decided to bestow immortality on him, done through a ritual over fire. Who was the goddess, and what caused the ritual to fail?

Malte279 · **Reply #4 on:** January 18, 2011, 04:13:03 PM

Not sure if you are referring to Achill, but if you do there are several possibilities about the what and why. If Achill is the one you mean Thetis would be the mother. As for the ritual some texts have her bathe Achill in the river Styx (the border of the realm to the death) to make him invulnerable (not immortal) according to that story his heel remained vulnerable because she held him by the heel when submerging him into the water.
The other (somewhat more sensible) version has her hold Achill over a special fire that would make his skin impenetrable. But while doing so Achill's father Peleus entered and reacted in the manner we would assume Daddy to react when he returns home to find Mummy roasting the dear lad over a fire, thereby preventing Thetis from finishing the job on Achill's heel.
(Not sure though if the answer is correct as I think Thetis was actually Achill's real mom rather than a nursemaid).

The Friendly Sharptooth · **Reply #5 on:** January 18, 2011, 05:16:43 PM

That is a really good answer, but this scenario literally was about gaining immortality, not the invulnerability that was the case with Achilles. To be more specific, this goddess was Egyptian. She was not recognized as a goddess and hired as a nursemaid for the baby. Though odd, she accepted the job. After the ritual was ruined, she revealed herself as the deity she was.

Saft · **Reply #6 on:** January 19, 2011, 02:06:29 PM

Will hazard a guess here and say it's Isis who was the nursemaid. She sailed to Phoenica in the search for her husband (body parts) and met the Queen there (who's name I don't know) who hired her as a nursemaid over her son. Isis was fond of the child and decided to bestow immortality on him. From what I can remember, the queen entered during the ritual and saw that Isis was holding her child over fire and rushed in to grab him, thus ending the spell that would have granted him immortality.

(Although maybe it should be noted for future questions to be a little bit more specific and say In Greek/Latin/Celtic etc mythology....to avoid confusion).

The Friendly Sharptooth · **Reply #7 on:** January 19, 2011, 05:34:22 PM

Yes, that is absolutely correct on both parts. It's your turn now.

Quote

(Although maybe it should be noted for future questions to be a little bit more specific and say In Greek/Latin/Celtic etc mythology....to avoid confusion).

Ah, my apologies. That's a good point. I will do that in my future posts in this thread.

Saft · **Reply #8 on:** January 19, 2011, 05:46:26 PM

YES! I love hazard guessing.

Anyway we all know the story of the twelve labours of Herakles(note it's Greek mythology), so I know that this is relatively easy but can you name all tweleve in some sort of detail?

The Friendly Sharptooth · **Reply #9 on:** January 19, 2011, 06:07:46 PM

One of them was to bring the skin of an invulnerable lion which terrorized the hills around Nemea.

Another was to kill the Lernean Hydra wich lived in the murky waters near a place called Lerna.

Another was to bring the Hind of Ceryneia. Ceryneia was a town in Greece and a Hind is a female, red dear.

Another was to bring the Erymanthian boar alive. He was called that because he lived on the mountain of Erymanththus.

Another was to clean up after the king’s cattle, but that wasn’t the hard part. He was expected to do it all- in a single day.

Another was to drive away an enormous flock of birds which gathered at a lake near the town of Stymphalos.

Another was to capture the savage Cretan Bull, which had extraordinary strength and ferocity.

Another was to get the man-eating mares of Diomedes which were called Bistones.

Another was to get the belt of Hippolyte, which was easier said than done. She was the queen of the Amazons, no ordinary warrior.

Another was to bring the cattle of the monster Geryon, who lived at the end of the world.

Another was to bring the golden apples that belonged to Zeus, king of the gods.

Finally, he was charged with going into the Underworld and kidnapping the beast called Cerberus (or Kerberos).

I hope that that is enough detail for each labor. I can expound if necessary.

Saft · **Reply #10 on:** January 19, 2011, 06:09:05 PM

I would be dubbed 'evil' if I said I wanted an expanded version but you've answered my question. So you can go ahead.

The Friendly Sharptooth · **Reply #11 on:** January 19, 2011, 06:12:12 PM

In Greek mythology, who was abducted by Hades, much to the dismay of the victim's mother?

Malte279 · **Reply #12 on:** January 19, 2011, 06:25:25 PM

Persephone, daughter of Demeter. When Hades abducted her Demeter was so grieved that she turned to whole world into a cold place covered with snow. Finally a compromise was arranged and Perephone would visit her mother seasonally (her absence from her mother being winter time).

The Friendly Sharptooth · **Reply #13 on:** January 19, 2011, 06:27:59 PM

Yeppers. The floor is now yours to do with as you please.

Saft · **Reply #14 on:** January 19, 2011, 06:28:49 PM

Darn you Malte! *shakes fist* you got there first.

Ah well next time....muahaha *head back into mist*

Edit..oh yeah..and just to make it clear I was joking ^. Unfortuantley my humour doesn't come across that often.

Malte279 · **Reply #15 on:** January 20, 2011, 11:32:25 AM

Which hero of Germanic/Nordic mythology became invulnerable through which action and where was his "Achilles heel" for which reason?

The Friendly Sharptooth · **Reply #16 on:** January 20, 2011, 03:21:13 PM

Sigurd, a man of German/Norse mythology, was advised by Odin disguised as an old man to dig trenches to drain the blood of a dragon named Fafnir. Bathing in the substance would allow invulnerability. Sigurd does so and gains the power of it. However, the blood missed a section of his shoulder where a leaf was stuck- his Achilles heal.

Too slow again, Saft.

Malte279 · **Reply #17 on:** January 20, 2011, 03:47:44 PM

That's right. In the Nordic Sagas he is referred to as Sigurd while in the Germanic Saga (the Niebelungenlied) his name is Siegfried. After slaying the dragon he bathes into the blood but hadn't realized that the leaf of a lime tree had fallen between his shoulders and kept that spot vulnerable.

Your turn

The Friendly Sharptooth · **Reply #18 on:** January 20, 2011, 06:16:46 PM

In Greek mythology, there was a god known as the father of the winds. Who did this god take pleasure in and give a bag to that contained unfavorable winds?

Malte279 · **Reply #19 on:** January 20, 2011, 07:28:53 PM

The God is Aeolus and he gave that bag of unfavorable winds to Odysseus to allow for him to return safely to Ithaca. Unfortunately Odysseus' men opened that bag of winds so all the unfavorable winds blew them far away from Ithaca. When Odysseus asked Aeolus for help a second time he refused.