Mythology and Folklore2

Question 1

Mermaid

Answer 1

A marine creature with the torso of a woman and the tail of a fish. Often linked to classical sirens.

Question 2

Mickey Mouse

Answer 2

The mascot of the Walt Disney company.

Question 3

Midas

Answer 3

A king who was granted one wish from the god Dionysus. He wished that everything he touched turned to gold. He came to regret his wish when accidentally turning his daughter to gold. Dionysus told Midas to bathe in a river to get rid of the gift. A person who easily acquires wealth is sometimes said to have a “Midas touch.”

Question 4

Minerva

Answer 4

The Roman name of Athena, the Greek and Roman goddess of wisdom.

Question 5

Minotaur

Answer 5

A monster that was half man and half bull. Was born to Pasiphae, the queen of Crete, after she mated with a sacred bull. The king Minos ordered Daedalus to create the labyrinth and hid the Minotaur there. Minos then ordered a tribute from the Athenians of 7 young men and 7 young women to feed the monster. Theseus volunteered to enter the labyrinth and kill the beast. The king’s daughter told him to use a ball of thread to be able to find his way out after killing the beast.

Question 6

Morpheus

Answer 6

The Roman god of sleep and dreams. One who is “in the arms of Morpheus” is asleep. Morphine was named after Morpheus.

Question 7

Muses

Answer 7

Nine goddesses who presided over learning and the arts. Greek and Roman writers would often begin their writings by asking the muses to aid their work. Writers and Artists often talk about their “Muse” or inspiration.

Question 8

Narcissus

Answer 8

A beautiful youth who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool. He was unable to tear himself away from the image and wasted away until he died. Narcissists are people who are completely absorbed with themselves.

Question 9

Nemesis

Answer 9

The Greek goddess of vengeance. A person who is an avenger.

Question 10

Neptune

Answer 10

(Greek name Poseidon.) The Roman and Greek god who ruled the sea. Portrayed as a bearded giant with a fish’s tail and holding a trident. The eight planet from the sun is named after Neptune.

Question 11

Norse mythology

Answer 11

The mythology of Scandinavia, which was widespread in Germany and Britain until the establishment of Christianity. Odin, Thor, Trolls and Valhalla are important parts of Norse mythology.

Question 12

Sheriff of Nottingham

Answer 12

A villain in the stories of Robin Hood.

Question 13

Nymphs

Answer 13

Spirits in classical mythology who lived in forests and bodies of water. A “nymph” is a beautiful or seductive woman.

Question 14

Odin

Answer 14

The Norse ruler of the gods. He was the god of wisdom, poetry, farming and war. Wednesday was named after Odin, using a form of his name that begins with a W, Woden.

Question 15

Odysseus

Answer 15

(Roman name Ulysses) A Greek hero in the Trojan war. Conceived the idea of the Trojan horse. After the fall of Troy, wandered for 10 years trying to return home, as chronicled in the Odyssey. An Odyssey is any long or difficult journey.

Question 16

Oedipus

Answer 16

A tragic king who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. After discovering the truth, he blinded his own eyes as a punishment. Oedipus is the subject of the lay Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. The Oedipus complex, identified by Sigmund Freud, takes its name from this story.

Question 17

Mount Olympus

Answer 17

The home of the Greek and Roman gods. An actual mountain in Greece. The Olympians were the Greek gods. The Olympic Games were a celebration every 4 years on the plain of Olympus in honor of Zeus. The modern Olympic Games were modeled after them.

Question 18

Orestes

Answer 18

Son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and brother of Electra. Agamemnon was killed by Clytemnestra and her lover. To get revenge, Orestes and Electra killed them both.

Question 19

Orpheus and Eurydice

Answer 19

When Eurydice died, Orpheus went to Hades and played his lyre. He asked that Eurydice be sent back to Earth. Hades allowed her to return on one condition, that Orpheus walk ahead of her and don’t look back until they got to Earth. Right before they were to reach Earth, Orpheus looked back and saw Eurydice disappear. He spent the rest of his life wandering the Earth, playing his lyre. Torn to pieces by crazed followers of Bacchus.

Question 20

Pan

Answer 20

The Greek god of flocks, forests, meadows and shepherds. Had the horns and feet of a goat. Pan played his musical instrument while frolicking, the “pipes of Pan.” Pan was the source of scary noises in the wilderness at night. Fear of these noises was called “panic.”

Question 21

Pandora’s box

Answer 21

A box given to Pandora, the first woman. Zeus commanded Pandora to never open the box, but she gave into curiosity and did so. The evils and miseries of the world flew out as a result. To open a “Pandora’s box” is to create an uncontrollable situation that causes grief.

Question 22

Paris

Answer 22

A prince in Troy who abducted Helen sparking the Trojan War. Paris killed Achilles by shooting his heel with an arrow.

Question 23

Parnassus

Answer 23

A mountain in Greece where the Muses lived. The Delphic Oracle was on one of its slopes. Parnassus is known as the mythological home of poetry and music.

Question 24

Pegasus

Answer 24

A winged horse tamed by Bellerophon with a bridle given to him by Athena. The flying horse of the Muses. Symbolizes high-flying poetic imagination.

Question 25

Penelope

Answer 25

The wife of Odysseus. Remained faithful for the 10 years Odysseus fought in the Trojan War and the ten years it took for him to return. Many wanted to marry her and she kept them at bay by telling them she would choose a suitor after weaving a shroud for her father-in-law. Every night, she would undo the work she had done. Tricked them for 4 years until being discovered. Penelope is a symbol of fidelity and devotion.

Question 26

Perseus

Answer 26

Killed the Gorgon Medusa. Did so with the help of Hermes and Athena, who gave him winged shoes, a magic sword and a polished shield.

Question 27

Phoenix

Answer 27

A bird that burned itself to death every 500 years but rose from the ashes. Only one phoenix existed at a time. To “rise like a phoenix from the ashes” is to overcome a seemingly insurmountable setback.

Question 28

Pluto

Answer 28

The Roman name of Hades, the Greek and Roman god of the underworld and ruler of the dead. Pluto was named after him, being the most distant planet from the solar system.

Question 29

Popeye

Answer 29

A tattooed, corncob pipe-smoking comic strip character. Saves his girlfriend, Olive Oyl, from the villain Bluto. Gets strength from eating a can of spinach. Originally made to market spinach.

Question 30

Poseidon

Answer 30

The Greek name for Neptune, the Greek and Roman god who ruled the sea.

Question 31

Priam

Answer 31

The king of Troy and father of Hector and Paris. The Greeks killed him when sacking the city at the end of the war.

Question 32

The princess and the pea

Answer 32

A story by Hans Christian Anderson. A prince insists on marrying a real princess, and a woman comes to him claiming to be one. His mother decides to put a pea under a stack of mattresses and tells the woman to sleep on them. She is unable to sleep and is deemed a princess. She was so delicate that the pea kept her awake, showing she is a princess.

Question 33

Procrustes

Answer 33

A Greek giant who was a thief and murderer. He would capture travelers and make them fit an Iron bed by chopping off their legs or stretching them to size. A “Procrustean” method is one that relentlessly tries to shape an argument or person to a predetermined pattern.

Question 34

Prometheus

Answer 34

The Titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. As punishment, Zeus ordered Prometheus chained to a rock and sent an Eagle to gnaw at the Titan’s liver. Prometheus refused to submit and was rescued by Hercules. Prometheus has become a symbol of lonely and valiant resistance to authority.

Question 35

Proteus

Answer 35

A shape shifting god who served Poseidon. Something that easily changes shape can be called “protean.”

Question 36

Psyche

Answer 36

A beautiful girl visited by Cupid each night. After performing many harsh tasks, Jupiter made her immortal and she and Cupid were married. Her name is Greek for “soul” and “butterfly.”

Question 37

Puss-in-boots

Answer 37

A French fairy tale from the collection of Charles Perrault. A cunning cat brings fortune to his poor master. Through a series of deceptions, the master becomes a lord and marries the king’s daughter.

Question 38

Pygmalion

Answer 38

A sculptor who hated women. He then fell in love with a statue of a woman that he made. He prayed to Venus that she would find a woman like the statue and she made the statue come to life.

Question 39

Quetzalcoatl (ket·suhl·kuh·waa·tl)

Answer 39

An ancient nature god and ruler of the Toltec people of Mexico. Depicted as a plumed serpent.

Question 40

Robin Hood

Answer 40

A legendary robber of the Middle Ages in England who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Lived in the Sherwood Forest with the Maid Marian, Little John, the priest Friar Tuck, the musician Allan-a-Dale and others.

Question 41

Romulus and Remus

Answer 41

Two brothers who were raised by a she-wolf and founded Rome. During the construction, Romulus became angry at Remus and killed him. The Romans later turned Romulus into a God. Rome is named after Romulus.

Question 42

Knights of the Round Table

Answer 42

The fellowship of the Knights of King Arthur. The group had many adventures, including the search for the Holy Grail. Disbanded after the death of King Arthur.

Question 43

Rumpelstiltskin

Answer 43

A character from the collection of the Brothers Grimm. A dwarf says he won’t take a woman’s firstborn child if she can guess his name. She is able to do so and he destroys himself out of anger.

Question 44

Saturn

Answer 44

The Roman name for Zeus’ father, who was a Titan. Saturn fled form Mount Olympus after Zeus defeated the Titans. He settled in Italy and created a golden age for the people there. Saturday and the sixth planet from the sun are named after Saturn.

Question 45

Satyr

Answer 45

(Roman name Faun) A creature that was part man and part goat. Famous for being constantly drunk and chasing Nymphs. Companions of Dionysus. A lecherous male can be called a “satyr.”

Question 46

Scylla and Charybdis (Sil-uh, Kuh-rib-dis)

Answer 46

Scylla was a six-headed monster on one side of a narrow strait. Charybdis was a whirlpool on the other side. Sailors would have to sail close to Scylla and be attacked to cross the strait. Jason had to pass between Scylla and Charybdis.

Question 47

Sherwood Forest

Answer 47

An actual forest in England. Legend says that Robin Hood and his gang lived in the forest.

Question 48

Sirens

Answer 48

Evil creatures that lived on a rocky island, singing beautiful songs to lure sailors to shipwreck and death. Odysseus ordered his crew to plug their ears to escape the Sirens’ song. A “Siren” is a beautiful or tempting woman and a “Siren song” is any irresistible distraction.

Question 49

Sisyphus

Answer 49

A king who offended Zeus and was punished in Hades by rolling a boulder up a hill. Whenever the boulder would near the top, it would roll back down and Sisyphus would have to start over. A futile endeavor may be called a “labor of Sisyphus” or a “Sisyphean task.”

Question 50

Sleeping Beauty

Answer 50

A fairy tale from the collection of Charles Perrault. A princess is cast into a deep sleep by a jealous fairy and is awoken by the kiss of a prince.

Question 51

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Answer 51

A fairy tale from the Grimm collection. The stepmother of a princess is jealous of her beauty and tries to have her killed. She hides in a cottage with seven dwarfs who protect her. The stepmother comes in a disguise and convinces her to eat a poisoned apple. She falls into a deathlike sleep and is saved by the kiss of a prince. The grandmother consults a mirror and asks, “mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”

Question 52

Sphinx

Answer 52

In classical mythology, a winged monster with the head of a woman and the body of a lion. In the story of Oedipus, stopped travelers on the roads near the city of Thebes and would kill any who couldn’t answer her riddle. “What creatures walk on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?” Oedipus gave the correct answer of human beings, who crawl as babies, walk on two legs as adults and rely on a third leg or cane as elderly people. Similar to the Egyptian Sphinx.

Question 53

Superman

Answer 53

A superhuman comic strip character created in the 1930s. Alias is Clark Kent, a newspaper reporter. Saves Lois Lane from danger.

Question 54

Tantalus

Answer 54

A king that was punished in Hades for offending the gods. Cursed with eternal thirst and hunger. He was left in a pool of water and a bowl of fruit hanging over his head. Every time he reached to eat or drink, the water would recede and the bowl would be blown by the wind, just out of reach. Something is “tantalizing” if it is desirable but out of reach.

Question 55

Tarzan

Answer 55

A character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912. Born of Aristocratic parents but orphaned in Africa, Tarzan survives by being raised by apes. A “Tarzan” is a macho male, figuratively thumping his chest to get attention.

Question 56

William Tell

Answer 56

A legendary hero of Switzerland, famous for his skill as an archer. A tyrannical official forced him to shoot an apple of his son’s head.

Question 57

Theseus

Answer 57

A hero of the city of Athens. Killed Procrustes and the Minotaur and made war on the amazons. married their queen Hippolyta.

Question 58

Thor

Answer 58

The Norse god of thunder who wielded a hammer. Thursday or “Thor’s day” is named after Thor.

Question 59

Tiresias

Answer 59

A blind prophet who revealed the truth of the crimes of Oedipus. Spent part of his life as a man and as a woman. When asked by Jupiter and Juno which gender enjoyed sex more, Tiresias said that women did. This so enraged Juno that he blinded him.

Question 60

Titans

Answer 60

Gods that ruled the universe until they were overthrown by Zeus. Atlas and Prometheus were Titans. A “titan” is a great and powerful person.

Question 61

The Tortoise and the Hare

Answer 61

One of Aesop’s fables. A tortoise and a hare race to see who is faster. The hare takes a nap halfway through the race, confidant he will win. When he wakes up, he sees that the tortoise consistently walked and won. Slow and steady wins the race.

Question 62

Tristan and Iseult

Answer 62

Two lovers in the legends of Britain. A common version of the story holds that Tristan brought Iseult to be the bride of his uncle, King Mark. On the voyage, the two drank a potion and fell in love with one another. King Mark then banished Tristan. He sent for Iseult on his deathbed, but passed away before she arrived. She then died beside his corpse.

Question 63

Trojan Horse

Answer 63

A large hollow horse that the Greeks hid in to surprise attack the Trojans. Cassandra and Laocoon warned against accepting the gift. Source of the saying “beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”

Question 64

Trojan War

Answer 64

The great war fought between Troy and Greece over the kidnapping of Helen of Troy by Paris, a prince of Troy. The war lasted 10 years and ended with the ploy of the Trojan Horse. Troy was burned to the ground and the Greeks returned home.

Question 65

Trolls

Answer 65

In Norse mythology, dwarfs who lived in caves. They would steal children and hated loud noise.

Question 66

Troy

Answer 66

The ancient city inhabited by the Trojans and site of the Trojan war. The ruins of Troy were found in the nineteenth century in Turkey.

Question 67

The ugly duckling

Answer 67

A story told by Hans Christian Anderson. One bird in a family of ducks is mocked for his ugliness. Despite this, he grows up into a beautiful swan. An “ugly duckling” is someone who blossoms beautifully after an unpromising beginning.

Question 68

Ulysses

Answer 68

The Roman name of the Greek hero Odysseus. In the Aeneid, Odysseus is called Ulysses.
The Irish author James Joyce titled his masterpiece Ulysses, which is based on the myth of Odysseus.

Question 69

Unicorn

Answer 69

A mythical animal resembling a horse with a long horn growing out of its head. Said to be visible only by virgins.

Question 70

Valhalla

Answer 70

In Norse mythology, a dwelling in Asgard, the Norse heaven, for the souls of those who died heroic deaths.

Question 71

Vampires

Answer 71

Originally from European folklore. Living corpses that feed on the blood of innocent victims. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the most famous vampire.

Question 72

Venus

Answer 72

The Roman name of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. The second planet from the sun is named Venus.

Question 73

Vesta

Answer 73

(Greek name Hestia) The Roman and Greek goddess of the hearth and home. Roman and Greek cities were supposed to have a public hearth dedicated to Vesta that constantly burned.

Question 74

Vulcan

Answer 74

(Greek name Hephaestus) The Roman and Greek god of fire and metalworking. The blacksmith of the gods. Son of Jupiter. In some stories, he was married to Venus and to one of the three Graces in others. Suffered from deformities and lameness.

Question 75

Washington and the cherry tree

Answer 75

A fanciful story by the biographer Mason Weems. Source of the saying, “I cannot tell a lie.” George Washington was given a new hatchet and cut down his father’s prized cherry tree. He considers lying but “looking at his father with the sweet face of youth brightened with the inexpressible charm of all-conquering truth, he bravely cried out, ‘I cannot tell lie. I did cut it with my hatchet.’

Question 76

Werewolves

Answer 76

Legendary human beings that are magically transformed into wolves. They prowl at night digging up corpses and eating babies. Cannot be killed by normal weapons. Associated with the full moon.

Question 77

Zephyr

Answer 77

The Greek and Roman god of the west wind, considered the most pleasant of the winds.

Question 78

Zeus

Answer 78

(Roman name Jupiter) The chief of the Greek and Roman gods who defeated the Titans and assumed leadership of the universe. Lived atop Mount Olympus hurling thunderbolts. Had a weakness for mortal women.

Question 79

Zodiac

Answer 79

A band in the sky along which the sun, moon and most of the planets move. Divided into twelve parts named after different constellations. The twelve constellations, or signs, of the Zodiac are important in Astrology.