Greek and Roman Mythology: Gods, Heroes and Dark Legends

Question 1

Which Greek god was lord of the sea and was called the 'Earth-Shaker'?

Accepted Answer

Poseidon

Answer

Zeus

Answer

Hephaestus

Answer

Ares

Question 2

What is the Roman name for Zeus, king of the Olympian gods?

Accepted Answer

Jupiter

Answer

Mars

Answer

Neptune

Answer

Saturn

Question 3

Perseus killed the Gorgon Medusa without looking directly at her. What object did he use as a mirror to avoid being turned to stone?

Accepted Answer

A polished bronze shield given to him by Athena

Answer

A silver mirror forged by Hephaestus

Answer

A crystal shield given to him by Hermes

Answer

The surface of a still lake

Question 4

The Minotaur, half-man and half-bull, lived in a labyrinth beneath whose palace on the island of Crete?

Accepted Answer

King Minos

Answer

King Agamemnon

Answer

King Priam

Answer

King Aeetes

Question 5

What was the name of the monstrous three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to the Greek underworld?

Accepted Answer

Cerberus

Answer

Orthrus

Answer

Scylla

Answer

Hydra

Question 6

What did Sisyphus do to earn his eternal punishment of rolling a boulder uphill, only for it to roll back down forever?

Accepted Answer

He cheated death twice and tricked the gods, including trapping Thanatos (Death) in chains

Answer

He stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to humans

Answer

He betrayed the secrets of the gods to mortals

Answer

He murdered his brother to steal his kingdom

Question 7

Who was the Trojan prophetess cursed by Apollo so that she gave accurate prophecies that no one would ever believe?

Accepted Answer

Cassandra

Answer

Circe

Answer

Hecuba

Answer

Clytemnestra

Question 8

Atlas was condemned to hold up the sky on his shoulders as punishment for leading a rebellion against the Olympians. What is the common misconception about what he holds?

Accepted Answer

People think he holds the Earth, but he actually holds up the sky (heavens)

Answer

People think he holds a single globe, but he actually holds two spheres

Answer

People think he holds the ocean, but he actually holds mountains

Answer

People think he is kneeling, but he actually stands upright

Question 9

What daily punishment did Prometheus receive for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humanity?

Accepted Answer

An eagle ate his liver every day, and it regenerated overnight for the cycle to repeat

Answer

He was chained underwater and drowned daily, then revived

Answer

He was forced to push the sun across the sky from east to west each day

Answer

He was repeatedly struck by Zeus's lightning bolts and resurrected each morning

Question 10

How did Achilles' mother Thetis try to make him invulnerable?

Accepted Answer

She dipped him in the River Styx, holding him by the heel — leaving that one spot unprotected

Answer

She had Hephaestus forge him a suit of divine armour that covered his whole body

Answer

She fed him ambrosia from birth, making him semi-divine

Answer

She enchanted him with a spell from Hecate that made him impervious to all weapons

Question 11

What happened to the beautiful youth Narcissus in Greek mythology?

Accepted Answer

He fell in love with his own reflection in a pool and wasted away, becoming a flower

Answer

He was transformed into a laurel tree by Apollo to escape the god's pursuit

Answer

He drowned chasing his reflection and was reborn as a water sprite

Answer

He was turned to stone by Medusa's gaze while admiring himself in her shield

Question 12

Orpheus journeyed to the underworld to retrieve his dead wife Eurydice. What condition did Hades set for her release — and what did Orpheus do wrong?

Accepted Answer

Don't look back at Eurydice — but he looked back just before reaching the surface

Answer

Fight underworld monsters to free her — but he was too slow

Answer

Answer three riddles from Hades — but he got the last one wrong

Answer

Carry Eurydice without resting — but he set her down

Question 13

When Pandora opened her famous box (actually a jar in the original Greek), what was the LAST thing left inside after all the evils had escaped?

Accepted Answer

Hope (Elpis)

Answer

Despair

Answer

Wisdom

Answer

Love

Question 14

Why did Icarus fall from the sky in Greek mythology?

Accepted Answer

He flew too close to the sun, melting the wax holding his feathered wings together

Answer

Zeus struck him down with a lightning bolt for attempting to reach Mount Olympus by air

Answer

Poseidon summoned a storm that hurled him from the sky

Answer

His feathers were stolen by Hermes, causing him to lose the power of flight

Question 15

According to Greek mythology, how was Aphrodite (goddess of love) born?

Accepted Answer

She rose from sea foam formed around the severed genitals of the Titan Uranus, cast into the sea

Answer

She was born fully formed from Zeus's forehead, alongside Athena

Answer

She was created by Hephaestus from sea glass and coral as a gift to the gods

Answer

She was the daughter of Zeus and the Titaness Dione, born on the island of Cyprus

Question 16

Medusa is depicted as a monster with snakes for hair — but what was she BEFORE she was transformed?

Accepted Answer

A beautiful mortal woman and priestess of Athena, transformed as punishment for being with Poseidon in Athena's temple

Answer

A sea serpent from before the time of the gods, who gained a human form through magic

Answer

One of the three original Gorgon sisters born as monsters from the beginning

Answer

A Titan warrior who was cursed after challenging the gods in battle

Question 17

In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus is warned about the Sirens — creatures whose beautiful singing lures sailors to their deaths. How did he safely hear their song?

Accepted Answer

He had his crew plug their ears with beeswax and ordered them to tie him to the mast

Answer

He wore enchanted earplugs given to him by the sorceress Circe

Answer

He played his own music loudly enough to drown out the Sirens' song

Answer

He wore a helmet forged by Hephaestus that blocked all sound

Question 18

The sportswear brand Nike, founded in 1978, takes its name from which Greek goddess?

Accepted Answer

The Greek goddess of victory, who was often depicted with wings and as the companion of Zeus

Answer

The Egyptian goddess of speed and the hunt

Answer

A Roman goddess of sport and athletic competition

Answer

The Etruscan goddess of craftsmanship and strength

Question 19

Hades rules the underworld in Greek mythology. What is a common misconception about him?

Accepted Answer

He isn't evil — 'Hades' names both the god and the place, and he simply ruled the dead

Answer

He was Zeus's youngest sibling, not his elder brother

Answer

He was unmarried — he had no queen of the underworld

Answer

He wore black robes, not the golden crown ancient sources describe

Question 20

What was the Trojan War traditionally started by — according to Greek mythology?

Accepted Answer

A dispute between three goddesses over a golden apple, won by Aphrodite, leading her to give Helen to Paris as a gift

Answer

A territorial war between Greece and Troy over control of trade routes through the Hellespont

Answer

Zeus ordaining a great war to reduce humanity's overpopulation of the Earth

Answer

Achilles insulting King Agamemnon and the Greeks deciding to sack Troy in revenge

Greek and Roman Mythology: Gods, Heroes and Dark Legends

Which Greek god was lord of the sea and was called the 'Earth-Shaker'?

Publisher

Greek and Roman Mythology: Gods, Heroes and Dark Legends