Ten questions across the world's great story traditions, each with the thread connecting it to something you already knew.
Mythology is the source material for an enormous share of modern storytelling, and most of us absorbed fragments of it without ever learning the shape. This quiz covers the principal figures of the Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, Hindu and Japanese traditions, along with the creatures that escaped into general folklore. The questions stay with the widely known figures rather than the obscure corners. The explanations flag where each name still survives, in a planet, a weekday or an English word.
Every question in this quiz is listed below with its correct answer and the reasoning behind it. Play first if you would rather not see the answers — or read through as a study sheet.
Play it insteadAnswer: C. Zeus
Why: Zeus ruled from Mount Olympus after overthrowing the Titans. His brothers Poseidon and Hades took the sea and the underworld.
Answer: C. Thor
Why: Thor wielded the hammer Mjolnir and defended both gods and humans. Thursday is named after him, as Wednesday is after Odin.
Answer: B. Aphrodite
Why: The Romans mapped their gods onto the Greek pantheon, so Aphrodite became Venus. The planet carries the Roman name, as most planets do.
Answer: C. Anubis
Why: Anubis presided over embalming and guided the dead. Jackals were associated with cemeteries, where they were often seen.
Answer: D. Icarus
Why: Icarus ignored his father Daedalus's warning, the wax melted and he fell into the sea. The story is used as a caution against overreaching.
Answer: B. A great tree
Why: Yggdrasil is the world tree connecting the nine realms. Much of Norse myth is organised around its roots and branches.
Answer: D. The unicorn
Why: The unicorn appears in Greek accounts as a real if distant animal, and later throughout European heraldry. Narwhal tusks were long sold as unicorn horns.
Answer: B. Heracles
Why: Heracles performed the labours as penance, including killing the Nemean lion. The Romans knew him as Hercules.
Answer: C. A fox
Why: Kitsune are intelligent foxes credited with shape-shifting, gaining tails and wisdom with age. They appear as both tricksters and guardians.
Answer: D. Rama
Why: The Ramayana follows Rama's exile and the rescue of his wife Sita. Arjuna and Bhima belong to the other great epic, the Mahabharata.
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