THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249 www.usm.maine.edu/planet
70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N 70.2667° W
Altitude: 10 feet below sea level
Founded January 1970
Julian Date: 2459369.18
2020-2021: CXLII
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday,June 4, 2021
50-Question Mythology Quiz
Let's have some fun today, ladies and gentlemen! After all, the weather is sublime, the weekend is approaching and summer is imminent. So, we'll shelve astronomy in favor of mythology. No worries. The Universe will still be extant -we think- on Monday. Today, we're posting a different type of quiz. Questions and answers without multiple choice. Yes, I omitted the multiple choice option SOLELY for my benefit. Composing this test would have been a _______________ labor had I included four choices with each question. (That's right, I wasn't about to give away the answer to Question # 2.)
During the pandemic shutdown, we posted both a "remote planetarium" astronomy course which included a mythological preface at the beginning of most lessons. The following questions are based on the mythological stories presented in those introductions. (Note: Some answers might be used more than once.)
Oh, and since my infant daughter Miranda is going to celebrate her 1st birthday tomorrow (probably at some dive in the Old Port), we included an updated photo at the end of the quiz.
1. Which king developed the "golden touch?"
2. Who performed the twelve labors?
3. Who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother?
4. Who was the only mortal Gorgon?
5. Who killed the only mortal Gorgon?
6. Name either one of the two immortal Gorgons.
7. Whose abduction precipitated the Trojan War?
8. Who abducted the person whose abduction precipitated the Trojan War?
9. Who was the god of the Underworld?
10. Who is credited with having written the Iliad?
11. Who was Zeus' father?
12. Zeus' father was king of the ___________.
13. Who was the goddess of the hearth?
14. Who led the expedition to capture the golden fleece?
15. The participants in that expedition to capture the golden fleece were called the _______________.
16. Who kept Odyssesus on her island for seven years?
17. Who was the goddess of dawn?
18. Who was the god of sleep?
19. Who was Orion's father?
20. Who was the legendary king of Crete?
21. Who built the labyrinth for the legendary king of Crete?
22. Which half-man/half-bull creature was imprisoned in the labyrinth built for the legendary king of Crete?
23. Who slew the half-man/half-bull creature who was imprisoned in the labyrinth built for the legendary king of Crete?
24. _______________ was the only mortal woman to give birth to a god.
25. To which god did that woman give birth?
26. What does the name of that god mean?
27. What was the name of the cyclops which ate a few of Odysseus' men?
28. Who tossed the golden apple into the wedding party of Thetis and Peleus?
29. The answer to # 28 was the god/goddess of ____________.
30. Which three goddesses all laid claim to that apple?
31. Who decided which goddess would receive the apple?
32. Which goddess did receive the apple?
33. Who was the three headed hound who guarded the entrance to the underworld?
34. Which horse emerged from Medusa's blood?
35. What feature distinguished that horse from all other horses?
36. Who tamed that horse?
37. Who was Cassiopeia's daughter?
38. Which creature almost devoured Cassiopeia's daughter?
39. Who saved Cassiopeia's daughter from that creature?
40. Which god presided over the Delphic Oracle?
41. Who killed Achilles?
42. Who became queen of the Underworld?
43. Who was the god of stupidity?
44. Who was the muse of dancing?
45. Who was the muse of history?
46. Hippolyta was the queen of the ______________.
47. Who was the god of love?
48. Who was the god of love's consort?
49. What were the names of Achilles' two immortal horses?
50. Who was the goddess of marriage?
ANSWERS
1. Which king developed the "golden touch?"
Midas
2. Who performed the twelve labors?
Heracles (Hercules)
3. Who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother?
Oedipus
4. Who was the only mortal Gorgon?
Medusa
5. Who killed the only mortal Gorgon?
Perseus
6. Name either one of the two immortal Gorgons.
Stheno or Euryale
7. Whose abduction precipitated the Trojan War?
Helen
8. Who abducted the person whose abduction precipitated the Trojan War?
Paris
9. Who was the god of the Underworld?
Hades
10. Who is credited with having written the Iliad?
Homer
11. Who was Zeus' father?
Cronos
12. Zeus' father was king of the _______________.
Titans
13. Who was the goddess of the hearth?
Hestia (Vesta)
14. Who led the expedition to capture the golden fleece?
Jason
15. The participants in that expedition to capture the golden fleece were called the _____________________.
Argonauts
16. Who kept Odysseus on her private island for seven years?
Calypso
17. Who was the goddess of dawn?
Aurora
18. Who was the god of sleep?
Hypnos
19. Who was Orion's father?
Poseidon
20. Who was the legendary king of Crete?
Minos
21. Who built the labyrinth for the legendary king of Crete?
Daedalus
22. Which half-man/half bull creature was imprisoned in the labyrinth built for the legendary king of Crete?
The Minotaur
23. Who slew the half-man/half-bull creature who was imprisoned in the labyrinth built for the legendary king of Crete?
Theseus
24. _______________ was the only mortal woman to give birth to a god.
Semele
25. To which god did that woman give birth?
Dionysus
26. What does the name of that god mean?
"Twice born"
27. What was the name of the cyclops which ate a few of Odysseus' men?
Polyphemus
28. Who tossed the golden apple into the wedding party of Thetis and Peleus?
Eris
29. The answer to # 28 was the god/goddess of ____________.
Discord
30. Which three goddesses all laid claim to that apple?
Aphrodite, Athena, Hera
31. Who decided which goddess would receive the apple?
Paris
32. Which goddess did receive the apple?
Aphrodite
33. Who was the three headed hound who guarded the entrance to the underworld?
Cerberus
34. Which horse emerged from Medusa's blood?
Pegasus
35. What feature distinguished that horse from all other horses?
It was winged.
36. Who tamed that horse?
Bellerophon
37. Who was Cassiopeia's daughter?
Andromeda
38. Which creature almost devoured Cassiopeia's daughter?
Cetus the sea monster
39. Who saved Cassiopeia's daughter from that creature?
Perseus
40. Which god presided over the Delphic Oracle?
Apollo
41. Who killed Achilles?
Paris
42. Who became queen of the Underworld?
Persephone
43. Who was the god of stupidity?
Koalemos
44. Who was the muse of dancing?
Terpischore
45. Who was the muse of history?
Clio
46. Hippolyta was the queen of the ______________.
Amazons
47. Who was the god of love?
Eros
48. Who was the god of love's consort?
Psyche
49. What were the names of Achilles' two immortal horses?
Xanthus and Ballius
50. Who was the goddess of marriage?
Hera
Happy 1st birthday, little Miranda!
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