Answer: His mother pretended he had died at birth
Jason's mother, Alcimede, had just given birth to him when she learned that Pelias was killing his nephews (and presumably nieces, though no one mentions them in the legend). She told her servants to weep and wail as though the baby had died and then she managed to send him to Chiron, a centaur with a reputation for being a good foster father.
From Quiz: Jason's Quest
Answer: Horse
Centaurs are found mainly in Greek mythology, and are usually depicted as male, although there are records of female centaurs. The best known centaur from myth is Chiron, who is described as having been the teacher of heroes such as Achilles. In the Harry Potter books, a centaur named Firenze becomes one of the teachers at Hogwarts.
From Quiz: Legendary Hybrids of Myth
Answer: Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan is said to have created the land of 10,000 lakes with his footprints, dug the Mississippi River to move logs, built Pike's Peak for a look out, made a shower out of Yellowstone falls, formed the Grand Tetons while playing with his ox.
From Quiz: American Folk and Legends
Answer: dragon
Dragons are reptilian creatures described in many forms all over the world. In Europe, dragons are usually considered evil and dangerous. They have scales, wings, up to four legs, and usually breathe fire. European dragons include variants like wyverns and wyrms.
From Quiz: Flying Monsters
Answer: Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan is the man! Talk is he was 30 foot tall and weighed 30000 pounds. It took five storks to carry him to his parents when he was born. He and Babe the Blue Ox dug the Grand Canyon, scooped out the Great Lakes, and piled up some of the mountains. But wait a minute! Is that a tall tale? There are many giant statues of Bunyan and Babe, and both of them have grave sites, so...
From Quiz: Well, That's Just More Silly Nonsense!
Answer: Salamander
I don't know if you guys recognised him, but he was a salamander, a mythical creature with fire immunity. Real salamanders belong to the amphibian family and are completely voiceless. Should I say "real salamanders", or "salamanders of our world"? The one I saw there looked real enough to me.
From Quiz: An Accidental Adventure
Answer: 12
The twelve Olympians are: Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Ares, Hephaestus, Athena, Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus, Aphrodite and Artemis. Hestia was also an Olympian but she gave up her seat for Dionysus. Hades was the eldest son but he was banished and is allowed on Olympus only on the Winter Solstice.
From Quiz: Greek Myths and Legends
Answer: Johnny Appleseed
Johnny Appleseed, whose real name was John Chapman, loved animals and even insects. He wore no shoes, and everywhere he walked, he planted baby apple tree nurseries. He loved to read stories to little children. As for trees springing up at his feet, that's something to think about.
From Quiz: Well that's just a bunch of nonsense!
Answer: Cyclops
Cyclops were human like in appearance, but very tall and with only one eye. There were only three of them, and they were the children of Gaea and Uranus.
In legend they were the first smiths. They worked underground and made the lightning bolts that were the weapons of Zeus. Volcanoes are believed to be the results of their underground work.
From Quiz: Over at the Frankenstein Place
Answer: Tooth Fairy
According to legend if a tooth comes out, or is taken out, you should put it under your pillow when you go to bed that night. During the night the tooth fairy will come and take it and leave money in its place.
From Quiz: Fairy Folk
Answer: Vampire
At one time or another, people from almost everywhere in the world have believed in vampires of some kind. The most familiar vampire legends in the United States tend to come from Eastern Europe. However, nearly identical stories have been found among the Abenaki Indians (of the Northeast United States and Southeast Canada) and the Hmong of Laos.
From Quiz: Mysterious Monsters
Answer: Round
It was usual for kings to have rectangular tables at their courts. The king would sit at the head of the table and the most important men would sit higher up the table. The significance of the round table was that everyone was seen to be of equal standing.
From Quiz: The Legends of King Arthur
Answer: Scandinavian people
The Norse gods were worshiped not just in Norway but also in Denmark and Sweden.
They established many colonies and footholds in the surrounding areas - from Greenland to England - and that is why we know so much about the Norse Gods today.
Many of our days of the week were named after the Norse gods. Tuesday was named after Tyr, the god of war, Wednesday was named after Odin, who was sometimes called Wodin. Thor had Thursday named after him and Friday was Freya's day.
Monday was named after the moon, Sunday for the sun and Saturday is actually the only day named for a Roman god, Saturn.
From Quiz: A Norse is a Norse
Answer: Hercules
His Greek name was of course Heracles - sometimes spelt Herakles (say 'herr-ah-cullz') - and he had to do twelve labours for his cousin, King Eurystheus (say 'your-iss-thee-us').
This was because his father was Jupiter (his Greek name is Zeus) but his mother wasn't Jupiter's wife, Juno, it was a human named Alcmene (say 'alk-me-nay'). Juno was very jealous, and she made his cousin come to be born before he was ready, so he would be king and not Hercules. She hated Hercules as she was jealous of Alcmene. She even tried to kill him as a baby by sending two snakes to his cradle, but Hercules was found in the morning and he had strangled the snakes with his bare hands!
One day, she made him go mad and very violent, and in a rage he killed his wife and children. As he was very sad and feeling very guilty, he had to perform twelve tasks for his cousin, and then he would be made into a god.
Originally Eurystheus had only given him ten tasks - the other two were set by Juno.
From Quiz: Once Upon a Time in Rome
Answer: All of these things
The people of Ancient Egypt believed that Ra sailed across the sky every day in a boat. Every night, as the Sun went down, he was thought to die and carry on his journey through the underworld. At dawn as the Sun rose he was born again.
The people thought that if something stopped Ra from returning from the underworld (or being reborn) that the Sun would might never rise again.
From Quiz: Ancient Egyptian Gods
Answer: Zeus
Zeus is said to have become the ruler of the gods by drawing lots with his brothers Poseidon and Hades after they overthrew their father, Cronus, and the Titans.
Zeus is lord of the sky, god of rain and his weapon is the thunderbolt which, when thrown, is always returned to him by an eagle.
From Quiz: The Greek Gods and their Deeds
Answer: A Lararium
The lararium was a sacred place where prayers and offerings are made. A tesserae is a piece used in a mosaic. A basilica is a large building where the Romans carried out town business. A forum is like a market square in the middle of a town, where people can meet.
From Quiz: Greek and Roman Myths and Legends
Answer: Mount Olympus
Many of the gods were said to live on the very top of Mount Olympus.
From Quiz: Ancient Greek Mythology
Answer: Half man, half horse
The top half of the centaur was usually shown as a man, and the lower half was a horse. There were a few female centaurs but not many. Chiron is the most famous centaur. He was said to have been a good foster father and teacher to several Greek heroes, including Achilles, Ajax, and Perseus, as well as Jason.
From Quiz: Jason's Quest
Answer: Prometheus
The ancient Greek play, "Prometheus Bound" by Aeschylus, tells the story of Prometheus. It is said that an eagle was chosen to eat out his liver because the eagle is the symbol of Zeus.
From Quiz: It's All Greek To Me
Answer: Mermaid
All the creatures listed lived in the sea, but the mermaid is the half human half fish one - the male version is called a merman. The myth of the mermaid can be found in several mythologies, including Babylonian, Japanese and Polynesian as well as the more common Greek.
From Quiz: Legendary Hybrids of Myth
Answer: Theseus
The Minotaur was a beast - half-man and half-bull - who lived in the Labyrinth of Crete. Because Athens, Theseus' homeland, had lost a war with Crete, the Athenians were forced to send a group of young men each year to be devoured by the Minotaur. However, Theseus was given a yarn of thread by the daughter of the King of Crete, Minos, and thus he was able to find his way through the Labyrinth and slay the beast.
From Quiz: Gods and Heroes of Greek Mythology
Answer: Johnny Appleseed
Johnny Appleseed is based on John Chapman, a missionary who traded apple trees for old clothes that he gave to the needy. He supposedly wore old worn out clothes and walked barefoot year round.
From Quiz: American Folk and Legends
Answer: His head
For hundreds of years in Ireland, Germany and Scotland folks said they saw a headless horseman with their own eyes. Then in 1820 an American writer named Washington Irving wrote a story about him called, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". What would a scientist or a doctor say about a man without a head riding around on a horse? They might say, "Balderdash!" Still, many people say they have seen this horseman, and lived to tell the tale.
From Quiz: Well, That's Just More Silly Nonsense!
Answer: Centaur
Centaurs come from Greek mythology. They are strange creatures, caught between two natures. There is pottery, dating back to 480 BC, that shows pictures of centaurs. Centaurs are very well known for their ongoing feud with the Lapiths.
From Quiz: Demons and Creatures of Mythology
Answer: A phoenix
It did not take me more than a second to recognize the majestic bird as a phoenix. I have read about them loads of times, and phoenix legends can be found throughout history. Some say their tears have healing capabilities, though every mythology depicts them as immortal birds who die and are reborn from the ashes. It was amazing to see it soar towards the sun. Pity that I did not meet a faun during my travels.
From Quiz: An Accidental Adventure
Answer: War and Wisdom
Dionysus is the God of wine, Hera the Goddess of Motherhood, Demeter Agriculture and Apollo Medicine. Athena is also the Goddess of useful arts.
From Quiz: Greek Myths and Legends
Answer: The fountain of youth
He sought the fountain of youth. He was sure that those giant, healthy Natives had special water they drank which made them live so long. He wanted to find those waters. He never did. Do you think those Natives were 200 years old, giant, beautiful, and never got sick? That's the way that he heard it.
From Quiz: Well that's just a bunch of nonsense!
Answer: Medusa
Medusa was a Gorgon. She was once beautiful but Poseidon, the sea God, made love to her in a temple dedicated to Athena, and Athena turned her into a monster. Legend said that if you looked at her you would turn to stone. She was eventually killed by Perseus, who beheaded her. He avoided looking at her by looking at her reflection in his shield.
From Quiz: Over at the Frankenstein Place
Answer: Dryads
Dryads come from Greek and Roman mythology. They live all their lives in forests, and each one looks after and protects one particular tree.
From Quiz: Fairy Folk
Answer: Cerberus
Instead of keeping people out, this dog keeps people in. It doesn't let any of the souls escape from Hades after they cross the river Styx (as in Greek mythology). Cerberus was killed by another Greek hero, Herakles (also known as Hercules).
From Quiz: On the Run From Mythical Monsters
Answer: Werewolf
In movies, one usually becomes a werewolf after having being bitten or otherwise assaulted by another werewolf. In European folklore and folklife, however, most werewolves weren't under a curse of any sort. Rather, they became werewolves by choice, performing magic rituals and making deals with supernatural beings for the power to transform. Some historical werewolves, such as Peter Stubbe and Jean Grenier, were so convinced that they actually transformed that they committed murder. The teenaged Grenier was committed to a monastery, while Stubbe was executed.
From Quiz: Mysterious Monsters
Answer: King Arthur's sword
In some stories King Arthur's sword Excalibur is said to have magical qualities. In others it is said to be 'The Sword in The Stone' which Arthur pulled from a rock to prove his right to the throne. As with all Arthurian legends no-one knows the truth.
From Quiz: The Legends of King Arthur
Answer: Odin
Odin, or Wodin, was acknowledged as the father of the Norse gods.
He was strongly associated with wisdom. He traded one of his eyes for a sip of water from the Well of Wisdom, which was under the roots of the World Tree, Yggdrasil.
Odin was also a shape shifter and god of war, death and knowledge.
From Quiz: A Norse is a Norse
Answer: Cat
Bastet or Bast was the protector of cats and the daughter of Ra. She is often shown to have a human body and the head of a cat or lion.
Cats were very important in Egypt because they caught the rats and mice which would eat people's food stores and also spread diseases.
Bastet also accompanied Ra in his boat as he sailed through the sky.
From Quiz: Ancient Egyptian Gods
Answer: Driving his Sun chariot across the sky
Apollo is the god of the light and is responsible for driving the sun across the sky in his sun chariot pulled by four winged horses
He is also the god of truth and cannot tell a lie or break a promise. One tale tells of his young son, Phaethon. Phaethon travels to Mount Olympus and meets his father for the first time. Apollo is so pleased he promises his son anything he wants.
Phaethon tells his father that he wants to drive his sun chariot and Apollo is horrified. He begs his son to change his mind saying how frightening and dangerous it would be, but, Phaethon will not change his mind.
So Apollo sadly agrees and the boy gets his wish.
The winged horses soon realise that it is not their master holding the reins. They run wild and out of control driving the sun high into the heavens so the planets begin to burn and the Earth grows cold and dark. Then they dive down taking the sun too close to the Earth causing searing heat and fires.
Zeus, who is watching from his palace, sees the Earth burning and throws a thunderbolt at Phaethon. The boy is thrown out of the chariot and falls to his death. The horses are returned to their stable and Apollo weeps for his foolish son.
From Quiz: The Greek Gods and their Deeds
Answer: Romulus
Romulus and Remus were twins who were raised by a she-wolf. When they were grown, they built a city to live in. They couldn't decide on a name for the city so they fought over it. Remus was killed by Romulus, and so the city was named Rome. Romulus was born in 771 BC and died in 717 BC.
From Quiz: Greek and Roman Myths and Legends
Answer: Vesta
Vesta was the goddess of the hearth, home and family, and her presence was symbolized by the sacred flame. The flame was guarded and protected by Vestal Virgins (holy female priests) so it would never go out. It burned until 391, when Emperor Theodosius forbade public pagan worship.
From Quiz: The Roman and Greek Gods
Answer: Zeus
Zeus was the father of many of the gods and goddesses.
From Quiz: Ancient Greek Mythology
Answer: A sandal
On his way back to Iolcus to claim his throne, Jason saw an old woman crossing a river and stopped to help her. As he waded across the river one of his sandals came off and was lost in the rushing water. The legend says that the old woman was actually the goddess Hera in disguise. King Pelias had been warned by a soothsayer to beware of a man with only one shoe so he guessed who Jason was and thought of ways to stop him getting the throne back. He decided to send him on a quest.
From Quiz: Jason's Quest
