Greek Gods and Their Shameful Deeds

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Greek mythology developed an almost exclusively anthropomorphic Pantheon which is immoral and consecrates capital human flaws like cunning, vanity, greed, injustice, adultery, incest, fratricide, patricide and generally murder. The best example, which embodies most of these "qualities" is Zeus, the all-mighty ruler of Olympus. You would expect him to be morally above the others, being the supreme god, but in fact he uses his powers just for his personal pleasure or to impress the others. He plots different schemes in order to seduce innocent virgins which usually have a tragic end. Who did Zeus seduce by taking the appearance of Artemis or, as some say, Apollo (her name meant 'most beautiful' in ancient Hellenic)? Callisto Europa Io Semele

2. Although Poseidon, god of the seas, is far more restrained than his brother Zeus (his only conquest is Amphitrites) he still inherits most of the family tares: he is violent, combustible, vindictive; he produces catastrophes, shipwrecks, sea-storms and even earthquakes. His wrath is entirely felt by a mythical Greek hero, who after he had brought an end to the Trojan War, desperately tried to get back to his beloved wife. Who was this hard tried hero? Menelaus Agamemnon Odysseus Achilles

3. The elder brother of Zeus and Poseidon was Hades and after the three of them defeated the Titans, he was rewarded with the Underworld. This dark and terrifying realm of shadows held the souls of the dead and was guarded by the three-headed dog Cerberus. The ones who rose against the will of the gods in their lifetime were sent by Hades to the most foul place of them all where they would be damned to eternal agony. What was this frightful place? the Styx River the Tartarus the Plain of Judgement the Elysian Fields

4. Hera was the sister of Zeus, but also his divine wife. Being the protector of marriage and conjugal home she couldn’t leave her husband’s love affairs go unpunished. Since she wouldn’t dare to rise against him, she vented all her fury on the defenseless girls and nymphs tricked by Zeus. Like Poseidon was so eager to see Ulysses killed, Hera did everything within her power to dispose of another great hero, Heracles, who was born after Zeus cheated her with Alcmena. How did Heracles eventually find his death (of course because of Hera's plots)? he was struck down By Zeus after freeing Prometheus he was burnt alive by a poisoned garment he was ripped to pieces by Cerberus he was lost at sea

5. Even Athena, the wisest among the gods has a stain on her record. Otherwise a protector of the humans, Athena loses her temper with Arachne, who challenged the goddess into a weaving contest. Though Athena’s skills are remarkable they are still no match for Arachne’s talent. The vain goddess considers this intolerable and destroys Arahe’s work, turning her into a spider. What did Arachne represent on her canvas to surpass Athena’s images of the twelve Olympian gods? the palaces of Mount Olympus the twelve works of Heracles the images of twelve human heroes the satirized metamorphoses of the gods

6. It seems contests involving humans were very popular among Greek gods. While Athena "proved" she was the best weaver, it was imperative for Apollo to play the most elevating music, being the patron of this art. But his ambitions were once again shaken by a mortal, the Phrygian Marsyas. It was said that once, the divine tunes of this young legendary personage, disarmed a whole army marching towards his native lands. However, the radiant god wasn’t below. What instruments did Apollo and respectively Marsyas use in their 'duel'? tympanon and aulos lyre and aulos aulos and kithara kithara and lyre

7. It is told that there once was a handsome, tall hunter who scoured the forests of Hellada. Acteon was his name and no one could match him when it came to hunting. One day he reached the woods which were goddess Artemis’ favorite hunting grounds. Acteon suddenly felt very weak and told his companions to move further without him, as he needed a rest. He was now alone in the forest, just his trusty hounds following him. He saw a small rivulet and after quenching his thirst he felt the urge to follow the shining stream. He went further and further into the woods and then the most charming picture appeared before his eyes: Artemis bathing naked. As Acteon was staring, marveling at her beauty, the ashamed goddess threw at him two handfuls of water. What had Acteon been metamorphosed into, after being touched by the magic water? a wolf a bear a stag a falcon

8. Followed by a noisy procession of bacchantes and satyrs, the merry Dionysus traveled from land to land in his chariot pulled by tigers, panthers, lions and other wild beasts. The markings of his passing were always conspicuous because he held large feasts, where everybody would get drunk with wine. In one of his wanderings he arrived to his native city of Thebes which was now ruled by a young king called Pentheus. Out of moral principles, Pentheus forbids the new cult of vinification brought by Dionysus. Moreover he even manages to capture the god and puts him in chains. As expected, Dionysus breaks free after producing an earthquake and then prepares a cruel death for the king. How did Pentheus die? he was murderd by the delirious women in his city he was forced to drink wine until he felt unconcious he was fed to Dionysus' wild beasts he got mad and took his own life

9. The gods played many cruel tricks on mankind, but one of them seems to exceed the others. After Prometheus stole the secret of Fire and brought it to mortals, Zeus hatched a perfidious plan to torment their existence again. So he ordered Hephaistos to create a box in which the gods poured all the vices and flaws. When the box was opened by the ignorant mortals all the evil was spread and would forever haunt the world. What lay at the very bottom of the box, after all the evil had been released? Love Pity Will Hope

10. One of the most representative episodes in all the Greek mythology is the quarrel between the three goddesses for the golden apple. It all began when Eris, the dull goddess of discord, decided to play a hoax on the happy Olympian gods. So she took the biggest, roundest and shiniest apple she could find in the Hesperides' Garden and wrote on it in golden letters : ‘meant for the most beautiful’ . Hera, Athena and Aphrodite felt for the trick as all three of them claimed the apple. But they needed a judge. Since no man is advised to interfere between three angry women (and the gods knew that ), the responsibility felt on the mortal Paris. His decision would bring another nuisance to the already troubled mortals: the Trojan War. Which of the goddesses received the apple? Hera No one - Paris ate the apple Athena Aphrodite