Feral Children in Legend, Literature -- and Life

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. I begin with four questions to address feral children in legend. First, one of several examples from Greek mythology: Which of the following spent his early infancy suckled by a she-bear on the slopes of Mount Ida, after being abandoned there to die by his prophecy-shy father? Oedipus Paris Arcas Theseus

2. Second, from Roman mythology: The legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, were kept alive as infants by a female of what species? wolf eagle dolphin lion

3. Third, from Irish mythology: What animal was the only mother the warrior-poet Oisin ever knew? doe nanny goat wild sow lioness

4. Fourth, drawing upon various mythologies: which of the following is NOT a foundling-animal nurse match-up celebrated in legend? Pelias, suckled by mare Semiramis, fed by doves Krishna, suckled by elephant Sargon, suckled by bitch

5. I continue with four questions to address feral children in literature: two from modern fiction, two from medieval romance (thus leaving out entirely the classical period, fairy tales, Persian literature, and the medieval Scandinavian works, all of which provide good examples of children with 'animal nurses'). First, two easy ones from modern literature. Which of the following is the name of the person who was raised from infancy to manhood by 'anthropoid' apes? William, Lord Greystoke John Clayton George Taylor Leo Davidson

6. By what beasts was Mowgli raised? panthers frogs wolves bears

7. Second, two harder questions from medieval romance. Which of the following was the twin brother of Valentine, nephew to King Pepin of France, who was suckled and raised by a she-bear (as his name might well suggest) after being lost in a forest as an infant? Orson Garibaldi Bernard Roland

8. Octavian, son of the Roman Emperor Octavian, was (according to the eponymous romance) raised by which of the following? raven she-ape lioness griffin

9. Next, four questions regarding well-documented feral children from real life. Kamala and Amala, perhaps the most widely known feral children to have come to the attention of modern science, were raised by what animals until found by the Reverend J. A. L. Singh in 1920? bears wild goats swine wolves

10. In 1998, the international press was full of stories of a six year-old boy who had spent the previous two years living with a pack of wild dogs. The authorities had been aware of the boy for some time, and police had made serious efforts to 'capture' him, but the initial efforts had all failed because the boy and the dogs worked together so cleverly and the dogs defended him so savagely. In what city did all of this take place? Paris Moscow London Lima

11. Another 'dog-boy' whose case made international headlines was dubbed 'Axel' by authorities interested in protecting his identity; he was about ten years old in June 2001 when taken from the dogs who nurtured him (including permitting him to suckle milk). In what country did this take place? Germany Botswana Chile New Zealand

12. In Uganda, in 1989, a boy approximately five years old was taken into human society after living for perhaps two years among animals. Among what animals did John Ssebunya live? monkeys pigs apes jackals

13. I will end with three true-or-false questions designed to test knowledge (or intuition) regarding the phenomenon of feral children generally. (Is your credibility being tested? Is truth stranger than fiction?) True or false, there is a documented case of a she-leopard hunting, capturing and rearing a human child to replace cubs she had recently lost? True False

14. True or false, there are documented cases of reptiles keeping human children alive for periods of time measured in months? True False

15. True or false, there is evidence to indicate that children raised by animals emerge from childhood more resistant to disease and more physically advanced than children raised within the human community? True False