The Greatest Epics of All Time Online Quiz | Literature

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This is the tale of the Pandavas, five brothers including the central figure Arjuna, and their fight against the Kauravas. This national Indian epic is considered one of the greatest spiritual stories ever because it mixes the will of the gods in with the teachings of the Vedas. Krishna, considered an incarnation of the great god Vishnu, even personally aids Arjuna in his quest.

Answer: Mahabharata

The "Mahabharata", along with the "Ramayana", are among the most important books of Indian literature. They are both very long, though the "Mahabharata" is longer. They were written in Sanskrit back in during the Gupta period and have ever since been an important source of wisdom and culture to Indians.

2. This epic poem follows the life of the leader named Temujin. It describes the early life of Temujin then continues with the conquests of one of the greatest military leaders of all time. It was originally written in Uighur and translates to the "The Secret History of the _________." Who are these people?

Answer: Mongols

This is one of my personal favorites. Temujin, later to be crowned as Genghis Khan, conquered more territory and united more barbarian people than any leader before or after him. This tale tells how Temujin overcame extreme hardships in his childhood to bring Asia to its knees before him.

He showed how the "barbarian" ways are more powerful than their neighboring sedentary civilizations. Sergei Bodrov made a film based on this book in 2007, entitled "Mongol". "The Secret History of the Mongols" provides historians with more information about early Mongol history than anything else and tends to be in agreement with contemporary Chinese sources.

3. This is the story of the twin brothers Hunahpu and Xbalanque and their quest to defeat the Lords of Death (Xibalba). Originally written in Quiche, it is the most prominent of all Mayan books.

Answer: Popol Vuh

Also known as the "Book of Consul", this book gives us a significant look into Mayan mythology. It usually includes a creation story and list of a few conquests by the boys before going into their quest to defeat the Lords of Xibalba. Vucub Caquix is one of the principal antagonists in the early part of the story.

He is in fact a giant bird, sometimes called the Principal Bird Deity or PBD. The "Chilam Balam" is another important Mayan text.

4. This classic is the story of the anger of the hero, Achilles. It takes place during one of the most famous wars in history. The name of this book is derived from the location at which this war takes place. It also includes other famous characters such as Hector, Alexandros (Paris), and Agamemnon.

Answer: Iliad

Taking place during the Trojan War, this book begins with the Greek hero Achilles being offended by the Greek leader, Agamemnon, and in turn refusing to fight. It ends when Achilles finally rejoins the fight, kills his nemesis Hector, and finally releases his anger.

It is considered one of the greatest (if not the greatest) works of western literature ever. It is commonly attributed to the poet Homer (ca 700 BCE), though its composition is not necessarily known.

5. Another classic is this story which follows one of the losers of the Trojan War. It follows the hero as he voyages through the Mediterranean Sea and finally lands in Italy and conquers it. The story is named after the hero. It includes characters such as Dido.

Answer: The Aeneid

"The Aeneid" is an epic poem written by the first century BCE poet Virgil. It is considered one of the national epics of Rome.

6. Everyone writes a million questions about the Epic of Gilgamesh, so I won't waste my time, but that is not the only important epic of the Mesopotamians. This Babylonian manuscript is primarily the story of Marduk. It focuses on his kingship over the other gods and the creation of the universe. What is the name of it?

Answer: Enuma Elis

The Enuma Elis is important to monotheistic theologians because its creation story is very similar to the beginning of Genesis in the Bible. It was found in the Library of Ashurbanipal along with the Epic of Gilgamesh at Nineveh. It luckily is mostly intact, too.

7. This is one of the most famous Irish/Celtic epics. It follows the protagonist, Cuchulainn, as he fights to protect the city of Ulster against the evil Queen Medb. What is this early Irish story?

Answer: Tain Bo Cualinge

Translating to "the cattle raid of Cooley," this story is one of the central stories of Cuchulainn. Cuchulainn is known as the Hound of Ulster (or Culain) because he killed a terrible guard dog of Culain as a child. As repayment he offered to take the dog's place and therefore became the protector of Ulster.

8. This epic is one of the most prominent post-Roman Italian pieces of literature. It was written by Dante Alighieri in the 14th century CE. The story follows Dante and his guides, Virgil and Beatrice, through the mystical realms of the Christian religion.

Answer: La Divina Commedia

"La Divina Commedia" or the "Divine Comedy" consists of three main parts: "Inferno" (Hell), "Purgatorio" (Purgatory), and "Paradiso" (Heaven). Its fame comes partly from the large number of cultural references in it. Dante and his two successors, Boccaccio and Petrarch, are known as the three greats of Italian literature.

9. An essential of Chinese literature, this story takes place during the collapse of the Han Dynasty. It was written by Luo Guanzhong and contains a large amount of historical characters and events. The story centers mostly around the three characters Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu.

Answer: Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Romance refers to the embellishment of the story to make it more enjoyable to read and not to an actual love story. The Three Kingdoms refers to the three major states that were most powerful during and after the collapse of the Han. This story, along with "Journey to the West", also known as "Monkey", are two of the four great classic Chinese novels. "The Tale of Genji" is actually Japanese and is considered the first novel ever written. "The Good Earth" is a modern novel by an American, Pearl S. Buck, but takes place in China.

10. This is, with very little doubt, the most influential epic ever. It is also the highest selling book in the world. It focuses on a god properly named YHWH (I Am) and his people. It of course also comes equipped with the standard creation story, flood, etc. What is this rather famous piece of epic literature?

Answer: Bible

This book, of course, is the standard for the Jewish faith and the extended version is the standard for the Christian faith. It contains all the ancient stories of the Israelite people and their struggles. This is the perfect example of how significant good literature can really be. Most of the morals that today's people live by are derived from or at least also found in this collection of stories. For those who are interested, YHWH states his name to Moses in Exodus 3:14.

Source: Author theskink

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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The Greatest Epics of All Time Quiz

By greatest I objectively imply those which transgress multiple millennia. An epic is one of the hardest genres of stories to write, but these stories are proof of how great epics really can be.

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