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380 Egyptian Myth Trivia Questions, Answers, and Fun Facts

How much do you know about Egyptian Myth? This category is for trivia questions and answers related to Egyptian Myth (Humanities). Each one is filled with fun facts and interesting information.
1 Set is generally seen as the murderer of Osiris to the public, but this act was often viewed positively by the priesthoods. How did they view this act?
Answer: Set initiating Osiris and making him God of the Afterlife

It was understood within many of the priesthoods that without the actions of Set, Osiris would not become God of the Duat and could not have opened the afterlife to all. In fact, Set actually carries Osiris into the Duat on his back, in the form of a great bull. Osiris was seen as a deity that did not change from within, and so needed the external force of Set to induce change.
  From Quiz: The Mysteries of Set
2 Who almost killed Ra to get Osiris on the throne?
Answer: Isis

Isis was the wife of Osiris. She wanted to have him take the throne, so she put a cobra in Ra's room. The cobra bit Ra. He was in so much pain he asked Isis to heal him. Isis told him that she would need his secret name, which put Ra under her control. Isis banished Ra to the heavens, and Osiris ruled for 600 years. Then Set trapped Osiris in a golden casket that sank beneath the earth. And the battle continued!
  From Quiz: Egyptian Gods
3 Seth was described as having many wives, but which of his wives was also his older sister?
Answer: Nephthys

As compensation for the council of the gods ruling that Horus should inherit Osiris' title as king, Seth was given the goddesses Astarte and Asat as wives. Due to Seth's association with the desert and infertility, he never fathered any children, and Nephthys eventually left him following his murder and mutilation of their brother, Osiris.
    Your options: [ Isis ] [ Nephthys ] [ Nefertiti ] [ Hatshepsut ]
  From Quiz: Egyptian Mythology - The Misunderstood God?
4 After creating the Earth and its inhabitants, Re, the sun god, assumed human form and became the first king of Egypt. Living amongst humans, Re became angry at their disobedience and evil deeds. What else was the main source of Re's anger?
Answer: His subjects ridiculed him for being old

This story of creation of humankind, followed by the discontent as to the way they were living their lives, is closely paralleled by the story of the Great Flood in Greek mythology. Re was said to have reigned for thousands of years as the first pharaoh. Although the Egyptians were said to refer to themselves as "the cattle of Re", few took him seriously when he became old.
  From Quiz: Egyptian Mythology - The Reign Re
5 According to one Egyptian creation myth, the god Atum was said to have produced twin children from his body. What were their names?
Answer: Shu and Tefnut

Atum (sometimes the spelling 'Atem' is used - they are two names for the same god) produced Shu (god of air) and Tefnut (goddess of moisture) on a mound in the primeval waters of chaos. This was how the Egyptian pantheon, and eventually mankind, came into being.
  From Quiz: Egyptian Mythology Mania
6 This animal was particularly important in Ancient Egypt for killing certain pests. These animals were the symbol of the goddess Bast. What common animal am I talking about?
Answer: Cats

Cats were originally domesticated in Egypt to help protect granaries from vermin such as mice and rats. After a long time of domestication their nature became more friendly and they became pets as well. Some were even mummified and viewed as sacred.
  From Quiz: Animals in Egyptian Mythology
7 Who was the son of Seth and Nephthys?
Answer: Anubis

Anubis was the god of embalming and the dead. He was portrayed with the head of a jackal. During the process of mummification, priests would wear a mask of a jackal on their heads to resemble Anubis.
  From Quiz: Ancient Egyptian Gods
8 Perhaps the insect most associated with ancient Egypt is the scarab beetle. What were these beetles strongly associated with, as a result of their habit of rolling large balls of dung using their hind legs?
Answer: The sun

The movement of the large dung ball pushed by the beetle was said to be similar to the movement of the sun across the sky. As Khepri was the god responsible for the sun's movement, so the scarab beetle came to be linked with him. The link was so strong that the god began to be depicted as half human half beetle in some works of art.

The Egyptians, believing the sun to die each night and be reborn each morning, therefore also began to see the scarab beetle as a sign of resurrection.

Finally, scarab beetles were thought to be capable of spontaneous creation - emerging from the dung which originally contained the beetle's eggs.
  From Quiz: A Phar-old Insect Quiz
9 Thoth was the Ancient Egyptian god of what?
Answer: Writing and knowledge

Thoth was considered the scribe of the gods. It was believed by the Ancient Egyptians that Thoth gave them the gift of using the hieroglyphs as a form of writing. He was also thought to be connected with the moon. Thoth was present at the Hall of Two Truths where the weighing of the heart took place. He would record the process of the Weighing of the Heart.
  From Quiz: Beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians
10 What was the name of the Sun god?
Answer: Re/Ra

Re/Ra was the the first of the Egyptian gods. He also stood for life, rebirth, children, health and virility. Some said that he made people. He was associated with Horus, the god of the sky.
  From Quiz: Excellent Egyptian Gods
11 In the first plague the waters of Egypt were turned to blood. There were many gods associated with the waters of Egypt, especially the Nile River. Which god did the Egyptians believe was the guardian of the Nile?
Answer: Khnum

Khnum was believed to be the Nile's guardian.

The others were associated with the Nile in some way. The Egyptians believed the Nile was the physical bloodstream of Osiris, the god of the underworld.
    Your options: [ Hapy or Hapi ] [ Nu ] [ Osiris ] [ Khnum ]
  From Quiz: The Ten Plagues of Egypt
12 The goddess of truth, justice, and harmony. She was a daughter of Ra, and was often depicted with a feather on her head.
Answer: Ma'at

Ma'at sat in judgement over the souls of the dead in the Judgement Hall of Osiris, making her an underworld deity.
    Your options: [ Hapy ] [ Bastet ] [ Ma'at ] [ Isis ]
  From Quiz: The Ancient Egyptian Pantheon
13 The universe started out as what?
Answer: a watery void

"In the beginning there was nothing but chaos." This primordial watery void was a great marsh known as Nun, which existed as the potentiality of all things.
  From Quiz: The Creation of the Universe
14 Creator and solar deity. Represented as a scarab or dung beetle, or as a beetle-headed man.
Answer: Khepri

Huh/Heh = frog-headed god. Represented infinity. The city of Hermopolis Magna was his main cult centre.
Shezmu = underworld demon, usually represented as a man.
Khonsu = Son of Amun and Mut. Usually depicted as a child or a young man with headress of full and crescent moon. Thebes was his chief cult centre.
    Your options: [ Khepri ] [ Shezmu ] [ Huh/Heh ] [ Khonsu ]
  From Quiz: Ancient Egypt: Gods and Goddesses
15 Who was the goddess of motherhood?
Answer: Hathor

The goddess Hathor was closely related to Horus, it is said that she was either his mother or wife.
  From Quiz: Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
16 Who were supposedly the parents of Bast?
Answer: Isis and Re

Bast, also known as Bastet, defended her father against his enemy Apep. Besides being the daughter of Isis and Re, she was the sister of Sekhmet. Bast was the protector of home and family. She punished Egypt's enemies. Bast led other cats to the next life.
  From Quiz: Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty
17 What kind of animal was Sekhmet?
Answer: lioness

Sekhmet had the body of a woman and the head of a lioness.
  From Quiz: The Destruction of Mankind
18 When Isis had retrieved Osiris' body parts, with the help of Nephthys, Isis decided to make Osiris come back to life. Which god came to help her with this matter?
Answer: Anubis

In ancient Egypt, Anubis (or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian), was the jackal-headed god of embalming and mummification
    Your options: [ Sobek ] [ Ra ] [ Anubis ] [ Seth ]
  From Quiz: 'Horus and Seth' Part 2
19 How many children was Nut said to have had?
Answer: 5

Nut was the Egyptian sky goddess, and was thought to be either the daughter/granddaughter of Ra, the sun god. In this myth, she really wanted to become a mother, but she didn't ask Ra for permission to have children. This created problems later in the legend.
  From Quiz: 'Horus and Seth' Part 1
20 What does Meretseger's name mean?
Answer: 'She who loves silence'

Meretseger, otherwise known as the Goddess of the Peak, was often feared as well as loved by the people of Ancient Egypt, as she was known the cause snakebites, as well as heal them.
  From Quiz: Egyptian Myths
21 Which goddess was involved in the judgement of the dead, personified order, harmony, justice and truth (both divine and among men) and was also represented by a feather?
Answer: Maat

The deceased's heart would be weighed against Maat's feather in judgement. If the heart was lighter than the feather that person would enter the afterlife. Maat was also Thoth's consort. Meretseger is the goddess who protects the Valley of the Kings and Selket (or Serket) is a scorpion goddess and one of the four goddesses responsible for guarding the royal coffin.
    Your options: [ Selket ] [ Isis ] [ Maat ] [ Meretseger ]
  From Quiz: Exciting Egyptian Gods!
22 What 'creature' could not be killed in Ancient Egypt because it was seen as related to Ra's own daughter, the goddess Bastet?
Answer: cat

Her city was Bubastis, the town of Ubasti or Bastet.
  From Quiz: Gods And Goddesses From Egypt
23 Who was the Egyptian god of the afterlife?
Answer: Osiris

It is said that Osiris was once the ruler of Egypt but was eventually murdered by his brother during a fight. After his death, he was brought back to life by his wife Isis. They had a son named Horus, who ruled as the living king of Egypt while his father ruled the dead.
  From Quiz: Fun Egyptian Mythology
24 What Egyptian god with the head of a ram created babies using his potter wheel?
Answer: Khnum (Chnoumis)

The Egyptian god Khnum had many wives, one of whom was Ra's daughter, Satet. Together, the two of them lived in Abu. Khnum was a potter. He used clay from the Nile River and formed humans. Heket, another wife of Khnum, breathed life into the clay and then put the baby inside a woman's womb.

Khnum had two more wives named Nebtu and Menhit.
  From Quiz: The Gods of Egypt
25 The God Thoth is represented by a man with the head of what animal?
Answer: Ibis
  From Quiz: Egyptian Animals
26 Who was god of the moon and inventor of writing?
Answer: Thoth

Thoth's head is that of a bird, the ibis (common in Egypt). The curved beak of Thoth's ibis head is symbolic of the moon in crescent form!
  From Quiz: Egyptian Mythos Quiz
27 Her name means 'She Who Loves Silence'; the goddess of the mountain overlooking the Valley of the Kings. She was a cobra goddess who would spit venom at anyone attempting to disturb one of the valley's royal tombs. Who was she?
Answer: Meretseger

Occasionally she would also manifest herself as a scorpion with a woman's head. Meretseger was especially revered by the inhabitants of Deir el-Medina who were responsible for building the royal tombs (they called her 'Lady of the Peak'). She was believed to strike at workers who committed crimes, but if the victim repented of their actions, she mercifully would heal the wound she had inflicted.
  From Quiz: Tough Egyptian Mythology
28 With which creature was the God Sobek associated?
Answer: Crocodile

Sobek was considered a demon, a feared being that required pacification (much like the crocodile!)
    Your options: [ Crocodile ] [ Crow ] [ Lizard ] [ Lion ]
  From Quiz: Egyptian Equivalence
29 Which important symbol/tool was associated with Set?
Answer: The Adze

The Adze was a tool crucial to the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, which was necessary for the dead to be able to speak and take in sustenance in the afterlife. It was made from materials thought to be sacred to Set, such as the iron from meteorites and copper, and was made in the shape of a constellation associated with Set.
    Your options: [ The Pyramid ] [ The Canopic Jars ] [ The Djed Pillar ] [ The Adze ]
  From Quiz: The Mysteries of Set
30 Who is the vulture goddess?
Answer: Nekbet

Nekbet is a goddess who can never pick a side. She is in a close relationship with Babi, the god of the bad side of baboons. Nekbet is the goddess of protection. Naturally she was in a relationship with Ra, who is the god of the sun and goodness. Nekbet is one of the most powerful goddesses, because she has both a good and an evil nature, just like vultures. Don't get on the bad side of Nekbet!
  From Quiz: Egyptian Gods
31 As the deceased travelled west, they eventually came to a labyrinth with many portals. Which ancient text was said to contain spells which would help the deceased defeat such obstacles?
Answer: The Book of the Dead

The 'Book of the Dead' was an expensive text to purchase and those who were rich enough to be buried with the book were more likely to achieve entry into the afterlife. As well as navigating their way through the labyrinth in the west, the deceased also had to recite a set text at each doorway, of which there were twenty-one (according the 'Book of the Dead').
    Your options: [ The Prose Edda ] [ The Book of the Dead ] [ The Book of Life ] [ The Little Red Book ]
  From Quiz: Egyptian Mythology - The Afterlife
32 Many Egyptian deities are associated with animals whose behaviour reflects the role of that specific god. Aside from the obscure and possibly imaginary animal whose head Seth is usually portrayed as having, why is Seth often associated with a pig?
Answer: Because is it 'unclean'

For the same reasons, Seth is also associated with the hippopotamus. In one myth, the final battle in the living realm between Seth and Horus, Seth transforms into a giant hippopotamus before he is slain by a harpoon. The long-snouted animal whose head Seth possesses in many depictions is thought to be either a donkey or an ant-eater.
  From Quiz: Egyptian Mythology - The Misunderstood God?
33 Once Osiris had returned from his travels, Seth greeted his brother with apparent love and even held a banquet in his honour. How did this night of celebrations end?
Answer: Seth trapped Osiris in a chest after challenging him to fit in it

Seth invited Osiris to a dinner with 72 evil conspirators (although the number varies between stories). Before the dinner, Seth had secretly measured the body proportions of his brother and had ordered a chest to be made of expensive wood and designed with intricate detail. Once drunk, Osiris lept into the chest with the promise that it would be his if he fit, but the lid was immediately shut and the king was trapped.
    Your options: [ Seth served Osiris a poison fruit for his dessert ] [ Seth drowned Osiris in a vat of mead ] [ Seth trapped Osiris in a chest after challenging him to fit in it ] [ Seth wrapped Osiris in linen so he could not move ]
  From Quiz: Egyptian Mythology - The Death of Osiris
34 Angry with mankind, Re decided that something must be done to punish them. To gain advice, Re summoned Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Seth, Isis and Nephthys. Along with Re, what were these deities collectively known as?
Answer: The Ennead

These nine gods which made up the Ennead were the major gods of the mythology of Heliopolis (the city of the sun). Re also invited Nun, and during the discussion of what should be done to punish mankind, Re listened to Nun most closely, as Nun was the first being and the god who created Re.
  From Quiz: Egyptian Mythology - The Reign Re
35 From the expansive waters which were said to predate everything in Egyptian mythology came an egg. From this perfectly spherical egg came Re (or Ra). Which celestial body is most associated with Re?
Answer: The sun

Some myths of ancient Egypt describe the story of a perfect egg suddenly appearing in the waters of Nun, and hatching to give the powerful god known as Re. Other myths differ slightly, describing the rising of a mound of earth from Nun, on which the great god Re was seated. Yet another account says that Re came from a lotus flower, rather than an egg.
    Your options: [ The sun ] [ Jupiter ] [ The moon ] [ Saturn ]
  From Quiz: Egyptian Mythology - The Creation
36 What was the name of the serpent that represented the forces of evil in ancient Egypt?
Answer: Apophis

The goddess Neith gave birth to Apophis by spitting him out. His name actually means 'He who was spat out'. Apophis's only goal is to destroy Ra, the sun god, and prevent him from rising again.
  From Quiz: Egyptian Mythology Mania
37 The ancient city of Hermopolis (Magna) is known for keeping this animal sacred. It is considered the symbol of the god, Thoth. What is this fairly common Egyptian animal?
Answer: Ibis

Archaeologists have even found mummified ibises at this site. Hermopolis was the cult center of worship for Thoth. The Greek associated Thoth with their god Hermes, hence the name of the city.
  From Quiz: Animals in Egyptian Mythology
38 Who was the goddess of moisture?
Answer: Tefnut

Tefnut was the wife of Shu and the mother of Nut. She was portrayed with the head of a lioness.
  From Quiz: Ancient Egyptian Gods
39 Another significant insect in ancient Egypt was the buprestid beetle, which features in many tomb engravings and jewellery designs. What was the alternate, rather fitting, name given to this beetle?
Answer: Jewel beetle

The jewel beetle was given its name because of the colourful shells of different members of its species.

The beetle's life cycle is said to link it to the myth of Osiris and his spiteful brother, Seth. In this myth, Seth tricked Osiris into getting into a wooden box, which was then sealed and thrown into water. The box was carried by the water until it was stopped by a tree and incorporated into it. The tree was later split by the goddess, Isis, who found Osiris within. This is similar to the buprestid beetle in the respect that in its larval stage it burrows under wood and later emerges from the bark once grown.
    Your options: [ Shiny beetle ] [ Jewel beetle ] [ Gold beetle ] [ Nik-nak beetle ]
  From Quiz: A Phar-old Insect Quiz
40 What was the goddess Ammut known as?
Answer: the soul-devourer

Ammut was the soul-eating monster. She was depicted with the head of a crocodile, the forequarters of a lion and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. Ammut would sit beside Ma'at at the Hall of Two Truths and would eat the souls that were full of sin and weighed heavier than the feather of Ma'at.
  From Quiz: Beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians
The rest of the questions and answers can be found in our quizzes here:
Egyptian Myth Quizzes