S Is For The Sphinx Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sirens

The Sirens were a dangerous threat to sailors. Sirens used to dwell on meadows near razor-edged cliffs, and their chant was so seductive that most sailors steered their vessels to approach those mellifluous voices. Alas, in doing so their ships were wrecked, and the sailors drowned in the stormy seas.

Early depictions show the Sirens as creatures having a human face and torso, bird's wings and an avian lower body (including scaly bird's feet). The earliest depictions showed male and female Sirens, but soon the male ones vanished and only female sirens were left. Later on the Sirens lost their wings and their lower bodies gradually mutated to fishy tails, thus more resembling mermaids.

When Jason set out with his companions to search for the Golden Fleece, Sirens tried to lure them onto the cliffs. But Orpheus, one of the heroes aboard the Argo (Jason's ship) started singing at them, and because no creature could equal Orpheus' singing qualities, the Sirens shut up and Jason obtained clear passage.

Answer: Sophrosyne

Heraclitus described Sophrosyne as follows: "Sophrosyne is the greatest virtue, and wisdom is speaking and acting the truth, paying heed to the nature of things." One of the (much later) illustrations shows Sophrosyne as a young dark-haired woman, in a tunic but barefoot, extinguishing a fire by pouring out a jar of liquid (which to me looked oddly as oil, not water).

According to Plato and Aristotle, Sophrosyne was the virtue of choosing the middle road, avoiding overindulgence while also eschewing extreme abstinence. These themes remind me of the text famously inscribed on the temple of Apollo in Delphi: "Gnothi seauton", meaning "Know thyself". Under influence of Plato and Aristotle, several Doctors of the (Roman-Catholic) Church have renamed Sophrosyne as Temperance, and elevated her to one of the essential virtues.

Answer: Stentor

During the Trojan War, Stentor was the herald of the Greeks. Homer states his voice was as loud as that of fifty men together. He used his talent to encourage the Greek forces.

Another source mentions that Stentor took on Hermes, the messenger god, in a competition for the loudest and clearest voice. Alas, Stentor lost (not surprisingly if your opponent has divine qualities) and died as a result.

Answer: Sybaris

In the region of Phocis (including Delhi) or Lamia (the region just north of Delhi), lived a giant female monster named Sybaris. Descriptions are very scarce, she was only known as huge and impressive. But later commentators on Greek myth have interpreted this particular monster as a dragoness. Sybaris inspired fear to the whole region, ransacking the villages while searching for humans to feed on.

So the inhabitants asked the famed Oracle of Delphi for council. The Oracle answered that Sybaris could only be placated by the sacrifice of one young man. Fate indicated Alcyoneus as the intended victim, but his lover Eurybarus (a young hero) volunteered to take his place. So Eurybarus went to Sybaris, and they fought till death. Eurybarus threw Sybaris off a cliff, where she hit the rocks and bled to death.  

Answer: Selene

There are at least four names for goddess of the moon, but probably these belong to only two different goddesses. On the one hand we have Artemis, in ancient times only responsible for the hunt and the wild animals, but later also the goddess of the moon. Artemis was skilled in archery, and if you look at the moon during first and last quarter, you can easily imagine the moon as the outline of a strung bow. Don't you see it? Disney's animated movie "Fantasia" (1940) has a clear depiction of what I mean. Artemis was the child of Zeus and Leto, and was born near Mont Cynthus. That's why she sometimes is also called Cynthia.

On the other hand we have Selene, the true personification of the moon. Selene was the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. Selene used a span of horses or oxen to drive her chariot across the night sky, dragging with it the moon. As Selene was also born near Mount Cynthus, she too was sometimes addressed as Cynthia.

One of the most moving stories is how Selene fell in love with the prince (or shepherd) Endymion, who lay sleeping in a cave naked. Selene asked to grant Endymion immortality, and her wish was granted. And while Endymion was still sleeping as a log, Selene had intercourse with him multiple times, resulting in 50 daughters and an unspecified number of sons.

Answer: Scylla

Scylla guarded a narrow strait opposite another monster named Charybdis. Charybdis would swallow the sea, thus creating whirlpools in which ships would be wrecked and sailors would drown. But on the other side of the sea strait waited Scylla, with six heads, each containing three series of sharp teeth, ready to swoop down on anyone sailing close by and devouring one of the crew with each head.

Traditionally Scylla was supposed to inhabit the Italian shore of the Strait of Messina, and Charybdis lay in ambush at the Sicilian side of the Strait. Only a very narrow path between them was left, and skippers had to follow that path meticulously in order to avoid shipwreck. The sorceress Circe advised Odysseus to steer close to Scylla and dash forward as fast the men could row - "better to lose six men and keep your ship than to lose your ship and all crew".

Answer: Salmacis

The Naiads were water nymphs, protectors of freshwater such as springs, wells, rivers and lakes. Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, had invited some of the Naiads to join her hunting party. But Salmacis refused to take up arms for the chase, she preferred spending her time bathing in a well near Halicarnassus (nowadays Bodrum, Turkey).

One day the beautiful young man Hermaphroditus also went bathing in this spring, and Salmacis couldn't temper her lust for him. She forced herself upon him and prayed to the gods to unite them, thus making Hermaphroditus into an androgyn creature.

Answer: Sphinx

The Sphinx was a creature appearing not only in Greek myth, but also in various other mythologies. Egyptian Sphinxes were typically males, with the body of a lion and the head of a human. Egyptian Sphinxes usually guarded the entrance to a temple or holy site. But Greek Sphinxes were usually winged lionesses with a female face. The best known Greek Sphinx appeared in the Oedipus story.

Oedipus was traveling to Thebes, when suddenly the Sphinx barred his way. She would only let anyone pass who could solve her riddle. The famous riddle was: "Which creature walks sometimes on four feet, sometimes on two, and sometimes on three?" Oedipus thought a while before giving the right answer: "Man. As a baby, he crawls on all four. As an adult he walks on two legs. And when man gets really old, he walks with a cane, thus using three feet." The Sphinx let Oedipus pass and threw herself off the rocks to commit suicide.

Answer: Suntribus

According to Homer's epigrams, potters had five major Daemons threatening their craft: Suntribus (or Syntrips) the Shatterer, Smaragos the Crasher, Asbetos the Scorcher, Omodamos the Crudebaker and Sabaktes the Destroyer. Homer would call upon these five daemons to plague any potter who did not engage in honest work or equitable trade. Four of these pottery daemons were also selected as armour for various heroes in the video game "For Honor" (2017, released by Ubisoft for PC), only Smaragos was not included.

Answer: Styx

Most quizzers familiar with Greek myth know that the underworld (Hades) was bordered by five rivers, including the Styx and the Lethe (less familiar are the Acheron, the Phlegethon and the Cocytus). But all these five rivers were also personalized by eponymous river goddesses.

The river Lethe and the eponymous goddess represent oblivion. So a true quizzer hopes not to drink from the Lethe. The river Acheron and the goddess Acheron represent woe. The Phlegethon river and goddess stand for blazing fire. Call 911 ! The Cocytus river and goddess represent lament.

In this particular quiz we need to discuss the river Styx and its goddess. The river Styx was the main entrance to Hades, where the ferryman Charon would ferry the dead souls to the underworld. The three-headed dog Cerberus guarded the river, to make sure no living would enter the realm of the dead, nor any dead soul escape back to the living world.

The goddess Styx, personalization of the river, was the eldest daughter of the Titan Oceanus. She was also responsible for the most serious oath any of the gods could swear. An oath by the Styx was deemed unbreakable.