Undiscovered Places Trivia Quiz

Answer: Norse

Valhalla is Odin's majestic great hall, reserved for the gods and the valiant slain in battle. During the apocalyptic Ragnarök, the legions of Valhalla will march forth to do battle with the jotnar, the ancient 'giants'. References to Valhalla date back to the 13th century's "Prose Edda" and even earlier to the anonymous poem about Eric Bloodaxe (10th century).

Answer: Norse

Jotunheim is one of Norse mythology's 'Nine Worlds'. This wild land of mountains, forests and glaciers is occupied by the jotnar (singular jotun), ancient beings, many of whom are giants and are destined to battle Odin's legions at Ragnarök. Despite living in Asgard with his 'bloodbrother' Odin, Loki, the trickster and shapeshifter, is a jotun.

In our world, Jotunheim is a mountainous region in eastern Norway.

Answer: Norse

Vanaheim(r) is another of Norse mythology's 'Nine Worlds'. The name comes from Old Norse and means the home of the Vanir - separate beings from the Aesir gods in Asgard. The Vanir are gods of wisdom, magic, nature and fertility and dwell in a land populated by wild flora (often jungles) and dangerous fauna, ruled by Njörd, god of the sea and the wind.

Answer: Norse

Yggdrasil is the enormous ash (or perhaps yew) tree which connects all of the 'Nine Worlds' and enables communion between those realms. The branches reach up to the heavens while three massive roots link to the mystical realms (Asgard, Jotunheim, Niflheim, Vanaheim, Helheim, Midgard, Alfheim, Muspelheim and Svartalfheim). Various creatures live within its ecosphere including the malevolent dragon, Nidhogg, who chews on the tree's roots and four stags who graze on the leaves.

Answer: Greek

Hyperborea, from 'beyond the god of the north wind' (Boreas), was a mythological region containing the northernmost peoples living at thee edge of the world. Despite the real-world very cold climate, this land was depicted as warm and temperate. Early writers from Ancient Greece, including Herodotus in his "Histories", depicted the Hyperboreans as disciples of Apollo and responsible for his shrines at Delos and Delphi.

Some modern scholars believe that the Hyperboreans were based on the real peoples of far northern Europe and Asia.

Answer: Greek

Nysa is the mythological land heavily associated with the God of wine-making, fertility, orchards and madness (and other things too), Dionysus. Nominally a mountainous region, Nysa has been ascribed to several different 'real world' areas including India, Macedonia, Ethiopia and Egypt. One common myth has Dionysus as the son of Zeus and the mortal princess, Semele. With the help of Hermes, Zeus hid the infant with the nymphs (Nysiades) in Nysa to protect him from the wrath of Hera.

Answer: Greek

The Asphodel Meadows are the destination in the afterlife for most mortals - those who are not evil enough to warrant banishment to Tartarus or heroic enough to find their way to the Elysian Fields. As part of Hades' underworld, the meadows are depicted as dreary and grey and named for the Asphodel flowers that grow there.

Answer: Greek

In Greek mythology, Okeanos (or Oceanus) was both a titan - the god of freshwaters - and the great river which encircled the world. He married his sister, Tethys, the sea goddess, and she bore him thousands of children (the actual number depends on the information source).

These children became river gods (male) and the Oceanids (female). Many of these children played major roles in Greek mythology including the personification of rivers such as Styx, and prominent wives of many of the gods, including Metis, who was Zeus' first wife.

Answer: Indian

Naraka, as a place of purgatory, is common to several religions including Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. It is a place where 'souls' can contemplate their sins and atone to prepare for reincarnation.

Answer: Indian

Mount Meru is depicted in Jainist, Buddhist and Hindu temples as a majestic spire. This golden, sacred mountain represents spiritual ascent. It is the home of the devas (gods). It is also the pillar around which the planets, the sun and the moon revolve, which creates night and day.

Answer: Indian

Amaravati is the opulent capital city located on Mount Meru in the Hindu, Jainist and Buddhist religions. It is the domicile of the gods. Amaravati is also a city in Andhra Pradesh state in India, named after the famed city of Lord Indra and the other immortals.

Answer: Indian

For Indian religions, Patala is the realm of the underworld/netherworld. The word comes from the Sanskrit which literally translates to 'that which is below the feet'. Different religious texts describe Patala and its inhabitants in a variety of ways but the general description is a place of beauty and splendour, populated by semi-divine and divine creatures.

Answer: Polynesian/Maori

Te Rerenga Wairua, "the leaping-off place of spirits", refers to Cape Reinga on the Aupōuri Peninsula, in the far north of New Zealand. The Maori consider it a sacred site where the spirits of the dead leap from the headland and descend the roots of an ancient pohutukawa tree to reach Hawaiki, the ancestral home of the people.

Answer: Polynesian/Maori

From Polynesian/Maori belief, Ao isn't so much a single location, but rather the visible, upper world realm which also includes light and daytime. In contrast is Te Po, which is the dark and the netherworld. This originates from the primordial deities Ao and Te Po who together brought the universe into being from nothingness. The Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa ('Land of the Long White Cloud') symbolizing light emerging from the primordial chaos.

Separately, in Chinese mythology, Ao is a giant turtle that supports the world and the heavens.

Answer: Polynesian/Maori

Hawaiki is the legendary home of the Polynesian peoples. It is also the paradise destination for spirits after death. Hawaiki represents the source of life, culture, and bounty, and is honored in many songs. This place is not referring to the 'real world' Hawaiian Islands; instead, both names stem from the proto-Polynesian word 'Sawaiki', meaning place of origin.

Answer: Polynesian/Maori

In Maori legend, Rarohenga is where the spirits reside in the underworld. It is portrayed as a pleasant, peaceful and luminous place. It is also the domicile of the Atua, powerful guardians that protect aspects of the mortal world such as forests, seas and the weather.