Something in Common Trivia

1. Who was married to Helen of Troy and thus the betrayed party when Paris abducted her?

From Quiz M Is For Menelaus

Answer: Menelaus

Menelaus was indeed the king of Sparta whose wife Helen was abducted by the Trojan prince Paris. She was the bribe offered to Paris by Aphrodite if he would name her as "the fairest one". Following the kidnapping, Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon (king of Mycenae) called upon all Greeks to enact revenge on Troy. And so "a thousand ships" sailed to the Trojan War. After ten years of fighting, Menelaus finally retrieved Helen and they resumed their married life in Sparta, albeit not a happy one: Menelaus kept on mourning the comrades he lost in Troy. Makedon, the mythical ancestor of the Macedonians, was probably tall and perhaps slender, based upon the etymological analysis of his name. But there are few sources left about him, and they contradict each other: some state Makedon was the son of Zeus, others that he was the son of Osiris. And also Aeolus and Lykaon are cited as his father. Mormo was a female spirit that should keep children from misbehaviour - a female version of the bogeyman, perhaps. Mimas was one of the Giants battling the Olympians during the Gigantomachy. He was killed in battle, but the name of his enemy is disputed.

From Quiz Healer Gods and Soothsayers

Answer: Athens

Amphiaraus or Amphiaraos was one of the Seven Against Thebes, the seven champions who fought to reinstate Polynices, the son of Oedipus, to the throne of Thebes. During the conflict, Amphiaraus was struck by Zeus with a thunderbolt and was swallowed up by the earth, thus becoming a chthonic god, a daemon. His oracle, one of the most well-known and revered in ancient Greece, was in Oropos, 60 km north of Athens, and it included a temple, theater, and "cleansing" quarters, or baths, where those seeking the god's help would cleanse themselves, pray, and meditate. Part of the temple was dedicated to the healer deities of Panacea, Hygieia, Iaso, and Athena Paeonia.

From Quiz Curious Classical Characters

Answer: Cassandra

Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Apollo desired her and offered her the art of prophecy to seduce her. But after she refused his romantic advances, Apollo tried to retract his gift - in vain. So he cursed her to meet unbelief everywhere she went. After the fall of Troy (which she correctly predicted), Ajax dragged her away in slavery. Ajax donated Cassandra to Agamemnon, and later on Agamemnon's wife and her lover killed Agamemnon and Cassandra. Early Greek depictions show Cassandra as a woman of good figure, with seductive curly hair. Soothsayers were regarded very highly in Greek myth. However, the need for equilibrium also was responsible for serious setbacks in their lives. For instance, Tiresias was "the blind who saw" - he prophesied, but otherwise he was totally blind. Cephisso (Kephiso) was one of Apollo's daughters. Cymopoleia (Kymopoleia) was one of Poseidon's daughters in charge of the waves. Karpo was one of the Horae (seasons), responsible for ripe fruit.

From Quiz P Is for Poseidon - Not for Phobos nor Psyche

Answer: Pandora

The first mortal woman in Greek myth was Pandora (translated "the all-giving" or, in a later misconception, "the all-gifted"). Hesiod relates how Hephaestus created Pandora, and all Olympians gave her something. In that way, she earned the title "all-gifted". The best known of her possessions was a lidded jar (in later translations a lidded box), which she was strictly told never to open. Alas, her curiosity led her to disobey. As she opened the container, various plagues escaped - death, pain, illness, whatever. Only hope remained inside. Moral of the story? Don't let your curiosity get the better of yourself - and always obey strict orders. Praxidike was the goddess responsible for exacting justice. Her daughters were Arete (Virtue) and Homonoia (Concord). Ptocheia was the (female) personification of beggars. Podarge (literally "fleet-footed") was one of the Harpies, creatures that mix a bird's body with a woman's face. Originally the Harpies were personifications of storm winds, but later they evolved to companions of the Erinyes (avenging spirits).

From Quiz Epsilon is for Eos

Answer: Eos

Eos, rosy-fingered in a saffron robe, would rise early to bring the light upon the mortal men. Helios (the Sun) was her brother, and Selene (the moon) was her sister. Enyalius was a minor god of war, probably one of Ares' sons. Elpis was the personification of hope. When Pandora opened her box, all sorts of catastrophes came out and only Elpis remained. Ephialtes was the name of two different giant creatures. One Ephialtes was a Giant shot in the eye by Heracles and by Apollo, the other Ephialtes tried to storm Olympus by putting three mountains one on top of the other.

From Quiz The Stories Behind the Stars

Answer: Minotaur

King Minos attacked Athens and the people of Athens yielded. They were forced to send fourteen boys and girls to be fed to the Minotaur every nine years. Theseus volunteered to be taken with the intention of killing the monster. There was one problem: only one person had ever entered the maze and returned alive - Daedalus, the creator of the labyrinth. Theseus used some thread to find his way out once the deed was done.

From Quiz Only the Good Die Young

Answer: Agamemnon (her father); to get favorable winds to Troy

Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, was sacrificed because Agamemnon's Greek forces were unable to get a favorable wind to sail to Troy and invade. To appease Artemis, who was stalling his army, Agamemnon was commanded through an oracle to sacrifice his daughter. Some myths have her surviving the sacrifice and living out her days in obscurity. Her death spurs later revenges among her family.

From Quiz Dark Night Full of Lights

Answer: Cepheus

Cepheus is a constellation, which is visible in the Northern Hemisphere throughout the whole year. It was first spotted and observed by Greek astronomer Ptolemy and is one of the modern 88 constellations. Cepheus was the son of Agenor and husband of Kassiopeia. Because of the arrogance of his wife, Kassiopeia, and her repeated claims that their daughter, Andromeda, bested in beauty the Nereids, the gods and especially Poseidon, became enraged.

From Quiz Pride and Punishment

Answer: Marsyas

Marsyas, who played the flute, engaged in a musical contest with Apollo, master of lyre, and lost. The revenge of the god was cruel: he flayed the satyr alive.

From Quiz Unusual Birth in the Greek Myth

Answer: Pegasus

Medusa was one of the Gorgons - a monster whose gaze could turn a man into a stone. Pegasus was born from Medusa's head cut off by the hero Perseus. Another creature, which sprang from Medusa's head, was Chrysaor, a warrior. Pegasus was later tamed by Bellerophon and helped him in his fight against the Chimaera.

From Quiz M Is For Menelaus

Answer: Medusa

Medusa was one of the three Gorgons: three sisters with atrocious looks. Medusa was mortal, her sisters Stheno and Euryale were immortal. The Greek hero Perseus was sent to kill Medusa, and he used the gifts of several Olympic gods to do so. The goddess Athena had given Perseus a mirror, so he could strike while looking in the mirror and not directly into Medusa's ghastly face. Melanippe (literally "black horse") can refer to several mythical females, among them the Amazon captured by Heracles in an effort to exchange her for Hippolyta's golden belt. One of Heracles' tasks was to obtain this belt, which he first tried without bloodshed. But Hera intervened and Heracles had to slay several Amazons. Myrina was also a name applied to several characters. The best documented of those was an Amazon queen who conquered Syria, Phrygia and Lesbos. Macaria was either the daughter of Heracles or the minor goddess of a welcome death. Heracles' daughter chose to be sacrificed, so in a way she welcomed death too.

From Quiz Healer Gods and Soothsayers

Answer: Chiron

Chiron was unique among the centaurs since he was the half-brother to Zeus and the other Olympian gods, son of Cronus and Philyra, a sea nymph. He lived at the foot of Mount Pelion and was a teacher and mentor to many gods and demigods, like Asclepius, Heracles, Achilles, and Jason. He was wise and just, and he possessed excellent knowledge of medicine, botany, the healing powers of herbs and plants, and the preparation of ointments and potions. He was killed tragically by his student, Heracles, who exchanged his immortality for the life of the Titan, Prometheus. His brother, Zeus, placed him in the sky as the constellation Centaurus.

From Quiz Curious Classical Characters

Answer: Calypso

Calypso was the witch inhabiting the island of Ogygia. After the Trojan war, Odysseus crossed the Mediterranean in random directions, blown by Poseidon's wind, looking for a way home during ten years. One of Odysseus' adventures was landing on Ogygia, where Calypso enchanted him by singing. He stayed with her for seven years, at last set free after Athena intervened for him. Jacques-Yves Cousteau, a famous oceanographer, named his principal exploration ship Calypso. Circe was another sorceress who crossed Odysseus' path. She turned most of his sailors into swine, but Hermes came to Odysseus' rescue. Celaeno was of the winged harpies sent out to torture sinners. Cinyras was King of Cyprus, possibly the father of the beautiful young man Adonis.

From Quiz P Is for Poseidon - Not for Phobos nor Psyche

Answer: Polydeuces

Leda was a mortal woman, married to king Tyndareus of Sparta. Once Zeus desired her (as he did so many other women), disguised himself as a swan and seduced Leda. Leda then produced two eggs, from which four people were born: Helen (daughter of Zeus), Clytemnestra (daughter of Tyndareus), Castor (the mortal son of Tyndareus) and Polydeuces (the immortal son of Zeus). Polydeuces' name was shortened to Pollux by the Romans, and his Roman name is better known as the Greek one. However, as I discuss Greek myth in this quiz, I'll stick to his Greek name. Helen and Clytemnestra would marry the two most powerful Greek kings: Helen married Menelaus, king of Sparta, while Clytemnestra married Menelaus' brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. Castor and Polydeuces were excellent horse riders and boxers. They helped Jason and the Argonauts to find the Golden fleece. Roughly at the time when Paris kidnapped Helen (and thus gave the motive for the Trojan war), Castor and Polydeuces became involved in a fight with their cousins Lynceus and Idas. All but Polydeuces were killed, and Zeus offered him the option to retrocede half of his immortality to his deceased half-brother Castor. Polydeuces consented, and since then the half-brothers alternate between heaven (the Olympus) and hell (the Hades). Prophasis was the female personification of excuses. Pelias was the king of Iolcus and sent Jason on his search for the Golden Fleece. Pirithoos was the king of the Lapiths. When the Centaurs abducted Pirithoos' wife, he tried to marry Persephone - a reckless desire which cost him his life.

From Quiz Theta Is For Thalassa

Answer: Themis

Themis was indeed the Greek precursor of the Roman goddess Justitia. Not all of her pictures include the blindfold that is typically associated with Roman Justitia (for whom the adage "all are equal before the law" was sacred). Themis was one of the Titans, the offspring of Uranus and Gaia. The Titans included Oceanus and Tethys (who married each other), Hyperion and Theia (another pair of married siblings), Crius (married to his half-sister Eurybia), Cronus and Rhea (the third pair of brother and sister united in matrimony), Coeus and Phoebe (once more a marriage between siblings), Iapetus (who was married to one of his nieces) and the single women Themis and Mnemosyne. Both Themis and Mnemosyne were seduced by their nephew Zeus. From this union with her nephew, Themis conceived two sets of three daughters. One were the Horae ("seasons" as in forms of justice): Dikè (justice), Eunomia (morality, literally translated good order) and Eirene (peace). The other were the Moirai (fates): Clotho who spun the life thread, Lachesis who measured the exact length, and Atropos who cut the thread of life at the end.

From Quiz Lesser Letters

Answer: Hebe

Hebe was the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She served nectar and ambrosia to the Olympians until she wed Heracles, and then her role as cupbearer was assumed by the young man Ganymede. For those who wonder about the orthography, her name is written in Greek capitals as 'HBH - where the apostrophe indicates aspiration of the first vowel (sounding like an H in English), and the two vowels are etas - to be pronounced as the first e in the French word "être". In art Hebe is usually depicted with a (white) long, flowing dress, a garland of flowers in the hair, and bearing a (golden) cup, sometimes with a similar jug for the nectar. During the second half of the Eighteenth century, many French noblewomen fancied appearing in public in this particular fashion, called "en Hébé". Numerous artists have depicted French noble women "en Hébé", even Marie-Antoinette (after she married Louis XVI but before he ascended to the throne). The red herrings also start with an aspirated eta. In Greek capitals these would be written 'HDONH, 'HMEPA and 'HPA. The capital rho is written in Greek as P. Hera was of course the queen of the Olympian gods, married to Zeus and patron of marriage. Hedone was the goddess associated with pleasure - not necessarily sensual lust (as some of our contemporary philosophers may assume). Hemera is a Greek word for day, and thus she was the goddess of daytime.

From Quiz Epsilon is for Eos

Answer: Eros

Psyche was a mortal princess, one of the most beautiful women on earth. As many men infatuated with her beauty omitted their prayers to Aphrodite and instead venerated Psyche, Aphrodite wanted revenge. She sent out her son Eros with the mission to make Psyche fall madly in love with the most hideous creature ever seen. Alas, Eros accidentally wounded himself with one of his infatuating arrows and fell in love with Psyche. To complete his mission, Eros had Psyche transported to a secluded villa, where he would visit her at night - pretending to be too ugly to behold. But when Eros fell asleep, Psyche lighted a torch and found out the truth. After several difficult tasks imposed by Aphrodite, Psyche was finally allowed wedding Eros, and thus became divine. Erebus was the main god of darkness. Eurotas was a Laconian king, having as sole heir his daughter Sparta. Eurypyle was one of the Amazon queens, best known for her fight against the city of Babylon.

From Quiz A is for Abas

Answer: Achilles

Achilles is one of the main characters in the Iliad. Achilles was the son of the human Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis, so he was a half-god. The Roman author Statius (AD 45-96) told the story how Thetis dipped her son into the river Styx in order to make him invulnerable. But neither in the Iliad nor in other sources before Statius is there any sign of this general invulnerability. There are a few examples that Achilles was indeed vulnerable. Achilles fell out with the Greek leader and refused to continue the siege of Troy. But when his friend Patroclus was killed by Hector, Achilles took up the spear once more in rage. The Iliad doesn't contain the story of Achilles' death. Several sources mention that Achilles was shot by Paris with a poisoned arrow.

From Quiz The Stories Behind the Stars

Answer: Gold

Ino was the second wife of King Athamas. In order to ensure that her own son would be heir to the throne, she invented a prophecy that required the king to sacrifice his eldest son, Phrixus. Just as the boy was about to be killed, a golden ram appeared and carried Phrixus and his sister, Helle, away to safety.

From Quiz Only the Good Die Young

Answer: To spite her cheating husband

Medea and Jason of the Argonauts married after she helped him capture the Golden Fleece. They had two sons, but after he betrayed her and married another woman, she vowed revenge. She ended up killing their children and his new wife, and the gods essentially gave her immunity for her actions.

From Quiz Dark Night Full of Lights

Answer: Pegasus

Pegasus is visible in both Northern and Southern Hemisphere. It is the 7th biggest constellation and contains The Great Square. Pegasus was a male horse (stallion) with wings. It was sired by Poseidon. Without Pegasus' help, Bellerophon may never have killed the Chimera or defeated the Amazons.

From Quiz Pride and Punishment

Answer: Arachne

Arachne challenged Athena to a contest and was beaten by the goddess. Not being able to stand the humiliation, she took her own life. But the goddess pitied Arachne and changed her into a spider.

From Quiz Unusual Birth in the Greek Myth

Answer: Athena

Zeus, after swallowing Metis, Athena's mother, got a terrible headache and asked Hephaestus to open his head with an axe. This is how Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, was born.

From Quiz M Is For Menelaus

Answer: Minos

King Minos and Queen Pasiphae reigned over Crete. They had several children together, but then Pasiphae wanted a completely different sexual experience: she had intercourse with a bull. And after a while she delivered a monster: a gigantic human body crowned with a bull's head, and feeding only on human flesh: the Minotaur. To keep the Minotaur from eating the Cretan citizens, king Minos ordered to build a great maze (the Labyrinth) and to confine the Minotaur in the centre of this Labyrinth. And to feed the monster, Minos demanded that the city of Athens (whose army he had defeated) send regularly seven young boys and seven young girls. When the Athenian youngster Theseus came of age, he volunteered to be sent to the Minotaur, and with the help of Ariadne (daughter of Minos and Pasiphae) he succeeded in defeating the monster.

From Quiz Healer Gods and Soothsayers

Answer: Snakes

The Aesculapian snakes, named after the god Asclepius, are among the largest nonvenomous European snakes. In antiquity, the snakes were used in the healing rituals performed in the temple-hospitals of Asclepius. People believed that the snakes symbolized rejuvenation and healing, since they shed their skin and continued living with new skin. The "Asclepian staff", or "Asclepian rod", was a staff with a single snake entwined around it, and it was the symbol of Asclepius. The god was usually depicted as a mortal man, leaning on his staff with a dog by his feet. Asclepius was the son of Apollo, who killed his mother, Koronis, because she had an affair with a mortal. Apollo rescued the baby and handed him to Chiron, who taught him to hunt and the secrets of curing and healing.

From Quiz Curious Classical Characters

Answer: Cadmus

Cadmus was a Phoenician prince wandering through Greece. The oracle of Delphi instructed him to follow a certain cow and found a city where the cow settled down to rest, exhausted. There Cadmus built a city, and sowed dragon's teeth around it. The teeth magically transformed into fierce warriors, and they would protect Thebes for many centuries. Herodotus ascribes the Greek alphabet to Cadmus, but at best Herodotus' claim is an oversimplification. The Greek alphabet gradually evolved with influences from at least four different dialects, so it is clearly not the invention of one single mind. Castor and his twin brother Polydeuces (better known by his Roman name Pollux) were powerful heroes. Castor was mortal, while Polydeuces was immortal - but after Castor's death they shared Polydeuces' immortality. Coeus was a Titan representing the inquisitive spirits. As such he could be considered the patron of philosophy. Calchas was a seer, especially good at predicting events by studying bird's movements. He was the one who convinced Agamemnon to sacrifice the latter's daughter Iphigenia to obtain favourable winds before sailing unto Troy.

From Quiz P Is for Poseidon - Not for Phobos nor Psyche

Answer: Penelope

When Paris, prince of Troy, kidnapped Helen, wife of Menelaus, a large number of Greek heroes answered the battle call by Agamemnon, Menelaus' brother. So a great host of Greeks left home and landed on the Trojan shores, starting a siege that lasted ten years. Many fine souls were thrown into hell (as Homer described in one of the first verses of the Iliad), and the survivors went home. Odysseus was one of the survivors, but because of a quarrel with Poseidon and Hera, Odysseus and his men roamed the seas for ten more years. Meanwhile at Odysseus' home (Ithaca) rumours sprang that Odysseus was dead, and over one hundred young men invited themselves into the castle where Odysseus' supposed widow Penelope lived. The many suitors tried to convince her to remarry one of them, but Penelope (convinced that her husband was still alive) stalled them in a cunning way. One of her tricks was to declare that she would announce her choice after finishing a burial gown for Odysseus' father, but at night she undid all the stitches. When finally Odysseus returned (disguised as a beggar), Penelope challenged the drunken suitors for an archery contest. None but the apparent beggar succeeded in stringing Odysseus' bow, and then the slaughter began. Odysseus with the help of his son, two farmers and the goddess Athena killed all the suitors, revealed his true identity, and they happily lived ever after. Polyxena was the youngest daughter of King Priam. Pistis was the deity representing faith, trust and honesty. Peitharchia personified obedience. She was married to Soter (the Saviour) and gave birth to Eupraxia (usually translated as "success", although the name literally indicates "good deeds").

From Quiz Theta Is For Thalassa

Answer: Theseus

Theseus was a prince of Athens who appears in several stories. The best known story is about how Theseus slew the Minotaur. For some reason or other, Athens had to send to Crete on regular intervals (some sources state seven years, other nine years) a group of young boys and girls as sacrifice to the Minotaur. The Minotaur was a colossal creature, resembling a man with a bull's head. This creature came forth from the union between Pasiphae (wife of the Cretan King Minos) and a white bull sent by Poseidon. In order to keep the Minotaur, King Minos had a formidable maze (the Labyrinth) construed, where no man could find his way out. Theseus was one of the youngsters who was to enter the Labyrinth and confront the Minotaur, unarmed. But he had hidden a sword under his tunic, and the guards responsible had not found it. Minos' daughter Ariadne, who fell head over heels in love with Theseus, had offered him a ball of thread which Theseus used to find his way out of the Labyrinth. Another story tells about Theseus growing to adulthood in his mother's country, and then travelling by land to his father Aegeus in Athens. On his way, he confronted six notorious villains and killed them all.

From Quiz Epsilon is for Eos

Answer: Eurydice

Orpheus was one of the most gifted musicians and poets. This son of a mortal king (Oeagrus of Thracia) and one of the Muses (Calliope) enthralled all living creatures with his music. Once a forest followed him, dancing upon the tunes Orpheus performed on his lyre. Orpheus fell in love with the beautiful Eurydice. But a venomous snake was eager to taste Eurydice's beautiful ankles, and so Eurydice died. Orpheus (while still alive) followed Eurydice into the Underworld, and his mourning music so moved Hades that Orpheus' wish was granted: Eurydice was allowed to follow Orpheus back into the world of the living, on one condition, that Orpheus should never look behind before having fully left the Underworld. So Orpheus and Eurydice travelled back from the Kingdom of Death. Alas, when Orpheus almost reached the exit, he looked over his shoulder to ascertain his beloved wife was still following. Inevitably Eurydice died (once again) and should remain in the Underworld forever. Orpheus and Eurydice have inspired many opera composers, from Monteverdi to von Gluck. Euryale was one of the Gorgones: three sisters of the must ugly appearance (with slithering snakes in stead of hair). Euryale and her sister Stheno were immortal, while the third sister Medusa was mortal. Epione ("the soothing") was wife of Asclepios and mother of Panacea and Hygieia, thus involved in medicine. Europa was a Phoenician princess, abducted and seduced by Zeus disguised as a bull. Europa bore to Zeus the Cretan King Minos.

From Quiz The Stories Behind the Stars

Answer: Pomegranate seeds

Hades fell in love with Persephone and abducted her. No one knew what had happened to Persephone so Demeter searched the Earth for her daughter, destroying fields and farms as she went. In the end, Zeus decided to bring Persephone back himself. By then it was too late! Hades had offered food to the girl, and whoever tastes the food of Hades cannot leave the Underworld. A deal was brokered: Persephone would spend six months with Hades, and then six months on Earth with Demeter. And that's why the Earth has summer and winter.

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