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Mythology in Modern Times Trivia Quizzes

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We usually associate mythology with ancient times, but many modern terms are derived from, or get their significance from, ancient myths.
6 quizzes and 60 trivia questions.
1.
  Medicine and Mythology editor best quiz   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A substantial number of medical terms are derived from the names of ancient Greek and Roman deities and other characters from their mythologies. The following questions demonstrate the links between medicine and mythology.
Tough, 10 Qns, MotherGoose, Feb 09 11
Tough
MotherGoose editor
11586 plays
2.
  Mythology in Modern Life   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Welcome to my Mythology in Modern Life quiz! This quiz was made to point out all of the things in our lives from mythology that we take for granted. Enjoy!
Average, 10 Qns, athena6557, Oct 19 23
Average
athena6557
Oct 19 23
3268 plays
3.
  The Mythology of 'Fate/Grand Order' editor best quiz   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Kinoko Nasu's 'Fate' series is heavily influenced by world myth and legend, and the mobile game 'Fate/Grand Order' features many legendary characters. (Note: you don't have to be familiar with the game to play this quiz!)
Tough, 10 Qns, Kankurette, Nov 07 19
Tough
Kankurette gold member
Nov 07 19
363 plays
4.
  Where Do I Call Home? Part 3   popular trivia quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Did you know that some countries have mythological national animals? See if you can correctly match the national symbol with its mother country!
Average, 10 Qns, ponycargirl, Jul 15 17
Average
ponycargirl editor
Jul 15 17
428 plays
5.
  Mythological Leftovers   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Even though most people living today don't believe in mythological deities, American society has a few remnants: products, words and company names whose roots are found in myth. See how many you can identify!
Average, 10 Qns, gypsyqueen, Jun 25 19
Average
gypsyqueen
Jun 25 19
4334 plays
6.
  Mythological Leftovers: The Sequel    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
For those of you who liked my first Leftovers quiz...here's another!
Average, 10 Qns, gypsyqueen, Jan 01 10
Average
gypsyqueen
3530 plays
trivia question Quick Question
Another Greek goddess, Melanie, lends her name to melanoma. What does 'melano' mean in the medical term melanoma?

From Quiz "Medicine and Mythology"





Mythology in Modern Times Trivia Questions
1. The term insomnia is derived from Roman God Somnos or Somnus. What was he the God of?

From Quiz Medicine and Mythology

Answer: sleep

Somnos or Somnus is the Roman God of sleep and insomnia is the inability to sleep.

2. This motorcycle is named for the female warriors of Norse myth who dragged soldiers fallen in battle to the home of the gods.

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers: The Sequel

Answer: valkyrie & Valkyrie & valkiry & Valkiry

I love motorcycles!

3. The caduceus (a rod intertwined with one or two snakes) is an easily recognizable symbol of the medical profession. According to myth, to which Greek god or goddess did it belong?

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers

Answer: Hermes

Hermes was also in possession of a pair of winged sandals and, according to some tales, a winged hat as well. This represented (or contributed to) his fleet-footedness.

4. In astrology, all of the planets have the names of the Roman gods. The names of the moons also have a mythological heritage. What is the only planet (besides Earth) whose moons' names do not come from mythology?

From Quiz Mythology in Modern Life

Answer: Uranus

The moons of Uranus are named after characters in the collected works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope (Ariel, Titania, Oberon, etc...). Jupiter, the king of the gods, has many moons, the four largest being Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede, all of whom had trysts with Jupiter. Mars, the god of war, has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which were named after the two sons of Ares, Mars's Greek counterpart. Saturn, the ancient god of the harvest, has the most moons, which include Rhea, Saturn's wife, Phoebe, Saturn's sister, and Iapetus, Saturn's nephew.

5. Melissa was a nymph in Greek mythology. Her name is related to which medical condition?

From Quiz Medicine and Mythology

Answer: all three choices are correct

The name Melissa means 'honey bee'. In Greek mythology, Melissa taught humans to use honey to sweeten their food. Variations of her name appear in many medical words which relate to sweetness or sugar.

6. This candy bar is named after the Roman god of war!

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers: The Sequel

Answer: Mars Bar & mars & Mars & mars bar & Mars bar & mars Bar

Mmmm...chocolate!

7. Identify the brand of corn starch named after Jason's ship (or Hera's hundred-eyed slave).

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers

Answer: Argo & argo

Both Argos were strong and capable. But Hera's servant, who was keeping one of Zeus' lovers hostage, was lulled to sleep by Hermes, and then the tricky god killed the brute. Hera placed his eyes on the tail of her pet, the peacock, to honor him. Jason's ship was a swift vessel that took him in search of the Golden Fleece.

8. On Valentine's Day, we see cards with Cupid on them. Cupid was the son of Venus, and the Roman arrow-shooting god of love. What was his Greek name?

From Quiz Mythology in Modern Life

Answer: Eros

Cupid's lesser known Greek counterpart was Eros. It was said that if your heart was soft enough, Eros could shoot an arrow into it and you would fall in love with the next person you saw. He himself fell in love with a beautiful maiden, Psyche, who underwent many trials to be with him, due to her mother-in-law's disapproval. Eros lends his name to such words as erotic, having to do with love or sex.

9. Another Greek goddess, Melanie, lends her name to melanoma. What does 'melano' mean in the medical term melanoma?

From Quiz Medicine and Mythology

Answer: dark or black

The name Melanie means 'darkness or clad in black'. In Greek mythology, Melania or Melanie was the name given to Demeter, the earth goddess, when mourning during the winter for her daughter, Persephone, the Spring. Melanoma means 'black tumour'.

10. A book of maps is named after what ill-fortuned Titan?

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers: The Sequel

Answer: Atlas & atlas

Atlas was the unfortunate Titan whose punishment or job it was to hold the sky up on his shoulders. So, obviously he was strong, trustworthy, and dedicated. That's why various corporations use him as their symbol!

11. This e-mail service was named after the Roman goddess of marriage, the wife of Jupiter.

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers

Answer: juno & Juno

Juno is also a great name for a cat.

12. The caduceus (a staff with two snakes entwining it) is very similar to the Rod of Asclepius, which is the symbol of the medical profession. Which Greek god carried the caduceus?

From Quiz Mythology in Modern Life

Answer: Hermes

Hermes was the messenger god and patron of shepherds and thieves, as well as the guide to the dead. The symbol most closely associated with him is the caduceus, or perhaps his winged cap and sandals which he lent to Perseus for the slaying of the Medusa. Poseidon had his trident, Hades his bident, and Zeus his thunder and lightning. The asclepius, which only has a single serpent, was carried by the Greek god of healing, Asclepius. It is the symbol of the medical profession, and is often incorrectly called a caduceus.

13. The symbols which denote male and female in medicine are derived from the symbols for which Roman God and Goddess?

From Quiz Medicine and Mythology

Answer: Mars and Venus

According to one myth, Mars and Venus were in love with each other. But Mars was God of War and Venus was Goddess of love and beauty. This difference was felt by some to parallel the essential difference between the sexes. The symbols were first used to denote male and female by Linnaeus in the 18th century. The same symbols are used to denote the planets Mars and Venus.

14. This major online seller of books and music, though it was actually named after the river, shares its title with the mythical community of female warriors.

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers: The Sequel

Answer: amazon & Amazon

There were actually more than one Amazonian tribe--one lived in Africa, the other in eastern Europe. Both were formidable and figured in a few Greek legends.

15. William Shakespeare used which tragic lovers as the basis for 'Romeo and Juliet'?

From Quiz Mythology in Modern Life

Answer: Pyramus and Thisbe

Pyramus and Thisbe, like Romeo and Juliet, were two people very much in love. Pyramus killed himself because he thought Thisbe dead, and then Thisbe killed herself because Pyramus was dead, just like Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare also used the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe as a play in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'

16. Which God or Goddess lends his or her name to the controversial practice of assisting people with incurable illnesses to die with dignity?

From Quiz Medicine and Mythology

Answer: Thanatos

Thanatos was the Greek God of death who lends his name to the medical term euthanasia. Euthanasia translates as 'condition of easy death'.

17. This mythical monster's name has now come to mean an impossible or foolish dream.

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers: The Sequel

Answer: Chimera

The chimera was a beast whose body was that of a snake, she-goat, and lion combined. Apparently, she was not a really happy creature, as she laid waste to the countryside until Bellerophon and Pegasus stopped her but cutting off all three of her heads. Ouch!

18. This band's name came from that of a spirit in folklore who was said to cause nightmares or mate with sleeping mortals.

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers

Answer: Incubus

I really haven't heard much of their music, but it's not too bad! And I have no idea if 'utht tuaenne' is even Gaelic at all. And I apologize for the 'Irish' addition. After more research, I've found that the origin of the word 'incubus' is Middle English, from the Latin, but that the concept of incubi originated in the Middle East. An incubus is the spirit in its male form, while a succubus is its female equivalent.

19. Which company took its name from an ancient race of warrior women?

From Quiz Mythology in Modern Life

Answer: Amazon

The Amazons were warrior women who lived and ruled without the assistance or company of men. They were led by Hippolyta, who was later captured by Theseus. The modern Amazon is an online company from whom you can order a variety of products.

20. Psyche was a beautiful princess in Greek mythology. Her name is the basis for many medical terms, including psychiatry, psychology and psychotic. In such words, what does 'psych' represent?

From Quiz Medicine and Mythology

Answer: the mind

Eros (Cupid) married Psyche. Eros, God of love, represents the human heart. Psyche, a human who was later made immortal, represents the human soul, spirit or mind.

21. This term for a person who possesses reproductive organs of both genders comes from a mythological character with a similar name, who did the same! Name the medical term for an individual with these traits, not the condition itself.

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers: The Sequel

Answer: Hermaphrodite

Hermaphroditus was a son of Hermes and Aphrodite. A water nymph fell in love with him, but was rejected and begged the gods that they never be separated. With their characteristic sense of humor, they fused the two bodies of the young people into one.

22. This women's shaver is named after the Roman goddess of love.

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers

Answer: Venus & venus

What a clever marketing ploy: lead women to believe that their legs will be like those of a smooth, sexy goddess! I'm still using disposables, okay?!

23. Which popular candy bar is another name for the ancient Roman god of war?

From Quiz Mythology in Modern Life

Answer: Mars

Mars was the Roman name for Ares, the Greek god of war and the ultimate masculine force. He never married, although he had several children by Venus(Aphrodite) the goddess of love. Mars was the son of Juno(Hera) and Jupiter(Zeus). The candy bar is popular in Europe, but can no longer be easily found in America.

24. Which mythological character lends his name to a sleep inducing drug?

From Quiz Medicine and Mythology

Answer: All three choices are correct

Narcotic and hypnotic are terms which relate to drugs which induce sleep. Morphine is a narcotic. Morpheus was the Roman God of dreams. Hypnos was the Greek God of sleep. Narcissus was the son of a river god and a nymph in Greek mythology. Some authorities claim a link between Narcissus and narcotic because according to the myth, the youth was turned into the flower Narcissus. This plant has sleep inducing properties and the first narcotic drugs were derived from such plants.

25. This detergent is named for a hero of the Trojan war!

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers

Answer: ajax & Ajax

Well, I guess if you want things 'courageously' clean...

26. Hygiene is derived from Greek Goddess Hygieia. What was she the Goddess of?

From Quiz Medicine and Mythology

Answer: health

Hygieia was also the daughter of Asclepius, the God of Medicine.

27. This singer's name is the same as that of the first Queen of Carthage.

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers

Answer: Dido & dido

Let's hope our modern Dido's fate is nothing like that of the lovelorn, suicidal Carthaginian!

28. The first cervical vertebra of the spinal column has a name which it shares with one of the Titans. This character supported the heavens on his shoulders in the same way this vertebra supports the skull. What is the shared name?

From Quiz Medicine and Mythology

Answer: atlas

Gerhardus Mercator first used the name 'atlas' for a collection of maps in the 16th century and he used an illustration of Atlas holding up the globe on the title page.

29. This shoe company took its name from that of the Greek goddess of victory.

From Quiz Mythological Leftovers

Answer: nike & Nike

Maybe 'Zeus Shoes' just didn't make the cut!

30. The word phobia comes from Phobos, a son of whom?

From Quiz Mythology in Modern Life

Answer: Ares

Two of Ares's sons were Phobos and Deimos, whose names meant fear and terror. A phobia is an extreme fear. For example, there's arachnophobia, fear of spiders, claustrophobia, fear of enclosed spaces, and xenophobia, fear of strangers.

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Last Updated Apr 22 2024 11:03 AM
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