FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Mermaids and Mermen
Quiz about Mermaids and Mermen

Mermaids and Mermen Trivia Quiz


Mermaids and mermen are fascinating sea creatures. How much do you know about these delightfully deceiving and passionately pleasing beasts?

A multiple-choice quiz by Joepetz. Estimated time: 4 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Humanities Trivia
  6. »
  7. Mythology Mixture
  8. »
  9. Beasts of Myth

Author
Joepetz
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
375,518
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
397
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 172 (2/10), Guest 109 (5/10), Guest 78 (6/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Mermaids are often misidentified or incorrectly considered to be the same creature as sirens. What is the main difference between these two creatures? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The first known lore about mermaids comes from the Assyrian culture where it is said that the fertility goddess Atargatis turned herself into a mermaid for what reason? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which merman, who was nicknamed the Trumpeter of the Sea, is the child of the Greek god Poseidon and Amphitrite? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. In which culture's mythology can one learn about the nakki, or neck, mermen who allegedly like to pull children underwater and drown them? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. In one of his journal entrees, Christopher Columbus claimed that he saw mermaids on one of his voyages to the New World. Historians and scientists believe, however, that Columbus actually saw which creatures, which may have inspired the myth of the mermaid to begin with? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The Dogon people native to Mali in West Africa believe that the sky goddess Amma created which merman, the first living thing on planet earth? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Which of the following is a typical behavior of mermaids in Irish mythology? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which of the following is behavior seen exclusively in mermen in any mythology and never in a mermaid? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The Japanese believe that a person who eats the meat of a mermaid will receive what? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The merman that was discovered in Banff, Alberta and displayed by P.T. Barnum was actually a dugong.



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Oct 05 2024 : Guest 172: 2/10
Sep 19 2024 : Guest 109: 5/10
Sep 02 2024 : Guest 78: 6/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Mermaids are often misidentified or incorrectly considered to be the same creature as sirens. What is the main difference between these two creatures?

Answer: Mermaids are closer to fish while Sirens are closer to birds

Sirens are often incorrectly depicted with scales and fish tails, especially in modern interpretations. However, Sirens, which are of Greek origin, are described as having wings in Homer's "Odyssey". Homer also says that Sirens, although they lived near the sea and lured sailors, are not sea creatures. Mermaids, however, are significantly more fishlike with their scaled tails and aquatic habitat.
2. The first known lore about mermaids comes from the Assyrian culture where it is said that the fertility goddess Atargatis turned herself into a mermaid for what reason?

Answer: She killed her lover

Although it is common to refer to Atagaris as a mermaid, the legends involving her do not call her such. Instead, it is said that she was embarrassed about accidentally killing her husband and retreated into the ocean in shame where the bottom half of her body turned into a fish while he top half remained human.

Interestingly, all icons of Atargatis from ancient times depict her as wholly human.
3. Which merman, who was nicknamed the Trumpeter of the Sea, is the child of the Greek god Poseidon and Amphitrite?

Answer: Triton

The King Triton depicted in Disney's "The Little Mermaid" is based on this Triton from Greek mythology. However, there are some significant differences. For instance, in the film King Triton is often seen caring a trident. While Triton did carry a trident, he was more often associated with a conch shell, hence his nickname.

He also was not the father of Ariel, but rather Pallas, and his whole body was covered with scales and barnacles, not just the bottom half. Triton eventually gave his name to a species of mermen who acted like messengers.
4. In which culture's mythology can one learn about the nakki, or neck, mermen who allegedly like to pull children underwater and drown them?

Answer: Finnish

Nakki are sometimes called vesihiisi. The legend goes that when Finnish children look into a body of water and see their reflection, a nakki will pull them under if they try to touch their reflection. Nakki are shapeshifters, meaning that they have no true form, but they often appear as mermen-like beings.
5. In one of his journal entrees, Christopher Columbus claimed that he saw mermaids on one of his voyages to the New World. Historians and scientists believe, however, that Columbus actually saw which creatures, which may have inspired the myth of the mermaid to begin with?

Answer: Manatees

Manatees live around Florida in the southern United States, which is near the Caribbean and Central America. It is quite possible that manatees and dugongs lived in greater numbers in the Caribbean at Columbus' time. While manatees would have a hard time passing as half human when viewed face to face, they appear skinnier underwater and perhaps blurry to lonely, drunk sailors. Columbus claimed that they were ugly and nothing like how they were painted.
6. The Dogon people native to Mali in West Africa believe that the sky goddess Amma created which merman, the first living thing on planet earth?

Answer: Nommo

Amma created the Nommo than separated it into four different Nommos, which then spread across the world to populate it. Although often referred to as a merman, the Nommo is actually genderless in Dogon culture, although icons clearly depict it as having masculine features. Also, unlike most merpeople, the Nommo has limbs on the upper half of its body, in addition to fins on the lower.
7. Which of the following is a typical behavior of mermaids in Irish mythology?

Answer: They can go on land and often did to marry human males

Irish mermaids would remove their scales and go on land to mate with men. In "The Little Mermaid", Ariel acts similar to an Irish mermaid but Irish mermaids could willingly go on land. There are numerous Irish familial crests that depict mermaids as some families believe they are descendants of mermaids and human males.
8. Which of the following is behavior seen exclusively in mermen in any mythology and never in a mermaid?

Answer: There is virtually no difference in behavior between mermen and mermaids

Generally speaking, mermen are just male versions of mermaids and they both exhibit similar behavior. While it is generally (and stereotypically) recorded in literature and myth that female creatures would lure a man away, mate with him and kill him, most cultures' mermen will do the same. Both mermaids and mermen have been blamed for sinking ships by either luring the sailors away with their singing voice or by causing a devastating storm.
9. The Japanese believe that a person who eats the meat of a mermaid will receive what?

Answer: Immortality

Japanese myth has a mermaid-like creature called a ningyo, which looks like a monkey crossbred with a fish. It is considered bad luck to catch a ningyo and they are thrown back into the ocean, otherwise, sailors risk their ship sinking.
10. The merman that was discovered in Banff, Alberta and displayed by P.T. Barnum was actually a dugong.

Answer: False

It was actually a monkey sewn to a fish. However, Barnum had people fooled for years. The merman hoax was not actually Barnum's idea; no one knows exactly were it originated and Barnum was not the first to showcase it. When Barnum's museum burnt down in the 1860s, it is believed the merman burned with it, but this has not been proven.
Source: Author Joepetz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor LadyCaitriona before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series Quizzes with Nothing in Common:

Some of my quizzes that I like but don't belong to a particular series or group.

  1. The Art of Food Average
  2. Stockholm Syndrome Average
  3. A Cheese off the Old Block Average
  4. European Bridges Average
  5. Moral Ambiguity Suits You Average
  6. Jersey Shakespeare Easier
  7. Gerrymandering Terms Average
  8. American Religious Figures Average
  9. A Stranger Among Us Tough
  10. Also a Mario Character Easier
  11. Mermaids and Mermen Average
  12. Scenes from Victoria Falls Average

10/31/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us