Hard Egyptian Mythology Mania Quiz / Test | Egyptian Myth

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. According to one Egyptian creation myth, the god Atum was said to have produced twin children from his body. What were their names?

Answer: Shu and Tefnut

Atum (sometimes the spelling 'Atem' is used - they are two names for the same god) produced Shu (god of air) and Tefnut (goddess of moisture) on a mound in the primeval waters of chaos. This was how the Egyptian pantheon, and eventually mankind, came into being.

2. What was the name of the serpent that represented the forces of evil in ancient Egypt?

Answer: Apophis

The goddess Neith gave birth to Apophis by spitting him out. His name actually means 'He who was spat out'. Apophis's only goal is to destroy Ra, the sun god, and prevent him from rising again.

3. Hathor was very popular as a fertility goddess in Egypt, and her cult was widespread. However, she also presided over the dead, and was known to lead the spirit of a pharaoh to the underworld. What was her title in honour of this?

Answer: Lady of the West

Hathor was known as the guardian to the underworld and is often on the walls of tombs leading the spirit of the pharaoh to the underworld, where the process of judgment could begin. She also shared this task with Isis. In Egyptian mythology, the west (as in the desert west of the Nile River) was the land of the dead.

4. During the rule of Akhenaten, Egypt's vast pantheon of gods was abandoned in favour of just one god.

Answer: True

During Akhenaten's rule, the only god worshiped was Aten, who was seen as an omnipotent sun god. This proved to be highly unpopular as time went on, and when Akhenaten's son took over as pharaoh, he reverted Egypt back to the old gods. Akhenaten ruled Egypt from 1353 BC to 1336 BC.

5. What was the council of Egypt's most important gods known as? (Hint: there were nine of them and they were all worshiped at Heliopolis.)

Answer: Ennead

The actual word 'Ennead' is Greek for 'group of nine'. Their members included Atum/Atem (Ra's cult was not prevalent yet, so the chief god was Atum; later this would be changed to Ra), Shu, Tefnut, Nut, Geb, Osiris, Set (sometimes given as Seth), Isis and Nephthys.

6. According to Egyptian legends, Osiris was a pharaoh of Egypt at one point in time.

Answer: True

According to Egyptian mythology, when Ra grew old, he appointed Osiris to take his place as pharaoh and ruler of mankind, thus making Osiris Egypt's second king. His reign ended when his brother Set (some spellings give Seth) murdered him.

7. What animal was said to represent the sun god Ra, and was used extensively in the making of amulets?

Answer: Scarab beetle

Scarab beetle amulets have been found on various mummies to help the spirits of the dead get through the underworld and protect them from demons.

8. Two animals were sacred to the god Thoth. One of them was the ibis. What was the other?

Answer: Baboon

Thoth was often depicted with the head of a baboon or an ibis. He was the god of wisdom and the scribe of the gods. Baboons were considered sacred to him as they would howl at the moon, thus underlining Thoth's connection to it.

9. Arguably, Egypt's most famous myth is the one that depicts the fight between Set and Horus for the crown. This took place over many years and much of Egypt's gods and goddesses played a role in it. Which one of the following gods and goddesses was NOT mentioned in the myth?

Answer: Sobek

Sobek was a fertility god usually depicted with the head of a crocodile. He offered protection against crocodile attacks in the Nile. He was an important god because of this, but was not a major one and did not feature in the myth.

Nemty was the divine ferryman, and transported the gods to the island where the council was held that decides whether Horus or Set should rule). Thoth was the scribe of the gods, and suggested sending messages to Neith and Osiris to bring the conflict to an end. Neith was the recipient of the first letter written by the council with regard to the matter, and she suggested that Horus should take the throne.

10. According to Egyptian myth, what part of Ma'at is weighed against a human heart to determine if a person is good or bad?

Answer: Feather

A human heart is weighed on a scale against the feather of Ma'at, the goddess of truth and order. If a person is good, then the heart should be lighter than the feather and the soul is permitted to proceed to a blessed afterlife. If a person was bad, the heart would be heavier than the feather and the heart would be devoured by the monster Ammut. The soul would then perish forever.

Source: Author airbender20

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Egyptian Mythology Mania Trivia Quiz

My quiz on Egyptian myth. Take it if you dare =)

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