Eyes...Windows to the Soul? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Shiva

Shiva is a being found in many Hindu traditions. There are many variations of his story, and statues of him vary greatly in appearance. He is said to have turned desire into ashes with the power of this third eye. The concept of a third eye is usually related to the ability or power to perceive those things which are beyond the ability or ordinary man.

Answer: Triangle

Often associated with Freemasonry, the Eye of Providence is a symbol incorporating an open eye enclosed in a triangle and surrounded by rays of light. It is interpreted as depicting the eye of God watching over all of mankind. The triangle is symbolic of the Christian Trinity.

Answer: Mothman

Many "eye witnesses" who claim to have seen the Mothman describe him in just such a manner. His glowing red eyes can be seen from a far distance and give the impression that they are looking directly at you. This legendary creature was reported sighted in areas of West Virginia, in the U.S. Described as part reptilian, part humanoid, part bird, many locals believe this creature was responsible for a spate of supernatural events including the collapse of a local bridge.

Some descriptions put the eyes in a reptilian head, others in a bird shaped head, and yet other insist that it had not head and the eyes were embedded in its chest.

As there are no photos we will probably never know.

Answer: Argus

Argus Panoptes was the guardian of both Hera and the nymph Io. He was said to have as many as one hundred eyes which were found all over his body enabling him to be somewhat all-seeing. He was killed by Hermes, at which time Hera put the eyes of Argus on the tail of the peacock.

Answer: Horus

The Egyptian god Horus is often depicted with the head of a falcon. He was also considered to be the sky. The sun was said to be his right eye and the moon was his left. The often seen ancient Egyptian symbol known as 'The Eye of Horus' is a symbol of protection for the royal family. Funeral amulets are often decorated with this symbol.

Answer: Balor

According to Celtic-Irish mythology, Balor was not only the king of the Fomorian giants, he was also the god of death. He fought many other beings in an attempt to to prevent an earlier prophesy that he would be killed by his grandson. His battles were in vain, and his grandson killed him by ripping out his back eye, causing Balor to fall down dead.

There are many variations on this myth.

Answer: He traded one eye for a drink from the Well of Wisdom

Odin has only one eye because he sacrificed one eye to be allowed to have a drink from the Well of Wisdom. His other eye was said to blaze like the sun. He fought many battles using his spear Gungnir and his eight-footed steed Sleipnir. He is also known as Othinn, Wodan, and Wotan. Wednesday is named after this powerful warrior god.

Answer: False

This statement is incorrect. It was the mythical king of Thebes, known as Oedipus, who plucked out his eyes after realizing that he had killed his father and married his mother, fulfilling an earlier prophesy that had been told to him by the oracle at Delphi. While there are many versions of this myth, the one that is most well known was written by the ancient scholar Sophocles.

Answer: Mayan

The ancient Mayans had views about beauty that were much different from those of today. They thought crossed eyes were very attractive, especially when added to a forehead that sloped back. This is depicted in much of their artwork. They had forms that infants were placed in to elongate the skull and it is believed they would occasionally damage one eye in an effort to get the appearance of crossed eyes. Add this to teeth that had been filed to point, and you can see why Europeans may have initially been afraid. Once they found out that the Mayans had lots of gold, their fear quickly dissipated.

Answer: False

The concept of the evil is found in cultures all over the world and has very ancient roots, independent of one another. Staring is considered rude in almost every culture and is associated with the concept of the 'evil eye'. While there are variations, the basic idea is that some people have the ability to cause physical and mental harm to others simply by staring at them.

It is often associated with the concept of the 'third eye'.