Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Kali is a goddess in the Sanskrit epics who is known for her fearsome appearance and bloodlust in battle, as well as her wild, unpredictable ecstasies. She has black skin, numerous sets of arms (as is typical of many Hindu divinities), a fanged mouth with a ubiquitous protruding tongue, and wears no clothing except for a skirt made of human arms, a necklace of human heads (or skulls), earrings of babies, and serpents for bracelets. Given this description, what is the most widely accepted etymology of the name "Kali"?
2. Kali's most famous appearance in Hindu literature is in the "Devi-Mahatmya", where she appears as the goddess Durga's fury incarnate. In episode three of this epic, Durga is facing the seemingly invincible Raktabija who, when wounded, forms new incarnations of himself from the drops of his blood when they touch the ground. Kali emerges from Durga's forehead and summarily defeats the Antaeus-like Raktabija. How does she do this?
3. Another incarnation of Kali comes forth when Shiva, one of the focal figures of Hindu belief, asks the normally benign goddess Parvati to kill the evil Daruka, who can only be slain by a female. To transform into the aggressive Kali, Parvati enters Shiva's body and changes her form with the help of the black poison the great god keeps within himself. Where in Shiva's body does Parvati find this poison?
4. Part of Kali's fearsome reputation comes from where she typically makes her dwelling. Where is this?
5. The most archetypal images of Kali, the Daksinakali, show her in mid-dance, tongue extended, brandishing weapons of war. This image is derived from the "Adbhuta Ramayana", which sees Kali, intoxicated by the blood she has devoured, dance uncontrollably with a ferocity that potentially threatens the entire world. This prompts Shiva to placate her, albeit in a way utterly novel and counterintuitive.
In the Daksinakali pose, we see Shiva laying prone in front of the goddess, either dead or, more probably, placidly feigning death in meditation, while Kali triumphantly poses above him.
6. In the Sanskrit epics "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana" (both long-evolved poems whose first references date from c. 500 BCE), we find the Rakshasas, fierce creatures created from the focal Hindu deity Brahma's foot, though some sources say they are reincarnation of wicked humans. They are notorious for desecrating graves, eating human flesh, and general malevolence toward humanity. That being said, they are also legends in the battles of the "Iliad"-like "Mahabharata", using sorcery and shapeshifting when more traditional modes of fighting fail. Which of these battles does not feature Rakshasas as troops?
7. The Rakshasas are also represented in Hindu art. Perhaps their best-known images are the relief sculptures in the great temple of one of the great archaeological treasures of Southeast Asia. What is the name of this UNESCO World Heritage site?
8. Ghouls are ostensibly loathsome creatures in Arabic culture. "The History of Sidi Nu'man" from "The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights)" defines them as "wandering demons, which generally infest old buildings; from whence they rush out, by surprise, on people that pass by, kill them, and eat their flesh; and for want of such prey, will sometimes go in the night into burying-grounds, and feed on dead bodies which they dig up." Nevertheless, they are tied closely to traditional Islam both by how their stories are told (always beginning with an invocation of Allah) and by the general perception that they are a variety of another creature which is extensively mentioned in the Qur'an. What is this type of being which, along with humans, is called to revere Allah in Muslim scripture?
9. Traditionally, the ghoul (or "ghul", as the term is often transliterated from the Arabic) is considered far too fearsome a creature to be discussed around women, and stories of these creatures are strictly relegated to male audiences.
10. Though not undead humans like vampires (though they can pose as humans, as in "The History of Sidi Nu'man"), the ghoul does have more in common with the vampire than its macabre haunts and proclivity to prey on humans. Specifically, as the vampire is commonly warded off by holy icons, garlic, and the like, there do seem, from most stories, to be similar ways of dealing with ghouls. Which of these is dramatically demonstrated in the "One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights)" tale "The Story of the Prince and the Ogress" (from the larger "King Yunan and the Sage Duban")?
Source: Author
stuthehistoryguy
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
LeoDaVinci before going online.
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