Tales of the Greek Heroine Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ariadne

Ariadne was given the task by her father of being in charge of the labyrinth under his palace where the sacrifices were made. According to some of the ancient myths, she fell in love with Theseus, who was sent as a sacrifice to the Minotaur, at first sight and gave him a ball of string and sword to defeat the creature.

After leaving Crete, however, Theseus found that Ariadne had already been married to the god Dionysis. When she died the god rescued her from the underworld and they lived together on Mt. Olympus.

Answer: Atalanta

Said to have been brought up by a bear in the forest, Atalanta was a dedicated servant to the goddess Artemis, a talented hunter who never wanted to marry. Some sources say that Atalanta was the only female to quest with Jason and the Argonauts. She was also allowed to participate in the Calydonian Boar Hunt, and was the first to hit the animal and draw blood.

When her father decided it was time for her to marry, she agreed to marry the man who could best her in a footrace. With help from Aphrodite, Hippomenes brought three golden apples, tossing each one before her; of course, the apples were irresistible and she had to take the time to pick them up, losing the race and becoming a wife.

Answer: Danaë

An oracle told Danaë's father, King Acrisius, that one day she would have a son who would kill him, so he built a tower and kept her locked away. Even so, she gave birth to the mighty Perseus. The king placed Danaë and her son in a chest and cast them out to sea. Protected by the god Poseidon, they landed on the island of Seripho. Perseus, of course, became a mighty hero, known for killing the Gorgon Medusa. Ultimately, he was the cause of his grandfather's death.

At the games in Larissa he struck Acrisius accidentally on the head with his javelin.

The ancient Greeks believe there was no escaping one's fate, and this is a perfect example of that belief.

Answer: Penelope

Penelope was seen by the ancient Greeks as being the ultimate faithful wife. During the time in which her husband was fighting in the Trojan War and trying to return home, she had countless men who wanted to marry her. When the disguised Odysseus did return home, Penelope agreed (did she recognize him?) that she would marry any man who could string her husband's bow. Even after Odysseus proved his ability to do so, Penelope, fearing the man was a god in disguise, had one final test. Odysseus would be the only person who knew that part of their bed was made from a living olive tree.

It was her long-absent husband!

Answer: Andromeda

A vicious sea monster was sent to Cetus because of Andromeda's mother's boasting that her daughter was more beautiful than Poseidon's nymphs. Yikes! Andromeda was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to the monster; however, she was saved by the hero Perseus, who was returning home after killing Medusa.

Not only that, but the two married, and are believed to have become the ancestors to a great family that included none other than Heracles.

Answer: Hippolyta

The girdle was given to Hippolyta by her father, Ares, the god of war. It was a belt that was worn around the waist and symbolized her authority as Queen of the Amazons. One of the labors Heracles was given was to take her belt for the daughter of King Eurystheus.

There are several stories about what happened during this labor: one stated that she was killed by Heracles and stripped of the belt; another says that she fell in love with one of his men and became the only Amazon to get married.

Answer: Pandora

The story about the creation of Pandora relates that all of the gods had a part in it, giving her many unique attributes. Pandora did not open a box, as most myths are translated, she opened a jar, which had been given to her by Zeus as a wedding present with explicit instructions not to open! Overcome by curiosity, she opened the jar, which released all the evils of humanity into the world; the ancient Greeks used this story to explain why there was evil in the world.

Hesiod, an ancient Greek poet, also reminded people, "Thus it is not possible to escape the mind of Zeus". And don't forget what was left in the jar - Hope!

Answer: Europa

Europa was abducted by Zeus and taken to the island of Crete, where he made her the first Queen of Crete. On Crete she gave birth to their son, the great King Minos, who was the subject of many myths and legends. Eventually she married Asterion, the King of Crete.

Although scholars aren't exactly in agreement as to how Europe was named, the general consensus is that the name is somehow connected to Europa.

Answer: Antigone

One of the children of the ill-fated King Oedipus and his mother, Jocasta, Antigone is certainly an important heroine in Greek mythology. Her two brothers were both killed while fighting over the throne of Thebes after their father died. The new king, Creon, decreed that one of the brothers would be given an honorable burial, while the other would be shamed as a traitor by being left unburied, which was considered one of the harshest punishments of the time. Without the help of her sister, who believed that women should be as weak as men expected, Antigone buried her brother's body, defying the new king's decree and incurring his wrath.

He ordered her to be buried alive in a cave; eventually, after a change of heart, Creon went to release Antigone and found her dead.

Answer: Electra

When Agamemnon came home after the Trojan War, he was brutally slain by his faithless wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus. Clytemnestra was angry because her husband agreed to sacrifice their oldest daughter to Artemis in exchange for being able to send his ships to fight in the war. According to the primitive Greek code of justice, family murder called for revenge. If the proper revenge was not sought, the Furies, who punished violations of the rules of family piety, would bring terrible torment.

It was the duty of Electra's brother, Orestes, to seek revenge upon his mother and her lover, although some sources say that Electra helped her brother fulfill his duties; the Furies, appeased by the unified family effort, ceased to persecute Orestes.