Roamin' Deities Trivia Quiz

Answer: A word which can be its own opposite

Contranyms or auto-antonyms or, as mentioned here, Janus words are words which themselves are opposites, though usually within different contexts. For instance, 'screen' can mean showing something (like screening a film) but can also mean hiding something from view. The term 'Janus word' refers to the Roman god with two faces, representing the two opposite meanings of the word.

In Roman mythology, Janus is the god of gates.

Answer: Apollo 11

On 21 July 1969 (going by Universal Coordinated Time), history was made when humans landed on the Moon. The third member of the crew, Michael Collins, stayed aboard the Command Module Columbia while Armstrong and Aldrin took the Lunar Module Eagle down to the surface (hence the famous line, "The Eagle has landed"). The pair spent just over 21 hours on the Moon, collecting samples and taking photographs, before beginning their return. All up, the Apollo 11 mission took just over 8 Earth days.

In Roman mythology, Apollo is the god of the sun (technically he is also a Greek deity, but was revered by the Romans too and considered a deity for both civilisations).

Answer: Mickey Mouse

Pluto's first appearance was in 1930 in Disney's "The Chain Gang", but he wasn't officially named or Mickey's pet until 1931. He is a yellow bloodhound and, unlike the other main characters who are animals, can't talk. Pluto is closely associated with Minnie's pet dog, Fifi, with whom he had puppies, including Pluto Junior, who appeared in the eponymous short film of 1942.

In Roman mythology, Pluto can be considered to be another name for the Greek god of the underworld, Hades (rather than being a distinct counterpart).

Answer: Gryffindor

Minerva McGonagall was also deputy headmistress under Albus Dumbledore and teacher of Transfiguration during the events of the "Harry Potter" series. She is an Animagus, choosing to take the form of a tabby cat. A seemingly outwardly stern woman, McGonagall is one of the most respected teachers at Hogwarts and one of the key figures who kept Harry Potter safe from Voldemort during his uprising. After Dumbledore's death in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", she briefly became headmistress before Severus Snape was installed by Voldemort. Following Snape's subsequent death in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", she resumed duties as headmistress. In the films, she was portrayed by Maggie Smith.

In Roman mythology, Minerva is the goddess of wisdom.

Answer: Paris

Despite her divorce from Prince Charles in August 1996, Diana was still considered part of the royal family, due to the line of succession continuing through her firstborn, William. Her death occurred on 31 August 1997, at the entrance of the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris. Although Diana was alive when paramedics arrived, she was rushed to hospital and died several hours later from her internal injuries. Her funeral was held at Westminster Abbey a week later, and was broadcast around the world to millions of mourners.

In Roman mythology, Diana is the goddess of the moon.

Answer: Elliot (then Ellen) Page

"Juno" centres on Juno MacGuff (Page) who finds herself pregnant by her friend Paulie Bleeker (Cera). The film follows Juno's struggle to decide between abortion and adoption, eventually settling for the latter. The film was very well received, receiving a few nominations at the 2008 Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Page, and went on to win for Best Original Screenplay.

In Roman mythology, Juno is goddess of marriage and is the wife of Jupiter.

Answer: Asteroid belt

The existence of a planet between Mars and Jupiter was theorised by Kepler as early as 1596 and was formally observed in 1801 by Italian astronomer Piazzi. It was initially considered as another planet before being declared an asteroid in 1802 in line with Herschel's description of star-like objects. In 2006, shortly after Pluto's declassification to dwarf planet status, Ceres was also reclassified as a dwarf planet.

In Roman mythology, Ceres is the goddess of agriculture.

Answer: Spock

A trusted member of the USS Enterprise, Spock is one of the main characters of the original "Star Trek" television series. Hailing from the planet Vulcan, Spock is mostly humanoid in form, with the most recognisable difference being pointed ears. Leonard Nimoy played the role of the part-human, part-Vulcan on screen during the series' initial run between 1966 and 1969, and voiced the character in "Star Trek: The Animated Series" from 1973 to 1974. Nimoy reprised the role in 1991 for one episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation".

In Roman mythology, Vulcan is the god of fire.

Answer: Tchaikovsky

Based on the fairytale by Charles Perrault, Tchaikovsky's "The Sleeping Beauty" was completed in 1889 and premiered in 1890. It tells the story of a young princess called Aurora, who is cursed by the evil fairy Carabosse to die at the age of sixteen. However, the curse is altered by the benevolent Lilac Fairy so that Aurora will instead be put into a deep sleep for one hundred years, to be awoken by a prince's kiss. The ballet is one of the most famous adaptations of the fairytale, alongside Disney's 1959 animation.

In Roman mythology, Aurora is the goddess of the dawn.

Answer: Liquid

One of the more widely agreed definitions of standard temperature and pressure is 0°C/32°F and 100kPa, set by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry in 1982. In these conditions, mercury exists as a silvery liquid, a unique property amongst metals. In its heyday, mercury saw widespread use in measuring devices such as barometers and thermometers, though it's more common these days for such things to use other, less toxic fluids.

In Roman mythology, Mercury is the god of commerce and was a messenger of the gods.