The Cultivated Crocodile Trivia Quiz

Answer: peace

Like most deities in the Egyptian pantheon, Sobek, or Sebek, was often depicted as a human figure, with the head of a crocodile, an animal that was both feared and revered like the Nile itself. In some ancient myths, Sobek was described as the creator of the world, who emerged from the dark, primeval waters; in his identification with the Nile, he brought fertility to the land. On the other hand, he was also seen as an unpredictable deity who occasionally allied with the forces of Chaos. During the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055-1650 BCE), Sobek was fused with Horus, the falcon-headed god of divine kingship, and later with the sun god Ra. The centre of the cult of Sobek was the city of Faiyum (called in Greek "Crocodilopolis") in Middle Egypt, where a sacred tame crocodile, named Petsuchos, was worshipped.

The temple of Kom Ombo is located in Upper Egypt, about 50 km (31 mi) north of Aswan. Built between the 2nd and the 1st century BC, it is a double temple, dedicated to two sets of gods, Sobek and Horus, with each of the two parts perfectly symmetrical to the other. In 2012, Egypt's first Crocodile Museum was opened next to the temple complex to host some of the mummified crocodiles found in the area, as well as a number of artifacts depicting Sobek.

Besides his association with fertility, kingship and the sun, Sobek - because of both his ferocious and his protective aspect - was considered the patron of the army. He was, however, never associated with peace - represented in the Egyptian pantheon by the god Shu.

Answer: Varuna

In Sanskrit, the word "makara" means "sea dragon" or "water monster": the Hindi word for crocodile, "magar", comes directly from this word - which is the origin of the vernacular name of India's most common crocodile species, the mugger (Crocodilus palustris). In Hindu mythology, Makara - often depicted as a hybrid creature, with the front half of a terrestrial animal (such as a stag or elephant) and the hind part of a fish or other marine animal - is the vahana of the sea-god Varuna, as well as the river goddess Ganga. In the late 17th-century watercolour shown in the photo, Makara - bearing Varuna on his back - is represented as definitely crocodile-like. In Hindu astrology, Makara is the tenth sign of the Zodiac, corresponding to Capricorn.

Varuna, god of the seas, is one of the original Vedic deities, associated with the river or ocean encircling the world; he was also considered the guardian of moral law.

Answer: circus games

One of the most popular games in Roman arenas was the "venatio", which involved staged hunts of exotic animals. Crocodiles, with their alien appearance and peculiar characteristics, symbolized the mystery and fascination of ancient Egypt. Even before Egypt became a Roman province (30 BC), crocodiles had been part of exotic displays. However, it was under the reign of Augustus that a large-scale spectacle, involving the slaughter of 36 crocodiles in the flooded Circus Flaminius, was organized for the first time to celebrate the inauguration of the Forum of Augustus (2 BC).

Crocodiles were hunted and caught alive by a tribe of small-sized people (commonly referred to as "pygmies") who lived on the banks of the Nile. The hunting of crocodiles and hippopotamuses in their river habitat was often depicted in mosaics and paintings called "Nilotic landscapes" - the most famous of which is the large Palestrina mosaic, probably dating from the 2nd century BC. This stunning work, depicting the course of the Nile from the Blue Nile to the Mediterranean, was originally set as the flooring of a sanctuary-grotto in Palestrina (Praeneste), a town about 35 km (22 mi) east of Rome. The mosaic is now on display in Palestrina's Archaeological Museum.

Answer: Pieter Paul Rubens

In 1615, Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, commissioned four large oil paintings to renowned Flemish artist Pieter Paul Rubens; the paintings were meant to decorate the Elector's summer residence, Schleiẞheim Palace near Munich. The four canvases - all depicting hunting scenes involving large, fierce animals - were produced in Antwerp between 1615 and 1616; they were looted from the castle during the Napoleonic wars, and only "The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt" was returned to Munich, where it is on display at the city's Alte Pinakothek.

The highly dramatic scene, full of colour and movement, is set on the banks of the Nile, glimpsed in the background behind a palm tree. A furious hippopotamus, showing his teeth threateningly, tramples a crocodile: both beasts are rendered in a remarkably life-like manner that reveals Rubens' interest in natural history, and his familiarity with these creatures' real appearance.

All the artists listed as incorrect choices were also active in the 17th century; Rembrandt and Frans Hals, however, were Dutch, not Flemish.

Answer: Rio de la Plata

The centrepiece of Rome's gorgeous Piazza Navona, the Fountain of the Four Rivers ("Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi" in Italian) was designed in 1651 by sculptor and architect Gianlorenzo Bernini for Pope Innocent X. Four statues surround the copy of an ancient Egyptian obelisk; each of them represents a major river of the four continents known at the time: the Nile for Africa, the Ganges for Asia, the Danube for Europe, and the Rio de la Plata for the Americas. Beneath the statues, emerging from the water, there are seven smaller sculptures of animals associated with each river. Since Bernini had probably never seen a real crocodile, his depiction of the reptile (reminiscent of the fanciful images in medieval bestiaries) may have been inspired by a stuffed armadillo owned by one of his friends, German Jesuit and polymath Athanasius Kircher.

The Rio de la Plata ("river of silver") is an estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay and Paraná rivers, marking part of the border between Argentina and Uruguay. Caimans (which are part of the order Crocodilia, but not "true" crocodiles) and armadillos are found in the region.

Answer: Czech Republic

The second-largest city in the Czech Republic, Brno (Brünn in German) was the capital of the historic region of Moravia until 1948, and is now the most important centre of the South Moravian Region, in the southeastern part of the country. Founded in the 11th century, it is a thriving cultural and economic centre, with a wealth of historical sights - the most famous of which is the 13th-century Spilberk Castle (known in German as Spielberg) that dominates the city from the top of a hill. In the mid-19th century, Brno was the setting of Gregor Mendel's experiments in genetics.

The so-called Brno Dragon is one of the many legends associated with the city (the Brno Wheel, which can be seen in the photo next to the "dragon", is another). As in other medieval legends, the city and its surrounding countryside were ravaged by a ferocious, dragon-like creature, but one of the citizen managed to kill it by tricking it into eating an animal hide filled with quicklime. The 5-m (16-ft) stuffed crocodile (which is subjected to regular maintenance, and reinforced with metal and plaster) may have been gifted to the city by some visiting dignitary (possibly a Turkish sultan). In any case, it has become a local icon - giving its name to a stuffed baguette sandwich and a local radio station (as a crocodile), and to an intercity train and several sports teams (as a dragon).

Answer: there are no crocodiles in Lesotho

Formerly the British colony of Basutoland, the Kingdom of Lesotho has been independent since 1966. All of its territory lies above 1,000 m (3,281 ft) in elevation, often even higher: the country's lowest point (1,400 m/4,593 ft) its the highest lowest point of any of the world's countries. With a much cooler climate than other Southern African countries, Lesotho is home to a somewhat different fauna, which includes only 17 reptile species - among which crocodiles (which prefer warmer and more humid tropical climates) are not included. The blue crocodile that appears in the centre of Lesotho's coat of arms is the symbol of the Royal Family, the Bakoena dynasty; a crocodile also appeared on the arms of Basutoland. The crocodile is emblazoned on a red shield, supported by two Basuto ponies; the national motto inscribed on a ribbon below the shield means "Peace, Rain, Prosperity" in the indigenous Sesotho language.

Crocodiles also appear on the coats of arms of Jamaica and the Solomon Islands, as well as the coats of arms of a number of cities.

Answer: Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling was the first English-language author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1907. Published in 1902, "Just So Stories" is a collection of children's stories that describe how an animal acquired its most distinctive feature. The book's first three chapters were originally bedtime stories told by the author to his daughter Josephine ("Effie"), who wanted them to be told exactly in the words she was used to ("just so"). Kipling illustrated the first edition himself, the image in the photo, however, is one of the illustrations created by American artist Joseph M. Gleeson for the 1912 American editions of the book.

"The Elephant's Child", the fifth of the original 12 stories, is set on the banks of the river Limpopo, in Southern Africa, where a curious young elephant gets its nose caught in a crocodile's jaws: pulling hard to free himself and avoid becoming the crocodile's dinner, he stretches his nose into a prehensile trunk. Once the members of the young elephant's family realize how useful this appendage can be, they all go to the river to "borrow new noses" from the crocodile. The story was made twice into a cartoon in the Soviet Union (1936 and 1967).

All the authors listed as incorrect answers are British Nobel laureates; though born in the US, T.S. Eliot was a British citizen when he was awarded the Prize in 1948.

Answer: Napoleon

The Corsican Crocodile is, of course, none other than Napoleon Bonaparte, the French (though born of an Italian family) general-turned-emperor who was Britain's bitterest enemy for almost 20 years. Because of his campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798-1801), whose main purpose was to establish a French presence in the Middle East and weaken Britain's access to India, he was associated with the Nile's iconic predator, the crocodile. This colour engraving was published by the notorious William Holland, a London-based print seller and radical publisher who spent a year in prison for seditious libel.

The print refers to the coup of 9-10 November (known during the French Revolution as 18-19 Brumaire) 1799, during which Napoleon proclaimed himself First Consul of France, dissolving the Council of Five Hundred (here depicted as a group of frightened frogs), and ending the rule of the five-member committee known as the Directory. Besides the Egyptian connection, Napoleon's portrayal as a crocodile wearing a crown, a sabre and boots hints at his military might, against which the council was helpless. In fact, one frog with a dagger dares to advance against the huge beast, whose scaly hide makes it impervious to the attack. The uniformed crocodiles standing at Napoleon's back represent the grenadiers who escorted him into the Council's chambers.

Answer: Strasbourg

Located in the centre of Strasbourg, in the historic French region of Alsace, the celebrated fine-dining restaurant "Au Crocodile" was originally a 14-century Benedictine monastery. In 1801, it was converted into an "auberge" (inn) by a former captain of Napoleon's army, who brought the stuffed crocodile with him from Egypt. In 1971, the restaurant was taken over by chef Émile Jung and his wife Monique; it was awarded three Michelin stars - the most coveted award for a restaurant - in 1989, but lost one of them in 2002, which reportedly broke Jung's heart. Now under new ownership, and completely renovated, "Au Crocodile" continues to be one of France's most prestigious restaurants, and often hosts meetings in which international affairs are discussed.

The Rhine flows east of the centre of Strasbourg, marking the border between France and Germany. Of the three cities listed as wrong choices, Rotterdam is located on the Rhine delta, but does not host any EU institutions. Brussels is the seat of the European Commission and the Council of the EU, and Frankfurt of the European Central Bank; together with Strasbourg and Luxembourg, they are the four official capitals of the European Union.