A Potpourri of World Mythology Quiz

Answer: Baal

Baal, which translates as 'lord', is the name given to the god worshiped in various parts of the region known as the Levant, which includes Syria, parts of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. Baal was particularly important to the Phoenicians and Canaanites, and is referred to in the Bible as a false god to whom some of the Israelites turned. He is mentioned in Numbers, Joshua, and Hosea, and also in Judges.

Baal is often depicted in art as a ram or bull.

Answer: Cronus and Rhea

Cronus was the king of the Titans, the predecessors to the Olympians. According to myth, it had been predicted that he would be dethroned by one of his children so he devoured them when they were born. His wife, Rhea, tricked him by substituting a stone for the newly born Zeus before arranging for the infant to be raised on the island of Crete, where he was protected from his father. Once fully grown, Zeus fulfilled the prophecy by overthrowing Cronus and became the chief god in the pantheon located on Mount Olympus.

Answer: Youth

Although the name possibly conjures up a soccer team from Turin in Italy, the origin of the name is from the Latin word meaning 'young'. In English, juvenile comes from the same root, describing someone young or behaving in a foolish manner. The goddess Juventus had her shrine in Rome, on the Capitoline Hill, as part of the Temple of Minerva and is particularly associated with young men who have just reached maturity.

Answer: Norse

Heimdall is the god who guards Bifrost, the rainbow bridge between Midgard, where humans live, and Asgard, the home of the Norse gods. His role is look for signs of Ragnarok, the event which will bring an end to the world. Heimdall is depicted with the horn named Gjallarhorn, which he will blow as a warning when disaster strikes.

Answer: Leviathan

Leviathan is mentioned in Psalms and Job, and described as a sea monster, while Isaiah refers to him as a serpent and enemy of Israel in a more metaphorical way. Leviathan may have originated in the mythology of Mesopotamia, where Baal is described as defeating a sea monster named Lotan.

The kraken is from Norse myth and has a strong resemblance to descriptions of Leviathan. Charybdis is a sea monster from Greek myth while Makara is a legendary sea creature from Hindu mythology.

Answer: Sun

Surya is the sun deity in Hinduism, Inti fills the same role in Incan myth, while Amaterasu is the sun goddess in Japanese mythology.

In Hindu myth, Chandra is the god of the moon, Aranyani is the goddess of forests and Varuna is the god of oceans. The Incas worshiped Coniraya as the moon deity and Mama Qucha was associated with the sea. Mama Pacha was the equivalent of 'mother nature' so forests would fall under her control. The Japanese moon god is Tsukuyomi and Sijin is the god of water. The nearest equivalent to a forest deity seems to be Takeminakata, who is associated with hunting and agriculture.

Answer: Vulcan

The two gods are those connected to volcanoes, metalworking and fire, and their areas of expertise are the same in both Greek and Roman myth. In addition, both are described as being lame and are treated as outcasts as a result, and both are married to the goddess of love - Aphrodite in the Greek version and Venus in the Roman.

Vulcan's name has passed into common usage in the form of vulcanisation, a method of hardening rubber, by heating it with sulfur, created by Charles Goodyear.

Answer: Styx

All the options are mythical rivers, although Vimur is from Norse mythology. The Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, and Cocytus, river of wailing, are part of the Greek underworld but it is the Styx with divides the mortal world from the underworld.

Charon carries the souls of those who have recently died across the river to their new abode. In some versions, it's the river Acheron he ferries them across, but Styx seems to be the one more associated with him. He expected to be paid for his endeavours so bodies were often buried with a coin ready to pay their fare. Not everyone who used Charon's services was dead - several heroes made a two way journey including Heracles, Orpheus, and Aeneas.

Answer: Maori

In Maori tradition, Tangaroa is the son of the sky father, Ranginui, and the earth mother, Papatuanuku, with siblings including the gods of the forests and of the weather. Tangaroa is known as Takaroa in some parts of the South Island of New Zealand and is depicted in art as a whale. His descendants include the the fish and reptiles.

Answer: Artemis

The twins were fathered by Zeus, with their mother usually given as Leto, who was herself the daughter of the Titans Phoebe and Croesus. As usual Hera, the wife of Zeus, did not take the news of yet more offspring resulting from her husband's philandering, and Leto had problems finding somewhere to give birth. Eventually, she found Delos, a floating island which had escaped Hera's notice, although even there giving birth was made difficult since Hera was holding the midwife captive.

Apollo grew up to be the god of music and the sun, among many other talents, while Artemis is the goddess of the hunt.