A Shop Pass to the Gods Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hestia's Home & Hearth

Hestia is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, which makes Zeus her brother. She is described in Greek mythology as the goddess of the hearth and architecture. Her main roles are to ensure the maintenance of domestic affairs, such as food preparation, warmth within the household and the well being of the family. It was also felt that the promotion of the family would extend this ethic to the well-being of the broader community. In return for her protection it is customary for members of the family to offer the first and the last drinks of wine at a meal to her.

Hera's chief roles revolved around the care of women and marriage, a close second to Hestia, but she doesn't deliver the total package. Hyperion is the titan of light and the Hydra or, correctly, the Lernaean Hydra, was the many headed serpent slain by Heracles.

Answer: Phoebe's Pura Flow

Phoebe, one of the original titans, is the grandmother of the twins Apollo and Artemis. She is seen as the titan goddess of prophecy due to her strong links with the Delphic Oracle. In addition she is associated with both the moon and brightness and, in many respects, it almost seems blasphemous to nominate her as a shyster in this quiz. Nevertheless, she is not the best source for support with your water needs.

Oceanus is also one of the original titans and is seen as the fount of all the fresh water on the Earth. Tethys, a titan, is the mother of rivers, springs and streams and, keeping it in the family, Eurynome, the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, is the titaness of water meadows.

Answer: Demeter for Better Soil

Soil comes to life around Demeter, the goddess of fertility. She is praised for her ability to make crops grow; little wonder that her symbol is a cornucopia. If you need help with your wheat crops she is a wizard with grains, and has been called the blonde goddess who separates the wheat from the chaff. A word of warning though, she has been known to have intercourse in ploughed fields, and, if her daughter Persephone is with her, make sure you hide your pomegranate seeds or everything will go to Hades.

Horkos is the spirit of oaths in Greek mythology, Hebe the goddess of youth and Demophon was a king of Argos.

Answer: Many Hands of Menoetius

Without some expectation of success why would you bother to start? You need to have hope and Elpis is seen as the perfect personification of that attribute. Surely you remember Elpis? She was the only one left behind when Pandora opened her famous box. Horme is motivation. He is the personification of getting yourself up off the deck and setting yourself in motion. Take him in small doses though as he can also be visualised as an eagerness to dive into battle. He is, however, the anti-thesis of both sloth and apathy. Sometimes hope and the desire to spring into action is not enough and you will have to put in some hard labour and that's where Ponos comes in. He is the son of Eris, the goddess of discord but don't let his parentage fool you. He's risen through the ranks and is now the god of toil.

You certainly don't wish to be knocking on the doors of Menoetius and his cronies, as he's the titan god of both rash decisions and violent anger. Even his name, which means "doomed power", reeks of foreboding.

Answer: Hephaestus & Anvil

One of the sons of Zeus, Hephaestus is the Greek god of craftsmen and metallurgists. He is often called the "blacksmith of the gods" and was tasked with the role of making all the weapons for the gods on Olympus. But he is not all hammer and anvil, which along with a pair of tongs remain his symbols, he is also famous for his delicate work and elegant design. He created such wondrous items as Hermes' winged sandals and the famous girdle worn by his wife Aphrodite.

Chariclo, Chiron and Nessus were all centaurs and are not involved in metalcraft.

Answer: Pan da Man

Pan is built similarly to a satyr in that he has the body of a man but comes with the hindquarters, legs and horns of a goat. Amongst other duties he is recognised as the god of shepherds and of flocks. He also has links to springtime and fertility; perhaps you can use him to give you a second opinion on Demeter's work. A rustic god, he is also a great creator of music which, in some circles, has been described as "piercingly sweet". He is also the proud owner of the patent for pan pipes. The tale is told that he fell for the water nymph Syrinx and pursued her relentlessly. To help her escape his clutches, her sisters turned her into a water reed. Unsure as to which reed she was, Pan cut several of them in varying lengths and lashed them together. He carries them with him always. But, buyer beware, keep your womenfolk well hidden, as the legends of his sexual prowess precede him. Many still speak in awe of his seduction of the moon goddess Selene.

Hypnos is the Greek personification of sleep, Eos, the titaness of the dawn and Bia, the sister of Nike, is the personification of force and raw energy.

Answer: Aristaeus' Apiaries

Aristaeus, the son of Apollo and Cyrene the huntress, is a journeyman who's gathered vast stores of knowledge from various sites and sources. He learned to tame bees and how to install them into hives, the Myrtle nymphs taught him the secrets to making, and he worked the wild oleaster until it bore olives. Aristaeus has also shown man how to use nets and traps to hunt, and he is the patron god of fruit trees, cattle and husbandry. He could just about be your one stop shop for all your rural needs.

Hera, the queen of the gods, is the goddess of marriage and childbirth and has strong links to women's needs and empire building (hmmm, perhaps that's why she's opened two stores in town). Hemera is the primordial goddess of the daytime and Selene is the titaness of the moon.

Answer: Dionysus

Another of Zeus' sons, Dionysus was the last of the gods to be inducted into the Hall of the Twelve Olympians. Of that special dozen, he is unique in that he is the only one born to a mortal mother. Wine has always been important to the Greek way of life, and Dionysus is highly revered. In addition to wine and winemaking his domain extends to the cultivation of grapes and its harvesting. The legend of the first grapevine involves Dionysus and a handsome young satyr named Ampelos that our god had fallen for in a big way. One day the young satyr was riding a wild bull and he recklessly boasted about his prowess to the moon goddess Selene. This piqued Selene and she sent a gadfly out to sting the bull. The bull bucked, then threw and gored Ampelos to death. The grief stricken Dionysus transformed his friend into the first vine in a bid to have him live forever.

Styx is the river that separates the Earth from the underworld in Greek mythology, Mimas was a gigantess who was reportedly killed by either Hephaestus or Zeus, and Cerberus is the three headed hound who guards the entrance to the underworld.

Answer: True

You need to be nice to the son and daughter of Zeus and Leto because, amongst their many roles, they are the god and goddess of plague. The last thing you want is them wreaking their bad mornings upon you. Apollo is supposed to be the man's man, though you would sometimes struggle to see that. For a man who's into plagues, has a cruel streak and can be extremely destructive, he's also into art, music and poetry.

He also toys with a bit of prophecy and healing on the side. A tip to remain on his good side - present him with a laurel bush or two, he's head over heels about them. Artemis is the rugged one of the two.

She runs around in knee length skirts, loves the wilderness and enjoys a spot of hunting. She's also crazy about bears and wild boars.

Answer: Hermes' Trade Exchange

Hermes is the messenger of the gods, so it's little wonder that he's got great negotiating skills. The son of Zeus and Maia (daughter of Atlas), he is also the god of travel, communication and, more importantly for you, commerce and trade. But, as we've often seen, he also has a darker side and he devotes some of his time as the god of thieves and works as a guide to the underworld.

Ares could possibly do the job of negotiating for you, but seeing as he is the god of war and bloodshed he's just as likely to frighten buyers away from you. I would be careful in dealing with Bacchus, not only is he a Roman but he's their version of the wine god. Mesembria is one of the Horae (the Hours) and is a representation of noon. Please note that I have resisted the temptation to intimate that she's likely to have gone to lunch.