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Greek-o-nomicon Trivia Quiz

Greek mythology features many instances of otherworldly events taking place in the world of the dead. Fighting death is a common theme, and it gets downright spectral sometimes. Answer these questions about the deathly realm of Greek mythology.

A multiple-choice quiz by merylfederman. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
merylfederman

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
362,142

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
523

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Orpheus famously went into the underworld to rescue his wife of less than a day. He was allowed to take her since his music was so piercing, but was required not to look at her until they left the realm of the dead, an act he was not able to accomplish. Who was he trying to rescue? Hint

Andromeda

Cassiopeia

Persephone

Eurydice

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which king fought with Hades, even imprisoning him once, which caused all death to cease on Earth? His punishment, once death finally got him, was to roll a stone up a hill for all time. Hint

Pelops

Ixion

Tantalus

Sisyphus

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Hercules went into the underworld a few times. Once, during his Twelve Labors, he was forced to tame which guardian dog of Hades? Hint

Cerberus

Acheron

Charon

Fenrir

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Question 4 of 10

4. Hercules rescued Alcestis, a woman who was not actually meant to be deceased, from the underworld. Why did she end up in the underworld, then? Hint

She was killed by the Fates' mistake

She was captured by Hades

She traded her life for her husband Admetus' life

She was tricked by Hermes

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Question 5 of 10

5. Hercules, during one of his other trips to the underworld (get this guy a loyalty card), saved a man who was stuck to a chair. The man in the chair was there with a friend of his, with whom he had abducted Helen, daughter of Zeus, when she was a child. Which legendary hero (and kidnapper) did Hercules save? Hint

Pirithious

Hector

Theseus

Perseus

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Question 6 of 10

6. Back to some torturous punishments of the afterlife - which Greek villain was punished in the afterlife by being forced to stand in a pool under a fruit-laden tree, but any time he crouched for water or reached for fruit, the water/fruit receded from his reach? Hint

Pelops

Lethe

Sisyphus

Tantalus

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Let's explore some geography of the netherworld. There are five major rivers of the Greek afterlife. Which of these is NOT one of them? Hint

Acheron

Styx

Lethe

Tiber

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Question 8 of 10

8. Odysseus, in his epic journey, was not able to get into Hades (and honestly, who would want to), but he did call up spirits to aid him in his quest. Which hero of the Trojan war, famous for being dipped in the river Styx at birth, did Odysseus call up? Hint

Achilles

Ajax

Hector

Agamemnon

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Question 9 of 10

9. This Greek king, after his death, became the deciding vote on a three-judge panel that judges the dead and gives them their final resting place - either in Elysium or Tartarus. Who is this person who sits beside Rhadamanthys and Aecus? Hint

Atreus

Midas

Minos

Telemachus

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. The most foundational myth about Hades is the myth of how Hades found his queen. He kidnapped a young deity, his niece, and keeps her in the underworld with him half the year. Who is this? Hint

Atalanta

Athena

Persephone

Helen

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Eurydice

Eurydice was Orpheus' wife, who died of a snakebite the same day as their wedding and was immediately taken to Hades. Orpheus, being a great musician, used his skill to move the king and queen of the underworld so much that they let him leave with her, under the condition that he not look back at her until they reach the upper realm. Orpheus looked back just at the last moment and lost her forever.

2. Which king fought with Hades, even imprisoning him once, which caused all death to cease on Earth? His punishment, once death finally got him, was to roll a stone up a hill for all time.

Answer: Sisyphus

Sisyphus famously must roll a stone up a hill and any time he reaches the top the stone will fall back down again for his entire afterlife. Rough punishment for a shrewd man.

3. Hercules went into the underworld a few times. Once, during his Twelve Labors, he was forced to tame which guardian dog of Hades?

Answer: Cerberus

Hercules' Twelve Labors were challenges given to him as penance for killing his family under the influence of a supernatural madness. One was to tame the three-headed guardian of the underworld, Cerberus, and return him to the upper realm.

4. Hercules rescued Alcestis, a woman who was not actually meant to be deceased, from the underworld. Why did she end up in the underworld, then?

Answer: She traded her life for her husband Admetus' life

Admetus forgot to make a sacrifice when he married Alcestis, and as a punishment was killed, unless someone else agreed to take his place. His wife was the only one, but Hercules went to get her back after finding amazing hospitality in the mourning court of Admetus.

Answer: Theseus

Theseus and Pirithious decided to kidnap Helen and Persephone, respectively, and when Pirithious needed to go into the underworld for his conquest, he was captured in Hades forever. Theseus was stuck in a chair (or on a rock) and was retrievable by the strength of Hercules. Pirithious, however, he was not able to save.

Answer: Tantalus

Tantalus notoriously killed his son Pelops and served him to the gods. The gods discovered his treachery before eating the boy and brought Pelops back to life. They then punished Tantalus for his treachery with this innovative punishment.

7. Let's explore some geography of the netherworld. There are five major rivers of the Greek afterlife. Which of these is NOT one of them?

Answer: Tiber

Tiber is a real river, the river on which Rome was built in Italy. Acheron is also a real river but lends its name to a Hadean "river of pain" in several versions of the Hades myth. Styx is a river of the underworld whose waters have the property of binding you to anything you swear upon the river's water. Lethe is the river of forgetfulness, which makes spirits lose touch with their living selves.

Answer: Achilles

Achilles, who died in the Trojan War after an arrow to the heel, was called up and lamented the state of death to Odysseus, a survivor of the war trying to return home with the dead people's help.

Answer: Minos

Minos creates the laws of the dead, and they are incredibly harsh. Those in the afterlife of Greek mythology do not tend to enjoy their experience there, even those who live in Elysium and ostensibly aren't being punished.

10. The most foundational myth about Hades is the myth of how Hades found his queen. He kidnapped a young deity, his niece, and keeps her in the underworld with him half the year. Who is this?

Answer: Persephone

Persephone is Hades' queen of the underworld (Proserpine in the Roman tradition). She is his niece, since Demeter, Persephone's mother, is Hades' sister. But it's Greek mythology, so that's hardly unusual.

Source: Author merylfederman

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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