Mythology in Modern Life Trivia Quiz

Answer: Petunia

Anemone was named after Adonis, the beautiful youth whom Aphrodite and Persephone both loved. Heliotrope comes from one of the lovers of Helios, the sun god, and that is why its head always points towards the sun. Narcissus was christened after a beautiful youth who saw his reflection in the water and died because he could not bear to leave it.

Although it can be a girl's name, there is no one in mythology specifically called Petunia.

Answer: Uranus

The moons of Uranus are named after characters in the collected works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope (Ariel, Titania, Oberon, etc...). Jupiter, the king of the gods, has many moons, the four largest being Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede, all of whom had trysts with Jupiter. Mars, the god of war, has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which were named after the two sons of Ares, Mars's Greek counterpart. Saturn, the ancient god of the harvest, has the most moons, which include Rhea, Saturn's wife, Phoebe, Saturn's sister, and Iapetus, Saturn's nephew.

Answer: Eros

Cupid's lesser known Greek counterpart was Eros. It was said that if your heart was soft enough, Eros could shoot an arrow into it and you would fall in love with the next person you saw. He himself fell in love with a beautiful maiden, Psyche, who underwent many trials to be with him, due to her mother-in-law's disapproval. Eros lends his name to such words as erotic, having to do with love or sex.

Answer: Hermes

Hermes was the messenger god and patron of shepherds and thieves, as well as the guide to the dead. The symbol most closely associated with him is the caduceus, or perhaps his winged cap and sandals which he lent to Perseus for the slaying of the Medusa. Poseidon had his trident, Hades his bident, and Zeus his thunder and lightning.

The asclepius, which only has a single serpent, was carried by the Greek god of healing, Asclepius. It is the symbol of the medical profession, and is often incorrectly called a caduceus.

Answer: Pyramus and Thisbe

Pyramus and Thisbe, like Romeo and Juliet, were two people very much in love. Pyramus killed himself because he thought Thisbe dead, and then Thisbe killed herself because Pyramus was dead, just like Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare also used the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe as a play in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'

Answer: Amazon

The Amazons were warrior women who lived and ruled without the assistance or company of men. They were led by Hippolyta, who was later captured by Theseus. The modern Amazon is an online company from whom you can order a variety of products.

Answer: Mars

Mars was the Roman name for Ares, the Greek god of war and the ultimate masculine force. He never married, although he had several children by Venus(Aphrodite) the goddess of love. Mars was the son of Juno(Hera) and Jupiter(Zeus). The candy bar is popular in Europe, but can no longer be easily found in America.

Answer: Memphis, Tennessee

Troy was the city in which the Trojan War was fought (why they called it the Trojan War). It started with a golden apple inscribed "To the Fairest" and ended in the total destruction of a once great city. Atlanta comes from Atlas, the Titan who was said to hold the world on his shoulders, or Atalanta, the woman so fast that no man could outrun her in a fair race. Olympia, Washington derives from Mount Olympus, which was said to be the home of the pantheon of gods and goddess. Memphis, Tennessee, comes not from Greece, but Egypt, being named after the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis.

Answer: The Poseidon Adventure

'My Fair Lady' is based on Pygmalion, the sculptor who fell in love with the statue he created, Galatea. 'Clash of the Titans' is based on several stories from mythology all meshed together and jumbled up. 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' is loosely based on 'The Odyssey'. 'The Poseidon Adventure', although it sounds mythological (Poseidon was the god of the sea), is just an adventure film about a ship called Poseidon.

Answer: Ares

Two of Ares's sons were Phobos and Deimos, whose names meant fear and terror. A phobia is an extreme fear. For example, there's arachnophobia, fear of spiders, claustrophobia, fear of enclosed spaces, and xenophobia, fear of strangers.