Roman/Greek Name Match! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Somnus

Hypnos is the god of sleep, so you can tell where hypnotize comes from. Hypnos' Roman name is Somnus. This is also where the long word somnambulism derives from.

Hypnos was the son of Nyx and Erebus, as well as being brother to Thanatos, the personification of death.

Answer: Selene

The word lunatic is used to mean crazy or mentally unstable. These feelings were thought to have been caused by the moon, and this is why it was named after the moon goddess in Roman mythology, Luna. Luna's Greek form is Selene. Luna/Selene got somewhat replaced over time by Diana/Artemis.

Answer: Faunus

Panic comes from the god Pan, who is the god of the wild. His Roman form is Faunus, which makes sense, because he is a faun. He is the god of flocks, shepherds, and wild groves.

A faun, or a satyr, as it is called in Greek mythology, is a goat-man whose top half is that of a human and bottom half is that of a goat--or two furry legs and a tail, I should say. This creature, which took its appearance from Pan/Faunus, is not to be confused with a centaur, which has the torso of a human mounted on the body of a horse.

Answer: Demeter

Demeter, or Ceres, as the Romans call her, is the goddess of agriculture, so it makes sense why the word cereal was named after her. Cereal comes from wheat and grain, which is Demeter's specialty. Demeter/Ceres is the second-oldest child of Kronos and Rhea, two Titans.

Answer: Ares

The word martial comes from the god of war, Mars - so "martial arts" is referring to him. His Greek form is Ares. Ares/Mars is known for being the god of battles and bloodlust.

Answer: Timorus

Timorus is the same as Phobos - one of Ares' right-hand men, where the word phobia comes from, meaning fear.

Phobos, as well as Deimos, are also moons on Mars. But I would instead call the moons by their Roman names - Timorus and Formidus/Metus, for Mars is Roman and not Greek like Phobos and Deimos.

Answer: Tyche

Tyche is the goddess of good luck in Greek mythology. Her Roman name is Fortuna - this is where the commonly used word fortune comes from. She is usually linked to Nemesis, goddess of retribution and bad luck, as the two are polar opposites.

Answer: Moneta

Moneta's Greek name is Mnemosyne, which is where the word mnemonic (something that aids in retaining memory) comes from. Moneta is also used to refer to Juno, or Hera, but is more commonly used for our favorite (and only) Titan of memory. She was the mother of the Nine Muses, minor goddesses who inspired art and music.

Answer: Hephaestus

The word volcano originates from Vulcan, Roman god of volcanoes, whose Greek equivalent is... Hephaestus. Hephaestus is also a god of fire and blacksmiths. He was teased for being ugly, but personally, he is one of my favorite gods.

Answer: Hades

Pluto, as well as being the god of the dead and the Underworld, was the god of wealth and jewels. The word plutocracy seems to fit that - a government run by the wealthy. His Greek name is Hades. The word plutonic also comes from Pluto - it means a type of rocks found deep inside the earth.