Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This is a French epic of the "songs of heroic deeds" genre. It follows Hruodlandus, who changes into Charlemagne's nephew after being ambushed by the Muslim warriors in 778. This anonymously written epic is "La Chanson de ______".
2. In this Babylonian creation epic, seven tablets tell the story of Marduk, who was chosen king of the gods in order to defeat the god of chaotic evil, named Tiamat. Marduk defeated Tiamet and split her to create the human race. What is this epic's name?
3. This ancient Greek epic written by Homer tells of the main character traveling to Ithaca, only to find his wife Penelope beleaguered by suitors. Can you name this followup epic to "Iliad"?
4. This medieval German epic was written in around 1200 AD and traces Siegfried, a hero who enters a kingdom and takes all the symbols of power, including Queen Kriemhild. This story ends with everyone's downfall and was later turned into an 1876 opera by Richard Wagner. Do you know its name?
5. This was the national epic of Persia, whose name directly translates as "Book of Kings", and brought honor and national awareness to the ancient empire. It contains 50,000 couplets and describes the beginning of mankind to the fall of the Sassanian Empire in 600 AD; what is it?
6. This Finnish national epic is based on oral tradition which was written down in 1835 by Elias Lönnrot. It consists aphoristic poetry of the Balto-Finnish peoples and has 12,078 lines arranged in 32 cantos, but was enlarged 13 years later to contain 22,795 lines in 50 cantos. Can you name it?
7. This is a classical Indian epic which was mostly compiled by many anonymous poets and Hindu priests over 1,000 years ago, but most credit for its publishing go to the sage Vyasa. It recounts the rivalry between a couple of cousins along with some Pandavas and Kauravas for control of the ancient Kuru kingdom. What's its name?
8. This is the other great epic of India and is the work of one man, the sage Valmiki, who wrote it down in 300 AD. The plot follows the efforts of Rama to regain his throne and rescue his wife from the demon, King of Lanka. Can you name it?
9. This is a long Akkadian poem dealing with the quest for immortality. Characters include the friends Enkidu and Utnapishtim. In the end, the main character finally accepts death as inevitable. This is "The Epic of ___________".
10. This is one of the most famous epics ever written and is one of the best works in Old English literature. It follows the hero on his quest to fight the monster Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a fierce dragon. What is this epic, known for its use of kennings (which are metaphorical compound words, such as "swan-road" for "ocean")?
Source: Author
GWU_Boy
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
bullymom before going online.
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