40 mythology trivia questions and answers
The questions center on Greek and Norse stories while also reaching Egyptian, Roman, Japanese, Aztec, Mesopotamian, Hindu, Irish, and Arthurian traditions.
Updated
Who is the Greek god of the sea?
easy
Poseidon
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poseidon?oldid=1365255239#Origins
Which Norse god had hammer emblems worn during the Viking Age?
easy
Thor
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor?oldid=1359542227
What creature has the body of a lion and the head of a human being?
easy
A sphinx
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx?oldid=1365707219#Asia
Who flew too close to the Sun with wings of wax?
easy
Icarus
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icarus?oldid=1365216538
Which Roman god is equivalent to the Greek Zeus?
medium
Jupiter
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_(god)?oldid=1365304013#Jovian_theology
Which three brothers created Zeus’s thunderbolt, Poseidon’s trident, and Hades’s Helm of Darkness?
medium
The Cyclopes
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclopes?oldid=1360644621
Which goddess sprang fully armed from Zeus’s head?
medium
Athena
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena?oldid=1362342039#Birth
What magical bird is reborn from its own ashes?
easy
A phoenix
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(mythology)?oldid=1362756710
What did Medusa have in place of hair?
easy
Living snakes
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medusa?oldid=1361134920
Who rules the Greek underworld?
easy
Hades
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hades?oldid=1360728437#Early_years
What creature is half human and half horse?
easy
The centaur
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur?oldid=1365026168#Creation_of_centaurs
Which Egyptian god is often shown with a jackal’s head?
medium
Anubis
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anubis?oldid=1356816413#Portrayal_in_art
What did Pandora open, releasing evils into the world?
medium
A jar
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora's_box?oldid=1365047547#In_mythology
What is Excalibur?
easy
The mythical sword of King Arthur
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excalibur?oldid=1365284110
Which Norse trickster god is the father of the wolf Fenrir?
easy
Loki
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki?oldid=1361344523
What did Theseus do before using the string to escape the Labyrinth?
easy
Entered the Labyrinth
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theseus?oldid=1364606367#Theseus_and_the_Minotaur
What links Cerberus, three heads, and the gates of the underworld?
easy
A multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the underworld
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus?oldid=1365153607
Under what condition could Eurydice return with Orpheus?
medium
Not look back until they both had reached the upper world
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orpheus?oldid=1362834337#Death_of_Eurydice
Which hero completed twelve labors?
easy
Heracles
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labours_of_Hercules?oldid=1365952767#Aftermath
How did Ariadne help Theseus escape the Labyrinth?
medium
A sword and ball of thread
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariadne?oldid=1365385670#Minos_and_Theseus
What is Ragnarok in Norse mythology?
medium
A foretold series of impending events
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar%C3%B6k?oldid=1357243835
Which goddess searched for her daughter Persephone?
medium
Demeter
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demeter?oldid=1364839837#Abduction_of_Persephone
Even after Medusa was beheaded, how could her severed head affect onlookers?
easy
Turn onlookers to stone
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medusa?oldid=1361134920
Which Japanese sun goddess hid in a cave?
hard
Amaterasu
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaterasu?oldid=1357168278#The_Heavenly_Rock_Cave
What task was Sisyphus condemned to repeat forever?
easy
Push an immense boulder up a hill
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus?oldid=1363155348
Which feathered serpent deity was worshipped by the Aztecs?
hard
Quetzalcoatl
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalc%C5%8D%C4%81tl?oldid=1365008648#In_Aztec_culture
Name the winged horse born from Medusa’s blood.
easy
Pegasus
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegasus?oldid=1352387540
What is the function of the Valkyries in Norse stories?
medium
Chooser of the slain
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyrie?oldid=1359300358#Etymology
Which Mesopotamian hero sought immortality after Enkidu died?
hard
Gilgamesh
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh?oldid=1364768307
How was Achilles said to have died in myths about the Trojan War?
easy
A wound to his heel, ankle, or torso
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles'_heel?oldid=1365147858#The_classical_myth
Who also ferried the living mortals Heracles and Aeneas to the underworld and back?
hard
Charon
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon?oldid=1363472473
Which Hindu deity has an elephant head?
medium
Ganesha
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha?oldid=1365189126#Iconography
What did Odin sacrifice for wisdom at Mimir’s well?
hard
One of his eyes
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%ADmisbrunnr?oldid=1337804880#Poetic_Edda
Which monster was part lion, part goat, and part serpent?
medium
The Chimera
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_(mythology)?oldid=1365916688#Description
Which divine twin was the mortal son of Tyndareus?
hard
Castor
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_and_Pollux?oldid=1363511055
In Irish mythology, how is Cú Chulainn’s battle state described?
hard
Terrifying battle frenzy
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%BA_Chulainn?oldid=1361809919
Why did Minerva transform Arachne into a spider in Ovid’s account?
hard
Out of pity
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachne?oldid=1364728712
What links the river Styx with an oath sworn by Greek gods?
hard
The greatest and most dread oath for the blessed gods
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styx?oldid=1364602599#Oath_of_the_gods
Which Egyptian god guides the weighing of a heart against a feather?
hard
Anubis
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weighing_of_souls?oldid=1356649228#Ancient_Egyptian_religion
What immense and central sacred tree appears in Norse cosmology?
medium
Yggdrasil
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yggdrasil?oldid=1359574504
How to play
Name the tradition when the question provides it, since similar roles occur in different story systems. Accept common spelling variants for transliterated names, but require the named figure or creature rather than a broad description.
Plan the round and team scores
8 turns × 60 seconds = 8 minutes of play, plus instructions and breaks.
60
These are adjustable house rules. Pause whenever the group needs more time.
Team 1: 0
Team 2: 0