Tricksters, Minor Gods & World Pantheons

43 questions · Answers revealed below each question · Print this set

1.Which primordial pair embodies darkness in the Ogdoad?
- A. Nun and Naunet
- B. Kek and Kauket
- C. Amun and Amaunet
- D. Heh and Hauhet
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Kek and Kauket
Did you know? Kek and Kauket stand for darkness among the Ogdoad's four pairs.
2.How many floors has Thor's hall Bilskirnir?
- A. One thousand
- B. Ninety
- C. Thirteen
- D. Five hundred forty
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Five hundred forty
Did you know? Bilskirnir, Thor's hall in Thrudheim, counts five hundred forty rooms.
3.According to Memphite theology, which god created through heart and tongue?
- A. Khnum
- B. Ptah
- C. Atum
- D. Amun
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Ptah
Did you know? Ptah conceived the world in his heart and spoke it into being with his tongue.
4.Which star's heliacal rising heralded the Nile flood in myth?
- A. Sah, the constellation Orion
- B. The morning star Venus
- C. The star Sept's twin
- D. Sopdet, the star Sirius
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Sopdet, the star Sirius
Did you know? Sopdet, the goddess of Sirius, appeared at dawn to open the flood season.
5.Which ten-headed demon king holds Sita captive in the Ramayana?
- A. Kumbhakarna
- B. Hiranyakashipu
- C. Ravana
- D. Mahishasura
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Ravana
Did you know? Ravana's ten heads fell only to Rama's arrow aimed at his navel.
6.Which god-folk ruled Ireland before the Milesians in the Irish tales?
- A. The Tuatha Dé Danann
- B. The Fomorians
- C. The Fir Bolg
- D. The Milesians themselves
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The Tuatha Dé Danann
Did you know? The Tuatha Dé Danann retired under the hollow hills after defeat.
7.Which goddess of love and war looses the Bull of Heaven on Gilgamesh?
- A. Ishtar
- B. Inanna
- C. Tiamat
- D. Ereshkigal
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Ishtar
Did you know? Ishtar's rejected proposal doomed Enkidu to die.
8.What curse did Hera place on the nymph Echo?
- A. She lost her voice entirely
- B. She was banished from the woods
- C. She could only repeat others' last words
- D. She was turned into a stone
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She could only repeat others' last words
Did you know? Hera cursed Echo to only echo the words of others.
9.What are the primordial waters called from which the mound rose?
- A. Satis
- B. Duat
- C. Hapi
- D. Nun
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Nun
Did you know? From the endless waters of Nun rose the first mound of creation.
10.Which Pacific Northwest trickster stole the daylight in a clamshell box?
- A. Raven
- B. Coyote
- C. Mink
- D. Blue Jay
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Raven
Did you know? Raven tricked the light-keeper open and freed the sun to the world.
11.Which Yoruba thunder god wields thunderstones and the double axe?
- A. Shango
- B. Obatala
- C. Ogun
- D. Eshu
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Shango
Did you know? Shango's thunderstones still mark the storm's strike sites.
12.Which monkey helper leaps across the sea to rescue Sita in the Ramayana?
- A. Vali
- B. Sugriva
- C. Nala
- D. Hanuman
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Hanuman
Did you know? Hanuman carried the mountain of healing herbs to the war.
13.Which many-skilled Irish god throws a spear that always strikes its mark?
- A. Lugh
- B. Nuada
- C. Dagda
- D. Cuchulainn
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Lugh
Did you know? Lugh of the long hand led the Tuatha against the Fomorians.
14.Which sky father heads the Mesopotamian divine assembly?
- A. Anu
- B. Ea
- C. Enlil
- D. Sin
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Anu
Did you know? Anu's heaven holds the stars' fates in the Babylonian epics.
15.Who are the three Fates and what does each do?
- A. Clotho spins, Lachesis measures, Atropos cuts the thread
- B. Clotho guards, Lachesis judges, Atropos buries
- C. Clotho sings, Lachesis dances, Atropos plays
- D. Clotho weaves, Lachesis dyes, Atropos wears the cloth
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Clotho spins, Lachesis measures, Atropos cuts the thread
Did you know? The Moirai spin, measure and cut each mortal's thread of life.
16.Which beast's dread of red, fire and noise explains New Year customs?
- A. The jiaolong
- B. The taotie
- C. The Nian beast
- D. The qilin
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The Nian beast
Did you know? Red couplets, firecrackers and lamps drive off the Nian at the year's turn.
17.Which Polynesian demigod snared the sun with ropes to slow its crossing?
- A. Maui
- B. Ku
- C. Tane
- D. Rongo
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Maui
Did you know? Maui's coconut-fiber nooses beat the sun into a slower daily pace.
18.How did Midas get rid of his golden touch?
- A. Athena cut it away
- B. He returned it to Dionysus's temple
- C. He washed in the river Pactolus
- D. He touched a statue of Athena
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He washed in the river Pactolus
Did you know? Dionysus told Midas to bathe in the Pactolus, which ran golden ever after.
19.Which god is the divine patron of writing, scribes and reckoning time?
- A. Ptah
- B. Khonsu
- C. Seshat
- D. Thoth
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Thoth
Did you know? Thoth invented writing and serves as arbiter among the gods.
20.Which Polynesian demigod fishes islands up from the sea floor?
- A. Rata
- B. Tangaroa
- C. Kupe
- D. Maui
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Maui
Did you know? Maui's magic hook dragged the fish that became the islands.
21.Which god embodies the Nile flood itself?
- A. Khnum
- B. Atum
- C. Sobek
- D. Hapi
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Hapi
Did you know? Hapi, with papyrus and offerings, brings the flood that feeds Egypt.
22.Which spider trickster is the Akan tales' famous weaver of stories?
- A. Coyote
- B. Eshu
- C. Iktomi
- D. Anansi
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Anansi
Did you know? Anansi's webs of cunning bought the sky god's stories for the world.
23.How many Muses inspire the arts on Mount Olympus?
- A. Twelve
- B. Three
- C. Nine
- D. Seven
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Nine
Did you know? The nine Muses are led by Calliope, muse of epic poetry.
24.Which wise centaur tutored many Greek heroes, including Achilles?
- A. Nessus
- B. Pholus
- C. Eurytion
- D. Chiron
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Chiron
Did you know? Chiron, the wise centaur, taught Achilles, Asclepius and Jason.
25.Who rules the four seas as dragon lords in Chinese myth?
- A. The Four Sages
- B. The four Queen Mothers
- C. The wind masters
- D. The four Dragon Kings
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The four Dragon Kings
Did you know? Each sea has its Dragon King controlling rain and tides.
26.Which newborn god stole Apollo's cattle on his first day of life?
- A. Hermes
- B. Pan
- C. Dionysus
- D. Ares
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Hermes
Did you know? Baby Hermes hid the stolen cattle and charmed Apollo with the first lyre.
27.Which Icelandic author compiled the Prose Edda, the handbook of Norse myth?
- A. Egil Skallagrimsson
- B. Saxo Grammaticus
- C. Saemundr the Learned
- D. Snorri Sturluson
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Snorri Sturluson
Did you know? Snorri Sturluson wrote the Prose Edda around 1220 to teach skaldic poetry.
28.Which wife of the Yellow Emperor is credited with discovering silk?
- A. Leizu
- B. Meng Po
- C. Nüwa
- D. Xiwangmu
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Leizu
Did you know? Leizu found the silk unwinding from a cocoon dropped in her tea.
29.Which bird was linked to rebirth, the Egyptian counterpart of the phoenix?
- A. The Ibis
- B. The Owl
- C. The Falcon
- D. The Bennu
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The Bennu
Did you know? The Bennu heron's cyclical return marked rebirth and the Nile flood.
30.Which weekday preserves Odin's name in English?
- A. Saturday
- B. Thursday
- C. Wednesday
- D. Monday
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Wednesday
Did you know? Wednesday comes from Wodan's Day, the Germanic name of Odin.
31.Which four directional guardian creatures flank the Chinese cosmos?
- A. Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise
- B. Dragon, Qilin, Fenghuang and Turtle
- C. Rabbit, Toad, Crow and Rooster
- D. Fox, Crow, Tiger and Serpent
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Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise
Did you know? The four symbols guard east, west, south and north.
32.Which statue motif shows Isis nursing the infant Horus?
- A. The striding pharaoh group
- B. The seated scribe figure
- C. The Isis lactans nursing image
- D. The enthroned judge pair
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The Isis lactans nursing image
Did you know? Images of Isis nursing Horus became the model later echoed in Mary-and-child art.
33.Which Pandava hero wins a princess by stringing a mighty bow?
- A. Karna
- B. Bhima
- C. Arjuna
- D. Yudhishthira
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Arjuna
Did you know? Arjuna's bow shot the fish's eye to win Draupadi's hand.
34.Which god of wisdom warns Utnapishtim of the coming flood?
- A. Ea
- B. Marduk
- C. Enlil
- D. Shamash
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Ea
Did you know? Ea whispered through the reed hut's wall to save the faithful Utnapishtim.
35.Why was Midas given ass's ears?
- A. He stole Apollo's cattle
- B. He mocked the oracle
- C. He judged Pan's music better than Apollo's
- D. He refused to pay a debt
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He judged Pan's music better than Apollo's
Did you know? For preferring Pan's pipes, Apollo gave Midas the ears of a donkey.
36.Which one-legged beast's hide became Yu's thunder drum?
- A. The taotie
- B. The Pixiu
- C. The Kui
- D. The Jiaolong
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The Kui
Did you know? Yu's drum of Kui hide boomed like thunder for five hundred li.
37.Which North American trickster steals fire in a bundle of pitchwood?
- A. Iktomi
- B. Anansi
- C. Coyote
- D. Raven
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Coyote
Did you know? Coyote ran the stolen fire to the people's camps.
38.Which storm lord's council sends the Mesopotamian deluge despite Ea's protests?
- A. Nergal
- B. Shamash
- C. Anu
- D. Enlil
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Enlil
Did you know? Enlil's wrath erased mankind until he granted Utnapishtim deathless life.
39.Which motif of a staring composite face adorns ancient bronze vessels?
- A. The nian
- B. The taotie
- C. The kui
- D. The qilin
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The taotie
Did you know? The taotie's horned face stares from Shang and Zhou ritual bronzes.
40.Which Yoruba messenger deity guards crossroads and unsettling chances?
- A. Obatala
- B. Eshu
- C. Shango
- D. Ogun
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Eshu
Did you know? Eshu's riddles open every road to its surprise.
41.Which primordial fresh-water being, Tiamat's consort, is slain to end the old gods' noise?
- A. Mummu
- B. Apsu
- C. Ea
- D. Anu
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Apsu
Did you know? Ea's sleeping spell on Apsu ended the primeval fresh-water lord.
42.What soup does Meng Po serve before reincarnation?
- A. A soup of longevity
- B. A broth of bitter herbs
- C. A broth of forgetfulness
- D. A stew of five grains
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A broth of forgetfulness
Did you know? Meng Po's soup wipes all memory of the past life at the bridge.
43.From whom does the trickster Maui steal fire in the Polynesian tales?
- A. The mudhens of Mahuika
- B. The sea god Tangaroa
- C. The underworld's priests
- D. The sun itself
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The mudhens of Mahuika
Did you know? Maui doused Mahuika's fires until she flung the last spark to him.

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