World Mythology and Folklore Quiz

Folk Literature

• A collection of stories, legends, myths, ballads, songs, riddles, sayings, and other works stemming from oral traditions globally.

Mythology

• A collection of myths, particularly within a specific religious or cultural tradition.
• Myths are traditional or legendary tales, often involving deities, heroes, or events, with or without factual basis, and explain natural phenomena or cultural practices.
• Anthropomorphism is attributing human characteristics to non-human entities.

Flood Myths

• Often depict floods as punishments for human actions.
• Typically depict wide-spread flooding.
• Feature few survivors (often representing moral righteousness).
• Often include symbolic signs like rainbows, etc.

Gilgamesh

• Mesopotamian hero, son of goddess Ninsun.
• Epic explores themes of life, identity, relationships, and mortality.
• Gilgamesh's best friend was Enkidu, and a villain they faced was Humbaba.
• Gilgamesh consulted with Utnapishtim about immortality.
• The goddess Ishtar was interested in Gilgamesh.

Children of Lir

• Celtic tale from Ireland.
• Tells of a group called Tuatha De Danann,
• Children were transformed into swans.
• A curse resulted in their transformation for several years.
• A holy man, Mochua, baptized them when they returned to human form.

Mythological Creatures

• Unicorns: symbols of purity and grace, often described as only captured by a virgin.
• Phoenixes: mythical birds said to die in fire and be reborn.
• Kitsune: Japanese foxes often shape-shifting and appearing as beautiful women.
• Tengu: mischievous supernatural beings, possibly reincarnations of arrogant individuals.
• Tikbalang: tall, bony creature resembling a humanoid horse.
• Kapre: large, hairy, and muscular tree giants from Philippine lore.
• Aswang: shape-shifting creatures that may take the form of dogs, cats, or pigs and are said to consume humans.
• Trolls: cave-dwelling creatures, turning to stone when exposed to sunlight.
• Chimera: mythical creatures with multiple body parts from different animals.
• Fenrir: a monstrous wolf from Norse mythology.
• Hydra: a serpent with multiple heads.
• Centaurs: half-human, half-horse creatures.
• Gorgons: creatures with snakes as hair, turning people to stone with a glance.
• Oni: Japanese demons.
• Cerberus: three-headed dog guarding the underworld.
• Minotaur: half-human, half-bull creature.
• Jin: Arabian mythological beings that grant wishes.
• Harpies: half-human, half-bird creatures.
• Griffin: half-eagle, half-lion mythical creature.
• Pegasus: winged horse.
• Banshee: a creature that cries out about an impending death.
• Ghoul: scavenger creature that lurks in the darkness.
• Chupacabra: creatures that suck animal blood (often a folk tale).
• Kappa: swamp-dwelling creatures that drag people into the water.

Egyptian Mythology

• Amun: wind god.
• Anubis: a jackal-headed god.
• Osiris: husband of Isis.
• Set: killed Osiris, husband of Nephthys.

Greek Mythology

• Demeter and Persephone: The myth of Demeter grieving the loss of Persephone, representing the cycle of life and death.
• Titans: Predecessors to the Olympians, defeated by the Olympians in the Titanomachy.
• Olympians: Major Greek gods and goddesses such as Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, etc, each with specific domains and responsibilities.
• Tartarus: A dark pit in the underworld for the wicked.
• Erebus: A dark region of the underworld.
• Asphodel: A region of the underworld for the unmemorable dead.
• Elysium: A paradise for the worthy.
• Zeus: King of the gods, ruler of the sky, god of thunder.
• Poseidon: God of the sea.
• Hades: God of the underworld.
• Demeter: Goddess of agriculture.
• Hera: Goddess of marriage.
• Ares: God of war.
• Hermes: Messenger of the gods.
• Athena: Goddess of wisdom and warfare.
• Aphrodite: Goddess of love and beauty.
• Apollo: God of light, music, healing, and archery.
• Artemis: Goddess of the hunt, wildlife, and the moon.

Other Myths

• Jason and the Golden Fleece: Jason's quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece.
• Oedipus: A tragic figure in Greek mythology, fated to kill his father and marry his mother.
• Antigone: A figure in Greek mythology who defies Creon.
• Daedalus and Icarus: A father and son who made wings to escape imprisonment.
• Sisyphus: A figure eternally doomed to push a boulder up a hill in the underworld.
• Pyramus and Thisbe: A tragic love story.
• Orpheus and Eurydice: A story featuring Orpheus' attempts to bring his wife back from the dead.
• Ceyx and Alcone: A story about a couple transformed into birds.
• Pygmalion and Galatea: A story involving a sculptor who fell in love with a statue.
• Baucis and Philemon: A story about a couple rewarded for their hospitality.
• Endymion and Selene: A love story between a mortal and a goddess.
• Daphne and Apollo: A story about Daphne transforming into a tree to avoid Apollo.
• Alpheus and Arethusa: A story involving two river nymphs and their transformations,
• Arcadia: A region associated with the god Pan and ideals of pastoral life.
• Psyche: A story about a beautiful woman who was tested by the goddess of love.
• Norse Mythology: Stories about Norse gods and their realms like Asgard.
• Yggdrasil: The world tree in Norse mythology.
• Odin, Thor, and Freya: Key Norse deities.
• The Iliad and Odyssey: Epic poems attributed to Homer about the Trojan War.