States Questions—Novice

Question 1

What monster did both Theseus and Heracles have to face, one by order of Aegeus, and the other by order of Eurystheus although it had changed its name?

Answer 1

CRETAN/MARATHONIAN BULL

B1: The Cretan Bull was also the father of the Minotaur with what Cretan queen?

PASIPHAE

B2: What niece of Pasiphae prompted Aegeus to order Theseus to kill the Marathonian Bull?

MEDEA

Question 2

What goddess was the original patron of Delphi before it was taken over by Apollo?

Answer 2

GE/THEMIS

B1: What creature did Apollo kill to gain possession of Delphi?

PYTHON

B2: What monster, which forced the gods to flee to Egypt, was reared by Python after Hera gave birth to it

TYPHOEUS

Question 3

What Muse of history might a certamen player invoke as they begin a marathon reading of Cary & Scullard’s A History of Rome?

Answer 3

CLIO

B1: What Muse of epic poetry might be invoked by a certamen player as they begin to read Vergil’s Aeneid?

CALLIOPE

B2: What Muse of dance might one invoke at the FJCL State Forum “Farewell Dance” in order to enhance their dancing abilities?

TERPSICHORE

Question 4

What animal was responsible for the death of Ancaeus, a scar on Odysseus’ leg, and the death of Adonis?

Answer 4

A BOAR

B1: What nurse of Odysseus recognized him by the scar left on his thigh by the boar?

EURYCLEIA

B2: What son of Oeneus and Althaea killed the boar that killed Ancaeus, and then was killed by his mother?

MELEAGER

Question 5

Thersites, Penthesilea, Memnon, and Hector were all killed by what Greek warrior in the Trojan War?

Answer 5

ACHILLES

B1: Memnon was the son of Tithonus and what goddess of the dawn?

EOS

B2: Why was Eos forced to turn Tithonus into a grasshopper?

HE WAS IMMORTAL BUT KEPT AGING

Question 6

Who was torn apart by Maenads because he rejected their company and the company of all other women after the death of his wife Eurydice?

Answer 6

ORPHEUS

B1: According to some versions of the story, what goddess caused Orpheus’ death in order to get back at his mother, Calliope?

APHRODITE

B2: In this version of the story, how had Calliope enraged Aphrodite?

CALLIOPE DECREED THAT ADONIS WOULD SPEND PART OF THE YEAR WITH PERSEPHONE

Question 7

Who was told that he should fear a young man wearing one shoe?

Answer 7

PELIAS

B1: Pelias told the one shoed young man, Jason, to go fetch the golden fleece from Colchis. Name either one of the twin siblings who had ridden the golden fleece to Colchis to escape their stepmother, Ino?

PHRIXUS or HELLE

B2: Pelias was killed by Jason’s wife, Medea. How did she kill Pelias?

TRICKED PELIAS’ DAUGHTERS INTO CHOPPING HIM UP SO THAT MEDEA COULD “MAKE HIM YOUNG AGAIN””

Question 8

What son of Ctesius was sold by Phoenician merchants to King Laertes of Ithaca, under whom he served as the chief swineherd?

Answer 8

EUMAEUS

B1: Who was the chief cowherd on Ithaca?

PHILOETIUS

B2: What man was the chief goatherd under Laertes’ son Odysseus?

MELANTHIUS

Question 9

What goddess loved Astraeus, Cleitus, Cephalus, and Tithonus?

Answer 9

EOS/AURORA

B1: What god loved Perse, Clytie, Leucothoe, and Clymene?

HELIUS/SOL

B2: What goddess loved Zeus, Pan, and Endymion?

SELENE/LUNA

Question 10

Who was married at various points to Dione, Eurynome, Themis, and Metis, before finally marrying his sister, Hera?

Answer 10

ZEUS

B1: Who were the collective children of Zeus and Themis, known individually as Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos?

THE FATES

B2: In some versions, Hephaestus is the child of Hera alone, rather than Zeus and Hera. What prompted Hera to produce Hephaestus?

ZEUS HAD PRODUCED ATHENA BY HIMSELF

Question 11

What punishment befell Battus, Atlas, Niobe, and Polydectes?

Answer 11

THEY WERE TURNED TO STONE

B1: What god turned Battus into a stone after Battus saw the god stealing Apollo’s cattle?

HERMES/MERCURY

B2: Who turned Phineus, Atlas, and Polydectes to stone?

PERSEUS (accept MEDUSA)

Question 12

What Titan was the father of Hestia, Demeter, and Hades?

Answer 12

CRONOS

B1: What Titan was the father of Doris, Styx, and Amphitrite?

OCEANUS

B2: What Titan was the father of Atlas, Epimetheus, and Prometheus?

IAPETUS

Question 13

What woman panicked upon seeing her son Demophoön being roasted over a fire by the old woman Doso?

Answer 13

METANEIRA

B1: What was Doso’s real identity?

DEMETER

B2: What king of Eleusis was the husband of Metaneira?

CELEUS

Question 14

During the reign of the Babylonian queen Semiramis, what mythological couple finally agreed to meet at the tomb of King Ninus after conversing through a crack in the wall between their houses?

Answer 14

PYRAMUS AND THISBE

B1: When Thisbe first arrived, what type of animal scared her away?

LION(ESS)

B2: The blood of Pyramus stained the fruits of what kind of tree?

MULBERRY

Question 15

What son of Thoosa lived as a shepherd on Sicily and was blinded by a man named “Nobody”?

Answer 15

POLYPHEMUS

B1: What daughter of Helios tried to turn “Nobody” into a pig with the rest of his men?”

CIRCE

B2: What daughter of Atlas kept “Nobody” on her island of Ogygia for seven years?

CALYPSO

Question 16

Who was disguised as a girl in the court of King Lycomedes by his mother in order to prevent him from fighting at Troy?

Answer 16

ACHILLES

B1: Who was Achilles’ mother who hid him away?

THETIS

B2: What child did Achilles father while he was hidden at the court?

PYRRHUS / NEOPTOLEMUS

Question 17

As you are aware Zeus had a lot of children. Who were the collective daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne?

Answer 17

THE MUSES

B1: Who were the collective daughters of Zeus and Eurynome?

THE GRACES

B2: Who were the collective daughters of Zeus and Themis?

THE SEASONS / HORAE

Question 18

This is a visual tossup. Do not open the visuals until instructed to do so and keep in mind that this is still a tossup. [HAND OUT THE VISUALS]. You may now open your visuals. You have 10
seconds to examine your visuals.

Your question: you are looking at a series of mythological tragedies. Who, illustrated by image C, was told that he would live a long life as long as he never discovered himself?

Answer 18

NARCISSUS

B1: I trust that you all recognize the man and monster in image A, but who is this man’s father who met his end at a crossroads near Thebes?

LAIUS

B2: In image B, who might be screaming “I told you so” as the city of Troy burns behind her?

CASSANDRA

Question 19

Who was punished in the Underworld for trying to seduce Hera after Zeus had purified him of murder?

Answer 19

IXION

B1: What race of creatures was either the children or grandchildren of Ixion and the cloud version of Hera?

CENTAURS

B2: What king of the Lapiths was Ixion’s son with his mortal wife, Dia?

PEIRITHOUS

Question 20

What sea-goddess rescued Zeus when he had been bound by a group of rebellious gods?

Answer 20

THETIS

B1: Thetis rescued Zeus by summoning which of the Hecatoncheires from the Underworld?

BRIAREIUS

B2: What three deities had rebelled against Zeus and bound him?

ATHENA, HERA, and POSEIDON

Question 21

After he killed the dragon which guarded the spring of Dirce at Thebes, what man was forced to serve Ares for eight years?

Answer 21

CADMUS

B1: After those years of service, what daughter of Ares did Cadmus marry?

HARMONIA

B2: Into what creatures did Ares transform Cadmus and Harmonia at their deaths?

SNAKES

Question 22

What son of Aristaeus and Autonoe was changed into a deer and torn apart by his own dogs?

Answer 22

ACTAEON

B1: What goddess changed him into a deer and why?

ARTEMIS, BECAUSE ACTAEON SAW HER BATHING

B2: What cousin of Actaeon was similarly torn apart when his mother and aunts (including Autonoe) thought he was a lion?

PENTHEUS

Question 23

Who was abandoned by the Argonauts while he searched for his squire, who had been kidnapped by nymphs?

Answer 23

HERACLES / HERCULES

B1: What was the name of that squire?

HYLAS

B2: What twin sons of Boreas convinced the Argonauts to leave Heracles?

ZETES and CALAIS

Question 24

What giant was killed when Ge sent a giant scorpion to sting him to death?

Answer 24

ORION

B1: In the version of Orion’s birth in which his mother is Euryale, what god is Orion’s father?

POSEIDON/NEPTUNE

B2: What king of Chios blinded Orion when he forced his intentions on his daughter,
Merope?

OENOPION

Question 25

What daughters of Thaumas and Electra, known as the “hounds of Zeus”, were encountered by both Jason and Aeneas?

Answer 25

HARPIES

B1: What king was punished by the harpies for revealing too much of the future?

PHINEUS

B2: The Argonauts helped Phineus because he was the brother-in-law to what winged twins?

ZETES and CALAIAS

Question 26

What was the collective name Gyes, Cottus, and Briareus?

Answer 26

HECATONCHEIRES

B1: What god did Briareus rescue when he had been tied up by Poseidon, Hera, and
Athena?

ZEUS

B2: Between what two gods did Briareus serve as mediator when they vied for patronage of Corinth?

HELIOS and POSEIDON

Question 27

Who believed he was the son of King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth, and exiled himself from that city when an oracle told him he would kill his father and marry his mother?

Answer 27

OEDIPUS

B1: Oedipus ended up marrying his actual mother Jocasta. Who were their two sons, who were cursed by Oedipus to kill each other?

POLYNEICES and ETEOCLES

B2: Name either of Jocasta and Oedipus’ daughters, who accompanied him in his exile from Thebes.

ANTIGONE or ISMENE

Question 28

What son of Thestor was so famous for his skill as a seer that Agamemnon personally visited him in Megara to ask him to accompany the expedition of the Greeks to Troy?

Answer 28

CALCHAS

B1: With what fellow seer did Calchas have a competition at the end of his life?

MOPSUS

B2: What seer was the grandfather of Mopsus?

TEIRESIAS

Question 29

During the Trojan War, what brave Greek warrior was able to wound Ares with the aid of Athena?

Answer 29

DIOMEDES

B1: What other deity did Diomedes wound?

APHRODITE

B2: What semi-divine prince of the Dardanians was also wounded by Diomedes?

AENEAS

Question 30

What son of Apollo was killed by Zeus for reviving Theseus’ son Hippolytus?

Answer 30

ASCLEPIUS

B1: Who was Asclepius’ mother?

CORONIS

B2: What bird told Apollo that Coronis betrayed the god, prompting Apollo to change the bird’s color in anger?

CROW

Question 31

What king of Athens was forced to sit in the Chair of Forgetfulness in the Underworld until he was rescued?

Answer 31

THESEUS

B1: Who rescued Theseus?

HERACLES/HERCULES

B2: Theseus and Peirithous had gone to the Underworld because Peirithous wanted to marry what daughter of Zeus?

PERSEPHONE

Question 32

What daughter of Tantalus was changed into a stone after all of her children were killed by Diana and Apollo?

Answer 32

NIOBE

B1: What brother of Niobe had bones that were said to be needed for the Greeks to take Troy?

PELOPS

B2: Niobe’s daughter Chloris became the mother of what hero of the Trojan War, an old man famous for giving advice to the other Greek chieftains?

NESTOR

Question 33

Who was told to abandon the search for his sister, and instead follow a cow until it lay down, and then build a city on that spot?

Answer 33

CADMUS

B1: Who was that sister he was searching for?

EUROPA

B2: What was the collective name given to the five men who sprung up when Cadmus
scattered some dragon’s teeth?

SPARTOI

Question 34

What was the Roman name for the son of Venus and Mars who made people fall in love with his arrows?

Answer 34

CUPID

B1: What god did Cupid shoot with a golden love arrow when the god mocked Cupid’s skills as an archer?

APOLLO

B2: In the same moment what nymph did Cupid shoot with a lead hate arrow, causing her to reject Apollo?

DAPHNE

Question 35

What Trojan refugee did King Latinus of Latium accept as his son in law, since a prophecy said he should marry his daughter to a foreigner?

Answer 35

AENEAS

B1: What goddess tried to stop the wedding by stirring up the king’s wife, Amata, against Aeneas?

JUNO

B2: What wind god had Juno earlier bribed into trying to kill the Trojans with a storm?

AEOLUS

Question 36

What god was forced to serve a mortal for a year because he killed the Cyclopes?

Answer 36

APOLLO

B1: Who was the mortal Apollo served, a king known for his piety?

ADMETUS

B2: Why had Apollo killed the Cyclopes?

THEY HAD FORGED THE THUNDERBOLTS THAT KILLED
ASCELPIUS

Question 37

To what mythological group do Iapetus, Hyperion, Oceanus, and Atlas all belong?

Answer 37

TITANS

B1: Which Titan was called “the savior of mankind?”

PROMETHUS

B2: Which of the Titans presided over justice?

THEMIS

Question 38

What hero returned from the town of Nemea with the pelt of a ferocious lion as his first labor?

Answer 38

HERACLES / HERCULES

B1: Who ordered Heracles to kill the Nemean Lion?

EURYSTHEUS

B2: What many-headed monster did Heracles kill for his second labor?

(LEARNEAN) HYDRA

Question 39

Which Olympian god, born on the island of Delos, killed the Python and took Delphi as his oracle?

Answer 39

APOLLO

B1: Who was the mother of both Apollo and his twin sister Artemis?

LETO

B2: Which Olympian was the father of these twins?

ZEUS

Question 40

What Trojan prince, while living on Mt. Ida, was visited by three goddesses who forced him to choose amongst them?

Answer 40

PARIS / ALEXANDER

B1: Which goddess did Paris ultimately choose?

APHRODITE / VENUS

B2: What nymph did Paris abandon in order to abscond with Helen, the queen of Sparta?

OENONE

Question 41

Who returned to his home of Ithaca after a painful, twenty-year absence?

Answer 41

ODYSSEUS

B1: Who, the queen of Ithaca, waited for her husband to return?

PENELOPE

B2: What son of Odysseus and Penelope went to both Pylos and Sparta to search for his father?

TELEMACHUS

Question 42

Who journeyed to Thrace, Delos, Crete, Carthage, and Sicily before ultimately settling his Trojan survivors in Italy?

Answer 42

AENEAS

B1: With what Tyrian queen did Aeneas fall in love while at Carthage?

DIDO

B2: What Rutulian chieftain opposed Aeneas in Italy?

TURNUS

Question 43

What mythological monster, the child of Pasiphaë and a bull, terrorized victims in Minos’ labyrinth on Crete?

Answer 43

MINOTAUR

B1: What Athenian hero killed the Minotaur?

THESEUS

B2: What Cretan princesses helped Theseus escape from the labyrinth?

ARIADNE

Question 44

What monster in mythology was sent by Artemis to punish king Oeneus’ impiety?

Answer 44

CALYDONIAN BOAR / PHAEA

B1: Which son of Oeneus killed the boar?

MELEAGER

B2: Who, Meleager’s mother, ended his life by throwing a log into the fire?

ALTHEA

Question 45

What Greek captain at Troy, after the death of his squire Patroclus, reentered the war and killed Hector?

Answer 45

ACHILLES

B1: What group of soldiers who were transformed into men from ants did Achilles lead?

MYRMIDONS

B2: Of what Greek city state was Achilles the king?

PHTHIA

Question 46

What man exhibited great hubris when he attempted to fly Pegasus to Mt. Olympus and take his place among the immortal gods?

Answer 46

BELLEROPHON

B1: What fire-breathing monster did Bellerophon slay while riding Pegasus?

CHIMERA

B2: What Lycian king sent Bellerophon to kill the Chimera?

IOBATES

Question 47

What precocious god, on the first day he was alive, stole his brother Apollo’s cattle?

Answer 47

HERMES

B1: What daughter of Atlas was Hermes’ mother?

MAIA

B2: Hermes was born in a cave on what mountain?

MT. CYLLENE

Question 48

Who plunged into the Eridanus river after driving his father Apollo’s chariot too close to the sun?

Answer 48

PHAETHON

B1: How many horses were yoked to Apollo’s chariot?

FOUR

B2: Into what type of trees were Phaethon’s sister’s, the Heliades, transformed?

POPLARS

Question 49

Who was forced to marry a man named Hippomenes after she was defeated in a footrace?

Answer 49

ATALANTA

B1: According to Ovid, what goddess helped Hippomenes win the race?

VENUS

B2: Give the name of one of the three men whom ancient authors identify as the father of Atalanta?

IASUS / SCHOENEUS / MAENALUS

Question 50

Which god appeared at Thebes and threw the city into a frenzy with his gift of wine?

Answer 50

DIONYSUS / BACCHUS

B1: What king of Thebes refused to accept the worship of Dionysus, even though the god was his cousin?

PENTHEUS

B2: In response to Pentheus’ rejection of him, Dionysus departed to the Theban countryside and transformed many of the women into Maenads, including what mother of Pentheus?

AGAVE

Question 51

What group in mythology consisted of Arges, Brontes, and Steropes?

Answer 51

CYCLOPES

B1: Who were the parents of these Cyclopes?

URANUS & GE / GAIA

B2: How did the Cyclopes aid Zeus in his war with the Titans?

FORGED HIS THUNDERBOLTS

Question 52

Who received the following items: a sword from Hermes, a pair of winged sandals, and a cap of darkness which made him invisible?

Answer 52

PERSEUS

B1: From what nymphs did Perseus receive the sandals and cap?

NYMPHS OF THE NORTH / HYPERBOREANS

B2: What other useful trinket did the Hyperboreans give to Perseus?

MAGIC WALLET / BAG / KIBISIS

Question 53

What king of Mycenae, in response to the abduction of his brother’s wife, led a fleet of ships across the Aegean Sea in order to conquer Troy?

Answer 53

AGAMEMNON

B1: Who was Agamemnon’s brother?

MENELAUS

B2: Who killed Agamemnon upon his return from Troy?

CLYTEMNESTRA (PROMPT ON WIFE)

Question 54

What son of the god Apollo was the god of healing who had a cult of worship in Greece at Epidaurus and a temple on the Tiber island in Rome?

Answer 54

ASCLEPIUS / AESCULAPIUS

B1: Who was the mother of Asclepiuis?

CORONIS

B2: Asclepius was killed by Zeus for raising Hippolytus from the dead. In response, how did Apollo exact vengeance upon his father?

KILLED THE CYCLOPES

Question 55

According to Ovid, what goddess answered the prayers of the sculptor Pygmalion that he find a maiden like the statue that he created?

Answer 55

VENUS

B1: On what island, sacred to Venus, did Pygmalion live?

CYPRUS

B2: What name is given to the statue which Pygmalion created and Venus brought to life?

GALATEA

Question 56

According to Homer’s Odyssey, what goddess disguised herself as Mentor in order to escort Telemachus on a journey in search of tidings of his father?

Answer 56

ATHENA

B1: To what sandy kingdom did Telemachus travel first?

PYLOS

B2: Who, said to be the wisest of the Greeks at Troy, was the king of Pylos?

NESTOR

Question 57

What brothers were sometimes called “Tyndaridae” and sometimes “Dioscouri” because of their different fathers?

Answer 57

CASTOR & POLLUX

B1: From what Greek hero did Castor and Pollux rescue their sister, Hellen?

THESEUS

B2: Castor was killed when he and his brother engaged in a dual with what two brothers?

IDAS & LYNCEUS

Question 58

What group of 49 maidens all killed their husbands on their wedding night, and were thus forced to carry leaky jars in the underworld?

Answer 58

DANAÏDS

B1: Which of the Danaïds refused to kill her husband, Lynceus?

HYPERMNESTRA

B2: The daughters of Danaüs were to marry their cousins, who were the sons of what man, the brother of Danaüs?

AEGYPTUS

Question 59

What man, having travelled to the city of his birth on the road from Corinth, solved the riddle of the Sphinx and saved Thebes?

Answer 59

OEDIPUS

B1: What man, his own father, did Oedipus kill on the way to Thebes?

LAIUS

B2: Whom, his own mother, did Oedipus marry after arriving in Thebes?

JOCASTA / EPICASTA

Question 60

Although the name we associate with this Roman god is probably more of a title than a name, this “Heavenly Father” is generally aid to be an equivalent for the Greek god Zeus. Can you name him?

Answer 60

JUPITER

B1. What was the name of Jupiter’s wife?

Answer: JUNO

B2. Much like Zeus, Jupiter had many different titles that reflect different aspects of his power.
Such was Jupiter Stator and Jupiter Feretrius. Which Roman is said to have built temples to
both Jupiter Stator and Jupiter Feretrius?

Answer: ROMULUS

Question 61

Long ago, on the slopes of Mount Ida, three goddesses presented themselves to a shepherd for a Judgement on their beauty. Who was the shepherd?

Answer 61

Answer: PARIS/ALEXANDER

B1. Now give the Roman name of the goddess who won the contest?

Answer: VENUS

B2. Now give me the Greek name of the other two goddesses.

Answer: HERA, ATHENA

Question 62

How about them heroes? I mean they really are a courageous lot, going out there, killing monsters, making a name for themselves. What hero’s name do we associate with the defeat of
the Minotaur?

Answer 62

Answer: THESEUS

B1. Like many a hero, Theseus had help. What princess of Crete helped Theseus?

Answer: ARIADNE

B2. What did Ariadne give Theseus that helped him escape from the Labyrinth?

Answer: A (GOLDEN) BALL OF THREAD

Question 63

Some of the myths are pretty incredible – I mean, who would believe that Zeus would become so angry that he would chain a man to a wheel of fire and send him spinning through the air, or the Underworld forever? Can you name this unfortunate fellow on the flaming wheel?

Answer 63

Answer: IXION

B1. Ixion had been a king in Greece. Where?

Answer: THESSALY

B2. What had Ixion tried to do that so angered Zeus?

Answer: SLEEP WITH/SEDUCE HERA

If the students talk about sleeping with a cloud accept it if they can explain that it is in the form of Hera.

Question 64

Who was the Roman god of wine?

Answer 64

Answer: BACCHUS/PATER LIBER

B1. What was Bacchus’ Greek name?

Answer: DIONYSUS

B2. What Greek city of Dionysus’ home town?

Answer: THEBES

Question 65

Although the Romans took many of their myths from the Greeks, some of their gods had no equivalent among the Greeks. Can you name the unique Roman god of doorways?

Answer 65

Answer: JANUS

B1. Janus was also unique in his looks. What was unusual about Janus?

Answer: HE WAS A TWO FACED GOD

B2. According to some legends about Janus, he actually ruled on a hill that was across the Tiber
from the traditional 7 hills that made up Rome. Can you name this hill on which Janus lived?

Answer: JANICULAN

Question 66

Roses were sacred to this Roman goddess, so I suppose it makes sense that lovers give roses to their beloved. Tell me the names of this Roman goddess of Love?

Answer 66

Answer: VENUS

B1. What was the name of Venus’ son, the god of Love?

Answer: CUPID/AMOR

B2. What was Cupid’s Greek name?

Answer: EROS

Question 67

Sometimes you get an offer you just can’t refuse. Such was the case for this hero who had to perform twelve labors to cleanse himself of the guilt for a murder. Name this hero.

Answer 67

Answer: HERCULES/HERACLES

B1. In some versions of the myth Heracles had killed his wife and children. Name the wife he is
said to have killed.

Answer: MEGARA

B2. To have done such a deed Heracles must have been insane. What goddess is said to have
driven Heracles mad?

Answer: HERA

Juno is only acceptable if the team said Hercules to begin with. If the goddess Ate is named instead of Hera, grant the points..

Question 68

Although he was born in Troezen, this son of Aethra made a name for himself by traveling to Athens to claim the throne that was his birthright. Name this hero

Answer 68

Answer: THESEUS

B1. Who was Theseus’ father, the King of Athens?

Answer: AEGEUS

B2. According to some versions it is not Aegeus but a god who is the father of Theseus. Which
Greek god was this?

Answer: POSEIDON

Question 69

The goddesses Themis and Gaia both ruled in this Greek city famous for its oracle before Apollo took over the shrine

Answer 69

Answer: DELPHI

B1. Apollo is said to have killed a monster at Delphi when he claimed it for his own. What was
the name of the monster dragon he slew?

Answer: PYTHON

B2. With what god did Apollo share Delphi?

Answer: DIONYSUS/BACCHUS

Question 70

According to Ovid, Jupiter traveled the earth testing mortals to see if they were offering proper hospitality to others and honoring the gods. What son of Jupiter joined him in this journey?

Answer 70

Answer: MERCURY

B1. All that day Jupiter and Mercury were turned away by people, even though they had plenty.
It was only when they came to the house of a poor, old couple that the gods were finally
offered hospitality. Name one of these pious mortals.

Answer: BAUCIS/PHILEMON

B2. The gods offered to grant any wish of the old couple, who then ask to be priests of the gods
and for their house to become a temple. What last wish do they ask for?

Answer: TO DIE AT THE SAME TIME1

1
If the students tell the story of the two becoming trees, try to prompt the correct answer

Question 71

Who are the twin children of Latona and Jupiter?

Answer 71

Answer: APOLLO AND DIANA

B1. On what island were these two born?

Answer: DELOS

B2. What is Latona’s Greek name?

Answer: LETO

Question 72

According to Ovid, it all took place in the East, where a boy met a girl and their parents refused to let them marry because of a feud between the parents. Name these star-crossed lovers of ancient myth.

Answer 72

Answer: PYRAMUS AND THISBE

B1. The pair resolved to leave the city and marry anyway. Near what did they plan to meet?

Answer: A MULBERRY TREE/ TOMB (OF NINUS)

B2. This story happens in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. What metamorphosis happens in the story?

Answer: MULBERRIES CHANGE FROM WHITE TO RED/BLOOD COLORED

Question 73

Poor Helen of Troy. For all time she is known for the city she destroyed rather than the city of her birth. In what city was Helen born?

Answer 73

Answer: SPARTA

B1. Who was Helen’s mortal mother?

Answer: LEDA

B2. Helen’s divine father was Zeus, but her mortal father ruled Sparta. Who was Helen’s mortal
father?

Answer: TYNDAREUS

Question 74

What hero traveled to the Underworld in order to ask the seer Teiresias questions about his future?

Answer 74

Answer: ODYSSEUS/ULYSSE

B1. Who had advised Odysseus to do this?

Answer: CIRCE

B2. Who was the first ghost to appear to Odysseus in the Underworld?

Answer: ELPENOR

Question 75

Which son of Zeus was punished in the Underworld for testing the wisdom of the gods by serving his own son as a meal to the gods.

Answer 75

Answer: TANTALUS

B1. Who was Tantalus’s son who was served to the gods?

Answer: PELOPS

B2. Zeus was the father of Tantalus, but who was his mother, a daughter of Cronus?

Answer: PLUTO

Question 76

What gigantic fellow with one eye trapped the hero Ulysses in a cave?

Answer 76

Answer: POLYPHEMUS

B1. Ulysses blinds Polyphemus, of course, and then escapes. How?

Answer: BENEATH THE RAM

B2. Ulysses uses wine to confuse Polyphemus as well. Who had given Ulysses the wine?

Answer: MARON

Question 77

What mortal tried to drive the chariot of the sun, an act that led to his death?

Answer 77

Answer: PHAËTHON

B1. Who a Phaëthon’s mother?

Answer: CLYMENE

B2. What friend of Phaëthon had goaded the young man into searching for his father?

Answer: EPAPHUS

Question 78

What deity is easily identified in art because he carries the Caduceus?

Answer 78

Answer: HERMES/MERCURY

B1. What is Hermes said to have invented on the day of his birth?

Answer: LYRE

B2. Hermes gave the lyre to Apollo to repay him for stealing Apollo’s cattle. Why had Hermes
stolen Apollo’s cattle?

Answer: TO MAKE A SACRIFICE TO ZEUS/THE GODS

Question 79

What mortal woman, daughter of Leda and Zeus, was destined to be the cause of the Trojan war?

Answer 79

Answer: HELEN

B1. Paris stole Helen away from her husband in Greece. Who was Helen’s husband?

Answer: MENELAUS

B2. As it happened, Paris abandoned a nymph to run off with Helen. Name the nymph.

Answer: OENONE

Question 80

What deity searched the Earth for her daughter after she had been kidnapped by Hades?

Answer 80

Answer: DEMETER (not Ceres)

B1. What was Demeter’s daughter’s name?

Answer: PERSEPHONE

B2. Give the Roman equivalent of Persephone.

Answer: PROSERPINA

Question 81

What is in a name? Quite a bit if you are in Rome instead of Athens. What would the Romans call Athena?

Answer 81

Answer: MINERVA

B1. Artemis was also worshipped in Rome, what did they call her?

Answer: DIANA

B2. Dionysus was sometimes called Bacchus in Rome, but because his gift of wine loosened a
man’s lips and inhibitions he was more properly named this in Rome.

Answer: (PATER) LĪBER

Question 82

Cadmus is is the well-known patriarch of Thebes, but the foundation of that city was not his original mission. Name the sister he was sent to find.

Answer 82

Answer: EUROPA

B1. Cadmus’ father sent him to find his sister Europa. Who sent him to establish a city?

Answer: APOLLO/DELPHIC ORACLE

B2. What does the oracle order Cadmus to do

Answer: FOLLOW A HEIFER/COW AND ESTABLISH A CITY WHERE IT LIES DOWN

Question 83

It is said that you must walk in another man’s shoes before you really understand him. Perhaps that is what Aegeus had in mind. For whom did Aegeus leave his sandals?

Answer 83

Answer: THESEUS

B1. Theseus had to move a great stone to get at those sandals. What else did he find left for him?

Answer: (AEGEUS’) SWORD

B2. Theseus faced several villains on the road to Athens. Name the one that he beat at wrestling in Eleusis.

Answer: CERCYON/KERKYON

Question 84

Some people claim to make their own luck, but only one person in myth can claim to have made his own beloved. Name the man from Cyprus who fell in love with the statue he sculpted.

Answer 84

Answer: PYGMALION

B1. What diety changed the statue into a woman?

Answer: VENUS/APHRODITE

B2. Now name this statuesque woman and the child she had with Pygmalion.

Answer: GALATEA, PAPHOS

Question 85

Many of the heroes of myth seem to begin their lives as great hunters. The hero I am thinking of had his first great success when he killed the lion of Thespis. Soon after that he led his fellow Thebans to success in war against the Minyans and was rewarded for his success with a marriage to the Theban princess, Megara. Name this lionskin clad hero.

Answer 85

Answer: HERACLES/HERCULES

B1. Heracles was driven mad and killed his wife, Megara. What deity drove him insane?

Answer: HERA/JUNO

B2. When Heracles comes to Delphi to try and be purified of the murder, the Pythia refused to
speak to him at first. What does Heracles do that forces her to give him a way to be purified?

Answer: STEALS THE SACRED TRIPOD

Question 86

What princess buries her brother despite the order of the ruler of Thebes not to do so

Answer 86

Answer: ANTIGONE

B1. Name the brother that Antogone buries.

Answer: POLYNEICES

B2. Name Antigone’s parents

Answer: OEDIPUS AND JOCASTA/EPICASTA

Question 87

It must have been confusing for a Roman in Athens, what with those odd looking letters and different names for the gods. What Greek name would a Roman look for in Athens if he wanted to worship Vulcan?

Answer 87

Answer: HEPHAESTUS

B1. A Roman might also call Vulcan by some other name. What?

Answer: MULCIBER

B2. Vulcan or Hephaestus, the story that he was cast out of Olympus is still the same. Where did he land?

Answer: (the island of) LEMNOS

Question 88

Sons and mothers! Sometimes they are separated and sometimes they are together. The two I have in mind, however were put both in a box and cast into the sea. Name this mythical mother and son.

Answer 88

Answer: DANAË AND PERSEUS

B1. Perseus married a girl and she became a mother herself. Name Perseus’ bride and one of her six sons with Perseus.

Answer: ANDROMEDA; PERSES,
ALCAEUS, MESTOR, ELECTRYON,
STHENELUS, HELEIUS.

B2. Perseus kills Medusa, of course, but she gives birth to two children anyway. Name one.

Answer: PEGASUS, CHRYSAOR

Question 89

Which of the following was NOT a member of the crew of the Argo? Castor, Zetes, PHINEUS, Heracles, Orpheus

Answer 89

Answer: PHINEUS

B1. Name the treacherous uncle of Jason who set the quest of the Golden Fleece for Jason?

Answer: PELIAS

B2. Phineus actually helps the Argonauts by explaining how to get past the Symplegades. What
do the Argonauts do for Phineus?

Answer: DRIVE AWAY/SAVE HIM FROM THE HARPIES

Question 90

Capturing Troy was a long hard business, and not simply because of the fighting. It seems as though the Greeks were forever fulfilling one prophecy or another in order to do it. What did the Greeks need from Philoctetes?

Answer 90

Answer: THE BOW (and arrows) OF HERACLES

B1. Name the two warriors they sent to bring back the bow

Answer: ODYSSEUS, NEOPTOLEMUS/PYRRHUS

B2. What Trojan prophet had told them that they needed the bow of Heracles?

Answer: HELENUS

Question 91

As I am sure you know, Heracles performed twelve labors to atone for the murder of his wife and children. Name the king who set these tasks for Heracles.

Answer 91

Answer: EURYSTHEUS

B1. Eurystheus sent Heracles to a certain Diomedes. What was Heracles to bring back from
him and what was unusual about them?

Answer: HORSES (mares), MAN-EATING

B2. At whose house does Heracles stop on his journey for the Horses of Diomedes?

Answer: ADMETUS’ HOUSE

Question 92

Which god was thrown from Mt. Olympus by Hera because of his physical deformity?

Answer 92

HEPHAESTUS

B1: On what island did Hephaestus land?

LEMNOS

B2: What god convinced the enraged Hephaestus to return to Olympus by getting him
drunk?

DIONYSUS

Question 93

Whose deaths caused the mulberry to change from white to red?

Answer 93

PYRAMUS & THISBE’S

B1: Where did Pyramus and Thisbe live?

BABYLON

B2: Who was queen of Babylon in the time of Pyramus and Thisbe?

SEMIRAMIS

Question 94

What mythological ship was the first to navigate the Symplegades?

Answer 94

THE ARGO

B1: Who was originally chosen to lead the Argo?

HERACLES / HERCULES

B2: Jason of course led the expedition of the Argo in order to retrive the golden fleece from what king of Colchis?

AEETES

Question 95

Which of the Titans was forced to hold the world on his shoulders?

Answer 95

ATLAS

B1: Who were the parents of Atlas?

IAPETUS & CLYMENE

B2: Who turned Atlas into stone by using the head of Medusa?

PERSEUS

Question 96

What queen welcomed Aeneas to her native city of Carthage?

Answer 96

DIDO

B1: Dido was originally from what Phoenician city?

TYRE

B2: What sister of Dido consoled the queen and attempted to prevent her suicide?

ANNA

Question 97

Who plunged into the sea after his wax wings melted in air?

Answer 97

ICARUS

B1: Who told Icarus not to fly too close to the son?

HIS FATHER DAEDALUS

B2: What hero found Icarus’ body and buried it?

HERACLES

Question 98

What son of Aethra and Aegeus slew the Minotaur?

Answer 98

THESEUS

B1: Which of the bandits that Theseus killed on the way to Athens was also called “Pityocamptes”?

SINIS

B2: Which of the bandits that Theseus killed was also called Damastes?

PROCRUSTES

Question 99

Who killed the Calydonian Boar?

Answer 99

MELEAGER

B1: Which huntress drew first blood in the hunt?

ATALANTA

B2: Artemis sent the boar to punish what king of Calydon for failing to sacrifice to her?

OENEUS

Question 100

During which of his labors did Heracles receive help from his nephew Iolaus?

Answer 100

(LERNEAN) HYDRA

B1: During which of his labors did Heracles receive help from the Alpheus and Peneus rivers?

AUGEAN STABLES

B2: Because of this, Eurystheus added what two labors to Heracles’ original ten?

APPLES OF THE HESPERIDES & CAPTURING CERBERUS

Question 101

Complete the following mythological analogy: Priam : Hecuba :: Agamemnon : _______.

Answer 101

CLYTEMNESTRA

B1: …Atalanta: Hippomenes :: Hippodamia: ___________.

PELOPS / PIRITHOUS

B2: …Perseus : Andromeda :: Hector : __________.

ANDROMACHE

Question 102

Of the five races of man, which was ruled by Cronus and, after they died, became the guardian spirits of mortal men?

Answer 102

GOLDEN

B1: Which race was extremely warlike and destroyed itself?

BRONZE

B2: Which race will be destroyed by Zeus when its babies are born old?

IRON

Question 103

What mythological group included Cottus, Gyes, and Briareus?

Answer 103

HECATONCHEIRES / HUNDRED HANDED (ONES)

B1: What mythological group included Deino, Enyo, and Pemphredo?

GRAIAE / GREY WOMEN

B2: What mythological group included Allecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone?

FURIES / ERINYES

Question 104

What man was thrown from the Acropolis by his uncle Daedalus out of jealously?

Answer 104

PERDIX / TALUS

B1: What did Perdix invent that caused Daedalus’ jealousy?

THE SAW / POTTER’S WHEEL

B2: Into what kind of bird was Perdix transfromed as he fell from the hill?

PARTRIDGE

Question 105

What king of Lydia was punished in the Underworld with eternal hunger and thirst?

Answer 105

TANTALUS

B1: What son of Tantalus was given an ivory shoulder after Demeter ate it at a banquet?

PELOPS

B2: What daughter of Tantalus married king Amphion of Thebes and had fourteen children?

NIOBE

Question 106

Aeaea was the island home of what witch who turned Odysseus’ men into swine?

Answer 106

CIRCE

B1: Calypso, who detained Odysseus for seven years, lived on what island?

OGYGIA

B2: On what island did Helius graze his cattle which were eaten by Odysseus’ men?

THRINACIA

Question 107

What fisherman found a chest washed up on the shore of his home which contained Danae and her infant son Perseus?

Answer 107

DICTYS

B1: What island was this?

SERIPHOS

B2: What brother of Dictys ruled Seriphos?

POLYDECTES

Question 108

What king tried to avoid service in the Trojan War by pretending he was mad?

Answer 108

ODYSSEUS

B1: Name one of the ways in which Odysseus showed his “madness.”

YOKED AN OX AND A HORSE OR SOWED HIS FIELDS WITH SALT

B2: What son of Nauplius revealed that Odysseus was not actually mad?

PALAMEDES

Question 109

Who was forced to marry a man named Hippomenes after he defeated her in a footrace?

Answer 109

ATALANTA

B1: What Roman goddess gave Hippomenes the golden apples which he used to defeat
Atalanta?

VENUS

B2: Who was the father of Atalanta?

IASUS / SCHOENIUS

Question 110

What king of Phrygia was granted the power to turn everything he touched into gold?

Answer 110

MIDAS

B1: What god granted Midas this power?

DIONYSUS

B2: Midas was greated kindly by Dionysus after the king gave hospitality to what travelling
companion of the god?

SILENUS

Question 111

What king of Argos was the leader of the Seven Against Thebes?

Answer 111

ADRASTUS

B1: What son of Poseidon and Demeter was Adrastus’ horse?

ARION

B2: Who was the only one of the Seven Against Thebes to survive?

ADRASTUS

Question 112

VISUAL TOSS UP. Pass out visual question to all players.

The following toss up question is a visual. We are currently providing each
player with a copy of the visual. Please do not turn over the visual until
instructed to do so. Also, please be mindful that this is a toss up question,
so do not consult or communicate with your teammates. Please turn over the visual; you will have 10 seconds to examine it (wait 10 seconds). Here is your question:

You are looking at vase paintings which depict various labors of Hercules. Which labor is represented by letter “A”?

Answer 112

STYMPHALIAN BIRDS

B1: Which labor is represented by letter “C”?

ERYMANTHIAN BOAR

B2: Besides Hercules, what other person is represented in letter “D”?

IOLAUS

Question 113

What bronze giant was created by Hephaestus to guard the island of Crete?

Answer 113

TALUS

B1: Talus had a single vein of what substance which flowed through his body?

ICHOR

B2: What sorceress killed Talus when the Argonauts passed by Crete?

MEDEA

Question 114

What king of Thrace was married to the Athenian princess Procne, but fell in love with her sister, Philomela?

Answer 114

TEREUS

B1: Tereus abducted Philomela and then cut out her tongue. How did Philomela reveal Tereus’ misdeeds to her sister?

WOVE THE STORY IN A TAPESTRY

B2: Tereus was transformed into a hoopoe. Into what type of birds were Procne and Philomela transformed?

NIGHTENGALE & SWALLOW

Question 115

Who was dressed as a girl by his mother Thetis in order to prevent him from fighting at Troy?

Answer 115

ACHILLES

B1: At the court of what king of Skyros did Thetis hide Achilles?

LYCOMEDES

B2: By what name was Achiiles known as a girl?

PYRRHA