139 Fun Facts About Mythology

In Norse mythology, what kind of birds are Huginn and Muninn, who perch on Odin's shoulders?

Huginn and Muninn are ravens; Odin sends them out over the world each day and they return to whisper what they have seen. Their names mean roughly 'thought' and 'memory'.

What creature did Theseus slay in the labyrinth of Crete?

Theseus killed the Minotaur, the bull-headed monster confined in the labyrinth at Knossos, and found his way out by following the thread Ariadne had given him.

According to Greek myth, what was released when Pandora opened her box (actually a jar)?

Opening the jar released all the world's evils, toil, sickness and sorrow, upon humankind; only Hope stayed inside. The container was a pithos, and 'box' comes from a sixteenth-century mistranslation.

Which Greek musician lost Eurydice a second time by looking back on the way out of the underworld?

Orpheus charmed the rulers of the dead into releasing Eurydice on condition that he not look back before reaching daylight; he turned too soon and lost her for good.

What was the name of the Trojan prince whose elopement with Helen sparked the Trojan War?

Paris, also called Alexander, carried Helen off from Sparta to Troy; in later tradition his arrow, guided by Apollo, killed Achilles.

How many heads did the serpent Yamata no Orochi of Japanese mythology have?

Yamata no Orochi had eight heads and eight tails; the storm god got it drunk on sake, hacked it apart, and found the sword Kusanagi inside one tail.

Which ancient Egyptian god was represented as a crocodile or a man with a crocodile's head?

Mummified crocodiles were kept as cult images at Sobek's temples, most famously at Kom Ombo and in the Faiyum.

According to Roman mythology, who were the twin brothers raised by a she-wolf who founded Rome?

Romulus and Remus were twin sons of Mars, suckled by a she-wolf (lupa) after being abandoned. Romulus killed Remus in a dispute and founded Rome in 753 BC.

What is the name of the Norse god of thunder who wields the hammer Mjolnir?

Thursday takes its name from him: Old English Thunor gives 'Thunor's day'.

Which Trojan prince, eldest son of Priam, was killed in single combat by Achilles?

Hector, Troy's champion, was killed by Achilles to avenge Patroclus; Achilles dragged his body behind his chariot for days until Priam came to ransom it.

Which Hindu god, "The Preserver", has ten primary avatars including Rama and Krishna?

Vishnu's ten avatars, the Dashavatara, begin with a fish (Matsya) and a tortoise (Kurma) and end with Kalki, who is yet to come.

What is the name of the Norse end-of-the-world event where gods and giants fight a final battle?

Ragnarok is the Norse doom of the gods, in which Odin, Thor and Freyr all fall; the world sinks beneath the sea, then rises again green and is repopulated by two human survivors.

Which Greek hero's long journey home after the Trojan War is told in Homer's epic?

Odysseus, called Ulysses by the Romans, takes ten years to reach Ithaca in the Odyssey, facing the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens and the sorceress Circe on the way.

Which Egyptian god was murdered by his brother, then restored to life to rule the underworld?

Osiris was killed and dismembered by his jealous brother; his sister-wife gathered the pieces and revived him, and he became ruler and judge of the dead.

What mythological bird cyclically burns itself to death and is reborn from its own ashes?

The Phoenix originates from Greek mythology (and has parallels in Egyptian and Chinese myths). It dies in flames and is reborn, symbolizing renewal and immortality.

In Greek mythology, which snake-haired Gorgon petrified anyone who looked upon her?

Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon, was beheaded by a hero who watched her reflection in a polished shield; her severed head kept its petrifying power and was set on Athena's aegis.

Which two-faced Roman god of beginnings and doorways gave his name to a month of the year?

Janus, shown with two faces looking forward and back, gave his name to January; the doors of his shrine in the Forum stood open in wartime and were shut only in peace.

In Norse mythology, what name is given to the warriors who died in battle and dwell in Valhalla?

The Einherjar, chosen by the Valkyries, fight each day in Valhalla and feast each night on the boar Sæhrímnir, which is cooked and comes back to life the next day.

In Japanese mythology, who is the sun goddess and ancestor of the Imperial line?

Amaterasu, the sun goddess enshrined at Ise, hid in a cave after her brother's rampage, darkening the world until the gods lured her out with a mirror and a dance.

Which Hindu epic tells of a prince's quest to rescue Sita from the demon king Ravana?

The Ramayana, traditionally credited to the sage Valmiki, follows Rama through a fourteen-year exile before he returns to be crowned in Ayodhya.

In Chinese legend, the Monkey King Sun Wukong is born from what?

Sun Wukong hatches from a magic stone egg on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit; he later steals the peaches of immortality and is pinned under a mountain by the Buddha.

Which Greek Titan was condemned to hold up the sky on his shoulders for eternity?

Atlas is often shown carrying a globe, but the early poets describe him bearing the heavens themselves; the Atlas Mountains in North Africa carry his name.

In Norse mythology, what did Odin sacrifice to gain wisdom from the Well of Mimir?

Odin gave his eye for a single drink, which is why he is pictured one-eyed; he also hung from the world tree for nine nights to learn the runes.

Which mythological creature has the head of an eagle and the body of a lion?

The Griffin (or Gryphon) combines the eagle — king of birds — with the lion — king of beasts. It appears in ancient Greek, Persian, and Egyptian art and symbolizes divine power.

In the ancient Egyptian judgment of the dead, which organ was weighed against a feather?

A heart lighter than the feather meant a virtuous life and passage into the afterlife; a heavier one was swallowed by a crocodile-headed devourer.

Which river bounds the Greek underworld and was the one the gods swore their most solemn oaths by?

The Styx, Homer's 'dread river of oath', bound even the gods: Hesiod says a god who swore falsely by its water lay breathless for a full year.

Who is the Norse god of mischief known for shape-shifting and causing trouble among the gods?

Loki shifts into a mare, a salmon, a fly and an old woman; as a mare he even gave birth to Odin's eight-legged horse.

The Greek hero Achilles was invulnerable except for what part of his body?

The heel story is a late addition; Homer never mentions it. It gives us both 'Achilles heel' and the name of the Achilles tendon.

The Hindu epic Mahabharata centres on which war of succession between two groups of princely cousins?

The Mahabharata climaxes in the eighteen-day Kurukshetra War between the Pandavas and their Kaurava cousins; the Bhagavad Gita is Krishna's counsel to Arjuna just before it begins.

What does the name of the Irish Otherworld Tír na nÓg literally mean?

Tír na nÓg means 'Land of the Young', an Otherworld where no one ages; Oisín spent three hundred years there and crumbled to dust when he touched Irish soil again.

Which Titan stole fire from Olympus and gave it to humanity, and was chained to a rock as punishment?

Prometheus, whose name means 'forethought', stole fire for mortals; Zeus chained him to a crag in the Caucasus where an eagle ate his liver daily until Heracles freed him.

In Egyptian mythology, Ra is the god of what?

Ra was said to cross the sky each day in a barque and travel through the underworld each night, to be reborn at dawn.

Which Chinese novel features the Monkey King escorting a monk on a pilgrimage to India?

Journey to the West, a sixteenth-century novel, follows the monk Tang Sanzang, based on the real seventh-century pilgrim Xuanzang, who brought Buddhist scriptures back from India.

In Norse mythology, which goddess is Odin's wife, associated with marriage and motherhood?

The English weekday name Friday ultimately means 'Frigg's day'.

Which Hindu god, known as the Destroyer, is often depicted with a third eye and a trident?

Shiva's third eye is said to burn whatever it looks upon to ashes, and the river Ganga flows from his matted hair.

In Japanese mythology, who created the islands of Japan by stirring the ocean with a jeweled spear?

Izanagi and Izanami stirred the sea with the jeweled spear Ame-no-nuhoko; brine dripping from its tip formed the first island, Onogoro, where they raised a heavenly pillar and wed.

Which Greek hero led the Argonauts on the quest for the Golden Fleece?

Jason's prize hung in a grove in Colchis on the Black Sea, guarded by a sleepless serpent; the sorceress Medea helped him take it.

In Chinese mythology, what creature symbolises imperial power, wisdom and good fortune?

The Chinese dragon (long) is a benevolent symbol of power, strength, and good fortune — unlike the fire-breathing villains of Western mythology. Chinese emperors used the dragon as their symbol.

Which Greek god is the messenger of the gods, known for his winged sandals and caduceus staff?

Hermes (Mercury in Roman mythology) is the messenger god, patron of travelers, merchants, and thieves. He wears winged sandals (talaria) and carries the caduceus, a staff entwined with two serpents.

In Norse mythology, which giant wolf is prophesied to swallow Odin at the end of the world?

Fenrir, the monstrous wolf, was bound with the ribbon Gleipnir after he had snapped two iron fetters; at the doom of the gods he breaks free and swallows Odin.

In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, what monster devours those who fail the judgment of the dead?

Ammit, 'devourer of the dead', combined a crocodile's head, a lion's forepart and a hippopotamus's hindquarters; she swallowed the souls that failed the weighing at the judgment scales.

In Greek mythology, what three-headed dog guards the entrance to the underworld?

Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog of the dead, was dragged up alive as the last of the twelve labours; in the Aeneid the Sibyl drugs him with a honeyed cake.

In Norse mythology, which group of dwarfs forged Odin's spear Gungnir and Freyr's ship Skidbladnir?

The Sons of Ivaldi made Gungnir, Skidbladnir and golden hair for Sif; a rival pair of dwarfs then forged Mjolnir in a wager over whose work was finer.

Which Greek figure was punished in Tartarus with water that receded when he tried to drink?

Tantalus stood in a pool that drained whenever he bent to drink, with fruit blown from his reach whenever he grasped at it; his name gives us the word 'tantalise'.

In Hindu mythology, what is the name of the monkey god who helped Rama rescue Sita?

Hanuman, son of the wind god Vayu, leapt across the sea to Lanka to find Sita and is counted among the chiranjivi, the immortals.

What was the answer to the riddle the Sphinx guarding Thebes asked travelers?

The answer was man: a human crawls on four limbs as a baby, walks on two legs, then leans on a stick in old age. Oedipus solved it and the Sphinx destroyed herself.

In Norse mythology, what burning rainbow bridge connects Midgard to the gods' realm?

Bifrost, the burning rainbow bridge between Midgard and Asgard, is prophesied to shatter under the sons of Muspell when they ride to the final battle.

Which king of Uruk sought immortality in one of the oldest known works of literature?

He may have been a real ruler of Uruk who was later deified; in the epic he is a demigod of superhuman strength.

The Egyptian god Horus was most often depicted as, or with the head of, which bird?

His name is written with the falcon hieroglyph, and each living pharaoh was regarded as Horus on earth.

Which Greek mythological craftsman built the labyrinth and made wax-and-feather wings for himself and his son?

Daedalus was imprisoned by Minos after building the labyrinth, and escaped Crete on wings of feathers and wax he made for himself and his son.

Which Greek god is the ruler of the underworld?

Hades drew the underworld when he, Zeus and Poseidon cast lots for their realms; Greeks often avoided his name, calling him Plouton, 'the wealthy one'.

In Norse mythology, which beloved god was killed by a mistletoe arrow shot by his blind brother?

Baldr's mother Frigg had made every other thing swear never to harm him, but thought mistletoe too young and unimportant to ask.

Which ancient Egyptian god of writing and wisdom was depicted with the head of an ibis?

Thoth, god of writing and reckoning, was shown as an ibis or a baboon; the Greeks equated him with Hermes and called his cult city Hermopolis.

Which Roman god was regarded as the equivalent of the Greek king of the gods?

Jupiter, also called Jove, was the Roman god of sky and thunder; the largest planet carries his name.

Which Chinese goddess lives on the Moon with a rabbit after swallowing an immortality elixir?

China's lunar exploration programme is named Chang'e after her, and its Moon rovers are called Yutu, the Jade Rabbit.

What multi-headed serpent was killed as the second of the twelve labours in Greek mythology?

The Lernaean Hydra grew two heads for each one cut off, in later tellings, so the hero's nephew Iolaus seared each neck with fire; the last, immortal head was buried under a rock.

In Norse mythology, what is the name of Odin's eight-legged horse?

Sleipnir, 'best of all horses', was born when a trickster god in mare form lured away the stallion Svaðilfari from the giant building Asgard's wall; Odin rides him between the worlds.

In the Egyptian afterlife, the feather on the judgment scales belonged to which goddess?

Ma'at personified truth and cosmic order; her ostrich feather sat on the judgment scales, and her opposite, Isfet, meant chaos and injustice.

Which Roman goddess is associated with love and beauty?

Venus is the Roman goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and desire, often equated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite.

Which Greek hero beheaded a Gorgon and later rescued Andromeda from a sea monster?

Perseus was kitted out by the gods for the job, a mirrored shield and winged sandals among the gear, and went on to found Mycenae.

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

Midas, king of Phrygia, was granted the golden touch by Dionysus and soon begged to be rid of it; in another tale Apollo gave him donkey's ears for judging a music contest badly.

In Greek myth, what lion-goat-snake creature did Bellerophon slay?

The Chimera, lion in front, goat in the middle and serpent behind, breathed fire; Hesiod says Bellerophon killed it from the back of the winged horse Pegasus.

Which Greek goddess is primarily associated with the harvest, grain, and agriculture?

The Romans called Demeter Ceres, which is where the word 'cereal' comes from.

Which Norse god, said to be the son of nine mothers, keeps watch with the resounding horn Gjallarhorn?

Heimdall, golden-toothed and sharp of hearing, guards the gods' bridge and will blow Gjallarhorn to signal the final battle.

Which jackal-headed Egyptian god is associated with mummification and guiding souls to the afterlife?

Anubis, the jackal-headed god of embalming, presides over the judgment scales, steadying the balance as the dead are weighed against the feather of truth.

Who was the king of the Olympian gods in Greek mythology?

Zeus, youngest child of Cronus and Rhea, escaped being swallowed by his father and led the Olympians to victory over the Titans, then took the sky as his realm.

In Norse mythology, which goddess keeps the apples that grant the gods eternal youth?

Iðunn keeps the apples that hold off old age; when the giant Þjazi in eagle form carried her off, the gods grew old and grey until she was brought back.

In Egyptian mythology, which giant serpent of chaos was regarded as the greatest enemy of the sun god?

Apep, also called Apophis, was the serpent of chaos; every night the sun god's barque had to fight past him in the underworld so that dawn could come.

In Japanese mythology, which kami rules the moon?

Tsukuyomi, born when Izanagi washed his right eye, killed the food goddess Ukemochi; his sister was so angered she refused to see him again, separating day and night.

Which Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity is the consort of the Preserver of the Trimurti?

Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and fortune; households light lamps for her at Diwali, and she is usually shown standing on a lotus flanked by elephants pouring water.

Which Egyptian goddess, worshipped at Bubastis, came to be depicted as a cat?

Bastet, the cat goddess of Bubastis, was honoured with cat mummies by the thousand; Herodotus identified her with Artemis and called her festival Egypt's best attended.

What is the name of the immense, sacred tree that connects the nine worlds in Norse cosmology?

Yggdrasil is an immense ash tree at the centre of Norse cosmology, the axis around which all nine realms are arranged.

In the Mesopotamian epic about the king of Uruk, who is the wild man the gods create as his companion?

Enkidu, shaped from clay by Aruru and tamed by the priestess Shamhat, becomes the king's closest friend; his death sends the king on a fruitless quest for immortality.

Which Roman god is the counterpart of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea?

Neptune was probably a god of springs and fresh water before being equated with Poseidon; his festival, the Neptunalia, fell in the heat of late July.

Which Aztec creator god, patron of priests, also appeared as the wind god Ehecatl?

Quetzalcoatl, 'feathered serpent' in Nahuatl, was linked to the planet Venus, learning and the priesthood; as Ehecatl he was the god of wind.

Which Greek goddess was tricked into eating pomegranate seeds, binding her to the underworld?

Persephone must spend part of each year below ground for the seeds she ate; the Greeks told her story to explain the seasons, her mother's grief bringing winter.

In the Babylonian Enuma Elish, which god becomes king by defeating the sea goddess Tiamat?

Marduk split Tiamat's body in two to make the sky and the earth, was hailed king of the gods, and became the patron god of Babylon.

Which Egyptian goddess of magic and motherhood was the sister-wife of Osiris?

Isis's cult later spread across the whole Roman world, with a temple as far away as London.

In the Hindu Trimurti, which deity is primarily known as the Creator?

Brahma, the Creator, is usually shown with four faces, one for each of the Vedas; the Pushkar temple in Rajasthan is one of very few dedicated to him.

Which mythical king of Corinth was condemned to push a boulder uphill, only for it to roll back down every time?

Sisyphus earned the punishment by twice cheating death, once by chaining up Thanatos himself; Camus made him a symbol of the absurd.

In Norse mythology, where did the Valkyries take the souls of fallen warriors chosen for Valhalla?

Valhalla, Odin's hall, stands in Asgard, the realm of the Æsir gods; only half the battle-slain went to Odin, the rest to a goddess's field, Fólkvangr.

What is the name of King Arthur's legendary sword, tied in legend to the rightful sovereignty of Britain?

Excalibur's origin changes with the telling: pulled from a stone in some versions, handed to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake in others.

What mythological creature has the upper body of a person and the lower body of a horse?

Most were wild and unruly, but the centaur Chiron was a wise healer who tutored heroes such as Achilles.

Which Greek god is known as the god of wine, revelry, and ecstasy?

Dionysus is a unique Olympian god, often associated with madness, theater, and the liberating and intoxicating effects of wine.

Which lion-headed Egyptian goddess of war and plague was also invoked as a healer?

Sekhmet's name means 'the powerful one'; Amenhotep III set up hundreds of her statues at Thebes, and her priests doubled as physicians.

Which Greek youth flew too close to the Sun and lost his beeswax wings?

Icarus ignored his father's warning as they escaped Crete on wings of feathers and beeswax; the sun melted the wax, and the sea where he fell was named the Icarian after him.

Which Norse goddess of love rides a cat-drawn chariot and takes half the slain in her hall?

Freyja, foremost of the Vanir goddesses, drives a chariot drawn by two cats and owns a falcon-feather cloak; her field Fólkvangr receives half of those killed in battle.

What legendary island, described by Plato as a mighty naval power, is said to have sunk beneath the sea?

Plato invented Atlantis as a foil to an idealised Athens; the story appears only in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias.

Which popular Hindu deity is recognizable by his elephant head?

Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom.

Which Greek goddess was born fully grown, and in armour, from the forehead of her father Zeus?

Zeus had swallowed Athena's pregnant mother Metis; the city of Athens took her name after she gave it the olive tree.

In Norse mythology, the underworld realm ruled by Hel lies within which of the nine worlds?

Snorri says Odin cast Hel down into Niflheim, the world of mist and cold, and gave her rule over the dead; she is described as half corpse-coloured, half flesh-coloured.

In Chinese mythology, which goddess created humans from yellow clay and repaired the sky?

Nüwa moulded the first humans from yellow clay and, when the sky cracked, patched it with smelted five-coloured stones propped up on the legs of a giant turtle.

The West African trickster god Anansi is often depicted as what type of animal?

Anansi is a spider; his tales originated among the Akan of Ghana and crossed the Atlantic with enslaved people, surviving in Caribbean and American folklore.

Which Trojan priestess was fated by Apollo to utter true prophecies that no one would ever believe?

Cassandra was cursed by Apollo after she refused him; her name became a byword for anyone whose accurate warnings of disaster go unheeded.

Which ancient Egyptian god is associated with chaos, deserts, storms, and violence?

Set, god of the desert and storms, was not purely a villain: he rode on the sun god's barque each night to fend off the serpent of chaos with his spear.

In Buddhist tradition, Queen Maya dreamt of an elephant of what colour before the Buddha's birth?

Maya dreamt that a white elephant holding a white lotus entered her right side; the scene is a favourite of Gandharan sculpture.

In Japanese myth, which storm god is the tempestuous younger brother of the sun goddess?

Susanoo, banished from heaven for his rampages, slew the serpent Yamata no Orochi and found in its tail the sword Kusanagi, one of the Imperial Regalia of Japan.

Which Greek hero completed twelve seemingly impossible labors?

The labours were penance for killing his family in a madness sent by Hera; the Romans knew him as Hercules.

In Norse mythology, what kind of animal is Ratatoskr, who carries insults up and down the world tree?

Ratatoskr is a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree, carrying gossip between the eagle at the top and the serpent Níðhöggr gnawing its roots.

Which Ulster Cycle hero earned his name as a boy by killing a smith's guard dog and offering to take its place?

Cú Chulainn, 'Culann's hound', served in the dog's place until a new one was reared; at seventeen he held off Queen Medb's armies single-handed in the Cattle Raid of Cooley.

The name of the Aztec patron god Huitzilopochtli combines 'left hand side' with which animal?

Huitzilopochtli means 'hummingbird of the left', from huitzilin (hummingbird) and opochtli (left); fallen warriors were said to return as hummingbirds, and he was patron of Tenochtitlan.

What was the nagual, or animal counterpart, of the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca?

Tezcatlipoca, 'smoking mirror', took the jaguar as his nagual; his jaguar aspect Tepeyollotl, 'heart of the mountain', was a god of earthquakes and caves.

The Popol Vuh recounts the myths of which Maya people of Guatemala?

The Popol Vuh is the sacred book of the Kʼicheʼ Maya of highland Guatemala, written down in Kʼicheʼ in the 1550s; it tells of the Hero Twins Hunahpú and Xbalanqué.

What game did the first set of twins in the Popol Vuh play against the lords of Xibalba?

The first twins, Hun Hunahpú and Vucub Hunahpú, were summoned to Xibalba for playing the ballgame too noisily, then sacrificed; Hun Hunahpú's sons, the Hero Twins, later avenged them.

From which body of water did the Andean creator god Viracocha rise, per Juan de Betanzos?

Betanzos wrote that Viracocha rose from Lake Titicaca, made the sun and moon there, and set out north through the Andes; the lake's Island of the Sun became a major Inca shrine.

Where is the fire pit believed to be the home of the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele?

Pele's home is Halemaʻumaʻu, a crater within Kīlauea's summit caldera on the Big Island; it collapsed and deepened dramatically during the 2018 eruption.

Which tree is sacred to Perun, the Slavic god of thunder?

The oak is Perun's tree, where his thunderbolts were thought to strike; Vladimir of Kiev's wooden idol of Perun, set up in 980, had a silver head and a golden moustache.

How does the Slavic witch Baba Yaga fly?

Baba Yaga flies in a wooden mortar, steering with a pestle and sweeping away her tracks with a broom; she lives in a forest hut on chicken legs.

Who compiled the Finnish epic Kalevala from folklore in the 19th century?

Elias Lönnrot was a district doctor who collected the folk poems himself; his Old Kalevala of 1835 ran to 12,078 verses.

What can the Dagda's magic club do with its handle after killing with its head?

The Irish father-god also owns a never-empty cauldron and a self-flying harp.

As which bird does the Irish war goddess the Morrígan often appear?

The Morrígan often appears as a crow, as when she settles on a dying hero's shoulder; she is associated with fate, foretelling doom or victory in battle.

Which Fomorian tyrant, his own grandfather, does Lugh kill at the Battle of Mag Tuired?

Balor of the Evil Eye, whose gaze killed armies, was slain by his grandson Lugh with a sling-stone through that eye at the second Battle of Mag Tuired.

The Rainbow Serpent is a creator deity in the traditions of which people?

The Rainbow Serpent belongs to Australian Aboriginal peoples under many names, such as Ngalyod among the Kunwinjku of Arnhem Land and Wagyl among the Noongar of the south-west.

The Yoruba thunder orisha Shango was a deified ruler of which empire?

Shango was an early Alaafin, or king, of the Oyo Empire, deified after his death; his worshippers carry the double-headed axe that is his emblem.

Who rules the underworld that Inanna descends into in her most famous myth?

Ereshkigal orders the seven gates of the underworld bolted against her.

Utnapishtim, who survived the flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh, was king of which city?

Utnapishtim was a man of Shuruppak on the Euphrates, warned by the god Ea to build a boat; he tells the flood story in Tablet XI of the epic.

Ahura Mazda is the principal god of which religion?

Ahura Mazda is the supreme god of Zoroastrianism, the faith of the prophet Zarathustra; his destructive opposite is Angra Mainyu, or Ahriman.

The benevolent Persian bird the Simurgh famously raises which prince in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh?

Zal, born white-haired and abandoned by his father Sam, was raised by the Simurgh on Mount Alborz; he later fathered the hero Rostam.

Korea's legendary founder Dangun is said to be the son of which animal?

Dangun's mother was Ungnyeo, a bear who became a woman after a cave trial of garlic and mugwort; by legend he founded Gojoseon in 2333 BC.

According to Hesiod, the nine Muses were daughters of Zeus and which Titaness?

Mnemosyne, the Titaness of memory, lay with Zeus for nine nights and bore the nine Muses, including Calliope, Clio and Urania.

Which of the three Moirai, or Fates, was 'the spinner' of the thread of life?

Clotho spun the thread of life, Lachesis measured out its length, and Atropos, 'the inevitable', cut it.

What did Rhea give Cronus to swallow in place of the infant Zeus?

Rhea wrapped a stone in swaddling clothes and Cronus swallowed it whole; the infant Zeus was hidden on Crete, and the stone was later displayed at Delphi as the omphalos.

Low-value coins placed in the mouths of the Greek dead to pay the ferryman are called what?

Charon's obols were the small coins placed in the mouth of the dead as the ferryman's fee; coins turn up in the mouths or hands of skeletons in some Greek burials.

Which mortal challenged Minerva to a contest of skill in Ovid's Metamorphoses?

Arachne, a Lydian weaver, challenged Minerva to a weaving contest and depicted the gods' misdeeds; the goddess tore her work and turned her into a spider.

Pygmalion, the Cypriot sculptor who fell in love with his own statue, carved her from what?

Pygmalion carved the statue from snow-white ivory, says Ovid; after his prayer at Venus's festival the ivory softened under his touch and came to life.

Which two dwarf brothers forged Thor's hammer Mjölnir, according to Skáldskaparmál?

Eitri forged Mjölnir while Brokkr worked the bellows; a fly bit Brokkr's eyelid and made him pause, so the handle came out short.

In Norse myth, the Mead of Poetry was brewed from honey and the blood of which being?

Kvasir was born from the spit of the Aesir and Vanir; the dwarfs Fjalar and Galar killed him.

In Norse myth, what did the gods make from the skull of the giant Ymir?

The sons of Bor killed the primordial giant Ymir and made the sky from his skull, the sea from his blood, the earth from his flesh and the mountains from his bones.

Which Norse god lost his right hand in Fenrir's jaws when the wolf was bound?

Týr put his hand in Fenrir's mouth as a pledge while the gods bound the wolf, and lost it when the trick was discovered; Tuesday is 'Tiw's day', his Old English name.

Which Egyptian sky goddess swallows the sun each dusk and gives birth to it at dawn?

Nut, the sky goddess arched over the earth god Geb, swallows the sun each evening and bears it again at dawn; her body is painted inside coffin lids.

Which Egyptian deity of sun, creation and rebirth may have inspired the Greek phoenix?

The Bennu, a heron-like bird worshipped at Heliopolis, rose self-created from the primeval waters and was linked to the sun god's daily rebirth.

Garuda, the mount of Vishnu, is the national emblem of Thailand and which other country?

Indonesia's national emblem is the Garuda Pancasila, adopted in 1950; Thailand uses Garuda as its royal and national emblem.

In the Hindu churning of the ocean, which mountain served as the churning rod?

Mount Mandara was the churning rod, with the naga Vasuki as the rope and a giant tortoise steadying it from below; the churning yielded the elixir amrita.

Kali catches the blood of which demon on her tongue so it cannot spawn duplicates?

Raktabija's every drop of spilled blood spawned a new demon, so Kali drank it before it touched the ground; the episode is told in the Devi Mahatmya.

For at least how many years did Rome's Vestal Virgins vow to serve the goddess Vesta?

Vestals served thirty years, ten learning, ten performing the rites and ten teaching; letting the sacred fire go out was punished with whipping, unchastity with burial alive.

In Japanese folklore, up to how many tails can a kitsune fox spirit have?

The nine-tailed vixen Tamamo-no-mae is the most famous example.

In Chinese myth, what did the primordial giant Pangu's left eye become when he died?

His right eye became the Moon, his breath the wind and clouds, his voice thunder and his blood the rivers.

For about how many years did the formless universe coalesce into an egg before Pangu emerged?

The cosmic egg stewed in chaos for 18,000 years before Pangu broke out; he then spent another 18,000 years pushing sky and earth apart, growing ten feet a day.

A lithograph of which kind of performer shaped the iconography of the water spirit Mami Wata?

A lithograph of the snake charmer Nala Damajanti, printed in Hamburg in the 1880s, spread across West Africa and fixed Mami Wata's image as a woman with a python draped around her.