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Myths & Legends: fun facts and quiz
The essentials in 7 ideas, with fun facts, an illustrated story and a quiz to see how much you know.
The essentials
Greek Gods
The ancient Greeks believed twelve major gods lived on Mount Olympus. Zeus ruled the sky and Poseidon the sea; their brother Hades ruled the underworld.
Key fact
Mount Olympus is real: Greece’s highest peak, at about 2,918 m.
Norse Myths
Norse myths come from Scandinavia. Odin is the one-eyed chief god, Thor wields the hammer Mjölnir, and Loki is the trickster.
Key fact
Thursday is named after Thor.
Egyptian Myths
Ancient Egyptians worshipped many gods. Ra was the sun god, Osiris ruled the afterlife, and jackal-headed Anubis watched over the dead.
Key fact
Egyptians believed the heart was weighed against a feather after death.
Heroes & Quests
Many myths follow a hero on a quest. Heracles did twelve labours, Odysseus spent ten years sailing home, and Gilgamesh searched for eternal life.
Key fact
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest stories, about 4,000 years old.
Mythical Creatures
Myths are full of creatures: the Minotaur, half man and half bull; Medusa, whose gaze turned people to stone; and the phoenix, reborn from its ashes.
Key fact
Perseus beheaded Medusa by watching her in his polished shield.
Creation Myths
Nearly every culture has a story of how the world began. In Norse myth it was made from the body of the giant Ymir; in Chinese myth, Pangu hatched from a cosmic egg.
Key fact
In Greek myth, everything began with Chaos, a vast void.
Legendary Figures
Legends mix history and story. King Arthur and Robin Hood may be based on real people, but their famous tales grew over centuries.
Key fact
Robin Hood’s tales place him in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire.
Fun facts
The Romans took over many Greek gods under new names: Zeus became Jupiter, and Aphrodite became Venus.
Norse myth ends with Ragnarök, a battle in which even the gods fall, before a new world rises from the sea.
Egyptians mummified cats, ibises and even crocodiles by the millions, as offerings to the gods.
The Epic of Gilgamesh was written on clay tablets in cuneiform.
Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn.
In Hindu tradition, the universe is created and destroyed in endless cycles, each lasting billions of years.
Some legends say King Arthur sleeps beneath a hill, ready to return.
Story: The Flood on the Tablet
The Flood on the Tablet
1872, British Museum. George Smith, a former banknote engraver who taught himself cuneiform, is reading clay tablets from ancient Nineveh.
On one, he finds a great flood, a boat and a bird sent out to look for dry land. It’s part of the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest stories ever written.
So the story goes, Smith was so excited that he started taking his clothes off in front of his startled colleagues.
True or false?
Tap your answer to see if you got it, and why.
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Question 1 of 10
Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea.
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True. He carried a trident and could stir up storms and earthquakes.
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Question 2 of 10
Thor’s hammer is called Mjölnir.
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True. It always came back to his hand after he threw it.
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Question 3 of 10
Anubis is shown with the head of a jackal.
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True. Jackals roamed near graves, and Anubis protected the dead.
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Question 4 of 10
Heracles had to complete twelve labours.
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True. From slaying the Nemean lion to capturing the three-headed dog Cerberus.
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Question 5 of 10
The Minotaur was half man, half bull.
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True. It lived in the Labyrinth of Crete until Theseus defeated it.
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Question 6 of 10
In Norse myth, the world was made from a giant’s body.
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True. Odin and his brothers shaped it from the giant Ymir.
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Question 7 of 10
Robin Hood is linked to Sherwood Forest.
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True. His band of outlaws hid there, in the old tales.
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Question 8 of 10
Hades was the king of the gods on Olympus.
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False. Zeus was king. Hades ruled the underworld.
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Question 9 of 10
In Norse myth, Loki is the chief of the gods.
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False. Odin is the chief. Loki is the shape-shifting trickster.
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Question 10 of 10
Ra was the Egyptian god of the sea.
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False. Ra was the sun god, sailing across the sky each day.
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KnowSoda learns what you know and brings back what you’re about to forget. Myths & Legends has 6 more ideas at the Advanced and Expert levels.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythology
- The British Museum — ancient Egypt and the afterlife
- World History Encyclopedia — Epic of Gilgamesh, Ragnarök, Pangu
- Theoi Project — Greek mythology reference
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Maui, Anansi, Hydra, Atlantis, Argonauts
- Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies — The Dreaming
