Paul talks with Sarah a bit about the lasting legacy of Xena, a pop-culture icon forged in the flames of mythology and camp humor. Then, he reveals his deception. It is time, on this 50th episode, to put to the test what Sarah has learned.
1. The Eruption of the Volcano Thera was a catastrophic actual event that likely brought about certain origin myths. Which Greek Island is the remains of this eruption?
a. Mykonos b. Santorini c. Delos d. Crete
2. The Children of Cronus and Rhea were swallowed before Zeus helped his siblings get barfed up. Who were these five barfed up siblings?
3. Prometheus Sculpted man out of river clay. Which God or Goddess breathed life into his creations?
a. Zeus b. Apollo c. Athena d. Halitosis, goddess of breath
4. We know that that Zeus has notably taken the form of a Bull, a Swan, and a Shower of Gold. Which of the following is not something Zeus was known to transform into to seduce and/or rape a mortal?
a. A satyr b. a lion c. an eagle d. his own daughter, Artemis
5. Demeter, as she grieved the loss of Persephone to the underworld, did not notice that Tantalus had cooked and dished up his own son, Pelops. Which part of Pelops did Demeter eat?
a. his penis b. his ankle c. his eyeballs d. his shoulder
6. Our first guest Miatta Lebile originally liked Athena but quickly turned on her when Athena slayed a childhood friend and took on her name. What was the name of this friend?
7. Athena gifted the people of Athens The Olive tree to have the city named in her honor. Poseidon lost this contest. The gift he provided was either:
a. a horse or dolphin b. a horse or a salty spring c. a horse or kiss (with tongue!)
8. Apollo’s arrows make his enemies feel the pain of a thousand fiery rays of the sun. Artemis’s arrows make her enemies do what?
a. grow antlers b. renounce men c. sleep, then die d. wait in line at the DMV
9. What is the name of the child spawned of Aphrodite and Hermes?
10. What did Eos idiotically forget Zeus to ask for when she fell in love with her mortal lover, Tithonus?
a. eternal life b. eternal youth c. eternal virility d. all of the above
11. If Boreas is the north wind and Zephyr is the West wind and Lips is the oddly named southwest wind, who are the south and East winds?
a. Eurus and Notus b. Neas and Lias c. Fierus and Noras d. Boris and Borat
12. Daedalus’s nephew Perdix after being pushed from a window was turned into what by drunk Athena?
a. a hippo b. a partridge c. a canary b. an ibis
13. In addition to a giant who tore people apart by making them hold onto bent-down trees, Theseus also had to face off with an elderly man who did what?
a. spanked travelers with a sword if they didn’t respect the xenia
b. tied travelers to a bed and spooned out their eyeballs
c. made travelers wash his feet and then fed them to a giant turtle
d. made love to travelers unless they answered his riddles correctly
14. Hippomenes defeated the fleet-footed Atalanta in a foot race because he dropped what behind him as he ran?
a. banana peels b. green turtle shells c. question mark boxes d. golden apples
15. Medusa is an unfortunate pawn to Poseidon and Athena. Ultimately, she is slain by what Greek Hero?
16. How did the Lycian women cause both Bellerophon and rising waters to retreat?
a. By building a wall of sandbags b. by summoning the wrath of Helios
c. By telling a story that had no end d. by showing their genitals
17. Orpheus was allowed to bring Eurydice back to the realm of the living under one condition. What condition was that?
18. The sphynx asks Oedipus a riddle to allow him to pass into the city of Thebes. Roughly, how does the riddle go?
19. Endymion tasked Heracles with twelve labors. Name (at least) three.
20. Chelsea Daniel joined us as we discussed the tale of Jason and the Argonauts. What was the name of Jason and the Argonauts’ ship?
21. True or False. This person dies during the Trojan War:
a. Achilles b. Hector c. Patroclus d. Pentesilea e. Cassandra f. Agamemnon
g. Paris h. Priam i. Hecuba j. Aeneas k. Helen l. Menelaus
22. Circe was responsible for the creation of which harrowing monster?
23. Elektra is the titular heroine in her story of revenge. What is the name of her brother?
a. Aeschylus b. Euripides c. Aegisthus d. Orestes
24. A harpy queen curses Aeneas and his men oddly. What was this curse?
25. In one Aesop fable, a man calls upon an Olympian to help him when his wagon is stuck in the mud. But the man receives no help. Who is this Olympian?