Mythology Michigan Virtual Test Answers

What is one of the major powers represented by the I Ching?

Fire

Which country's troops were responsible for the ultimate defeat of the Dahomey?

France

What myth is likely partially responsible for Western culture's disdain toward reptiles?

Garden of Eden

Who is the hero of the world's oldest known epic myth?

Gilgamesh

Which goddess's physical appearance is described MOST similar to the original Celtic goddesses' "dual nature?"

Hel

Where were the Naacal believed to have lived?

Mu

Which stage in the 12-stage version of the heroic monomyth is generally the final stage, closing out the story?

Return with the Elixir

A video game designer is creating a game inspired by various Middle East mythologies. If he wanted to create a massive aerial fight between two giant flying creatures, what would be MOST thematically appropriate for inspiration?

The Ho-Oh and the Lagia

Amelia is writing a story about an up-and-coming hero and wants it to hold closely to the monomythic hero's background. What elements should she add as the hero enters adulthood?

The hero's guardian tells him about his biological parents.

The first two beings in Greek mythology were Chaos and Nyx.

True 1

The sun was worshipped in almost every ancient culture.

True 13

A fable is a type of folktale.

True 14

Each archetype in the heroic monomyth is exemplified by different entities representing the culture the myth originated from: one role, represented in many different ways.

True 4

For myths that explain the creation of the world as being caused by an animal, there's a wide variety of animal types responsible, with no single thread connecting them all.

True 8

What type of tree is Yggdrasil?

ash

What type of creatures guards the World Trees in Greek, Hindu, and Chinese mythology?

dragon or serpent

What is the Anglicized term for the ritual battles the Aztecs called xochiyaoyotl?

flower wars

What type of animals are the garuda, peng, and Ziz?

giant birds

Given the meanings of Qinlong, Fucanglong, and Tianlong in Chinese mythology, what would the word "tian" translate to in English?

heaven

The Minotaur is a combination of which two animals?

human and bull

Arachnophobia is associated with the Greek myth about Arachne. What is arachnophobia a fear of?

spiders

What element of the Greek myth explaining why we have seasons varies MOST depending on which version of the tale is being told?

whether Hades tricked Persephone into eating a pomegranate seed

Why was Grimm's Fairy Tales controversial when it was originally released?

The stories were considered too violent for children.

What is one limitation of Alexander Eliot's classification system, particularly when it comes to what myths are considered sacred myths?

arbitrary distinction between which religious myths "count" as sacred

In Aztec mythology, what is the sun created from?

the body of sacrificed gods

What did the three treasures of the Japanese emperor represent?

three primary virtues

In a saga or epic, which event is MOST likely to occur before a hero is born?

A king dreams that his children will kill him.

Vodou is a syncretic religion mixing which two cultures?

African and Catholic

Which Greek mythological figure was imprisoned in a maze of his own design?

Daedalus

Much of Chinese legend is derived from the Sengoku or Warring States period.

False 5

Which sentence is an example of a story that MOST represents a narrative form?

I could see my opponent's innate villainy even through his "innocent" smile.

Which scholar was MOST directly influenced by Jung's ideas?

Joseph Campbell

What term could be MOST accurately applied to Mesopotamian myth?

Babylonian

What mythological creature is known both for its humongous size and for its role as a mediator?

Buffalo Women

Approximately how many languages are listed in the Ethnologue?

6,809

In which world region did Brer Rabbit stories originate?

Africa

What is the BEST term for the aboriginal Japanese mythology?

Ainu

Which god or goddess would be MOST likely to have been worshipped at the Parthenon?

Athena

What did the Nuremberg Chronicle include in its illustrated history?

Biblical creation stories

Which goddess was believed to live in Mt. Fuji?

Konohana, goddess of flowering trees

Which society utilized a logo-syllabic writing script?

Mesopotamia

Which two mythical figures both have ties to death on the battlefield?

Morrigan and Freya

What popular shoe brand shares its name with the Greek goddess of victory?

Nike

Who is considered the most important god of the Egyptian pantheon, responsible for creation?

Ra

Which god was at the top of the Aztec hierarchy?

Tezcatlipoca

Which Mesopotamian god or goddess is MOST associated with pure villainy and evil in modern culture?

Tiamat

What is the primary characteristic a folktale must have in order to be considered a fable?

a clear moral lesson

What was the magical element in the "Bluebeard" fairy tale?

an enchanted key

On what surface was the oldest book known to anthropologists composed?

clay tablets

What form of writing would an anthropologist need to understand to MOST be able to interpret written stories of Mesopotamia?

cuneiform

How does someone earn the right to go to Valhalla when they die (circumventing that culture's equivalent of limbo)?

die on the battlefield

For which product would a brand name of "Daedalus" make the MOST sense?

intricate 3D puzzles

What precious stone was MOST associated with the Aztec goddess of water and childbirth?

jade

What was the MOST likely cause of the rebellion led by Boudica, Queen of the Iceni?

misrule, theft, and enslavement of her people

Which behavior would a mythological warrior be MOST likely to engage in?

personally killing a tyrannical king or emperor

What character flaw was common to both Beowulf and Odysseus?

pride

What was the universe created from according to Aztec mythology?

pure chaos

What do psychologists and folklorists mean when they refer to a collective unconsciousness?

some shared universal ideas essential to the human psyche

Omar orders a sno-cone and asks to have both strawberry and cherry flavoring added to it to create a new combined flavor. What term is this MOST similar to?

syncretic

Which description of the current times would be MOST expected during the birth of a hero?

the aftermath of a natural disaster

In the original story of Beauty and the Beast, Beauty willingly lives with the Beast, who treats her kindly and respects her wishes from the start, even after Beauty becomes convinced he had kidnapped and jailed a prince. The broad strokes of the rest of the story follow modern retellings. What theme does this original version of the story try to tell?

the importance of looking beyond first appearances

Where did the sun and the moon come from in Aztec mythology?

the sacrifice of Tecuciztecatl and Nanahuatzin

What was one responsibility of the Aztec goddess also known as "obsidian butterfly"?

the souls of dead children

What would be the MOST likely role for a peacock in mythology, given the common way peacocks are personified?

vain debutante

Which wartime leader won several successive battles before a crushing defeat in her final battle (shortly after which she died)?

Boudica

Which Christian holiday is MOST directly inspired by a West Germanic goddess?

Easter

Jamal is writing an essay about the first people to "discover" North America. Which explorer makes the MOST sense to attribute as the first nonaboriginal person to explore the continent?

Erik the Red

Which Greek group was an embodiment of vengeance itself and was referred to as the "kindly ones" in an attempt to escape their wrath?

Erinyes

The bat is an almost universal symbol of bad luck, death, and evil.

False 13

The Western practice of folkloristics has only existed for about 50 years.

False 3

The trickster archetype is known for their malice and hatred toward the hero; their goal is to thwart the hero's goals by any means necessary.

False 7

What elemental force is shared in both Sigrid's and Brynhild's legends, especially when it comes to would-be husbands?

Fire

Which figure is known for being so ferocious that she single-handedly caused a native military group to flee?

Freydis Eiriksdottir

What seminal tale did Dr. Jamie Tehrani trace, finding 35 different versions and a common ancestor over 2,600 years old?

Little Red Riding Hood

What is the association between the depictions of most major Egyptian gods and goddesses and animals?

Most gods had animal heads.

Which civilization is the BEST example of a culture formed directly as part of a cradle of civilization (e.g., one of the oldest civilizations formed in a region)?

Olmecs

Which mythological character covered in the course comes from the culture for which the term "myth" itself originated?

Pelops

Which Greek mythological figure was responsible for ending the terror caused by the Minotaur?

Theseus

Which myth's central story involves an animal, beast, or similar creature that is entirely antagonistic toward the hero?

Theseus and the Minotaur

Which Greek deity was well-known for transforming himself into animals in order to "seduce" women and men?

Zeus

"Johnny Appleseed" was a real person named John Chapman who became famous for introducing apple trees to parts of the United States. A story about Johnny Appleseed's life would be MOST likely considered:

a folk tale.

In a modern video game, fantasy novel, or similar story, what item or artifact would MOST likely be named in some way after Icarus?

a pair of wings

In folklorist studies, what perspective was most popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?

absolutist

What was the food and drink of the Greek gods?

ambrosia and nectar

The Marvel comics and movie series Thor is inspired by Norse mythology. What description would make sense for the rainbow-colored Bifrost that appears in this media?

bridge used by gods to cross worlds

What is the point of the Refusal of the Call stage of the heroic monomyth?

introducing a minor conflict before the hero leaves home

In the I Ching, what trait is associated with the Mountain?

keeping still

What was the role of the mythological creature that is represented in the following image?

mediator between heaven, humans, and earth

In many modern retellings of the story of King Arthur, Merlin the Magician appears to give the headstrong young Arthur advice, taking the edge off Arthur's more brash tendencies. In these stories, Merlin MOST fits which monomythic archetype?

mentor

What is the term for Japanese folklore studies?

minzokugaku

What is the purpose of a Norse kenning?

poetically communicating ideas

The Norse and Egyptian religions are classified as which type?

polytheistic

In American mythology and folklore, both contemporary and historic, what animal is often a trickster?

rabbit or hare

Buddhists share the story of the original Buddha (also knowns as Siddhartha, Siddhartha, and Sahyamuni), a religious leader who transcended the cycle of reincarnation. What type of myth would Alexander Eliot consider stories of Buddha's transcendence?

sacred

What determined the order of the animals in the Chinese zodiac?

their place in a mythical race

In Greek mythology, to enter the underworld and accomplish some heroic deed, heroes must sometimes outwit Cerberus, a three-headed dog who prevents the dead from leaving the underworld. In these stories, what archetype does Cerberus MOST fulfill?

threshold guardian

According to Dante, which sin is most heinous?

treachery

The very earliest Dahomey Amazons made their living through what practice?

wild game hunters

Based on the nure-onago and harionago of Japanese folklore, what does "onago" indicate in the Japanese language?

woman or girl

The Rosetta Stone offered anthropologists great insight into what part of human culture?

writing