Q 01/05

In Greek mythology, Hades is the god of what?

A) The dead and the underworld

B) War and bloodshed

C) The sea and earthquakes

D) Fire and the forge

Answer · why

A) The dead and the underworld

His name became so synonymous with his realm that Greeks used 'Hades' for the place as much as the god.

Q 02/05

Which two gods are Hades's brothers, with whom he divided the cosmos?

A) Zeus and Poseidon

B) Apollo and Ares

C) Hermes and Hephaestus

D) Zeus and Apollo

Answer · why

A) Zeus and Poseidon

The three drew lots: sky, sea and underworld, with the earth shared among them.

Q 03/05

Persephone was doing what when Hades carried her off to be his queen?

A) Picking flowers

B) Bathing in a river

C) Weaving at a loom

D) Tending sheep

Answer · why

A) Picking flowers

Her father Zeus had already promised her to Hades, which is why the abduction happened at his behest.

Q 04/05

What is the name of the three-headed dog that guards the underworld?

A) Cerberus

B) Orthrus

C) Argos

D) Laelaps

Answer · why

A) Cerberus

Hesiod originally gave him fifty heads; later writers settled on three.

Q 05/05

Under what Roman name was Hades widely known?

A) Pluto

B) Saturn

C) Vulcan

D) Janus

Answer · why

A) Pluto

It comes from the Greek euphemism Plouton, 'the rich one', since crops and metals come from below.