Q 01/05

Which gift from Hephaestus trapped his mother fast, as revenge for throwing him off Olympus at birth?

A) A jewelled crown

B) A silver girdle

C) A golden throne

D) A bronze bed

Answer · why

C) A golden throne

A golden throne would not let her stand up again once she sat on it. When the other gods begged him to come home and free her, he refused, saying he h...

Q 02/05

Which god finally coaxed Hephaestus back to Olympus, riding on a mule, to release his trapped mother?

A) Dionysus

B) Apollo

C) Asclepius

D) Heracles

Answer · why

A) Dionysus

Dionysus succeeded with wine where threats had failed, and the tipsy smith rode home among a crowd of revellers. The procession became a favourite sce...

Q 03/05

In the best-known telling of Athena's birth, which tool does Hephaestus swing to split open Zeus's head?

A) A hammer

B) An axe

C) A chisel

D) A sword

Answer · why

B) An axe

An axe blow to Zeus's aching head let Athena leap out fully grown and armed. Other tellings give the job to a different god or Titan.

Q 04/05

Which first mortal woman did Hephaestus mould from earth on Zeus's orders as a punishment for mankind?

A) Pyrrha

B) Andromeda

C) Niobe

D) Pandora

Answer · why

D) Pandora

Pandora was dressed by Athena in a silvery gown and sent down with a jar full of troubles. The jar only turned into a box through a sixteenth-century ...

Q 05/05

What did Hephaestus forge to trap his unfaithful wife and her lover in bed for the other gods to see?

A) An invisible net

B) A bronze cage

C) A self-closing chest

D) A ring of fire

Answer · why

A) An invisible net

An invisible net of fine chain dropped over the couple, and he called the other gods in to look, who burst out laughing. They were freed only when ano...