Q 01/05

The English word 'mermaid' combines 'maid' with an old word 'mere' meaning what?

A) Sea

B) Fish

C) Song

D) Woman

Answer · why

A) Sea

Its earliest known use is in Chaucer's Nun's Priest's Tale, around 1390.

Q 02/05

What is the male equivalent of a mermaid called?

A) Merman

B) Merlord

C) Triton

D) Selkie

Answer · why

A) Merman

Together they are merfolk; mermen are described in folklore as wilder, uglier and less interested in humans.

Q 03/05

What did Christopher Columbus most likely see when he reported three 'sirenas' off Hispaniola in 1493?

A) Manatees

B) Dolphins

C) Seals

D) Sea turtles

Answer · why

A) Manatees

He complained they were not as beautiful as painted, having rather masculine faces.

Q 04/05

The sirens of early Greek myth were originally depicted as women joined to what kind of creature?

A) Birds

B) Fish

C) Snakes

D) Horses

Answer · why

A) Birds

They only became fish-tailed in the medieval Christian era; French and Spanish still call a mermaid 'sirène' or 'sirena'.

Q 05/05

In the Odyssey, how does Odysseus manage to hear the sirens' song and survive?

A) He has himself tied to the mast

B) He plugs his own ears with wax

C) He sings louder than they do

D) He sails past at night

Answer · why

A) He has himself tied to the mast

His crew rowed with wax in their ears while he strained at the ropes.