How Well Do You Really Know Greek Mythology?

Zeus, the god of lightning, thunder, the sky and justice, ruled over the Greeks from his throne on Mount Olympus. He could famously throw lightning bolts, which his winged horse Pegasus carried on his back and an eagle would retrieve. In an instant, he could shape-shift into any creature or invoke a momentous storm.

As the story goes, prominent god Apollo chased after the female nymph Daphne, the object of his desire due to a curse placed on him by Cupid. She detested his advances and prayed for help to the river gods, who changed her into a laurel tree. Afterward, Apollo continued to revere laurel trees.

While some credit the wind instrument's invention to Hermes or Cybele, most mythologists associate the pastoral god Pan most closely with its creation. In written accounts, Pan fell in love with the nymph Syrinx. Uninterested in him, Syrinx pleaded with Zeus for help, so he disguised her as reeds. Vengeful, Pan tore up the reeds before a surge of remorse caused him to weep and kiss them. As he cried, he realized his breath could create sound in the reeds, thus creating the instrument.

According to Greek myth, the Void or Gap characterized the beginning of the world: a dark, looming space. Eventually, three other entities emerged from the abyss: Gaea, Tartaros and Eros. From these four entities, everything else in existence sprung forth.

According to Greek mythology, someone correctly prophesied that any child born to Metis, Athena's mother, would be more powerful than the father. Sure enough, Athena burst forth from Zeus' head fully grown, already dressed for war.

Hera is often depicted crowned, holding a lotus-adorned scepter and accompanied by a cuckoo, lion or hawk. The cuckoo is likely a part of her symbolism because Zeus disguised himself as one such bird in an attempt to charm her.

The Argonauts serve as heroes in a rich and complex tale. In the years prior to the Trojan War, around 1300 B.C., the Argonauts traveled with their leader, Jason, to Colchis, which is located off the coast of the Black Sea (present-day Western Georgia). They hoped to find the Golden Fleece: the wool of a golden-fleeced, winged ram.

According to Ovid, Baucis and Philemon welcomed the gods Zeus and Hermes, who were disguised as peasants, into their homes when no one else in town did. For their display of hospitality, Zeus and Hermes rewarded them by transforming their simple cottage into an ornate temple on a hill; he also punished the rest of the village with a devastating flood.

Also called the Twelve Olympians, the most prominently featured gods in the Greek pantheon typically include Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus and Hermes. Hestia was the original 12th Olympian, until she grew tired of the gods' fighting and gave up her seat to Dionysus.

In Homer's "Iliad," Niobe boasts about her 12 children to the wrong person: the Titan Leto, who only birthed two children, the gods Apollo and Artemis. As punishment for bragging, Apollo promptly murdered all her sons, and Artemis killed all her daughters.

The goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the Olympian gods, the marine god Thaumas and the cloud nymph Elektra birthed her. The Greeks often observed the arc of her magnificent rainbow jutting between the clouds and sea.

According to Greek myth, Icarus' father, Daedalus, created wings from feathers, wax and a wooden frame. He gave a pair of these wings to his son, but warned him not to fly too close to the sun, otherwise, the wax would melt. In a fit of excitement about his newfound ability to fly, though, Icarus did not heed his father's warnings.

Cronus castrated and overthrew his own father, Uranus, in order to rule during the mythological Golden Age. When he learned that he faced a similar fate, he devoured his children Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Hades and Poseidon as soon as they were born. However, the mother, Rhea, joined forces with Gaia, Cronus' mother, to save the sixth child, Zeus, who ultimately overthrew him.

According to Ovid, the clairvoyant Tiresias told Narcissus's mother that her son would enjoy a long life-so as long as he never discovered his own image. When he scorned the nymph Echo, though, she invoked godly vengeance upon him. Nemesis compelled him to see his own image, which he adored. Realizing his love could never be reciprocated, he melted from his own burning passion, eventually transforming into a gold and white flower.

The skillful craftsman Daedalus created the intricate, confounding Labyrinth. King Minos tasked him to build it to hold the Minotaur, a terrifying monster eventually killed by the hero Theseus. It was apparently so complex that Daedalus could scarcely find his way out.

Also sometimes called the "Daughters of the Evening" or "Nymphs of the West," the Hesperides guarded the golden apples in their garden and sang beautifully. In one account, they transform into trees, possessing "white arms and golden heads."

Also called the Battle of the Titans, the 10-year war took place in Thessaly as a way to determine who would reign on Mount Olympus. The Olympians ultimately won and assumed power.

As the story goes, Hera bathed in Kanathos, a spring nestled in Nauplia, each year to renew her virginity. The Greek traveler Pausanias said that each time she bathed there she became "a maiden" once more.

Hades refers to the god of the Underworld, but it also eventually became a name to refer to the home of the death in Greek mythology. The eldest male child of Kronos and Rhea, he's the brother of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hestia and Demeter.

After King Laius and Queen Jocasta birthed Oedipus, the oracle of Delphi warned them that he would end up murdering his father and marrying his mother. To prevent the prophecy's fruition, Laius sent him to die, but a shepherd, taking pity, helped connect him to an adoptive family. Eventually, the prophecy came true, in part because Oedipus didn't realize they were his parents.

Hades, god of the Underworld, fell deeply in love with Persephone and decided to abduct her. While versions of this tale vary, in one iteration, he enlists Zeus' help and together they cause the earth to split and her to fall to the Underworld, much to her dismay.

Most notably, Achilles defeated the formidable Trojan prince Hector outside the gates of Troy. The term "Achilles heel" we use today comes from his sole weakness: his heel. As a child, his mother dipped him in a magical strength-inducing river but missed this one small part.

The naiads rule over bodies of fresh water like fountains, springs, streams and brooks. While they sing sweetly and look lovely, sailors would be wise to look the other way. In one instance, they drowned Heracles' friend Hylas during his journey with the Argo crew.

The Hecatoncheires refer to three huge monsters of enormous strength named Cottus, Aegaeon (or Briareus) and Gyges. The offspring of Uranus and Gaia, Gaia was revolted by them and banished them to the Underworld. Consequently, they eventually helped the Olympians overthrow the Titans.

Zeus assumed the form of a beautiful swan in an attempt to seduce the mortal woman Leda. As a result, Leda birthed Helen (yes, Helen of Troy) and Polydeuces. While there are many versions of this tale, in some of them, she laid two eggs from which they hatched.

In many accounts of the birth of Pegasus, Poseidon, god of the sea and horses, assumes the form of a stallion to seduce the winged monster Medusa. When Medusa birthed Pegasus, thunder clapped loudly and lightning filled the sky.

According to the Classics, Ares, god of war, gave his daughter Hipployta the supernatural girdle. One of Heracles' epic "Twelve Labors," which Eurystheus imposed upon him, was to steal the girdle. He ended up killing her, thereby spurring a battle between the Amazons and Athens.

Cronos, the leader of the first generation of the Titans, ruled the Golden Age after overthrowing his father. Hesiod describes this age as one of immense peace, stability and good fortune. One didn't need to work, yet everyone remained nourished and well in this era of abundance. They lived to old age maintaining a beautiful, youthful appearance, and then died peacefully. Sounds ideal, right?

The son of Zeus and Alcmene, Heracles' birth came with a bit of a curse. Zeus swore the next son he bore would become Greece's ruler, but Zeus' wife, Hera, played a trick that caused the ill Eurystheus to come into the world first. As a result, Heracles had to serve King Eurystheus' every whim.

According to Greek legend, Hyacinthus' immense beauty attracted Apollo, who attempted to charm him. While teaching him to throw the discus, however, he accidentally knocked him dead. Some versions of the tale state that Zephyrus, the god of the West Wind, became jealous and redirected the discus to strike and kill Hyacinthus.

After the Titan hero Prometheus defied the gods by stealing fire and bestowing it upon humans, Zeus punished him with a sentence of eternal torment. Despite his dark fate, humankind reveres him for his intelligence and assistance in progressing civilization. Prometheus is often classed as a "trickster" god along with Loki, Coyote and Anansi.

A majestic bull and Cretan Queen Pasiphae birthed the loathsome Minotaur. In an attempt to contain the beast, King Minos, the craftsman Daedalus and Icarus built the Labyrinth, where he ate youths as offerings until Theseus killed him.

Derived from the Greek work for "gift," Pandora is also known as the "all-endowed" or "all-giving." As the story goes, Zeus ordered the Greek god of blacksmiths, Hephaestus, to create her: the first human woman. She soon opened a pithos, or a container often translated as "Pandora's box," which unleashed humanity's evils.

Heracles married the Theban princess Megara, and together, they bore a number of children. Life seemed pretty good until Hera, who detested Heracles since he was her husband's child with Alcmene, drove to him to madness that ultimately resulted in the senseless murder of his family.

In a rage, Apollo gave the king the ears of an donkey. Afterward, Midas hid away in his palace and always wore a turban so that no one except his barber knew the horrific truth of his disfigurement. In a desperate struggle to contain the secret, the barber one day whispered "Midas has ass' ears" into the earth. Reeds then sprung from the dirt, forever faintly singing, "Midas has ass' ears."

Gaia (Earth) birthed the Giants as a consequence of this gruesome act. While Classical Greek myth depicts the Giants as fully human, later ones depict them with snakes for legs. Either way, I think we can agree: it's a strange story all around.

In the most common version of this story, the god Apollo grants Cassandra the gift of clairvoyance in exchange for her heart. When Cassandra changes her mind and refuses him, he is full of rage but cannot simply revoke divine powers. Instead, he curses her, stating that she'll utter truths but no one will ever believe her. Instead, everyone thinks she's crazy. This is where the modern-day usage of "Cassandra complex" comes from.

After the fall of Troy, the King of Ithaca attempts to make his way home, but is met with a range of obstacles including six-headed monsters and raging whirlpools. Meanwhile, believing him dead, his wife Penelope and son Telemachus endure with a variety of unfit suitors who want to win Penelope's hand. They're delighted when he finally returns.

After Demeter cursed Erysichthon with an insatiable appetite, he ate all the food he could buy until he completely ran out of money. In a fit of gluttony, he even attempted to sell his daughter for food. Eventually, he lost his home and everything he had before eating his own flesh. Yikes.

Banished to exile for murdering his father-in-law, Zeus took pity on Ixion and invited him to Olympus. His pity didn't last long, though, because Ixion kept trying to seduce Zeus' wife, Hera. Angry, Zeus attempts to disguise her as a cloud, but Ixion impregnates her anyway and they give birth to the beastly Centaurus, who later fathers all the Centaurs. As punishment, Zeus binds him to a flaming wheel.