Prometheus Quiz By Demetrios Xanthippos

Prometheus has a name whose meaning is very apt. What does it mean?
1. Fire bringer
2. Chain Man
3. Forethought
4. Before Thesus
5. Trickster
Prometheus formed the first men from clay at Panopeus in Phocis. This angered Zeus. A meeting was held at Mekone between men and gods. At that meeting, Prometheus tricked Zeus. How?
1. He divided up a sacrifice, putting all the yummy bits under the skin and covering the bones with fat, so that Zeus would let mankind have the good stuff.
2. He convinced Zeus that giving men the gift of speech would mean they would spend all their time praising the gods.
3. He made it really cold so that Zeus would light a fire, thus showing the people how to do it.
4. He switched the plates and cups so that the men ate ambrosia and drank nectar, thus learning how to make things like the gods.
5. He persuaded Zeus to have a hall built for the meeting, thus showing mankind how to erect buildings.
Angry at being tricked, Zeus declared that mankind would never have the use of fire. Prometheus thought that was unfair and stole fire from the gods. How did he get it down from Olympus?
1. He ran down carrying a flaming torch of pine resin.
2. He hid an ember in a staff made of giant fennel.
3. He shot a flaming arrow from the home of the gods into a pile of wood at Delphi
4. He hid a burning coal in his mouth and ran down the mountain.
5. He stole one of Zeus’ lightning bolts and set fire to a dead tree.
Now really mad, Zeus punished Prometheus by having him chained down and sending a monstrous eagle (or maybe a vulture) to eat his liver every day. Where did this horrible punishment take place?
1. In the desert south of Libya
2. On the slopes of Mt. Olympus
3. In the land of the Hyperboreans.
4. In the Islands of the Hesperides.
5. On the slopes of Mount Caucasus.
Zeus also set out to punish mankind for the theft of fire. How?
1. He sent a terrible plague that killed almost everyone.
2. He flooded the world. Only Deucalion, the son of Prometheus, and his wife survived.
3. He caused people to grow old and die.
4. He had the gods create Pandora, and then gave her and her jar to Prometheus’ brother Epimetheus.
5. He declared that mankind would have to work to grow food and survive.
After many eons of punishment, Prometheus convinced Zeus to set him free. He knew that the female that Zeus had his eye on was destined to give birth to a son greater than his father, but he only told Zeus that after Zeus promised to free him. Who was she and what was her son’s name?
1. Thetis and Achilles
2. Aethra and Thesus
3. Dione and Pelops
4. Anticlea and Odysseus.
5. Alcimede and Jason.
One condition of Prometheus’ release was that some immortal had to surrender his or her immortality and go down to Hades. Who did it?
1. Dionysus
2. Chiron
3. Persephone
4. Demeter
5. Ajax
And what mighty hero slew the eagle and broke the chains?
1. Theseus
2. Perseus
3. Bellerophon
4. Hercules
5. Jason
After Prometheus was freed, the eagle and the arrow which slew it were placed in the heavens as the constellations known today as Aquila and Sagitta. It was sometimes claimed that Prometheus was also set in the heavens. Which constellation, known to us by another name, was thought to represent him?
1. Perseus
2. Orion
3. Hercules
4. Bootes
5. Ophiucus
The story of Prometheus has had a great deal of influence on our culture and arts, down to today. Which of these authors wrote a novel exploring similar topics that specifically included Prometheus in the title?
1. Ray Bradbury
2. James Joyce
3. Herman Melville
4. Nikos Kazantzakis
5. Mary Shelly