Harry Potter and Greek Mythology Quiz
Like Fluffy, Cerberus was once lulled to sleep by beautiful music. Which legendary musician enchanted Cerberus with song?
- Orpheus wanted to visit the underworld to see his dead wife. Using the lovely music of his harp, Orpheus sent Cerberus snoozing and walked right in.
In Greek mythology, Hermione was the daughter of King Menelaus of Sparta and this famous beauty:
- When Helen sailed away with the Trojan prince Paris, she left behind nine-year-old Hermione, her only child.
Ancient Greek gods and goddesses were often depicted with a nimbus—not a flying broom but a shining
- A nimbus might shine from around gods and goddesses while they were on Earth.
The lightning bolt on Harry's forehead was the symbol of which Greek god?
- Zeus, god of the sky, hurled lightning bolts at earthly targets.
In The Goblet of Fire, Harry meets a sphinx who asks him a riddle. Which troubled mortal in Greek mythology meets a sphinx and solves her riddle?
- Here's the riddle Oedipus solved: What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? (The answer: a human. People crawl as babies, walk on two legs in adulthood, and rely on a cane in old age.)
The Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch may bring to mind the mythical Greek guard Argus, who was said to have
- Argus was slain by Hermes, the messenger god. Afterward, Argus's many eyes became the eyes on the peacock's tail.
Nope, Fluffy isn't one-of-a-kind. What is the name of the giant three-headed watchdog in Greek myth?
- Cerberus guards the entrance to Hades (the underworld). The hero Hercules wrestled down and kidnapped Cerberus.
Professor McGonagall's first name, Minerva, is the Roman name for which Greek goddess?
- Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom and the goddess of war and peace. She was a great help to heroes such as Odysseus and Hercules.
The hippocampus—half horse, half sea-creature—appears not just in Harry Potter but pulling the chariot of this mythological ruler:
- These quick and lovely beasts drew the underwater chariot of Poseidon, god of the sea.
Centaurs roam the Forbidden Forest by Hogwarts. In Greek mythology, centaurs are half man and half
- The most famous Greek centaur was named Chiron. He was a teacher to a number of Greek heroes, including Jason, Achilles, and Hercules.
