| A | B |
|---|
| This god who is said to live in a peak in the Himalayas known as Mount Kailasa is worshiped through the phallic lingam symbol. One form of this god, Nataraja, is also known for holding the sacred hourglass shaped drum whose rhythm the Universe supposedly originated from. He obtained his blue throat after he drank all the poison churned up in the world ocean. This god who has the Ganges running through his hair burned Kama with his third eye. When this god’s son would not let him see his wife, he cut off his head in anger and replaced it with the elephant head of Ganesha. For 10 points, name this Hindu destroyer god who forms the trimurti along with Vishnu and Brahma. | ANSWER: Shiva |
| In this religion, children are named by opening up a sacred text to a random page and taking the first letter at the top left corner of the left page. In this religion, a hukam is a random verse read at the end of a service while sacred temple, are known gurdwaras, literally meaning doorways. One leader of this religion created an order from the five beloved known as the khalsas who follow a set of tenets known as the five K’s. Founded by Nanak Dev, the holy scripture of this religion is known as the Adi Granth. For 10 points, name this religion found primarily in India based on the teachings of the ten Gurus | ANSWER: Sikhism |
| In Orthodox Christianity, this rite is accompanied by a prayer called the anaphora and is named The Divine Liturgy. This sacrament is featured in all three synoptic Gospels and Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians is generally given as the earliest recorded description of it, when recounting how Jesus spoke of a “new covenant” in his blood. Some denominations disagree over whether this sacrament features real presence or simply a symbolic one and Roman Catholics use *transubstantiation as an explanation for this. For 10 points, name this Christian rite of consuming bread and wine which supposedly contains the body of Christ | ANSWER: the Eucharist (prompt on “transubstantiation” until mentioned) |
| With Cyrene, this deity fathered the minor god Aristaeus and he turned one of his lovers into a Cypress tree after that man accidentally killed the deer this god had given him. His son with Coronis was struck down by Zeus for reviving Hippolytus from the dead and he flayed the satyr Marsyas after defeating him in a music contest. The father of Aesclepius, this son of Leto killed the dragon Python and, with his sister, struck down Niobe after she bragged about her children. The patron deity of Delphi is, for 10 points, what Greek god of light, the brother of Artemis? | ANSWER: Apollo |
| The consort of this deity is sometimes given as Dione and soon after this figure reached adulthood, he slew the monster Campe. He punished the seer Phineas with blindness and sent the harpies to plague him. With Europa, he fathered Minos. This god may be more famous for impregnating Danae in a shower of gold and raping Leda in the form of a swan, but he probably would not have been able to accomplish all that had he not been replaced at birth with a rock wrapped in cloth. Saved from the fate his siblings were subject to by Rhea, for 10 points, name this Olympian God who had many affairs while married to Hera. | ANSWER: Zeus |
| This book of the Bible features the story of Ananias and Sapphira as well as the baptism of the centurion Cornelius. In the first part of this book seven deacons are elected to minister to the people of Jerusalem, one of whom, Stephen, is later executed, becoming the first Christian martyr. This book also features the raising of Tabitha from the dead and the rescue of Peter from prison. It opens with the Holy Spirit descending upon the titular figures during Pentecost, granting them the ability to speak in tongues. For 10 points, name this fifth book of the New Testament detailing the deeds of people such as Mathias, John, and Paul. | ANSWER: Acts of the Apostles |
| Whilst searching for the Hesperides, this figure stole the single eye of the Graeae (GREE-ee). He slew Cetus in order to rescue the daughter of Queen Cassiopeia, whom he later married. His most famous deed came at the behest of king Polydectes and was accomplished with the help of winged sandals, a helm of invisibility, and a polished shield. The husband of Andromeda is, for 10 points, what mythical founder of Mycenae who had to flee from Stheno and Euryale after slaying their sister, Medusa? | ANSWER: Perseus |
| In order to retrieve the Syamantaka Gem, this figure wrestled the bear Jambavan. This figure also slew the evil Narakasura with his discus, the Sudarshana Chakra. He lifted Mount Govardhana on his pinky finger for 7 days and 7 nights to shelter the people of Vrindavan from Indra’s wrath. This god danced on the head of (*) Kaliya to make it leave a lake which had been poisoned by its venom. His brother, Balarama, is the son of Rohini and an incarnation of the divine snake, Shesha. After giving Duryodhana his army, this figure fought on the side of the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra War, where he served as Arjuna’s charioteer. For ten points, identify this blue-skinned eighth avatar of Vishnu who is found in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad-Gita. | ANSWER: Krishna |
| This man and his wife were the first people to be buried in the Cave of Machpelah,; this man also nearly committed another act while on Mount Moriah. In one story, he showed his father Terah the foolishness of pagan worship by smashing idols in his father’s shop. He also made a covenant with God, at which point he and his wife’s name were slightly changed. He later attempted to save Sodom and Gomorrah by searching for 10 honest men. This man’s wife laughed after God informed her that she was pregnant; he himself was circumcised at the age of 99. For 10 points, name this father of Ishmael and Isaac, the original forefather in the book of Genesis. | ANSWER: Abraham or Abram |
| This god once disguised himself as the boatman Harbardr to argue with one of his sons. Another of his sons forges a boot made with all the leftover leather in the world. That son, Vidar, will avenge this figure after he is eaten by Fenrir at Ragnarok. He sacrificed an eye to Mimir to gain wisdom and obtained wisdom from the world tree Yggdrasil after piercing it with his spear Gungnir. Served by two ravens, this god rides the eight-legged steed Sleipnir and is the father of Thor. For 10 points, name this Norse all-father. | ANSWER: Odin |
| A “lesser” version of this event is called the “umrah”. Participants are said to be in a state of “ihram” whilst performing this event and its end is celebrated by the festival of Eid al-Adha. Locations where this event occurs include the Jamarat Bridge, the Zamzam Well, and Mount Arafat, where participants must spend a night in prayer. This event features three tawafs, where participants circle the Kaaba and kiss the black stone. For 10 points, name this fifth pillar of Islam, an annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. | ANSWER: the Hajj |
| This school, which is derived from the Vibhajjavada grouping, focuses on kilesas or defilements which bind humans to the cycle of rebirth through fetters. The concept of dukkha, or suffering, features prominently in this school's Three Characteristics of conditioned thought. Discipline, training of mind, and wisdom make up this school's Three Noble Disciplines, a shortened version of the Eightfold Path. The most basic theory of this school of Buddhism focuses on the Four Noble Truths. Holding the Pali Canon in high regard, for 10 points, name this school of Buddhism translated as “The Ancient Teaching”, contrasted with the Mahayana school. | ANSWER: Theravada Buddhism (prompt on “Buddhism” early) |
| After the death of this man, a power struggle broke out involving one of his sons named Ish-bosheth. This man was made king following a meeting that occurred in Mizpah and married off his daughter Michal to his eventual successor after demanding a price of 100 foreskins. In one story, this man demanded the ghost of Samuel after visiting the Witch of Endor; after that incident this man committed suicide after losing the Battle of Gilboa against the Philistines. The eventually successor to this man was originally brought to his court to play soothing harp music. For 10 points, name this ruler succeeded by David, the first biblical king of a united Israel. | ANSWER: Saul |
| Inuhariko and daruma are amulets used in this religion, which uses a ritual called harai. This religion’s most important ceremony is the Great Purification, and one figure in this religion once pulled a “grass-cutting sword” from the Eight-Forked Serpent. The dead in this religion go to the underworld (*) Yomi, and according to this religion, the first islands were created when a jeweled spear was stirred in the oceans by Izanagi and Izanami. Ise Jingu is an important shrine in this religion, whose deities, referred to as kami, include Uzume, Susano’o, and Amaterasu. For ten points, identify this native Japanese religion. | ANSWER: Shintoism (or kami-no-michi) |
| One text in this religion advocates its followers to “cleanse themselves of all that is earthly” for those who seek truth and faith, and this religion’s only guardian, Shoghi Effendi, is credited to translating another text in this religion, the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. Its calendar consists of 19 months, each consisting of 19 days, and it advocates all men to observe a 19-day fast. This religion’s (*) Universal House of Justice can be found in Haifa, Israel, and its Book of Certitude claims religion grew through a series of divine messengers including Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. For ten points, identify this religion founded by the Baha’u’llah. | ANSWER: Baha’i Faith (or Baha’ism) |
| Like Anubis, this god’s symbol is a Was scepter, and he engaged in a swimming race with his nephew in the form of a hippopotamus. This figure’s main center of worship was at the Hyksos city of Avaris, and with the war goddess Neith, this figure fathered the crocodile god Sobek. This god lost a (*) boat race when he was tricked into sailing a boat made out of stone, and he was tricked into eating lettuce after assaulting his nephew. He is said to help Ra defeat the serpent Apophis each night, and was the husband of Nepthys. For ten points, name this son of Geb and Nut and Egyptian god of the desert, a rival of Horus who chopped his brother Osiris into fourteen pieces. | ANSWER: Seth (accept Setesh or Setukh) |
| At one battle, Hur and this man’s brother helped him keep his arms aloft, and this man stuck a brass serpent on a pole to cure his followers of snake bites. During his exile after committing murder, this man married Zipporah, and this man smashed two stone tablets when he saw the worship of a (*) golden calf. This man, rescued from a river as a baby, returned to his home after he communicated with a burning bush. Passover celebrates this man leading his people through the Red Sea after the death of some first-born children, the last of the Ten Plagues. For ten points, name this prophet, who received the Ten Commandments and led the Israelites out of Egypt. | ANSWER: Moses or Moshe (or Musa; or Moseh) |
| Coronis cheated on this god with Ischys, and this god raped Creusa to father Ion. This deity instructed Orestes to avenge Agamemnon’s death, and he served King Admetus as a slave for killing the Cyclopes. One son of this god was the beekeeper Aristaeus, and this god mourned the death of his lover (*) Hyacinthus after Zephyrus killed him with a discus. Zeus struck down another son of this god who had brought Hippolytus back to life; that son was the renowned healer Asclepius. The dragon Python was killed by this son of Leto, who then established the Oracle of Delphi. For ten points, name this Greek god of light and medicine, the twin brother of Artemis. | ANSWER: Apollo |
| An image of this figure swallowing someone else is carved on Thorwald’s Cross, and the river Van was created from his saliva. He managed to break Laeding and Dromi before the dwarves made an object from things like the roots of a mountain and the footsteps of a cat. This son of the giantess Angrboda fathered Skoll and Hati, two children who will eventually (*) eat the Sun and Moon. This creature’s mouth is ripped open with a leather shoe by Vidar for killing Odin at Ragnarok, and he bit off the right hand of Tyr after being unable to break the chain Gleipnir. For ten points, name this son of Loki, a monstrous wolf in Norse mythology. | ANSWER: Fenrir (accept Fenrisulfr, the Fenris wolf, Hroovitnir, or Vanagandr) |
| This god sits on a tiger-skin, demonstrating how he has conquered lust, at the top of Mount Kailash in the Himalayas. This deity holds a trident in one hand to symbolize his power and is garlanded by a snake, which denotes his wisdom. He was nicknamed Nilkanth, meaning (*) “blue throat,” after he drank the Halahala, a poison in the Ocean of Milk. His third eye believed to burn all desire, or Kama, to ashes, and he is the father of Kartikeya and Ganesha. For ten points, name this wife of Parvati, a member of the Hindu Trinity along with Vishnu and Brahma, the god of destruction. | ANSWER: Shiva (Accept Siva) |
| This event’s tradition of kaparot involves swinging either money or a live chicken around one’s head before giving it to charity. The Ne’ila concludes this holiday, and all services on this holiday begin with a prayer which has historically been incorrectly used as proof that Jews do not keep promises, the (*) Kol Nidre. It is forbidden to bathe and to wear leather or perfume on this holiday. This holiday falls on the tenth of Tishrei, and is the second of its religion’s “High Holy Days.” For ten points, identify this holiday which occurs nine days after Rosh Hashanah, a fast day on which Jews repent for their sins. | ANSWER: Yom Kippur (or Day of Atonement) |
| The Baha’i Faith places this figure’s descendants as spiritually greater than everyone else and claims that he lived for 950 years. This son of Lamech cursed his grandson Canaan to be the “lowest of slaves” because Canaan’s father caught this figure naked. This figure has been compared to the Greek mythological figure (*) Deucalion, who was also given an olive branch by a messenger pigeon. This father of Japheth, Shem, and Ham was well-known for a Rainbow Covenant, which protected all animals, that occurred on Mount Ararat. For ten points, name this biblical figure who survived a flood by sailing for 40 days and 40 nights on an ark. | ANSWER: Noah (or Noe; or Noyach) |
| In retribution for attacking Subartu, a deity supposedly cursed this ruler’s people with famine. This figure defeated Lugalzagesi after rising to power in Kish, and he later appointed Rumish as his successor. This ruler grew up as a (*) cupbearer to the king Ur-Zababa before he revolted and became the king himself, and his daughter Enheduanna became a High Priestess to the moon god Nanna. This man, who gained the loyalty of his soldiers by eating with them daily, conquered various Sumerian city-states in the 23rd and 22nd centuries BC. For ten points, name this supposed inspiration for Nimrod in the Bible, a war-loving ruler of Akkad. | ANSWER: Sargon I (or Sargon the Great; or Sargon of Akkad) |
| According to the Poetic Edda, this figure will stand “at the helm” of the nail-ship Naglfar when Ragnarok begins. After one son of this god is hooked, the giant Hymir cuts the line of a fishing pole, and that son appears in a contest that sees this god lose an eating competition to fire in the hall of a giant thought to be Skrymir. His (*) lips were sewn shut after he interrupted the dwarf Brokkr, resulting in Mjollnir’s shortened handle. This god was bound with the entrails of his son and his wife Sigyn catches most of the venom that drips above him, as punishment for tricking Hodr into killing Baldr with mistletoe. He and Heimdall are fated to kill each other at Ragnarok. For ten points, name this Norse trickster god, the father of Jormangandr. | ANSWER: Loki |
| King Vishtaspa was the first guardian of this religion, and taught his followers about those who are truthful and those who are liars, or the asha and druj. One branch of this religion believes the first man to be created was Gayomart, while another branch worships the deity Zurvan. This religion believes the dead cross the Chinvat Bridge, and evil (*) daevas are described in this religion’s Vendidad. Practitioners of this religion suspend dead bodies in “Towers of Silence.” Its Yasnas, which contain the Gathas, describe the Amesha Spentas, and this religion’s main text, the Avesta, describes the continuous fighting between Angra Mainyu and Ahura Mazda. For ten points, name this ancient Iranian religion founded by the prophet Zarathustra. | ANSWER: Zoroastrianism |
| This man is said to have cursed his sons when they served him with a silver table and golden goblet belonging to his great-great grandfather. This figure was rescued from Mount Cithaeron by Polybus of Corinth, and in his old age, this man came under the protection of Theseus and the Erinyes. This man’s son Polyneices was killed by his brother in a duel for the throne, and he himself killed a king at the Phocis (*) crossroads. As a reward for causing the sphinx to commit suicide after he correctly answered her riddle, this man replaced King Laius as the husband of Jocasta. For ten points, name this Theban king, who, as Tiresias predicted, married his mother and killed his father. | ANSWER: Oedipus |
| Some Muslims fast for this many days during the month of Shawwal, and there are this number of orders in the Misnah. There are this many items in a collection including maror and charoset, the foods on a traditional (*) Passover seder plate. On this day in the Genesis creation myth, God ordered some beings to “be fruitful and multiply,” and created all the beasts of the land and created in his image the first humans. This digit is repeated three times in the number of the Beast. For ten points, how many points are there in a Jewish Star of David? | ANSWER: six |
| One student of this man published Passavantius as an attack against Pierre Lizet. This teacher of Theodore Beza was opposed by Arminius’s Remonstrants. In his most famous work, this figure claimed, “as it is in the creation of man that the divine perfections are best displayed,” and this figure’s followers burned Michael Servetus alive. Formulator of the theories of Irresistible Grace and Total Depravity in his (*) “Five Points”, this man’s views were carried to Scotland by John Knox. For ten points, name this author of Institutes of the Christian Religion who led the Reformation in Geneva and created a denomination that believes in predestination. | ANSWER: John Calvin (or Jean Calvin) |
| This god’s twin brother had the head of a dog, and this god immolated himself for sleeping with his sister while drunk, after which he became a brother of the planet Venus. He sprinkled his own blood onto some bones in the underworld of Mictlan, and in doing so created the fifth race of man. This son of Coatlicue [COAT - lee - cue] had a rivalry with a brother who had his foot bitten off by a crocodile. That brother had a name meaning (*) “smoking mirror,” and their rivalry caused this god to be exiled on a raft of snakes. For ten points, name this white-skinned “feathered serpent” and rival of Tezcatlipoca whom the Aztecs confused with a Spanish conquistador. | ANSWER: Quetzalcoatl |
| Sects of this religious movement include the Niyabinghi Order and the Bobo Ashanti, and the holy city of this religion is Lalibela. Robert Rogers wrote one of this religion’s texts, the Holy Piby, which identifies Marcus Garvey as a prophet of this religion. Members of this religion use words like “upfulness” and “overstanding” and reject (*) “-isms.” Believers of this monotheistic religion worship the deity “Jah,” and ceremonies in this religion include Reasonings and Groundations, both of which require the use of ritual marijuana, or “ganja.” For ten points, identify this religion which is most commonly associated with reggae music and dreadlocked Jamaicans like Bob Marley. | ANSWER: Rastafarianism (or Rastafari Movement) |
| According to Midrash, the motivation for this person’s most famous action was his dislike of Jumelia and desire to marry his twin sister Aclima. Mormon leader David Patten claimed to have encountered this man during his endless wandering, recognizing him by the mark put on him to prevent him from being killed. He was born right after his parents were expelled from the (*) Garden of Eden, and God rejected the sacrifice of his crops while accepting the sacrifice of his brother’s livestock. For ten points, identify this eldest son of Adam and Eve who asked “Am I my brother’s keeper?” after slaying Abel. | ANSWER: Cain (or Qabil or Qayen) |
| Novices of this religion must complete the pile fey and bathe with clothes on in an initiation ceremony called Kanzo. Devotees of this religion believe in a love deity named Erzulie, an evil spirit named Baka, and a storm deity called Shango. Temples of this religion are called “Hounfour”, and they house the priests collectively called “Houngans.” Its chief deity is (*) Bondye, and devotees of this religion pray to spirits like Baron Samedi and Papa Legba, known as Loas. For ten points, name this syncretic religion practiced in Haiti, that includes zombies and sticking pins in namesake dolls. | ANSWER: Voodoo (accept Vodun, Vodoun, and Vodou) |
| This god rejected the advances of the nymph Clytie and eventually turned her into a flower. Emperor Julian the Apostate attempted to revive worship of this Greek deity in the Roman empire and he gave Heracles a golden goblet after he threatened to shoot this god. His daughters turned themselves into poplar trees and flowed tears of amber after their brother died and fell into the river Eridanus. This father of the witch (*) Circe gave a dragon-pulled chariot to his granddaughter Medea after she killed her two sons. Odysseus’ men were killed for eating the sacred cattle of this deity, whose son was responsible for blackening the Ethiopian people. That son was killed by Zeus after he failed to control a celestial chariot. For ten points, name this father of Phaeton, the Greek god of the sun. | ANSWER: Helios [do not accept Sol, accept Apollo before “golden goblet”] |
| The blood of this deity created a plant that could be turned into an ointment that gave its wearer invincibility. This son of Iapetus prophesized that Io would become an ancestor of Hercules, and instructed his son Deucalion to hide in a chest in order to survive a flood. This Titan warned Zeus that Thetis would produce a son greater than his father, and a dying (*) Chiron offered to take his place after Hercules freed him from his bonds. This figure is said to have been left with only clay to use for his creations after his brother used all the good traits for his own. For ten points, name this Titan, the brother of Epimetheus whom Zeus bound to a rock for giving humanity fire | ANSWER: Prometheus |
| In this religion, the last step a devotee needs to perform to reach a union with God is known as Sach Khand. Practitioners of this religion engage in meditation called simran. One of the leaders of this religion emphasized that metal bracelets and curved swords are two of the five key requisites for an ideal devotee. Gobind created the five (*) “K”s for the Khalsa branch of this religion. Devotees often travel to the Golden Temple in Amritsar to pay their respects. For ten points, name this Indian religion, practiced mainly by Punjabis and founded by Guru Nanak. | ANSWER: Sikhism |
| Name this Greek god of wine who was followed by the Maenads. He was once abducted by pirates but turned his captors into dolphins after they realized his divinity. | Dionysus |
| This king refused to worship Dionysus as the twelfth Olympian god despite the advice of Tiresias. Dionysus intoxicated his mother Agave and had her rip this man apart. | Pentheus |
| Pentheus was a king of this city, founded by Cadmus. Zethus and Amphion built the walls around this city, and Polynices led the “Seven” against this city. | Thebes |
| Name this wielder of the hammer Mjollnir, the Norse god of thunder. | Thor |
| This home of the Aesir has an incomplete wall due to the interference of Loki and Thor. It is supported by the branches of Yggdrasil and is also where Valhalla is located. | Asgard |
| In the form of a mare, Loki mated with the horse Svadilfari to produce this eight-legged steed of Odin. He has runes carved on his teeth and enables Odin to travel to and from Hel. | Sleipnir |
| Name this religion commonly practiced in Asia, founded by Siddhartha Gautama. | Buddhism |
| This form of Buddhism can be translated to mean the “Great Vehicle” and it is commonly contrasted with its more conservative counterpart, Theravada. | Mahayana Buddhism |
| Identify this German priest who nailed his 95 Theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, thus beginning the Protestant Reformation. | Martin Luther |
| Luther was later summoned by Charles V to this imperial diet that took place in a certain German city. During it, Luther said “Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me.” | Diet of Worms |
| Identify this murderer of Atreus and king of Mycenae, who had an affair with Clytemnestra. He then helped Clytemnestra kill her husband. | Aegisthus |
| This son of Atreus and husband of Clytemnestra was murdered upon his return from the Trojan War after he came back with the seer Cassandra as a concubine. | Agamemnon |
| This son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra killed Aegisthus and his mother with the help of his sister Electra. | Orestes |
| Name this hero who killed Culann’s guard dog and fought the armies of Queen Medb. He is killed by Lugaid, who had forged three magical spears that kill this man’s charioteer, his horse, and finally this man. | Cu Chulainn [prompt on Culann’s Dog] |
| Cu Culainn was a hero in the Ulster Cycle of these people, whose tales were recorded in Gaelic and contained heroes like Finn MacCool. | the Irish |
| This Irish goddess of battle and strife appeared in the form of a crow flying over the battle, and appears as an eel, wolf, and cow to hinder Cuchulainn in the Cattle Raid of Cooley. | the Morrigan |
| Name this Egyptian god of the underworld who was tricked into entering a coffin by his brother and was subsequently ripped into fourteen parts, thirteen of which were recovered by his wife. | Osiris |
| This wife of Osiris recovered and reincarnated her murdered husband. She sought the help of Thoth to learn the skills required for his reincarnation and later became an important goddess of magic | Isis [accept Aset] |
| Hearts that were heavier than Ma’at’s feather were eaten by this monster, who had the head of a crocodile, body of a lion, and end of a hippopotamus. She was sometimes depicted nearby a lake of fire. | Ammit [accept Ahemait] |
| Name this Greek god of war who had an affair with Aphrodite and whose followers included Phobos and Deimos. | Ares |
| Ares was wounded during the Trojan War by this man, the son of Tydeus. Another man with this name owned some flesh-eating horses that were taken by Heracles. | Diomedes |
| Ares’ daughter Harmonia owned a beautiful one of these objects that was forged by Hephaestus. That item enabled its wearer to forever remain young and beautiful, but caused great misery and misfortune too. | necklace |
| Identify this first human who ate a forbidden apple from the tree of knowledge after he and his wife Eve were tricked by a serpent. | Adam |
| Later in the Book of Genesis, God decided to destroy these two cities with “fire and brimstone.” Lot managed to escape, but unfortunately his wife was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back. | Sodom and Gommorah |
| After escaping from Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot conceived this man through incestuous relations with his elder daughter. His namesake kingdom warred with the Israelites to the west. | Moab (or Moav) |
| Name this Greek goddess who was tricked into eating six pomegranate seeds, forcing her to spend half the year with Hades. | Persephone |
| This goddess of agriculture was Persephone’s mother. She cursed Erysichthon with eternal hunger and taught Triptolemus the art of farming. The Eleusinian Mysteries were held each year in her honor. | Demeter |
| Give this name of two chieftains, the sons of Telamon and Oileus. One of them committed suicide after going mad and slaughtering cattle and sheep, under the impression that they were Greek generals. | Ajax |
| This man was awarded the armor of Achilles and thus earned the ire of Ajax the Greater. He would later face a difficult journey home to Ithaca and his wife Penelope after the Trojan War. | Odysseus |
| Along with Diomedes, Odysseus stole this statue of Athena from the Trojans, believing that its theft would hasten the end of the war. It was later brought to Rome by Aeneas and kept in the Temple of Vesta. | the Trojan Palladium |
| Name this Protestant branch whose practitioners included the Great Awakening preacher George Whitefield, which is named after its organized system of bible study. | Methodism |
| Methodism began as a movement within this establishment in Britain. It developed after Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church, and its current supreme governor is Queen Elizabeth II. | Church of England (or Anglican Communion/Church) |
| Name this African-American gift-giving holiday that celebrates seven principles over seven days, from December 26 to January 1. | Kwanzaa |
| This creator of Kwanzaa enacted the holiday in the United States in 1966 and presented his principles in his doctrine, the Nguzo Saba, or the Seven Principles of Blackness. | Dr. Maulana Karenga |
| Name this chief religious text of Islam. | Qu’ran (accept Koran or al-Quran) |
| The Qu’ran contains 114 of these “chapters”, which vary in length -- from two ayat, or verses, to 286. Depending on the setting of each revelation, these can be classified as either Meccan or Medinan. | Suras (or Surat) |
| This is the moral and law code of Islam. Fiqh is an expansion of it which takes into account rules not mentioned in the Qu’ran. | Shar’ia |
| Heimdall signals the start of this event by blowing the Gjallarhorn. Name this event, which is preceded by Fimbulwinter and sees the completion of the ship Naglfar. During this Norse end of the world, Skoll will succeed in eating the Sun and Yggdrasil will be destroyed. | Ragnarok |
| This wife of Odin suffers her “second great sorrow” when he is killed. She had earlier extracted a promise from everything except mistletoe to not hurt her son Baldr, and she spends her free time spinning clouds on her loom | Frigga |
| This fire giant torches the world during Ragnarok and carries an incredibly bright sword. He kills the unarmed Frey and destroys the tree Yggdrasil | Surtr |
| Identify this title character of a Sumerian epic, who builds big walls around the city Uruk, defeats the Bull of Heaven, and loses his shot at immortality when a snake steals a magic plant. | Gilgamesh |
| This best friend of Gilgamesh was formerly a hair-covered wild man until Gilgamesh sends the temple prostitute Shamhat to seduce him. | Enkidu |
| After being rejected by Gilgamesh, this goddess persuaded her father Anu to send down the Bull of Heaven. After it was killed, she convinced the rest of the gods to make Enkidu fall ill and die. | Ishtar |
| Identify this wise king of Israel who built the First Temple and was visited by the Queen of Sheba. | Solomon |
| Solomon was the second son of this other king of Israel who had previously defeated Goliath. | David |
| Solomon was the product of David’s affair with this woman, whom he spotted bathing naked while her husband Uriah was away at war. | Bathsheba |
| This god turned into a seal to retrieve the necklace Brisingamen Name this son of nine mothers, a golden-toothed god who created the first man and woman | Heimdall |
| Heimdall guards this rainbow bridge connecting Asgard and Midgard, which will eventually be overrun by Jotunn during Ragnarok. | Bifrost |
| The invasion of Asgard will be signaled with the blowing of this horn belonging to Heimdall. | Gjallarhorn |
| This largest Christian denomination, with over a billion members, is led by the Pope. Its worship centers on the Eucharist, and their beliefs involving Mary include her Immaculate Conception. | Catholicism (or Roman Catholic Church) |
| This Christian denomination includes sects such as the Hutterites, the Mennonites, and the Amish. They believe that a certain water-based sacrament should be saved until adulthood. | Anabaptism (or Anabaptists) |
| This largest Christian denomination in Egypt and the Middle East was founded by Saint Mark and the monophysites who disagreed with the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. | Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria |
| Identify this man who fathered the Nemean Lion and the Sphinx with his wife Echidna. | Typhon |
| Typhon also fathered this 3 headed dog employed by Hades in the underworld. | Cerberus |
| Name these Mesoamerican peoples whose mythology is recorded in the Popul Vuh and who abandoned their cities in 900 AD. | Mayans |
| This underworld of Mayan mythology was the home of several rivers of blood and the guide Ixtab. Hunahpu and Xbalanque defeated the rulers of this place, One Death and Seven Death, at a ball game. | Xibalba (shee-ball-bah) |
| Hunahpu and Xblanque have this kind of relationship. Other mythological figures with this relationship include Castor and Pollux and Romulus and Remus | twins |
| The Judgement gave the golden apple to this goddess of love, who offered Paris the most beautiful woman in the world. | Aphrodite (or Venus) |
| This goddess of strife threw the Apple of Discord to create enmity between the gods after being barred from entering the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. | Eris |
| Identify this religious pilgrimage to Mecca, one part of which requires that practitioners of a certain religion walk around the cube-shaped Kaaba seven times. | hajj |
| The hajj is one of the five pillars of this religion, alongside shahada, salat, zakat, and sawm. Adherents of this faith believe the angel Gabriel communicated with its last prophet, Muhammad. | Islam (prompt on Muslim) |
| The pillar of zakat requires doing this action. The Jewish version of this, tzedakah, typically accounts for ten percent of their income. | giving to charity (or alms-giving, or any equivalent answer like “giving money to the needy”) |
| Depending on who you ask, Artemis may have been behind the death of this legendary giant and hunter of Greek mythology who had the ability to walk on water. | Orion |
| After this husband of Clytemnestra and king of Mycenae killed a stag in Artemis’ sacred grove, he was ordered to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia | Agamemnon |
| Under Akhenaten and Nefertiti, a monotheistic religion was formed that worshipped this sun disc, an aspect of Ra who was elevated to the level of creator god. The worship of this god waned during the reign of King Tut | Aten or Aton |
| She is called both the oldest and the youngest daughter of Cronus, as she was the first born, but the last to be regurgitated.Identify this deity, who has no throne on Mount Olympus. | Hestia |
| Hestia is the goddess of this heating and cooking device that was central to the Greek home. | the hearth |
| Among the figures who tried to woo Hestia were Apollo and this father of Polyphemus. | Poseidon |
| Name this action which Muslims perform during the day throughout the month of Ramadan. | fasting |
| In Judaism, one of the fast days occurs a day before Purim to honor this heroine of the holiday who along with Mordecai foiled the plot of Haman. | Esther |
| A nineteen day sunrise to sunset fast is found in this religion which is based at the Universal House of Justice. | Bahai |
| The Minotaur was eventually killed by this man and one time lover of Ariadne. | Theseus |
| Theseus accidentally caused the death of his father when he forgot to change the color of these objects from black to white. | his sails |
| The first king was this somewhat legendary figure, the son of Rhea Silvia and brother of Remus. | Romulus |
| In one story, Hades abducted this woman, the daughter of Demeter, and made her his wife. | Persephone |
| The newly dead entered Hades’ realm by crossing the Acheron River while being led by this ferryman. | Charon |
| Although Hades was the god of the underworld, this other god tricked by Sisyphus was the actual embodiment of death in Greek mythology. | Thanatos |
| In one story, this man defeated a large Philistine army with the jawbone of a donkeyName this Israeli warrior who, as a Nazirite, was not allowed to cut his hair. | Samson |
| Samson fell in love with this woman. This woman eventually cut Samson’s hair, thus depriving him of his great strength. | Delilah |
| Samson’s tribe originated from this child of Jacob, the first of Jacob’s two children with the servant Bilhah. | Daniel |
| A succession crisis involving Umar and Ali led to the creation of this sect. Name this branch of Islam that split off from Sunni Islam | Shia Islam or Shi’ites |
| Among the differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims are the structures of this work that contains the sayings of Muhammad, often used to help interpret the Quran. | hadith |
| Sunni’s and Shia disagree on an event where Umar and his followers went to the house of this woman, the daughter of Muhammad, to get the allegiance of Ali. | Fatimah |
| This giant, created when ice from Niflheim came into contact with the warmth from Muspell, suckled on Audhumla. After he was slain, various parts of his body were used to form heaven, earth, and other objects. | Ymir |
| The maggots that fed off Ymir’s flesh were used to create this race, primarily found under hills and mountains | dwarves |
| The Norse dwarves also created Mjollnir, a hammer belonging to this Norse god. | Thor |
| Identify this figure that once hid in Franag’s Falls and turned into a salmon in order to avoid the wrath of the Aesir. He also orchestrated the death of Baldr in his role as the Norse trickster god | Loki |
| With Angrboda, Loki was the father of Hel, the Midgard Serpent, and this wolf from Norse mythology. | Fenrir |
