World Mythology · Unit 2
Greek Gods and Goddesses
Zeus, Mount Olympus and the Greek gods and their symbols
The Greek gods are the most familiar mythology in the western world and the least like a religion in the modern sense: they were not good, not all-powerful, and not especially interested in being obeyed.
The unit covers Zeus, Poseidon and Hades and the division of the world between them, the goddesses, the younger Olympians, and the symbols by which each god is identified in art.
This unit breaks down into 20 short steps and 117 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 3. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.
- Steps
- 20
- Questions
- 117
- Difficulty
- 1-3
What this unit covers
- Apollo, Artemis and the Younger Gods
- Zeus, Poseidon and Hades
- Gods and Their Symbols
- The Greek Goddesses
- Zeus and Mount Olympus
Where this fits
Follows What Is a Myth? Greek Heroes and Monsters continues directly.
Where people slip
Attributes are how gods are told apart in art. A figure with a trident is Poseidon and one with a caduceus is Hermes, and reading the symbols is most of the skill.
How the unit is structured
Greek Gods and Goddesses runs as 20 short steps that unlock in order. 15 are practice rounds and 5 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 3 as you progress.
Challenge rounds
Example questions
30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 117 in the unit altogether.
Apollo, Artemis and the Younger Gods
- Fill the blankLevel 1
1. Hermes could run and fly quickly because he wore winged ____.
- sandalscorrect
- gloves
- scarves
- belts
Winged sandals made Hermes the fastest of the gods.
- True or falseLevel 1
2. Apollo and Artemis were twins.
Answer: True
True. They were the twin children of Zeus and Leto.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
3. Which jobs belonged to Hermes? Pick all that apply.
- Messenger of the godscorrect
- Guide of souls to the underworldcorrect
- Protector of travellerscorrect
- God of the harvest
Hermes carried messages, guided souls to the underworld and watched over travellers.
- Fact or fibLevel 2
4. Hermes was known for being very slow.
Answer: False
False. Hermes was the quickest god of all, the messenger of Olympus.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
5. Which goddess was the huntress of the forests and the Moon?
- Artemiscorrect
- Aphrodite
- Hestia
- Hera
Artemis hunted in the wild woods and watched over animals and the Moon.
- Sort into groupsLevel 2
6. Sort each god as peaceful or warlike in the stories.
Answer: Ares = Warlike; Athena = Warlike; Hestia = Peaceful; Apollo = Peaceful
Ares and Athena belong to war, though Athena favours strategy. Apollo and Hestia are peaceful.
Gods and Their Symbols
- Build the sentenceLevel 1
7. Build a sentence about where the Greek gods lived.
Answer: The gods lived on Mount Olympus
The Greek gods lived on Mount Olympus.
- Match the pairsLevel 1
8. Match each Greek god to their famous symbol.
Answer: Zeus = Thunderbolt; Poseidon = Trident; Athena = Owl; Hermes = Winged sandals
Greek artists gave each god a symbol so people could recognise them.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
9. Which tree was the special tree of Athena?
- The olive treecorrect
- The banana tree
- The palm tree
- The pine tree
Athena gave Athens the olive tree, and it became her gift and symbol.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
10. Winners at the ancient games were crowned with a wreath of ____ leaves, sacred to Apollo.
- laurelcorrect
- cabbage
- fern
- holly
Laurel was Apollo's plant, and laurel wreaths crowned victors.
- Guess the numberLevel 2
11. How many gods are usually counted as the main Olympians?
Answer: 12 gods
The Greeks usually counted twelve chief Olympian gods, though the exact list could change.
- Odd one outLevel 2
12. Which of these is NOT a Greek god?
- Thorcorrect
- Apollo
- Hera
- Hermes
Thor is a Norse god. Apollo, Hera and Hermes are Greek.
The Greek Goddesses
- Choose all that applyLevel 1
13. Which of these are Greek goddesses? Pick all that apply.
- Heracorrect
- Athenacorrect
- Artemiscorrect
- Apollo
Hera, Athena and Artemis are goddesses. Apollo is a god.
- Match the pairsLevel 1
14. Match each Greek goddess to what she looked after.
Answer: Athena = Wisdom; Aphrodite = Love; Demeter = Crops and harvest; Hera = Marriage
Each goddess had her own area of life to protect.
- True or falseLevel 1
15. Athena was the special protector of the city of Athens.
Answer: True
True. Athens was named after Athena, and her great temple stood there.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
16. Athena's favourite bird was the ____.
- owlcorrect
- duck
- penguin
- parrot
The owl was Athena's bird, a sign of wisdom.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
17. Which goddess was the goddess of love and beauty?
- Aphroditecorrect
- Artemis
- Demeter
- Athena
Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty.
- Guess the numberLevel 3
18. How many Muses were there in Greek myth?
Answer: 9 Muses
There were nine Muses, each linked to a different art.
Zeus and Mount Olympus
- Fill the blankLevel 1
19. Zeus threw a ____ when he was angry.
- thunderboltcorrect
- snowball
- pancake
- feather
The thunderbolt was Zeus's weapon.
- Spell itLevel 1
20. Spell the name of the king of the Greek gods.
Answer: Zeus
Zeus is spelled Z-e-u-s.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
21. Which of these belong to Zeus? Pick all that apply.
- The thunderboltcorrect
- The eaglecorrect
- The oak treecorrect
- The trident
The thunderbolt, the eagle and the oak tree are all signs of Zeus.
- Fact or fibLevel 2
22. The Greek gods were said to live at the bottom of the sea.
Answer: False
False. They lived on Mount Olympus. Only Poseidon had a palace in the sea.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
23. Where did the Greek gods live?
- On Mount Olympuscorrect
- Under the sea
- Inside a volcano
- On the Moon
The Greek gods lived on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece.
- Put in orderLevel 3
24. Put these generations of Greek divine rulers in order.
Answer: Chaos and Gaia -> Uranus -> Cronus -> Zeus
Power passed from Uranus to Cronus and finally to Zeus.
Zeus, Poseidon and Hades
- Fill the blankLevel 1
25. Poseidon carried a three-pointed spear called a ____.
- tridentcorrect
- trumpet
- tractor
- triangle
A trident has three prongs and is Poseidon's sign.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
26. Which rivers belong to the Greek underworld? Pick all that apply.
- Styxcorrect
- Lethecorrect
- Acheroncorrect
- Tiber
The Styx, Lethe and Acheron all flow through the Greek land of the dead.
- Fact or fibLevel 2
27. Poseidon was also blamed for causing earthquakes.
Answer: True
True. The Greeks called him the Earth-shaker.
- Match the pairsLevel 2
28. Match each brother to the part of the world he ruled.
Answer: Zeus = The sky; Poseidon = The sea; Hades = The underworld
Zeus took the sky, Poseidon the sea and Hades the underworld.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
29. Which Greek god ruled the underworld?
- Hadescorrect
- Hermes
- Dionysus
- Poseidon
Hades ruled the land of the dead, which was also called Hades.
- Put in orderLevel 2
30. Put these steps of the underworld journey in order.
Answer: A person dies -> Charon ferries them across the Styx -> They pass Cerberus at the gate -> They are judged in the underworld
A soul died, was ferried across the Styx, passed Cerberus and was judged.
Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.
How you practise
This unit mixes 14 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.
- Build the sentence
- Choose all that apply
- Fact or fib
- Fill the blank
- Guess the number
- Match the pairs
- Multiple choice
- Odd one out
- Picture question
- Put in order
- Sort into groups
- Spell it
- True or false
- Type the answer
Practise Greek Gods and Goddesses
117 questions across 20 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.
Play this unitRead about Greek Gods and Goddesses
Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.
- Who Was Zeus in Greek Mythology?Meet the king of the gods, his thunderbolt, his family and the stories that made him the centre of the Greek world.August 28, 2026 · 5 min read
- Who Was Athena in Greek Mythology?The goddess of wisdom and strategy, born from Zeus's head, patron of Athens and a very different kind of war deity.August 28, 2026 · 5 min read
- Who Was Poseidon in Greek Mythology?The god of the sea, earthquakes and horses, his rivalry with Athena, and why sailors feared him.August 28, 2026 · 5 min read
- Who Was Hades? The God of the Dead Who Was Not the DevilHades ruled the Greek underworld, which took his name, and was feared but not evil. His family, his kingdom, his one famous crime, and why he had no temples.September 14, 2026 · 5 min read
More units in World Mythology
- What Is a Myth?Myths, legends, folktales and why people told them
- Greek Heroes and MonstersHeracles, Perseus, Theseus, Odysseus and the monsters they met
- Norse MythsOdin, Thor, Loki, Yggdrasil and Ragnarok
- Egyptian MythsRa, Osiris, Isis, Anubis and the Egyptian afterlife
- Roman Gods and LegendsJupiter, the Roman gods, Romulus and Remus, and Aeneas
- Mythical CreaturesDragons, unicorns, the phoenix, griffins and sea monsters
- Celtic and Irish MythsThe Tuatha De Danann, Cu Chulainn, Finn MacCool and the Otherworld
- Mesopotamian MythsGilgamesh, Marduk, Inanna and the oldest written stories