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Is this the name of a Greek or a Roman god?

Time 20
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The answers

Greek or Roman?

Greek 16

  • Zeus Right Wrong

    Zeus is the Greek name of the king of the gods, master of the sky and of thunderbolts, who rules Mount Olympus after overthrowing his father Cronus. The Romans linked him with their own sky god, Jupiter.

  • Hera Right Wrong

    Hera is the Greek name of the queen of the gods, wife and sister of Zeus, protector of marriage and of married women. Jealous, she pursues her husband's lovers with her anger. In Rome, she corresponds to Juno.

  • Poseidon Right Wrong

    Poseidon is the Greek name of the god of the sea, earthquakes and horses, armed with his trident. He competed with Athena to become the protector of Athens, and lost. The Romans identified him with Neptune.

  • Hades Right Wrong

    Hades is the Greek name of the god of the dead, brother of Zeus and Poseidon. His name also referred to his underground kingdom, guarded by Cerberus, the three-headed dog. The Romans call him Pluto.

  • Athena Right Wrong

    Athena is the Greek name of the goddess of wisdom, strategic warfare and crafts, who sprang fully armed from the head of Zeus. The Parthenon in Athens was dedicated to her. In Rome, she becomes Minerva.

  • Ares Right Wrong

    Ares is the Greek name of the god of brutal war and slaughter, not much liked by the Greeks themselves, who preferred Athena. The Romans linked him with Mars, whom they revered far more.

  • Aphrodite Right Wrong

    Aphrodite is the Greek name of the goddess of love and beauty. According to the poet Hesiod, she was born from the foam of the sea, near the island of Cythera. The Romans identified her with Venus.

  • Hermes Right Wrong

    Hermes is the Greek name of the messenger of the gods, known for his winged sandals and his herald's staff. He also protects travellers, merchants… and thieves. In Rome, he corresponds to Mercury.

  • Hephaestus Right Wrong

    Hephaestus is the Greek name of the lame god of fire and the forge, who makes the gods' weapons in his workshops. He is the husband of Aphrodite. The Romans identified him with Vulcan.

  • Artemis Right Wrong

    Artemis is the Greek name of the goddess of hunting and wild animals, twin sister of Apollo. Her temple at Ephesus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Her Roman counterpart is Diana.

  • Demeter Right Wrong

    Demeter is the Greek name of the goddess of the harvest. According to myth, her grief when her daughter goes down to the Underworld each year explains winter: the earth stops bearing fruit. Her Roman counterpart is Ceres.

  • Dionysus Right Wrong

    Dionysus is the Greek name of the god of the vine, wine, revelry and theatre: the great tragedies of Athens were performed at his festivals, the Dionysia. The Romans call him Bacchus, or Liber.

  • Hestia Right Wrong

    Hestia is the Greek name of the goddess of the hearth, the eldest child of Cronus. She received the first share of offerings at sacrifices. The Romans linked her with Vesta, served by the Vestal Virgins.

  • Eros Right Wrong

    Eros is the Greek name of the god of love and desire. For Hesiod, he is one of the primordial forces of the world; later, he becomes the young winged son of Aphrodite. The Romans call him Cupid, or Amor.

  • Persephone Right Wrong

    Persephone is the Greek name of Demeter's daughter, abducted by Hades to become queen of the Underworld. Because she ate a few pomegranate seeds, she must return there every year. The Romans call her Proserpina.

  • Cronus Right Wrong

    Cronus is the Greek name of the Titan who swallowed his children so that none could overthrow him, until Zeus escaped. Not to be confused with Chronos, Time itself. The Romans linked him with Saturn.

Roman 16

  • Jupiter Right Wrong

    Jupiter is the Roman name of the king of the gods, master of the sky and of thunderbolts, the equivalent of the Greek Zeus. His great temple stood on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. He gave his name to the largest planet in the solar system.

  • Juno Right Wrong

    Juno is the Roman name of the queen of the gods, wife of Jupiter and equivalent of the Greek Hera. Legend has it that her sacred geese saved the Capitol from a Gallic attack. The month of June is thought to be named after her.

  • Neptune Right Wrong

    Neptune is the Roman name of the god of the sea, identified with the Greek Poseidon. He was originally a god of fresh water, celebrated at the height of summer during the Neptunalia. The eighth planet of the solar system bears his name.

  • Pluto Right Wrong

    Pluto is the Roman name of the god of the Underworld, the Greek Hades. It comes from the Greek Plouton, 'the rich one', because the riches beneath the earth belonged to him. The dwarf planet discovered in 1930 bears his name.

  • Minerva Right Wrong

    Minerva is the Roman name of the goddess of wisdom, the arts and crafts, identified with the Greek Athena. With Jupiter and Juno, she formed the Capitoline Triad, worshipped in the great temple on the Capitoline Hill.

  • Mars Right Wrong

    Mars is the Roman name of the god of war, identified with the Greek Ares. The legendary father of Romulus and Remus, he was one of the most revered gods in Rome. He gave his name to the month of March and to the red planet.

  • Venus Right Wrong

    Venus is the Roman name of the goddess of love and beauty, identified with the Greek Aphrodite. Julius Caesar claimed to be descended from her through the hero Aeneas. The second planet from the Sun bears her name.

  • Mercury Right Wrong

    Mercury is the Roman name of the messenger of the gods and protector of merchants, identified with the Greek Hermes. His name is probably linked to the Latin merx, 'goods'. He gave his name to a planet and to a liquid metal.

  • Vulcan Right Wrong

    Vulcan is the Roman name of the god of fire and the forge, identified with the Greek Hephaestus. His forges were thought to lie beneath the volcanoes of Sicily and nearby islands. The word 'volcano' comes from his name, via the island of Vulcano.

  • Diana Right Wrong

    Diana is the Roman name of the goddess of hunting and the moon, identified with the Greek Artemis. Her most famous sanctuary lay in a sacred grove on the shores of Lake Nemi, south of Rome.

  • Ceres Right Wrong

    Ceres is the Roman name of the goddess of the harvest and of grain, identified with the Greek Demeter. Her name gave us the word 'cereal'. The largest dwarf planet in the asteroid belt also bears her name.

  • Bacchus Right Wrong

    Bacchus is the name the Romans most often gave to the god of wine, the Greek Dionysus. They took it from Bakkhos, one of his Greek epithets. His festivals, the Bacchanalia, were strictly restricted by the Senate in 186 BC.

  • Vesta Right Wrong

    Vesta is the Roman name of the goddess of the hearth, identified with the Greek Hestia. In her temple in the Forum, six priestesses, the Vestal Virgins, made sure that her sacred fire never went out.

  • Cupid Right Wrong

    Cupid is the Roman name of the god of love, from the Latin cupido, 'desire', the equivalent of the Greek Eros. He is shown as a winged child whose arrows make people fall in love. The writer Apuleius told of his love for Psyche.

  • Proserpina Right Wrong

    Proserpina is the Roman name of the queen of the Underworld, wife of Pluto and equivalent of the Greek Persephone. Her abduction inspired many artists, such as Bernini in a famous marble group kept in Rome.

  • Saturn Right Wrong

    Saturn is the Roman name of an ancient god of sowing, identified with the Greek Titan Cronus. His December festival, the Saturnalia, briefly turned the social order upside down. He gave his name to the sixth planet and to Saturday.

When Rome fell under the spell of Greek culture, it matched its own gods with those of Mount Olympus and borrowed many of their myths, while keeping Latin names for them. The result: the king of the gods, the goddess of love and the messenger with winged sandals each have two names, one Greek and one Roman. In this quiz, each card shows the name of a god, a goddess or a Titan. Your job is to say whether it is the Greek name or the Roman one. Some look alike, others not at all: keep a cool head, even under a hail of thunderbolts!

How to play

Swipe the card left or right
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On a computer: ←→orQDorAD

10 cards, 20 seconds: the timer starts with your first choice.

Frequently asked questions

Why are the Greek and Roman gods so alike?

The Romans came into contact very early with the Greek cities of southern Italy. Little by little, they matched their own deities with the gods of Olympus and took over many of their myths, while keeping their Latin names. Poets such as Ovid then spread these stories across the whole Empire.

Are the Roman gods simply copies of the Greek ones?

Not quite. Several Roman deities had their own cults before they were linked to a Greek god, and their personalities are not always the same. Some have no Greek equivalent at all, such as Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings, who gave his name to the month of January.

Do any gods have the same name in Greece and in Rome?

Yes: Apollo keeps the same name in both Greek and Roman mythology. That is why he does not appear in this quiz. For other figures, such as the hero Heracles, who became Hercules, the Romans simply adapted the Greek name to their own language.

What does the word 'pantheon' mean?

It comes from the Greek pantheon, 'of all the gods'. It refers to all the deities worshipped by a people, but also to a temple dedicated to them. The Pantheon in Rome, rebuilt under the Emperor Hadrian, inspired the one in Paris, where great figures of French history are buried today.

Photo credits

Zeus : Domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Hera : Domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Poseidon : Photo Zunkir, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Hades : Domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Athena : Photo Nikos Kitsakis, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Ares : Domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Aphrodite : Photo David McSpadden, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Hermes : Photo Marie-Lan Nguyen, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons ; Hephaestus : Peintre de la Fonderie, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Artemis : Photo Shonagon, CC0, Wikimedia Commons ; Demeter : Photo Didier Descouens, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Dionysus : Photo ArchaiOptix, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Hestia : Photo Tangopaso, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Eros : Photo Marie-Lan Nguyen, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons ; Persephone : Photo Jebulon, CC0, Wikimedia Commons ; Cronus : Peintre de Nausicaa, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Jupiter : Domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Juno : Photo Biser Todorov, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Neptune : Photo Asram, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Pluto : J. Paul Getty Museum, CC0, Wikimedia Commons ; Minerva : Photo Daderot, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Mars : Photo Marie-Lan Nguyen, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Venus : Photo Eric Gaba, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons ; Mercury : Photo Yair Haklai, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Vulcan : Diego Velázquez, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Diana : Titien, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Ceres : Photo Daderot, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Bacchus : Photo Claus Ableiter, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Vesta : Photo Sergey Sosnovskiy, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Cupid : François Gérard, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Proserpina : Dante Gabriel Rossetti, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Saturn : Photo Jamie Heath, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons