Mythical Creatures Quiz
Phoenix, kraken, yeti, kitsune, golem: 15 questions on the legendary beasts of world folklore.
Which mythical bird is said to burst into flames at the end of its life and be reborn from the ashes?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Phoenix
The phoenix appears in ancient Greek and Egyptian writing as a long-lived bird that dies in fire and rises again, which made it a symbol of renewal and immortality for later Christian and Renaissance writers.
The Greek historian Herodotus wrote about the phoenix in the fifth century BC but admitted that he had only seen it in paintings.
A centaur has the head and torso of a human and the body of which animal?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Horse
In Greek mythology centaurs were half human, half horse creatures from the mountains of Thessaly, usually portrayed as wild and unruly. The wise centaur Chiron, tutor to heroes such as Achilles, was the famous exception.
Some historians think the centaur legend began when people who had never seen riders first encountered mounted horsemen from the steppes.
The Loch Ness Monster is said to live in a lake in which country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Scotland
Loch Ness is a deep freshwater lake in the Scottish Highlands near Inverness. Modern Nessie fever began in 1933 after a newspaper reported a sighting, and the famous Surgeon's Photograph followed in 1934.
The Surgeon's Photograph was exposed as a hoax in 1994: the monster was a toy submarine fitted with a sculpted head.
The yeti, also called the Abominable Snowman, is said to roam which mountain range?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Himalayas
Yeti stories come from the Sherpa and Tibetan peoples of the Himalayas in Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. Western interest exploded in 1951 when climber Eric Shipton photographed large footprints in the snow near Everest.
The nickname Abominable Snowman came from a 1921 mistranslation of a Tibetan phrase by a journalist writing about a British Everest expedition.
According to popular folklore, which metal is said to be deadly to werewolves?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Silver
The idea that silver is fatal to werewolves was popularised by Hollywood's The Wolf Man in 1941, which drew on older European beliefs that silver was a pure metal that repelled evil.
In many older European tales werewolves were cured, not killed, by being called three times by their Christian name.
In medieval legend, the horn of which creature was believed to purify poisoned water and cure disease?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Unicorn
So-called unicorn horns, or alicorns, were prized by kings and popes as an antidote to poison. In 1638 the Danish scholar Ole Worm showed that the horns being sold were actually narwhal tusks.
Legend held that a unicorn could only be captured if it laid its head in the lap of a maiden, a scene shown in countless medieval tapestries.
The kraken, a giant sea monster said to drag ships under the waves, comes from the folklore of which region?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Scandinavia
The kraken comes from Norwegian and Icelandic sailors' tales, first written down in the thirteenth century and described in detail by Bishop Erik Pontoppidan in 1752. Scientists think the legend grew from sightings of giant squid.
Giant squid are real and can reach about 13 metres (43 feet) long, but a living one was not photographed in its deep sea habitat until 2004.
The griffin combines the body of a lion with the head and wings of which bird?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Eagle
The griffin pairs the king of beasts with the king of birds, which made it a symbol of strength and vigilance in ancient Persia, Greece and medieval heraldry. Griffins were said to guard gold in the mountains of Scythia.
Some scholars believe griffin legends were inspired by Protoceratops fossils, which have beaked skulls and lie in the Gobi gold fields.
In Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Count Dracula's castle stands in which region?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Transylvania
Stoker placed Dracula's castle in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania, then part of Austria-Hungary and now in Romania. He never visited and researched the region in libraries in London and Whitby.
Stoker borrowed the name from Vlad III Dracula, a fifteenth-century prince of Wallachia, not Transylvania, who was nicknamed Vlad the Impaler.
In Japanese folklore, the shape-shifting kitsune is a magical version of which animal?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Fox
Kitsune is simply the Japanese word for fox. In legend, foxes gain magical powers with age, growing up to nine tails and learning to take human form, often as beautiful women.
Fox statues guard thousands of Shinto shrines to the deity Inari, where visitors leave offerings of fried tofu, said to be a fox's favourite food.
In Chinese tradition, dragons are most closely associated with power over which element?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Water
Unlike the fire-breathing dragons of Europe, Chinese dragons are benevolent water spirits that control rain, rivers and seas. Farmers prayed to dragon kings for rain, and dragon boat races still honour them.
The Chinese dragon is the only mythical creature among the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac.
In Irish folklore, the wail of which female spirit is said to warn that a death in the family is near?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Banshee
The banshee, from the Irish bean sí meaning woman of the fairy mound, was heard keening outside the homes of old Irish families before a death. She is usually described as a pale woman with long hair.
Tradition held that only certain old Gaelic families with O or Mac in their names had a banshee attached to them.
In Jewish folklore, the golem of Prague was shaped from which material?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Clay
Legend says Rabbi Judah Loew of Prague moulded a golem from clay taken from the banks of the Vltava river in the sixteenth century, bringing it to life with sacred words to protect the city's Jews.
The word golem appears once in the Hebrew Bible, in Psalm 139, where it means an unformed or shapeless mass.
The chupacabra, first reported in Puerto Rico in 1995, is named for attacking which animals?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Goats
Chupacabra is Spanish for goat sucker, because the creature was blamed for draining the blood of goats and other livestock. The first reports from Puerto Rico in 1995 spread rapidly across Latin America and the United States.
Supposed chupacabra bodies found in Texas and Mexico have turned out to be coyotes and dogs suffering from severe mange.
In Norse mythology, which monstrous wolf is destined to kill Odin at Ragnarök?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Fenrir
Fenrir, son of the trickster Loki, grew so large that the gods bound him with a magical ribbon, losing the god Tyr's hand in the process. At Ragnarök he breaks free and swallows Odin before being killed by Odin's son Vidar.
Two other wolves of Norse myth, Sköll and Hati, chase the sun and moon across the sky and finally devour them at Ragnarök.
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All General Knowledge quizzes →About the Mythical Creatures Quiz
Every culture has its monsters. Norse sailors feared the kraken, Himalayan villagers told of the yeti, Japanese storytellers gave us shape-shifting foxes, and medieval Europeans paid fortunes for unicorn horns that were really narwhal tusks.
These 15 questions roam across world folklore, from easy favourites like the phoenix, the centaur and the Loch Ness Monster to deeper cuts such as the golem of Prague, the chupacabra and the wolf fated to kill Odin. You will meet creatures from Greek, Norse, Celtic, Chinese, Japanese, Jewish and Latin American tradition, each with a short explanation of where the legend comes from. A perfect quiz for fantasy readers, folklore fans and anyone who grew up on monster stories.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
Does this quiz only cover Greek mythology?
No. It deliberately spans the world, with creatures from Norse, Celtic, Chinese, Japanese, Jewish, Himalayan and Latin American folklore as well as Greece.
Which mythical creatures are included?
The phoenix, centaur, Loch Ness Monster, yeti, werewolf, unicorn, kraken, griffin, vampire, kitsune, Chinese dragon, banshee, golem, chupacabra and Fenrir.
Is this quiz suitable for children?
Yes. The questions are about legends and folklore rather than anything graphic, and most are suitable for ages 10 and up.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which mythical bird is said to burst into flames at the end of its life and be reborn from the ashes?
Phoenix The phoenix appears in ancient Greek and Egyptian writing as a long-lived bird that dies in fire and rises again, which made it a symbol of renewal and immortality for later Christian and Renaissance writers. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote about the phoenix in the fifth century BC but admitted that he had only seen it in paintings. - A centaur has the head and torso of a human and the body of which animal?
Horse In Greek mythology centaurs were half human, half horse creatures from the mountains of Thessaly, usually portrayed as wild and unruly. The wise centaur Chiron, tutor to heroes such as Achilles, was the famous exception. Some historians think the centaur legend began when people who had never seen riders first encountered mounted horsemen from the steppes. - The Loch Ness Monster is said to live in a lake in which country?
Scotland Loch Ness is a deep freshwater lake in the Scottish Highlands near Inverness. Modern Nessie fever began in 1933 after a newspaper reported a sighting, and the famous Surgeon's Photograph followed in 1934. The Surgeon's Photograph was exposed as a hoax in 1994: the monster was a toy submarine fitted with a sculpted head. - The yeti, also called the Abominable Snowman, is said to roam which mountain range?
Himalayas Yeti stories come from the Sherpa and Tibetan peoples of the Himalayas in Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. Western interest exploded in 1951 when climber Eric Shipton photographed large footprints in the snow near Everest. The nickname Abominable Snowman came from a 1921 mistranslation of a Tibetan phrase by a journalist writing about a British Everest expedition. - According to popular folklore, which metal is said to be deadly to werewolves?
Silver The idea that silver is fatal to werewolves was popularised by Hollywood's The Wolf Man in 1941, which drew on older European beliefs that silver was a pure metal that repelled evil. In many older European tales werewolves were cured, not killed, by being called three times by their Christian name. - In medieval legend, the horn of which creature was believed to purify poisoned water and cure disease?
Unicorn So-called unicorn horns, or alicorns, were prized by kings and popes as an antidote to poison. In 1638 the Danish scholar Ole Worm showed that the horns being sold were actually narwhal tusks. Legend held that a unicorn could only be captured if it laid its head in the lap of a maiden, a scene shown in countless medieval tapestries. - The kraken, a giant sea monster said to drag ships under the waves, comes from the folklore of which region?
Scandinavia The kraken comes from Norwegian and Icelandic sailors' tales, first written down in the thirteenth century and described in detail by Bishop Erik Pontoppidan in 1752. Scientists think the legend grew from sightings of giant squid. Giant squid are real and can reach about 13 metres (43 feet) long, but a living one was not photographed in its deep sea habitat until 2004. - The griffin combines the body of a lion with the head and wings of which bird?
Eagle The griffin pairs the king of beasts with the king of birds, which made it a symbol of strength and vigilance in ancient Persia, Greece and medieval heraldry. Griffins were said to guard gold in the mountains of Scythia. Some scholars believe griffin legends were inspired by Protoceratops fossils, which have beaked skulls and lie in the Gobi gold fields. - In Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Count Dracula's castle stands in which region?
Transylvania Stoker placed Dracula's castle in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania, then part of Austria-Hungary and now in Romania. He never visited and researched the region in libraries in London and Whitby. Stoker borrowed the name from Vlad III Dracula, a fifteenth-century prince of Wallachia, not Transylvania, who was nicknamed Vlad the Impaler. - In Japanese folklore, the shape-shifting kitsune is a magical version of which animal?
Fox Kitsune is simply the Japanese word for fox. In legend, foxes gain magical powers with age, growing up to nine tails and learning to take human form, often as beautiful women. Fox statues guard thousands of Shinto shrines to the deity Inari, where visitors leave offerings of fried tofu, said to be a fox's favourite food. - In Chinese tradition, dragons are most closely associated with power over which element?
Water Unlike the fire-breathing dragons of Europe, Chinese dragons are benevolent water spirits that control rain, rivers and seas. Farmers prayed to dragon kings for rain, and dragon boat races still honour them. The Chinese dragon is the only mythical creature among the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. - In Irish folklore, the wail of which female spirit is said to warn that a death in the family is near?
Banshee The banshee, from the Irish bean sí meaning woman of the fairy mound, was heard keening outside the homes of old Irish families before a death. She is usually described as a pale woman with long hair. Tradition held that only certain old Gaelic families with O or Mac in their names had a banshee attached to them. - In Jewish folklore, the golem of Prague was shaped from which material?
Clay Legend says Rabbi Judah Loew of Prague moulded a golem from clay taken from the banks of the Vltava river in the sixteenth century, bringing it to life with sacred words to protect the city's Jews. The word golem appears once in the Hebrew Bible, in Psalm 139, where it means an unformed or shapeless mass. - The chupacabra, first reported in Puerto Rico in 1995, is named for attacking which animals?
Goats Chupacabra is Spanish for goat sucker, because the creature was blamed for draining the blood of goats and other livestock. The first reports from Puerto Rico in 1995 spread rapidly across Latin America and the United States. Supposed chupacabra bodies found in Texas and Mexico have turned out to be coyotes and dogs suffering from severe mange. - In Norse mythology, which monstrous wolf is destined to kill Odin at Ragnarök?
Fenrir Fenrir, son of the trickster Loki, grew so large that the gods bound him with a magical ribbon, losing the god Tyr's hand in the process. At Ragnarök he breaks free and swallows Odin before being killed by Odin's son Vidar. Two other wolves of Norse myth, Sköll and Hati, chase the sun and moon across the sky and finally devour them at Ragnarök.
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