Persian mythology - Quiz
Persian mythology
  • 1. Who is considered the greatest Persian hero according to the text?
A) Jamshid
B) Faramarz
C) Esfandiyār
D) Rostam
  • 2. Whose grandson is Rostam?
A) Zal
B) Mehrab Kaboli
C) Sām
D) Goshtasp
  • 3. Who are the parents of Rostam?
A) Mehrab Kaboli and Sindukht
B) Goshtasp and Katāyoun
C) Zal and Rudaba
D) Shāhrū and Qārin
  • 4. What is the name of Rostam's legendary stallion?
A) Rakhsh
B) Olad
C) Manikan
D) Babr-e Bayan
  • 5. What is the name of the special suit worn by Rostam in battles?
A) Rakhsh
B) Shahnameh
C) Babr-e Bayan
D) Faramarz-nama
  • 6. In the Shahnameh, what title do Rostam and his predecessors hold regarding Sistan?
A) Counselors
B) Kings
C) Princes
D) Marzbans
  • 7. Rostam is best known for his tragic fight with which other legendary Iranian hero?
A) Faramarz
B) Esfandiyār
C) Sohrab
D) Jamshid
  • 8. Who did Rostam tragically fight and kill without knowing who his opponent was?
A) Bahram
B) Esfandiyār
C) Faramarz
D) Sohrab
  • 9. Who is described as the fourth and greatest king of the Pishdadian Dynasty?
A) Esfandiyār
B) Jamshid
C) Goshtasp
D) Rostam
  • 10. Who transliterated the name Jamshid as Jamshyd?
A) Edward FitzGerald
B) Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani
C) Gorgani
D) Ferdowsi
  • 11. Who is the father of Bahram in the Shahnameh?
A) Goudarz
B) Sām
C) Zal
D) Mehrab Kaboli
  • 12. Who are the brothers of Bahram mentioned in the text?
A) Rakhsh, Olad, and Tous
B) Sohrab, Faramarz, and Esfandiyār
C) Ramin, Manikan, and Qārin
D) Rohham, Giv, and Hojir
  • 13. In the story of Siavash, who tries unsuccessfully to convince Siavash not to go to Turan?
A) Faramarz and Rohham
B) Jamshid and Tous
C) Rostam and Zal
D) Bahram and Zange-ye Shavaran
  • 14. When Siavash abandons the Iranian army, who is put in command until the arrival of Tous?
A) Faramarz
B) Rostam
C) Esfandiyār
D) Bahram
  • 15. Who is the princess of Kabul and daughter of Mehrab Kaboli and Sindukht?
A) Vis
B) Shāhrū
C) Rudaba
D) Katāyoun
  • 16. During Rostam's Seven Labours, in how many labours was he accompanied by the champion Olad?
A) Seven
B) Five
C) One
D) Two
  • 17. Who is the poet who wrote the 10th-century Persian epic Shahnameh?
A) Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani
B) Gorgani
C) Edward FitzGerald
D) Ferdowsi
  • 18. Who was the grandmother of Esfandiyār, being the mother of Goshtasp?
A) Kay Lohrasp
B) Katāyoun
C) Sindukht
D) Shāhrū
  • 19. Who is the mother of Esfandiyār?
A) Sindukht
B) Rudaba
C) Katāyoun
D) Vis
  • 20. Who composed the classical Persian love story Vis and Rāmin in poetry in the 11th century?
A) Edward FitzGerald
B) Ferdowsi
C) Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani
D) Kay Lohrasp
  • 21. According to modern regard, what is the dynastic origin of the story Vis and Rāmin?
A) Parthian
B) Pishdadian
C) Kayanian
D) Sasanian
  • 22. Gorgani originally belongs to which region, which is one of the main lands of Parthians?
A) Sistan
B) Hyrcania
C) Kabul
D) Mazandaran
  • 23. Who are the parents of Vis?
A) Mehrab Kaboli and Sindukht
B) Goshtasp and Katāyoun
C) Shāhrū and Qārin
D) Zal and Rudaba
  • 24. Which ruling family in western Iran does Vis belong to?
A) Kayanian
B) Māh (Media)
C) Sasanian
D) Pishdadian
  • 25. Who is Ramin's brother?
A) Esfandiyār
B) Faramarz
C) Mobed Manikan
D) Sohrab
  • 26. What is the title of Mobed Manikan, the brother of Ramin?
A) King of Hyrcania
B) King of Kabul
C) King of Marv
D) King of Sistan
  • 27. Who is the son of Rostam who was at last killed by Kay Bahman?
A) Faramarz
B) Esfandiyār
C) Bahram
D) Sohrab
  • 28. What is the name of the book written about a hundred years after Shahnameh that focuses on Faramarz and his wars?
A) Borzu Nama
B) Faramarz-nama
C) Shahnameh
D) Vis and Rāmin
  • 29. Besides Faramarz-nama, in which other ancient book is Faramarz mentioned?
A) Māh
B) Borzu Nama
C) Babr-e Bayan
D) Rakhsh
  • 30. Which mythological creature is described as a benevolent bird and found in all periods of Iranian art?
A) Huma
B) Manticore
C) Chamrosh
D) Simurgh
  • 31. What caused dynamism, the creation of mountains, and the rotation of the stars?
A) Zarvan
B) Ahura Mazda
C) Angra Mainyu
D) Ahriman
  • 32. Into how many regions was the world divided during the period of dynamism?
A) Seven regions
B) Twelve regions
C) Four regions
D) Three regions
  • 33. What was the name of the central region of the world?
A) Zeed
B) Sepand
C) Alborz
D) Khoonirth
  • 34. How many levels did the sky have?
A) Three levels
B) Four levels
C) Seven levels
D) Two levels
  • 35. Which mountain was considered the center of the universe?
A) Dark Mountain
B) Mount Damavand
C) Mount Biston
D) Mount Ararat
  • 36. Where was the Dark Mountain located?
A) In the sun base
B) In the north of hell
C) In Alborz
D) In Khoonirth
  • 37. Within how many mythological years does creation take place?
A) Nine thousand years
B) Twelve thousand years
C) Three thousand years
D) Seven thousand years
E) Ten thousand years
  • 38. Into how many periods is the creation timeframe subdivided?
A) Three periods
B) Seven periods
C) Two periods
D) Four periods
  • 39. How many years is each subdivision of the creation period?
A) Four thousand years
B) One thousand years
C) Six thousand years
D) Three thousand years
  • 40. What was the state of the world in the first three thousand years?
A) Dominated by rivers and stars
B) Divided into seven regions
C) Physical and filled with mountains
D) Minoan, with still neither place nor time
  • 41. Who does Ahura Mazda create first?
A) Amesha Spenta
B) Div and Druq
C) Sardivan
D) The gods
  • 42. What does Ahriman create to deal with Ahura Maza's creations?
A) Zeed and Islah
B) Ahunur
C) Angra Mainyu
D) Sardivan
  • 43. When is the last battle between the forces of evil and good agreed to take place according to the peace pact?
A) Twelve thousand years later
B) Three thousand years later
C) Immediately in the second period
D) Nine thousand years later
  • 44. What is the true prayer uttered by Ahura Mazda after the pact is concluded?
A) Khoonirth
B) Minoan
C) Sepand
D) Ahunur
  • 45. What is another term used in the West for Iranian mythology?
A) Zoroastrian folklore
B) Persian mythology
C) Mesopotamian myths
D) Persosphere legends
  • 46. Which region is NOT explicitly mentioned as part of the Persosphere?
A) West Asia
B) Central Asia
C) East Asia
D) South Asia
  • 47. What term does the Encyclopædia Iranica project use for the region influenced by Iranian culture?
A) Zoroastrian dominion
B) Persian empire zone
C) Iranian cultural continent
D) The Greater Plateau
  • 48. What does the discord in Persian mythology mirror from the early Islamic era?
A) Nationalistic ideals
B) Trading routes
C) Architectural styles
D) Agricultural policies
  • 49. Who initiated the reforms that became Zoroastrianism?
A) Zoroaster
B) Ahura Mazda
C) Zahhak
D) Kāve
  • 50. How did the characteristics of Ahuras and Divan change between Indians and Iranians?
A) They were transformed into each other
B) They merged into a single deity
C) They remained completely identical
D) They were both forgotten
  • 51. Who is presented as a symbol of despotism in Persian mythology?
A) Zahhak
B) Ahura Mazda
C) Zoroaster
D) Kāve
  • 52. Who finally defeated Zahhak by leading a popular uprising?
A) Zoroaster
B) Ahriman
C) Kāve
D) Ahura Mazda
  • 53. What is the Avestan name for Zahhak?
A) Ahlav
B) Simurgh
C) Pairika
D) Aži Dahāka
  • 54. What happened when the vipers on Zahhak's shoulders were beheaded?
A) They turned into birds
B) New heads grew on them
C) Zahhak lost his power
D) They died permanently
  • 55. In Iranian mythology, what were signs of good omens, especially?
A) Snakes
B) Demons
C) Vipers
D) Birds
  • 56. What bird was a symbol of victory whose plume adorned Persian crowns?
A) Pairika
B) Div
C) Huma bird
D) Simurgh
  • 57. What is the Avestan name for the Peri?
A) Pairika
B) Aži Dahāka
C) Izad
D) Ahlav
  • 58. Which civilization had an old and well-known civilization in the southwest of the Iranian plateau before the Medes?
A) Kassites
B) Medes
C) Elamites
D) Urartu
  • 59. Which ancient tribe's mythology has similarities with later Iranian civilizations, especially in names?
A) Kassites
B) Lullubi
C) Elamites
D) Gutian
  • 60. The Elamites had linguistic affinities with the non-Aryans of which region?
A) India
B) Egypt
C) Europe
D) Mesopotamia
  • 61. What element is sacred and praised in both Iranian and Indian beliefs?
A) Water
B) Fire
C) Earth
D) Air
  • 62. Where are the oldest examples of the ancient form of Iranian mythology referenced?
A) Avesta
B) Denkard
C) Shahnameh
D) Bundahisn
  • 63. Within the Avesta, where are references to myths predominantly found?
A) Shahnameh
B) Yashta
C) Vendidad
D) Denkard
  • 64. What is the primary nature of Yashta?
A) Historical chronicles
B) Legal codes
C) Prayer hymns
D) Epic poetry
  • 65. When was the final compilation of most Middle Persian Zoroastrian writings?
A) Pre-Median era
B) Ancient Vedic period
C) Early Islamic era
D) Late Sasanian period
  • 66. Most Middle Persian Zoroastrian writings are based on texts from which period?
A) Elamite era
B) Early Islamic era
C) Median period
D) Late Sasanian period
  • 67. Which of the following is listed as a famous book containing sources for Persian mythology?
A) Yashta
B) Elamite Chronicles
C) Bundahisn
D) Rigveda
  • 68. Which book is authored by the Persian poet Abolqasem Ferdowsi?
A) Vendidad
B) Denkard
C) Bundahisn
D) Shahnameh
  • 69. What is the dates of life given for the Persian poet Abolqasem Ferdowsi?
A) 800-900 CE
B) 1000-1100 CE
C) 500-600 CE
D) 940-1020 CE
  • 70. The mythology of Iran was greatly influenced by the myths of native peoples of the Iranian plateau and the myths of where else?
A) Middle River
B) Southern Africa
C) Northern Europe
D) Far East Asia
  • 71. What did Iranian and Indian beliefs perform in a similar manner for the gods?
A) Sacrifices
B) Architectural building
C) Agricultural harvesting
D) Navigational rituals
  • 72. How long does it take Ahura Mazda to create the sky, water, earth, plants, animals, and humans?
A) One year
B) Forty years
C) Three thousand years
D) Six years
  • 73. What are the anniversaries of the six creations known as?
A) Chinvat
B) Urmazdi
C) Gahambars
D) Behdinan
  • 74. What grows from the seed of Keyumars after 40 years?
A) A cedar branch
B) A sacred tree
C) A rhubarb branch
D) A lotus flower
  • 75. Who is known as the father of humans?
A) Mishiyeh
B) Mishyaneh
C) Siamak
D) Keyumars
  • 76. Who is known as the mother of humans?
A) Neshak
B) Guzak
C) Mishyaneh
D) Mishiyeh
  • 77. Who is born after the couple Siamak and Neshak?
A) Farag-Farwagin
B) Hushang and Guzak
C) Oshidar and Oshidar Mah
D) Mishiyeh and Mishyaneh
  • 78. What is the specific task of Sushyant?
A) Planting the rhubarb branch
B) Raising the dead
C) Killing the first cow
D) Revealing religion to Zoroaster
  • 79. What must each of the dead people pass through?
A) The Urmazdi creatures
B) The Gahambars festivals
C) The Behdinan gates
D) The Chinvat Bridge
  • 80. What is the first dynasty of Iranian national history according to the text?
A) Sassanid dynasty
B) Kayanian dynasty
C) Achaemenid dynasty
D) Pishdadian dynasty
  • 81. Which king does the Pishdadian dynasty end with?
A) Artabanus IV
B) Garshasp
C) Kay Lohrasp
D) Darius III
  • 82. What is the second mythological dynasty of Iran?
A) Kayanian dynasty
B) Parthian dynasty
C) Pishdadian dynasty
D) Sassanid dynasty
  • 83. Which religion is presented during the Kayanian period?
A) Greek polytheism
B) Pishdadian religion
C) Izder religion
D) Zoroastrian religion
  • 84. Where were the Kayanian kings probably considered to rule?
A) Western Iran
B) Greece
C) Turan
D) Eastern Iran
  • 85. Who compared the Achaemenids to the Kayanians in his works?
A) Ardashir I
B) Artabanus IV
C) Ferdowsi
D) Al-Biruni
  • 86. Concrete historical data like stone inscriptions and Greek texts coincide with the fall of Iran at the hands of whom?
A) Alexander
B) Al-Biruni
C) Rostam
D) Artabanus IV
  • 87. How did the Iranian narrative view the reign of Alexander and the Greeks?
A) Short
B) Long and enduring
C) Equivalent to the Parthian era
D) Lasting 450 years
  • 88. Who are the Sassanids introduced as descendants of in the text?
A) The Achaemenids
B) The Kayanians
C) The Seleucids
D) The Pishdadians
  • 89. What is the literal meaning of the word 'Ahura'?
A) Creator
B) Lord
C) Wisdom
D) Sky
  • 90. What is the literal meaning of the word 'Mazda'?
A) Lord
B) Light
C) Wisdom
D) Time
  • 91. Who is known as the 'destructive/evil spirit'?
A) Atar
B) Ahura Mazda
C) Spenta Mainyu
D) Angra Mainyu
  • 92. What is the symbol of the goddess Anahita?
A) The sun chariot
B) The sacred fire
C) The winged bull
D) The Lotus flower
  • 93. What is Rashnu's standard appellation?
A) The very straight
B) The giver of victory
C) The god of infinite time
D) The all-seeing protector
  • 94. Which day of every month in the Zoroastrian calendar is dedicated to Rashnu?
A) The 30th day
B) The 18th day
C) The 13th day
D) The 1st day
  • 95. What concept does the divinity Verethragna represent?
A) Justice
B) Wisdom
C) Victory
D) Healing
  • 96. Which name occurs more frequently between Vayu and Vata?
A) Vayu
B) Neither is mentioned
C) Vata
D) They occur equally
  • 97. What divinity is associated with life-bringing rainfall and fertility?
A) Spenta Armaiti
B) Atar
C) Anahita
D) Tishtrya
  • 98. What is Tishtrya called in Middle- and Modern Persian?
A) Vata
B) Zurvan
C) Haoma
D) Tir
  • 99. Which month of the year is dedicated to Tishtrya/Tir?
A) The 1st month
B) The 4th month
C) The 6th month
D) The 12th month
  • 100. What is Haoma?
A) A lotus festival
B) An evil spirit
C) A divine plant
D) A sacred bridge
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