English 9-10 Exam Study GuideGilgamesh Study Guide02

1. What ancient culture did the story of Gilgamesh come from?

2. What was the capitol of this culture?

3. Why does Gilgamesh have to row Urshanabi’s boat by himself?

4. What is not so impressive about Gilgamesh & Enikidu’s slaying of Humbaba?

5. What does Shamhat do to civilize Enkidu?

6. Before he was civilized, how was Enkidu annoying the local hunters?

7. Who wins the Enkidu/Gilgamesh wrestling match?

8. What is one of the rules imposed by Gilgamesh on his city that annoys the citizens?

9. What does Enkidu die of?

10. When Gilgamesh first tries to live forever, what is the task given to him by Utnapishtim?

11. How does Utnapishtim show that Gilgamesh failed at this task?

12. What is Gilgamesh told to retrieve that will make him live forever?

13. Who winds up benefiting from this item?

14. Why was Utnapishtim made immortal?

15. What did Ea do that saved mankind?

16. Who lives in the Cedar Forest?

17. Why does Gilgamesh reject the goddess Ishtar?

18. What does she send to kill him after this rejection?

19. When Gilgamesh goes to see Utnapishtim, he travels through a tunnel that is usually traversed by what?

20. Name one way in which the god Shamash helps out Gilgamesh?

21. What do Gilgamesh and Enkidu do that would look odd to most people today?

22. Who tries to stop Gilgamesh from going into the Cedar Forest?

23. What is the job of the High Priestesses of Ishtar?

24. When does Gilgamesh decide that it is time to bury Enkidu’s body?

25. Which god sends the Great Flood to destroy mankind?

26. What does Gilgamesh do in the hopes it will give Enkidu a good afterlife?

27. Who is Shiduri?

28. How does Gilgamesh get Urhsanabi’s boat to move without oars?

29. How did Ea save humanity, despite his oath not to warn them about the flood?

30. Which god made Utnapishtim and his wife immortal?

31. What test does Utnapishtim give to Gilgamesh in his quest for eternal life?

32. How does Utnapishtim know that Gilgamesh has fallen asleep during his test?

33. How does Gilgamesh get to the bottom of the ocean?

34. Why doesn’t Gilgamesh eat the plant that gives immortal life?

35. How does the story of Gilgamesh end?

Norse Mythology Study Guide

Days of the Week

Overall Explanation: The days of the week were once named after the Roman (Greek) deities. However, when the days were adapted to the Saxon language (Old English), the names were changed to ones that were identifiable by the Saxon (and eventually Norse) culture.

Sunday – Originally called Dies Sol, it was changed to ‘Sun Daeg’ by the Saxons as they had no god which represented the sun.

Monday – Originally called Dies Luna, it was changed to ‘Moon Daeg’ by the Saxons as they had no god which represented the moon.

Tuesday – Originally called Dies Mars (the god of war), it was changed to Tiwaz (Tyr) Daeg, a Saxon god who was associated with war.

Wednesday –Originally called Dies Mercury (the messenger god), it was changed to Wotan (Odin) Daeg. The reason for this odd change was that in Roman mythology, Mercury is the collector of dead souls, and since in the Norse myths, Odin receives the souls of dead warriors, they considered him the best fit.

Thursday – Originally called Dies Jupiter (Zeus), it was changed to Thor’s Day, as both deities were sky gods and were associated with thunder and lightning.

Friday – Originally called Dies Venus (the goddess of beauty), it was changed to Frigga (Freyja) Daeg, who is appropriately the most beautiful of the Norse goddesses.

Saturday – This is the one day of the week which still bears a Roman name. It is named after the Titan Saturn (Chronos).

The World Tree (Yggdrasil)

WARNING – The following information is NOT the only interpretation of how the world tree is organized, and there is a lot of debate over which locations are the ‘Nine Worlds’, and how they are grouped. (For example: In some myths Nidavellir and Svartalfheim are the same place.)

The above world

- Asgard – The world of the Gods.

o Valhalla – The home of the Godso The Bitfrost Bridge – The ‘Rainbow’ bridge. The Bridge that connects the

above world with Midgard. It was the mythical representation of the aurora borealis (the northern lights).

o Ratatosk – The giant squirrel which tends to the world tree.

- Alfheim – The home of the Light Elves.

- Vanaheim – The home of the Vanir, the old gods.

Midgard (Middle Earth) – The land of humans (our world).

- Nidavellir – The land of the Dwarves. This was an underground realm.

- Svartalfheim – The land of the Dark Elves.

- Jotunheim – The land of the Frost Giants.

o Utgard – The Hall of the Frost Giants, ruled by a giant named Utgard-Loki (not to be confused with the Asgardian Loki).

o Jormungandr – The giant serpent (a child of Loki) which circles the oceans of the Earth and which can bite its own tail.

Niflheim (The under worlds)

- Muspelheim – The land of the Fire Giants.

- Helheim – The land of the dead. Home to the goddess Hel (another of Loki’s children) who was a beautiful woman from the waist up, but a corpse from the waist down.

o Nidhogg – A giant serpent who eats at the roots of the world tree and will one day cause it’s collapse.

o Hvergelmir – The eternity well. It is said that all waters can trace their flow back to the eternity well.

Necklace of the Brisings

1. Freyja – The goddess of beauty. There are some interpretations of Norse myths where she is synonymous with Frigga (the queen of Asgard and wife of Odin). This myth seems to follow that theory.

2. Odin – The ruler of the gods, and he becomes very upset with the actions that Freyja takes in this story.

3. Alfrigg, Dvalin, Berling & Grerr – The four dwarves who create the necklace of the Brisings.

4. Sessrumnir – Freyja’s hall. Half of the souls of the dead go to Valhalla (Odin’s hall) and the other half go to Frejya.

The Lay of Thrym

1. Thrym – The Frost Giant who steals Thor’s hammer.

2. Mjolnir – Thor’s hammer. Supposedly, only Thor can lift his hammer, but for some reason that does not seem to apply to this tale.

3. Thor – The god of storms and thunder. He is known as the protector of Asgard, and spends a lot of time fighting Giants.

Thor’s Journey To Utgard

1. Utgard – The hall of the Frost Giants (The capitol of Jotunheim).

2. Jotunheim – The land of the Frost Giants, it is a mountainous realm.

3. Utgard-Loki/Skrymir – The ruler of the Frost Giants and a powerful illusionist. During the course of the story, he fools Thor and his companions several times with his magic.

4. Thor’s Goats – These animals pull Thor’s chariot. However, when he gets hungry, he can butcher them and eat them, as their flesh regenerates over their bones on the next morning.

5. Thialfi & Roskva – Two humans who become Thor’s servants after Thialfi (the young man) accidentally cripples one of Thor’s goats by breaking a bone. Thialfi is represented as very fast in the story.

6. The Contest – Thor fails to lift a cat (Jormungandr serpent), he loses a drinking contest (because he’s actually drinking from the ocean), and he loses a wrestling contest (because he’s actually wrestling with death/old age).

Loki loses an eating contest (to fire).

Thialfi loses a race (to the speed of thought).

They lost their competitions, because they were not aware that they were fighting illusions of actual objects.

7. The Return – Utgard-loki compliments the three on how well they competed, and reveals the nature of their competitors. However, he also taunts them, and tells Thor that he will never see Utgard again, and he makes the city vanish.

Norse Mythology Final Test1. Who is the messenger of the Gods?

a. Freya c. Lokib. Hermod d. Thialfi

2. Who is the king of the Fire Giants?a. Skrymir c. Thrymb. Surtur d. Utgard Loki

3. What is the land of the Dark Elves?a. Alfheim c. Svartalfheim

b. Nidavellir d. Vanaheim

4. What is the capitol of the Frost Giant’s realm?a. Bitfrost c. Valhallab. Muspellheim d. Utgard

5. What is mead?

Treasures of the Gods6. Which God has their hair removed by Loki?

a. Freya c. Sifb. Odin d. Thor

7. Who does Loki go to in order to replace the hair?a. The Dwarves c. The Frost Giantsb. The Elves d. Odin

8. Which of the following was considered the greatest treasure presented to the Gods?a. Frey’s Boar c. Odin’s Spearb. Odin’s Ring d. Thor’s Hammer

9. How is Loki punished at the end of the story?a. His head is cut off c. His hair is cut offb. His lips are sewn together d. His hand is cut off

The Lay of Thrym10. What does Thrym steal from Asgard?

11. Thrym is a what?a. Dwarf c. Dark Elfb. Elf d. Frost Giant

12. What does Thrym want in exchange for what he stole?

13. Who comes up with the idea of disguising Thor?a. Heimdall c. Odinb. Loki d. Tyr

14. How does Thor nearly give away his identity?a. By arguing with Thrym c. He accidentally says his nameb. Through excessive eating d. By speaking in a manly voice

15. How does this story end?

Thor’s Journey to Utgard

16. Skrymir is really who in disguise?

17. What is so special about Thor’s goats?

18. What was Loki competing against in the eating contest?

19. What was Thialfi really racing against?

20. What was Thor really drinking out of?

21. What was Thor really lifting during the contest of strength?

22. Who was Thor really wrestling?

23. What did Thor really hit when he tried to kill Skrymir?

Balder’s Dreams and Balder’s Death

24. Which god visits Hel after Balder has a dream about his death?

25. What is the only thing that Balder is vulnerable to?

26. Who figures out his secret?

27. Who winds up killing him?

28. What does “Thokk” do that dooms Balder to Niflheim?

Loki’s Flyting and The Binding of Loki

29. What does Loki do at a feast of the gods that makes him unwelcome?

30. Loki leaves the feast when which god threatens him?

31. Who tortures him while he is bound?

32. Who is Signyn

33. What does Signyn do for Loki?

Proverbs & Ecclesiastes Study GuideProverbs

- The author of Proverbs is King Solomon of Jerusalem.

- The book of Proverbs is essentially Drama. This means that the author believes that people get what they

deserve, good or bad.

- The author of Proverbs generally has a positive opinion about life, he is an optimist.

- The author believes the God is the source of all wisdom.

- The author clearly believes in a just God who will take care of people who deserve good things.

- The author stresses the value of truth in society, basically stating that the truth is always a good thing.

- The author believes that intelligent people in general, do not make mistakes.

- The author has a negative opinion of people with low intelligence, and feels that they do not deserve

good things.

- One of the examples that the author uses for people getting what they deserve is a reference to people

who live violent lives. He claims that these people will eventually be consumed by that violence.

Ecclesiastes

- The author of Ecclesiastes is David’s son.

- The author of Ecclesiastes believes that Wisdom, although it CAN be useful, believes that wisdom also

leads to pain; that the more we know, the more we suffer.

- The author says at the beginning of the book that life is useless. It is the title of the 1st chapter of

Ecclesiastes.

- It is distinctly possible that the author of Ecclesiastes is depressed.

- The author of Ecclesiastes believes that life is unfair. In particular, he is upset that his children will inherit

his wealth when they didn’t earn it. This complaint could indicate that he does not feel close to his family.

- The author says that since we don’t know what happens after we die, it is important to live as enjoyable a

life as possible.

- Since the author brings up how successful he was and that he was rich, had a lot of money, slaves, and

women, that he did his best to enjoy life, and was an Epicurean.

- The Epicurean philosophy is that the whole purpose of life is to have fun.

- The author has a melodramatic perspective on life. He states that people do not always get what they

deserve. He states that one can find wickedness where justice ought to be.

- The author believes in the concept that history repeats itself and that the things that occur in life just

seem to keep happening and that nothing distinctly changes.

- The author seems to have doubts about what happens to people after they die. He is not confident that

God will take care of everyone.

The Quoran Study GuideAl-Baqarah (The Heifer)

1. Throughout the Koran, the narrator often refers to himself as “WE”. Who is “We?”

The Archangel Gabriel

2. The author of the Quoran is the prophet Mohammed. He claims that the information he is presenting was given to him by Gabriel.

3. In this book, the narrator claims that some people have a “Seal over their hearts”. It is this seal that prevents them from believing in God. Furthermore, it is suggested that they were fated to not believe in God, indicating that the author believes in predestination.

4. Predestination, or Fatalism, is the belief that everything that happens has been determined beforehand (and in religion usually by God).

5. Several times, the author refers to a group of people as the “Successful”. These are people who believe in God.

6. The book alludes to the War in Heaven. Essentially, when humans were created, the angels were told to serve man. One third of the angels rejected God and sided with Satan. One third sided with God, and another third sat out and waited to see who was going to win.

7. According to the Hebrew Scriptures, Adam was the first human being, and he was followed by his wife, Eve.

8. It is said quite often in the Quoran that non-believers are going to the flames. (Hell.)

9. The book constantly refers to God as merciful, because those who believe are certain to go to heaven.

10. Throughout the book, the Quoran suggests that the existence of God is self-evident. This means that he believes it is obvious that God exists.

a. One reason that he believes that it is self-evident is in his positive attitude towards the nature of the world/universe. (Ex. He sees nature as providing a bounty of food for humans, indicating that God wants us to be happy.)

b. He might also be assuming that the audience for this book is already familiar with the Hebrew Testament and the New Testament. Anyone reading those books would have learned of the miracles of God.

11. Judaism, Christianity, Sabeanism and Islam are considered to be “Abrahamic Religions. Abraham was the first person to establish a covenant with God.

12. A Covenant is an agreement. In this case, in exchange for the love and worship of mankind, God will take care of humanity. (Or to be more specific, his worshippers.)

13. Sometimes the narrator suggests that those people who reject the word of God are “Losers”.

14. How many levels does Heaven have? (Seven)

15. In the Hebrew Testament, Humanity was created in a paradise called Eden. When Adam and Eve were tempted to eat from the tree of knowledge by Satan, they were ejected from that paradise.

16. One of the most prominent characters in the Old Testament is Moses. Moses is known in Islam as the lawgiver. This could be why he is so popular with this religion, because they love rules.

17. Moses’ main action in the Old Testament is to liberate the Jews from Egypt and the Pharaoh. He did this by unleashing seven plagues on the Egyptians and eventually, he split the Red Sea so that the Jews could escape. He also helped them to fight and discover a new homeland.

18. It is clearly stated in the Quoran that they believe in an apocalyptic ending to the world.

19. In the apocalyptic ending of the world, all the believers will go to heaven, while all the non-believers will go to the flames.

20. What is an idolater?- An idolater is a person who worships physical things.- In the Quoran, Jews and Christians are sometimes accused of being idolaters

because they worship things in the place of God. (Ex. Christians often are seen revering crosses or crucifixes.)

- There is a similar complaint in a later book, that Jews and Christians worship God through rabbis and priests, and this is seen to be like idolatry.

21. It is suggested by the author that anyone who seeks to find truth outside of God will fail. In other words, God is the only true source of guidance.

22. The reason this chapter is called “The Heifer” (The Cow) is a reference to the story in the Old Testament story where the Jews began worshipping a golden calf while Moses was away.- This would indicate that a theme throughout this book is a warning to follow the true faith and not to be lead astray by the false promises of fake gods and religions.

Bhaghavad Gita Quiz

1. Name three Hindu gods aside from Krishna.

2. What job did Krishna have in Arjuna’s army?

3. Why is Arjuna reluctant to go to war against his enemies?

4. What causes Adharma, which is considered a bad thing?

5. A lot of people believe that Karma is “what comes around, goes around”, but why is this an incorrect description of the concept?

6. Explain reincarnation.

7. What is Sanskrit?

8. In western culture, the conflict is usually between good and evil, but in Hinduism, the conflict is between what two concepts?

9. Why is Bhakti an interesting concept to have in a polytheistic religion such as Hinduism?

10. Eschatology is the study of literature that refers to what? (Hint: Ragnarok would be an example of eschatology.)

11. A guru is a what? (Priest, God, Monster, Djinni)?’

12. What is the Mahabarata?

13. Why does Krishna tell Arjuna that death is meaningless?

14. What is Krishna saying on Page 23, line 19?

15. On line 22, Krisha compares reincarnation to what?

16. How does the dialogue on line 37 contradict what Arjuna said on line 6?

17. Line 57 evokes images of a Medieval symbol I’ve brought up in class. What is that symbol?

18. What is Krishna warning Arjuna about in line 62?

19. According to the 17th teaching, what are the three aspects of faith?

20. Based on the description of this quality, how would you define someone who is ‘lucid’?

21. According to the 17 teaching, what is the triple symbol of the infinite spirit?