Mythology was an integral part of the lives of all the ancient peoples. The myths of ancient Greece are the most familiar to us, for they are deeply entrenched in the consciousness of western civilization. They are accounts of the lives of the deities (gods) whom the Greeks worshipped and of the heroes they idolized. The myths are all things to all people - expressions of psychological insights, words of spine-tingling, poetic beauty and food for thought and imagination. The main characters in these myths are the twelve deities, who lived on Mount Olympus - which the Greeks thought to be at the exact center of the world. Each of the twelve is characterized by distinct personas, very individual strengths and shortfalls, and unique (sometimes odd) quirks.

How do you think you'll score in relation to the gods - Are you a small god yourself, or a mere mortal like most of humankind? Grab a sheet of paper and take the "Just Ask Jazz" test to find out...

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Venture to the deepest depths of your soul to discover the god or goddess in you!

1. When you sit down, you feel most comfortable if you:

• a. cross your legs neatly at the ankles
• b. cross your left leg over your right knee
• c. cross your right leg over your left knee
• d. sit with your legs sprawled wide open
• e. prop your legs up on the nearest table crossed at the ankles

2. When you walk into a party, you:

• a. immediately look for a familiar face and quietly make your way toward their direction
• b. burst in late and enjoy the attention as all eyes are on you
• c. scan the room and wonder how many new phone numbers you can get before the night is over
• d. walk in with your group of friends because you never go to parties alone - some type of confrontation is bound to creep up on you before the night is over
• e. are immediately greeted by one person after the next

3. When the teacher is explaining a new subject that you don't quite understand, you:

• a. raise your hand and have no qualms about asking your questions
• b. sit quietly, alone in your confusion, hoping someone will ask a question
• c. just tune out and write notes to your friends about the chalk lines across the back of your teachers pants
• d. you find a way to disrupt the class as usual, although you don't mean to
• e. don't know if you understand or not because you're too busy writing poetry to that special someone

4. In your dreams you most often dream that:

• a. you are flying
• b. you are falling
• c. you're fighting
• d. you are fleeing from someone or something
• e. you are facing up to someone or something

5. When you think of your life in the future, you see yourself:

• a. with a happy home and a big family
• b. living happily ever after with the man or woman of your dreams
• c. not settling down, just living each day as it comes
• d. as a business tycoon with a great entrepreneurial mind
• e. devoting your life to a cause you deeply believe in

6. When you see a fight at school, you:

• a. run over and try to break it up, violence is no way to solve your problems
• b. cheer it on in the crowd of onlookers who have gathered around
• c. quickly pass by, you have better things to do with your time
• d. want to help but you stand by watching, empathizing with the loser's pain
• e. ignore it as you sit at the tables talking to a new "friend" because you're a lover not a fighter

Now, tally your score using the following answer key!

Please note: this is not a comparative scale, so a score of 1 is not lower than a score of 5 or vice versa. To get the best results you must be honest, the numbers will correspond to the god or goddess whom you most personify.

Question 1: a= 2 b=3 c=5 d=1 e=4

Question 2: a=3 b=2 c=4 d=1 e=5

Question 3: a=5 b=2 c=3 d=1 e=4

Question 4: a=4 b=3 c=1 d=2 e=5

Question 5: a=4 b=3 c=1 d=2 e=5

Question 6: a=5 b=1 c=4 d=2 e=3

If you scored 26 to 30 the god in you is:

The supreme deity (god) Zeus, who was also god of the heavens. His job was to make laws and keep his unruly family in order by using his thunderbolt. Though Zeus was the strongest of all the gods, and had a weakness for women (including his own mother!) - which led him to father many children.

If you scored 22 to 25 the god in you is:

Apollo, god of the sun, who was Artemis' (goddess of the moon) twin. The two were children of Leto and Zeus. Many qualities were attributed to Apollo. The ancient Greeks believed the sun gave physical light and represented mental enlightenment. Apollo was also the god of music and song, which the ancients believed was only heard where there was light and security.

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If you scored 18 to 21 the god in you is:

Hermes, who was born of Maia, daughter of Atlas. He had an upwardly mobile career. His first job was as the protector of the animal kingdom. Cattle were the chief source of wealth, so he became the god of wealth. However, as civilization advanced, trade replaced cattle as the main source of wealth, so Hermes became god of trade. To have good trade, they needed good commerce. So he became the god of commerce. To progress in commerce a merchant needed to be shrewd, so this attribute was assigned to Hermes. Later it was realized that to excel in commerce one needed to use the art of persuasion, so good speaking skills were added to his portfolio.

If you scored 14 to 17 the god in you is:

Poseidon, the brother of Zeus. As god to the sea, he preferred his beautiful palace in the depths of the Aegean Sea to Mt. Olympus. When he was angry (which was often) he woulduse his trident to create massive waves and floods. His moods could also trigger earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. His mind was always racing and he was always on the lookout for some real estate on dry land. He unsuccessfully challenged Dionysos for Naxos, Hera for Argos and Athena for Athens.

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If you scored 10 to 13 the god in you is:

Hephaestus, who was worshipped for his matchless skills as a craftsman. When Zeus decided to punish mankind, he asked Hephaestus to make a woman. So Hephaestus created Pandora from clay and water, and as everyone knows, she had a box, from which sprang all the evils afflicting humankind.

If you scored 6 to 11 the god in you is:

Ares, god of war a nasty piece of work. He was fiery-tempered and violent, loving nothing better than a good massacre. Athenians, who fought only for noble ideals such as liberty, thought that Ares must be a Thracian - whom they regarded as loodthirsty barbarians.

Vocabulary qualms - disagreement valiant - brave usurp - to forcefully take over avenge - to get back at someone for doing something to you or your friend

If you scored 26 to 30 the goddess in you is:

Athena, the powerful goddess of wisdom and the guardian of Athens, who is said to have been born (complete with helmet, armor, and spear) from Zeus' head, with Hephaestus acting as midwife. Unlike Ares, she derived no pleasure from fighting, but preferred to use her wisdom to settle disputes peacefully. If need be, however, she went valiantly into battle.

In The Beginning According to Mythology, the world was formed from a great shapeless mass called Chaos (does that word sound familiar? It might because it's the word we use to describe a state of utter confusion). From Chaos came forth Gaea, the earth goddess. She bore a son, Uranus, the Firmament, and their subsequent union produced three 100-handed giants and three one-eyed Cyclopes. Gaea dearly loved her hideous offspring, but not so Uranus, who hurled them into Tartarus (the underworld). The couple then produced seven Titans, but Gaea still grieved for her other children. She asked the Titans to take vengeance upon their father, and free the 100-handed giants and Cyclopes. The Titans did as they were asked, castrating the hapless Uranus, but Cronos (the head Titan), after setting eyes on Gaea's offspring, hurled them back into Tartarus, whereupon Gaea foretold that he (Cronos) would be usurped by one of his own offspring. Cronos married his sister Rhea, but wary of his mother's warning he swallowed every child Rhea bore him. When Rhea bore her sixth child Zeus, she smuggled him to Crete, and gave Cronos a stone in place of the child, which he duly swallowed. Rhea hid the baby Zeus in the Diketon cave in the care of three nymphs. On reaching manhood, Zeus, determined to avenge his siblings, became Cronos' cup-bearer and filled his cup with poison. Cronos drank from the cup, then disgorged first the stone and then his children, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Poseidon, and Hades, all of whom were none the worse for their ordeal. Zeus, aided by his regurgitated siblings, deposed Cronos and went to war against the Titans who wouldn't acknowledge him as chief god. Gaea, who still hadn't forgotten her imprisoned, beloved offspring, told Zeus he would only be victorious with the help of the Cyclopes and the 100-handed giants, so he released them from Tartarus. The Cyclopes gave Zeus a thunderbolt, and the three 100-handed giants threw rocks at the Titans who eventually retreated. Zeus banished Cronos, as well as all of the Titans except Atlas (Cronos' deputy), to a far off land. Atlas was ordered to hold up the sky. Mt. Olympus became home sweet home for Zeus and his unruly family. Zeus took a liking to his sister Hera, and disguised himself to get close to her. After he tricked her and had gotten close to her, she reluctantly agreed to marry him. They had three children: Ares, Hephaetusa and Hebe.

If you scored 22 to 25 the goddess in you is:

Artemis, goddess of the moon. She and Apollo, god of the sun, were twins of Leto and Zeus. Artemis was worshipped as the goddess of childbirth, yet she asked Zeus if he would grant her eternal virginity. She was also the goddess of the outdoors and nature. The hunter in her was combined with a somewhat cranky attitude.

If you scored 18 to 21 the goddess in you is:

The goddess of love (and lust), the beautiful Aphrodite. Her aphrodisiac was the magic girdle she possessed which made everyone fall in love with its wearer. The girdle meant she was constantly pursued by gods and goddesses alike - gods because they wanted to make love to her and goddesses because they wanted to borrow the girdle. Zeus became so fed up with her lusty ways that he married her off to Hephaestus, the ugliest of the gods.

If you scored 14 to 17 the goddess in you is:

Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, symbol of security hospitality, and happiness. And in direct contrast to Aphrodite, Hestia was as pure as driven snow. She spurned disputes and wars and swore to be a virgin forever.

If you scored 10 to 13 the goddess in you is:

Hera, the sister Zeus married, who was the protector of women and the family. Hera was able to renew her virginity each year by bathing in a spring. She was the mother of Ares and Hephaestus.

If you scored 6 to 9 the god in you is:

Demeter, the goddess of earth and fertility. The next time you have a bowl of corn flakes, give thanks to this goddess. The English word 'cereal' for products of corn or edible grain derives from the goddess' Roman name, Ceres. The Greek word for such products is demetriaka.

Jasmine