Myths & Legends digital trail
Help Hercules reach Mount Olympus with our online trail for all the family.
The Greek hero Hercules needs help to get to Mount Olympus, the home of the Gods. The last time he tried to get there Apollo told him he must serve the King Eurystheus. The king made Hercules perform twelve difficult tasks, which the Greeks called ‘The Twelve Labours’.
This time Hercules needs to answer twelve questions - can you help him?
How do you play?
1. Solve the twelve questions below by using the artwork image as a clue.
2. Need help? If you are really struggling then select the arrow to reveal the answer.
Good luck! By the end, will Hercules reach Mount Olympus and go from zero to hero?
1. The God of the sun, music, poetry, art, archery, plague, medicine, light and knowledge is peering at you out of the carpet that is usually found in the Red Drawing Room.
Can you spot him and find out his name?
Answer
2. One of the paintings in the Dining Room is of the Roman goddess Venus and her son, Cupid. Cupid is always shown as a small baby with wings.
What is Venus the goddess of?
Answer
3. The clock in the Conservatory, which has an organ in its base, shows a legendary musician, poet and prophet from ancient Greek and Roman myth.
What is his name?
Answer
4. Zeus, the king of the Gods, was looked after by a goat called Amaltheia when he was a child. There is a ceramic goat in the Breakfast Room.
Can you find out who it was made for?
Answer
5. The musical elephant in the East Gallery is mechanical and was bought for the visit of the Shah of Persia. The Greek leader, Alexander the Great, fought against an army with elephants.
Can you find out where and when this was?
Answer
6. In the West Gallery, tapestry panels hang on the wall showing five gods. The Greeks and Romans shared many gods and goddesses but gave them different names.
Can you find out the Roman names of these?
Answer
7. One of Hercules’ Twelve Labours was to catch the Gold Hind. A hind is a female deer. This is a deer from a folding screen in the Grey Drawing Room, made up of carpet-woven panels.
The designer, Alexandre-François Desportes, was inspired by animals belonging to the famous Sun King, Louis XIV. Where were the animals kept?
Answer
8. In Greek mythology, the nymph Calypso lured the hero Odysseus to her island. Many portraits hang in the Baron’s Room, including a woman pretending to be Calypso.
Who is she?
Answer
9. Above the fireplace in the Morning Room is Thaïs, who was famous for burning down a city. In this painting, she is just about to start the fire.
Can you find out which city she destroyed?
Answer
10. In the collection there is a red clay terracotta sculpture of a pair of bacchantes, young women who worshipped Bacchus.
What clue do we have on the figures to show that he is the god of wine?
Answer
11. In the State Bedroom there are two paintings each showing depictions of goddesses with young men. One is the goddess of the hunt, the other the goddess of love.
Who might these be?
Answer
12. In Bedroom Corridor, there is a big tapestry of a bull adorned with flowers and garlands. This is the Cretan Bull, which was considered so splendid that the king of Crete, Minos, kept him. In legends the Cretan Bull had a son who was half bull and half man.
What was its name?
Answer
Congratulations! You have helped Hercules reach Mount Olympus.
Now treat yourself to a sing-along with the Disney classic.