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Re: Solstice (Advent) Calendar 2025

December 10th, 2025, 2:13 pm

Advent Calendar Day 10 Mythos and Logos

Puzzle Clues

ACROSS

3. Father of Kratos and head of the Olympians
5. Greek Goddess of the Hunt
7. Their serpentine stares turn man to stone
10. Beowulf's fearsome foe
11. Enlightened beings who forego nirvana to help others
12. Guardian of oaths and god of sight, he wears an aureole
14. Clay sculptor and fire bearer
15. Hopi cloud spirits
18. West African trickster weaving tales and eluding foes
20. Her symbols include an owl, an olive tree, and a snake

DOWN

1. Second of a pair of Nordic messengers; mind and will
2. Celtic goddess of poetry and fire
4. God of horses, storms, earthquakes, and the sea
6. Defeated and imprisoned in Tartarus
8. Pomegranate queen; underworld traveller
9. First of a pair of Nordic messengers; mind and sense
13. Siddhartha Gautama
16. Native American trickster and landscape creator
17. Earth mother
19. Sister of Eos; drives a silver chariot with white horses

If anyone needs a photo of the puzzle instead of the attached pdf, just post here and I'll put one up.
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Re: Solstice (Advent) Calendar 2025

December 10th, 2025, 10:51 pm

Advent Calendar Day 10 Mythos and Logos Answers

ACROSS

3. Father of Kratos and head of the Olympians – Zeus
5. Greek Goddess of the Hunt – Artemis
7. Their serpentine stares turn man to stone – Gorgon
10. Beowulf's fearsome foe – Grendel
11. Enlightened beings who forego nirvana to help others – Bodhisattvas
12. Guardian of oaths and god of sight, he wears an aureole  – Helios
14. Clay sculptor and fire bearer – Prometheus
15. Hopi cloud spirits – Kachinas
18. West African trickster weaving tales and eluding foes – Anansi (a spider!)
20. Her symbols include an owl, an olive tree, and a snake - Athena

DOWN

1. Second of a pair of Nordic messengers; mind and will – Muninn
2. Celtic goddess of poetry and fire – Brigid
4. God of horses, storms, earthquakes, and the sea – Poseidon
6. Defeated and imprisoned in Tartarus – Titans
8. Pomegranate queen; underworld traveller – Persephone
9. First of a pair of Nordic messengers; mind and sense – Huginn
13. Siddhartha Gautama – Buddha
16. Native American trickster and landscape creator – Coyote
17. Earth mother – Gaia
19. Sister of Eos; drives a silver chariot with white horses – Selene
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Re: Solstice (Advent) Calendar 2025

December 10th, 2025, 10:57 pm

Advent Calendar Day 11 Climb Every Mountain

Match them up!
 
1.     Hemingway inspiration
2.     Tallest mountain in New England
3.     Canadian Rockies peak
4.     Can be seen from Kyoto
5.     Find French charm here
6.     The highest peak in North America
7.     Its local name is Chomolungma
8.     A famous Swiss pyramid
9.     The longest continental range in the world
10.  A Tyrolean range
11.  Home of the Queen Maud Mountains
12.  Not just a mountain – also an active volcano!
13.  A long range in China
14.  A mountain in Rio with a song
15.  Giant of the Caucasus
16.  In the far northern Rockies
17.  The tallest in the world, from the ocean floor
18.  Also known as Mount Godwin-Austen
19.  The Silk Road runs through it
20.  The backbone of Italy
 
a.     Matterhorn
b.     Mount Everest
c.     Chamonix-Mont Blanc
d.     Kunlun Mountains
e.     Brooks Range
f.      Mauna Kea
g.     The Apennines
h.     Mount Elbrus
i.      K2
j.      The Andes
k.     Mount Rainier
l.      Hunchback Mountain (Corcovado)
m.   The Khyber Pass
n.     Transarctic Mountains
o.     Ötztal Alps
p.     Mount Washington
q.     Mount Fuji
r.      Mount McKinley (Denali)
s.     Mount Kilimanjaro
t.      Mount Robson
TransarcticMountains.jpg
 
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Paul
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Re: Solstice (Advent) Calendar 2025

Yesterday, 10:43 am

I don’t do geography. Or history. Or, it seems, anything really!
 
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Re: Solstice (Advent) Calendar 2025

Yesterday, 11:29 am

Haha! Well, I am planning another puzzle on math, and at least one more on quant finance, and one on science….

Happy to take suggestions for puzzle themes too!

Would organic chemistry, for example, bring delight to the good people here? I don’t recall too much of that from my long-ago high school class, but I could do some current research. We extracted chlorophyll from plant material in lab one time and that was cool.
 
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Re: Solstice (Advent) Calendar 2025

Yesterday, 1:34 pm

Advent Calendar Day 11 Shall We Dance?

1.     There are five main ballroom dances, with several additions over the years. Which one is not a member of that core set?
 
a.     Waltz
b.     Tango
c.     Samba
d.     Foxtrot
e.     Viennese Waltz
f.      Quickstep
 
2.     What is the difference between the Waltz and the Viennese Waltz?
 
a.     The female leads in the Viennese Waltz.
b.     The Waltz is a flatter and less elaborate dance.
c.     The Viennese Waltz aims for dramatic stops and starts.
d.     The Waltz tempo is about half that of the Viennese waltz.
e.     The partners trade leads in the Waltz.
 
3.     Which of the following is not an example of a Latin dance?
 
a.     Cha-Cha
b.     Samba
c.     Rumba
d.     Paso Doble
e.     Jive
f.      They are all Latin dances.
 
4.     In the Paso Doble, the man and woman reenact a compelling and expressive scene. What is it?
 
a.     A boxing match
b.     A marathon
c.     A walk in the park
d.     A horse race
e.     A bullfight
 
5.     In ballroom dancing, dances are classified as being Smooth dances or Rhythm dances. Which of the following is not primarily a Rhythm dance?
 
a.     Swing
b.     Bolero
c.     Mambo
d.     Foxtrot
e.     American Rumba
 
6.     Which of the following are sometimes incorporated into modern ballroom dancing?
 
a.     Argentine Tango
b.     Hip Hip
c.     Bachata
d.     Salsa
e.     Merengue
f.      Country Two-Step
 
7.     What is the name of the dance position used in competitive ballroom dancing?
 
a.     Open hold
b.     Bilateral
c.     Closed hold
d.     Smooth support
e.     Controlled flow
 
8.     What is the main difference between the Ballroom Tango and the Argentine Tango?
 
a.     The Argentine tango has sharp staccato movements.
b.     The Ballroom Tango has complex rhythms.
c.     The Argentine Tango provides for partner swapping midway through the dance.
d.     The Ballroom Tango is codified with a defined set of steps and sequences.
e.     The Argentine Tango is often danced individually, without contact.
 
9.     Which of the time signatures is used in ballroom dancing?
 
a.     2/4
b.     3/4
c.     4/4 only
d.     2/4, 3/4, or 4/4
e.     2/4, 3/4, 4/4, and 5/4
 
10.  Match the time signatures to each dance (may be reused)
 
1)Waltz
2) Jive
3) Tango
4) Foxtrot
5) Cha-Cha
6) Paso Doble
7) Rumba
8) Viennese Waltz
9) Quickstep
10) Samba

a.     2/4
b.     3/4
c.     4/4
d.     5/4
e.     5/2

I'll be off to the Green Mountains in search of snow today, but answers to both puzzles will come out tonight!
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Paul
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Re: Solstice (Advent) Calendar 2025

Yesterday, 4:00 pm

That’s more like it!

You missed

8 f. In the tango from the barrios of Buenos Aires, the man is never younger than 75 and the woman no older than 20.
 
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Re: Solstice (Advent) Calendar 2025

Yesterday, 11:09 pm

That’s more like it!

You missed

8 f. In the tango from the barrios of Buenos Aires, the man is never younger than 75 and the woman no older than 20.
Hehe - well boys will be boys. In the "barrios" of Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Newport... too.
 
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Re: Solstice (Advent) Calendar 2025

Yesterday, 11:14 pm

Advent Calendar Day 11 Climb Every Mountain Answers

 
Match them up!
 
1.     Hemingway inspiration – s. Mount Kilimanjaro
2.     Tallest mountain in New England – p. Mount Washington
3.     Canadian Rockies peak – t. Mount Robson
4.     Can be seen from Kyoto – q. Mount Fuji
5.     Find French charm here – c. Chamonix-Mont Blanc
6.     The highest peak in North America – r. Mount McKinley (Denali)
7.     Its local name is Chomolungma – b. Mount Everest
8.     A famous Swiss pyramid – a. Matterhorn
9.     The longest continental range in the world – j. The Andes
a.     A Tyrolean range – o. Ötztal Alps
10.  Home of the Queen Maud Mountains – n. Transarctic Mountains
11.  Not just a mountain – also an active volcano! – k. Mount Rainier
12.  A long range in China – d. Kunlun Mountains
13.  A mountain in Rio with a song – l. Hunchback Mountain (Corcovado)
14.  Giant of the Caucasus – h. Mount Elbrus
15.  In the far northern Rockies – e. Brooks Range (in Alaska)
16.  The tallest in the world, from the ocean floor – f. Mauna Kea
17.  Also known as Mount Godwin-Austen – i. K2
18.  The Silk Road runs through it – m. The Khyber Pass
19.  The backbone of Italy – g. The Apennines

In case you were wondering, the previous picture was of the Transantarctic Mountain Range.
This is the Himalayas.
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Re: Solstice (Advent) Calendar 2025

Yesterday, 11:55 pm

Advent Calendar Day 11 Shall We Dance? Answers
 
1.     There are five main ballroom dances, with several additions over the years. Which one is not a member of that core set?
 
a.     Waltz
b.     Tango
c.     Samba
d.     Foxtrot
e.     Viennese Waltz
f.      Quickstep
 
2.     What is the difference between the Waltz and the Viennese Waltz?
 
a.     The female leads in the Viennese Waltz.
b.     The Waltz is a flatter and less elaborate dance.
c.     The Viennese Waltz aims for dramatic stops and starts.
d.    The Waltz tempo is about half that of the Viennese waltz.
e.     The partners trade leads in the Waltz.
 
About 84-90 bpm for the Slow Waltz to 150-180 bpm for the Viennese Waltz.
 
3.     Which of the following is not an example of a Latin dance?
 
a.     Cha-Cha
b.     Samba
c.     Rumba
d.     Paso Doble
e.     Jive
f.      They are all Latin dances.
 
4.     In the Paso Doble, the man and woman reenact a compelling and expressive scene. What is it?
 
a.     A boxing match
b.     A marathon
c.     A walk in the park
d.     A horse race
e.     A bullfight
 
5.     In ballroom dancing, dances are classified as being Smooth dances or Rhythm dances. Which of the following is not primarily a Rhythm dance?
 
a.     Swing
b.     Bolero
c.     Mambo
d.    Foxtrot
e.     American Rumba
 
6.     Which of the following are sometimes incorporated into modern ballroom dancing?
 
a.     Argentine Tango
b.     Hip Hop
c.     Bachata
d.     Salsa
e.     Merengue
f.      Country Two-Step
 
7.     What is the name of the dance position used in competitive ballroom dancing?
 
a.     Open hold
b.     Bilateral
c.     Closed hold
d.     Smooth support
e.     Controlled flow
 
8.     What is the main difference between the Ballroom Tango and the Argentine Tango?
 
a.     The Argentine tango has sharp staccato movements.
b.     The Ballroom Tango has complex rhythms.
c.     The Argentine Tango provides for partner swapping midway through the dance.
d.    The Ballroom Tango is codified with a defined set of steps and sequences.
e.     The Argentine Tango is often danced individually, without contact.
 
9.     Which of the time signatures is used in ballroom dancing?
 
a.     2/4
b.     3/4
c.     4/4 only
d.    2/4, 3/4, or 4/4
e.     2/4, 3/4, 4/4, and 5/4
 
10.  Match the time signatures to each dance (may be reused)
 
1) Waltz – 3/4, emphasis on the first beat
2) Jive – 4/4
3) Tango – 2/4
4) Foxtrot – 4/4
5) Cha-Cha – 4/4, in a syncopated pattern Quick Quick Slow (QQS)
6) Paso Doble – 2/4 or 6/8 (granted 6/8 was not listed here)
7) Rumba – 4/4
8) Viennese Waltz – 3/4, emphasis on the first beat
9) Quickstep – 4/4
10) Samba – 4/4 or 2/4
 
a.     2/4
b.     3/4
c.     4/4
d.     5/4
e.     5/2
 
Much more could be said about all of this, but I will leave you with these ideas.
 
There is a five-step waltz, Morris dances, and certain ballet pieces have 5/4 time signatures, but these were not featured here.
 
On other alternative time options, AI tells me that: While the 5/2 time signature is a theoretically valid musical meter, it is extremely rare in practical dance music, including ballroom, folk, or contemporary styles. The vast majority of dances with a "five" beat structure use 5/4 or 5/8 time. 
 
So, we have room for some post-modern innovation there!
 
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Re: Solstice (Advent) Calendar 2025

Today, 12:33 am

A public service announcement: I did find fresh snow in the Green Mountains, so I am taking the day off tomorrow!

I'll be back on Saturday and in the meantime, you can study this Periodic Table. :D
 
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Paul
Posts: 7073
Joined: July 20th, 2001, 3:28 pm

Re: Solstice (Advent) Calendar 2025

Today, 7:17 am

Advent Calendar Day 11 Shall We Dance? Answers
 ...
Yes! Almost all correct! More than made up for my disastrous performance on the sciencey and financey questions!