Trivia (goddess) - Definition and Overview

In Roman mythology, Trivia was the equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis, goddess of the hunt, or possibly of Hecate. She was the three-faced deity of those crossroads where three roads came together; her name meant "of the three ways". At the new moon, Athenians put on lavish entertainments and made sacrifices to her and distributed their gifts to the poor.

In medieval universities, the Trivium, or the studies of Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic, were considered the lesser "three ways" to mastering the seven Liberal Arts (compare Quadrivium), thus "Trivia" has consequently come to describe information of lighter weight or questionable worth.

Trivia, an urbane satirical poem by English poet John Gay (1716), invokes an invented 'Trivia,' goddess of streets and ways, to lead him on a ramble through London. The poem is a goldmine of information on contemporary social history.

See also: Trivial Pursuit and List of trivia lists