1. The Odyssey
~ 0r ~
Travelin’ Man

2. Introduction
Homer: The man credited with gathering great war stories from ancient Greece
The Iliad: tells of a ten-year war fought on the plains outside the walls of the great city of Troy.
 The Odyssey: tells the story of the attempt by one Greek soldier, Odysseus, to get home after the Trojan War.

3. Epics and Values
Epics are long narrative poems that tell of the adventures of heroes who in some way embody the values of their civilizations.
The Iliad is the primary model for the epic of war.
The Odyssey is the model for the epic of the long journey.
Some examples of the theme of the journey in Western Literature: The Hobbit, The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars and Forrest Gump

4. The War-Story Background: Violence & Brutality
According to the Iliad - the Greeks attacked Troy to avenge the insult suffered by Menelaus, King of Sparta, when his wife, Helen, ran off with Paris, a young prince of Troy.
1,000 ships sailed across the Aegean Sea and encircled the walled city of Troy. Helen was so beautiful, it has been said that her face “…launched 1,000 ships.”
The Greeks were eventually victorious, reduced the city to smoldering ruins, and butchered the inhabitants, except for those they took as slaves back to Greece.

5. Odysseus: A Hero in Trouble
 Heroes are often placed somewhere between the gods and ordinary human beings.
 Odysseus was a great soldier in the war, but the people of his homeland, Ithaca, lacked respect for him.
 Odysseus marries the beautiful and ever-faithful Penelope and together they have a son, Telemachus.

6. The Wooden-Horse Trick
Odysseus is the one who thought up the famous wooden-horse trick that lead to the downfall of Troy.
The plan: build an enormous wooden horse and hide a few Greek soldiers inside, push the horse to the walls of Troy and retreat.
The outcome: Thinking that the Greeks had given up and left the horse as a peace offering, the Trojans bring the horse inside the city walls, at nightfall the Greek soldiers inside come out and open the gates of Troy to the whole Greek Army and win the war.

7. Relationships With The Gods
Myths are stories that use fantasy to express ideas about life that cannot be expressed easily in realistic terms.
They are concerned with the relationship between human beings and the unknown or spiritual realm.
Homer is religious and feels the gods control all things.
Athena (the goddess of wisdom) is at Odysseus’ side – represents his keen mental abilities. Poseidon (the god of sea) represents Odysseus’ arrogance and brutishness.

8. ~People and Places~ Aeaea: home of Circe, the witch-goddess
Alcinous: king of Phaeacia
Calypso: beautiful goddess-nymph who keeps Odysseus on her island for 7 years
Charybdis: female monster who sucks in water 3 times a day to form a deadly whirlpool
Cicones: people living on the southwestern coast of Thrace, who battled Odysseus and his men on their journey home.
Circe: witch-goddess who turns Odysseus’ men to swine
Erebus: dark place through which the dead pass before entering Hades.
Eurylochus: one of Odysseus’ loyal crew

9. ~More People and Places~
Lotus Eaters: people who feed Odysseus’ men lotus plants to make them forget Ithaca
Phaeacia: island kingdom ruled by king Alcinous
Polyphemus: son of Poseidon; the cyclops blinded by Odysseus
Scylla: female monster with 6 serpent heads, each head having a triple row of fangs
Sirens: sea nymphs who use their music to lure sailors to shipwreck
Teiresias: blind prophet from the city of Thebes
Thrinakia: land where the sun god Helios keeps his cattle

10. ~People at Home in Ithaca~
Antinous: One of Penelope’s leading suitors – arrogant and mean
Eumaeus: swineherd who is loyal to Odysseus
Eurycleia: Odysseus’ old nurse
Eurymachus: suitor of Penelope

11. ~More People at Home in Ithaca~
Eurynome: Penelope’s housekeeper
Penelope: Odysseus’ faithful wife
Philoeteus: cowherd who is loyal to Odysseus
Telemachus: Odysseus’ son – is a toddler when Odysseus leaves for the Trojan War

12. The Gods

13. ~Apollo~
 god of poetry, music, prophecy, medicine, and archery

14. ~Athena~
 daughter of Zeus; goddess of wisdom and the arts of war and peace

15. ~Cronus~
 a Titan (giant god) who ruled the universe until his son Zeus overthrew him

16. ~Helios~
 sun god

17. ~Hephaestus~
 god of metalworking

18. ~Hermes~
 messenger god

19. ~Olympus~
 mountain home of the gods

20. ~Poseidon~
 god of the sea; brother of Zeus

21. ~Zeus~
 most powerful god, whose home is on Olympus

22. The End