The Odyssey ~ 0r ~ Travelin’ Man

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

~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

~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

~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

~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

The Gods

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

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

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

~Helios~  sun god

~Hephaestus~  god of metalworking

~Hermes~  messenger god

~Olympus~  mountain home of the gods

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

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

The End