The Odyssey The Episodes

Mutiny

Troy Odysseus and his ships leave Troy after winning the Trojan War

Cicones Odysseus and his ships land at Ismarus, land of the Cicones They fight and defeat the Cicones 1 st mutiny: Odysseus tells his men to get back on the ships and they refuse Cicone army arrives and kills more than 70 men

Lotus-Eaters Blown off course by Zeus, Odysseus and his ships arrive at the land of the Lotus-Eaters Odysseus sends 3 men out to meet the Lotus-Eaters. They eat the Lotus and don’t want to come back Odysseus drags them back and forces them to leave

Cyclops Odysseus and his ships arrive at Cyclops’s island Cyclops eats 6 of Odysseus’s men Odysseus blinds Cyclops and they escape Odysseus taunts Cyclops, who then puts Poseidon’s curse on them

Aeolus Odysseus and his ships arrive at the home of Aeolus, Keeper of the Wind Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag of unfavorable winds Odysseus doesn’t tell his men what’s in the bag The men open the bag, releasing the bad winds just as they are about to arrive in Ithaca (2nd mutiny) and are blown far away

Laestrygonians (Cannibals) Odysseus and his ships are blown to the land of the Laestrygonians All the ships except Odysseus’s anchor in the harbor against Odysseus’s orders (3 rd mutiny) The Laestrygonians massacre and eat the men on the ships in the harbor Odysseus and one ship escape

Circe Odysseus’s ship arrives on Circe’s island Odysseus sends some men to investigate Circe’s cottage She turns the men into pigs Odysseus rescues them with the help of Hermes (and Zeus)

Circe (cont.) Circe falls in love with Odysseus Circe invites Odysseus and his men to stay for a few days to rest and recover She tricks them – they actually stay for a year Odysseus has a dream about his mother and decides to leave Circe sends them to the Land of the Dead

The Land of the Dead Odysseus and a few men arrive at the entrance to the Underworld Odysseus goes alone to meet Tiresias, who will tell them how to return home safely Odysseus meets some of his dead men, and then meets his mother, who has just died

Circe – Part 2 Odysseus returns to Circe’s island to pick up the rest of his men Circe interprets Tiresias’s message and tells Odysseus four things:

4 things Circe told Odysseus: 1.Avoid the Sirens – they will kill you with their beautiful songs 2.Avoid the Wandering Rocks by choosing to go past Scylla and Charybdis 3.Make a choice: Scylla will kill 6 of the men, but Charybdis will kill them all 4.Don’t eat the Cattle of Lord Helios, the Sun God!

Sirens / Wandering Rocks Odysseus tells his men about the Sirens He does NOT tell them about Scylla and Charybdis

Cattle of the Sun God Odysseus and his surviving men land on the island of Helios where storms prevent them from leaving. The food runs out, and Odysseus goes inland to pray to the gods for help. The gods put him to sleep. The men, led by Eurylochus, decided to kill the cattle and eat them. Helios demands revenge. Odysseus wakes up and finds what the men have done. He watches them feast for six days. The storms stop and the ship leaves. Once out at sea, Zeus sends a thunderbolt to destroy the ship, killing all the men. Odysseus floats on wreckage through Scylla and Charybdis. After nine days at sea, he lands on Calypso’s island.

Calypso Odysseus lands on Calypso’s island She holds him captive for 7 years Odysseus dreams of home and pines for Penelope Athena convinces Zeus to pity him, and he sends Hermes to tell Calypso to let Odysseus go Odysseus is given materials to build a raft and sails away Poseidon sends a great storm, which wrecks the raft on the shores of Phaeacia He is rescued by Nausicaa and brought to the court, where he tells his story to the King