1. Important People and Places
The Odyssey
Important People and Places

2. Ithaca
Odysseus’s home; his goal for the entire story is to return to this place.

3. Characters in ITHACA
Penelope: Odysseus’s wife. Faithfully waits for Odysseus’s return. Keeps suitors at bay by weaving, promising to be open to marriage when she is finished, and then unraveling whatever she has accomplished every night.

4. Telemachus: Odysseus’s son, born on the day Odysseus left for battle in Troy. Protects his mother from suitors and goes in search of Odysseus

5. Antinous and Eurymachus: two of Penelope’s chief suitors
Antinous and Eurymachus: two of Penelope’s chief suitors. Antinous is mean-spirited, while Eurymachus plots to kill Telemachus.
Eurycleia: Odysseus’s nurse; first person to recognize Odysseus when he returns to Ithaca.

6. Characters on the JOURNEY

7. Characters that cause trouble: The Ladies
Charybdis: female monster who sucks in water three times a day to form a deadly whirlpool.
Calypso: beautiful nymph goddess who keeps Odysseus on her island for seven years
Circe: enchantress and
goddess who turns
Odysseus’s men into swine

8. Scylla: female monster with six serpent heads, each head having a triple row of fangs
Sirens: sea nymphs
whose beautiful and
mysterious music lures
sailors to steer their
ships toward a dangerous rock.

9. Characters Who Cause trouble: The Gentlemen
Polyphemus: Cyclops who is blinded by Odysseus. Son of sea god Poseidon and from a race of brutish, one-eyed giants who live solitary lives as shepherds
Poseidon: the sea god. An adversary who puts obstacles in the way of Odysseus’s journey home

10. Other characters who cause trouble
Cicones: people living on the southwestern coast of Thrace who battled Odysseus and his men on their journey
Lotus Eaters: people who feed Odysseus’s men lotus plants to make them forget Ithaca
“Itha-whaaaa?”

11. The Gods Zeus: the most powerful god. His home is on Mt. Olympus
Apollo: god of poetry, music, prophecy, medicine, and archery. (He’s a busy guy.)
Athena: favorite daughter of Zeus; goddess of wisdom as well as war and peace. Favored the Greeks during the Trojan War

12. Cronus: Titan (giant god) who ruled the universe until his son Zeus overthrew him
Poseidon: god of the sea; brother of Zeus. Enemy of Odysseus
Helios: sun god
Hephaestus: god of metal working
Hermes: messenger god

13. Which character is represented by these pictures?
Can you guess?
Which character is represented by these pictures?

14. Charybdis

15. The Lotus Eaters

16. Poseidon

17. Zeus

18. Scylla

19. Polyphemus
(The Cyclops)

20. Calypso