Odyssey
From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.
The Odyssey is, along with the Iliad, one of the two major Greek epic poems traditionally said to be written by Homer. It is said to be written in Greece about 900 BC.
The poem is the story about Odysseus's ten-year-long voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. (Most of the Trojan War is told in the Iliad.) At the same time, his wife Penelope has to fight off a lot of men who want to marry her; and his son Telemachos searches for him.
Along the way, Odysseus and his men have to fight monsters and many other dangers. The main events (places he goes, creatures and people he meets) of Odysseus' journey are:
- the Kikones
- the Lotus Eaters
- the Cyclops Polyphemos
- Aiolos, keeper of the winds
- the Laistrygones
- the sorceress Kirke
- the Underworld
- the Sirens
- the sea monsters Skylla and Charybdis
- Helios' cattle
- the nymph Kalypso
- the Phaeacians
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[edit] Story
[edit] The Kyklops
On his journey home after the Trojan War, Odysseus lands on the island of the Kyklops Polyphemos. They come to the cave where Polyphemos lives. But then Polyphemos comes back and he does not let them leave his cave, and he also eats some of Odysseus' men. Odysseus then thinks of a plan to get away. He tells Polyphemos that his name is "Nobody", and gives him wine to drink. When he is sleeping, Odysseus and his men make a wooden pole (a big stick), and use it to destroy the Kyklops Polyphemos' only eye, so he could not see them anymore. The next morning Polyphemos lets his sheep out of the cave, but touches their backs so no one of the men could ride out on them. But Odysseus and his men hold themselves on the underside of the sheep, and so they get out. When Polyphemos realizes that Odysseus got away, he called the other Kyklopes for help. They asked him what happened, and he said "Nobody hurt me.", and so the other Kyklopes went away again. When Odysseus was on his ship again, he called out to Polyphemos and told him who he was. Polyphemos was very angry and threw a rock at them, but it did not hit the ship. Then, as revenge, he asked his father Poseidon that all of Odysseus' men should die and that Odysseus should only come home to Ithaca after ten years.
[edit] The Sirens
Odysseus and his ship have to pass the Siren's island. The Sirens were always singing very beautifully, so sailors would try to go to them, but their ships would get destroyed, and they would die. Odysseus tells his men to put wax in their ears, so they will not hear the song of the sirens. He also tells his men to bind him to the ship's mast, so he cannot go to the sirens when he hears their song. His men can then look at Odysseus and see when he cannot hear the sirens anymore, because he is calm again. Then they can take the wax out of their ears, and free Odysseus.
[edit] Kalypso
After escaping from the sea, and the death of his men, Odysseus comes to the island Ogygia. On this island lives the nymph Kalypso, and Odysseus stayed with her for seven years. But then the god Hermes came and told her that the gods said that she had to let Odysseus go. Kalypso promised Odysseus immortality (that he would live forever) if he stayed, but he wanted to go back to his wife Penelope. So Odysseus built a raft and left her.
[edit] The Phaeacians
After a storm, Odysseus comes to the island of the Phaeacians. There he is found by the king's daughter Nausikaä. Nausikaä brings him to the palace of her father, King Alkinoos. During his time there, Odysseus tell the story of his journey. After this, Alkinoos gives Odysseus a ship and sends him home to Ithaca.
[edit] The Homeric Question
The Iliad and the Odyssey describe parts of ancient Greek culture. Homer is believed to have used these stories to write down what had only been passed from parents to children by word of mouth. The "Homeric Question" is - how much of these stories were written by Homer, and how much of them were ancient Greek stories that he decided to include?
[edit] Notes
- The English word Odyssey, meaning "long journey," comes from this book.
- The Roman name for Odysseus is Ulysses.
- James Joyce's 1922 book Ulysses is based on the book by Homer, but it is much different.
