The Adventures of Odysseus Homer the Poet Credited

The Adventures of Odysseus

Homer, the Poet Credited with writing the two most famous epics of all time: the Illiad and the Odyssey. Stories passed down orally during the Homeric Age. Poetic form & rhyme– easy for story-teller to remember.

Let the journey begin…

Troy Odysseus begins his adventure at Troy. As a general, he went to go command in the Trojan War. The war raged on for ten full years with no end in sight. Luckily for the Greeks, the shrewd Odysseus formulated a very cunning ruse. The Trojan Horse was his brilliant scheme: a giant wooden horse, supposedly a gift to the Trojans, filled with Greek men ready to spring a surprise attack. This strategy won the war for the Greeks. Unfortunately for Odysseus, his arrogance and lack of worship to the Gods caused Poseidon to have distaste towards him.

Island of the Cicones Odysseus landed on the Island of the Cicones after the Trojan War. His men raided the island pillaged its luxuries. Odysseus urged his men to take what was needed and leave quickly, but they did not listen; their greed kept them on the island. As they were looting, the Cicones' army attacked Odysseus's men while they were busy enjoying themselves in a drunken stupor. Odysseus's men were fighting a losing battle, but they fought on bravely. Six benches of men on each ship were lost.

Island of the Lotus Eaters After the Island of the Cicones, Odysseus landed on the Island of the Lotus Eaters. The Lotus is a plant that forces the eater to lose all grip on reality. Once it is eaten, the person knows nothing nor cares for anything other than eating the lotus plant. Odysseus sent in two men to scout the area. When they did not come back, Odysseus sent in to find them. He found the two men hopelessly addicted to eating the lotus plant. Odysseus tied the two men up and forced them into the ship against their will and sails away.

Island of the Cyclopes Odysseus then lands on an Island populated with bloodthirsty Cyclopes. The men land here out of desperation; they need water and food. Odysseus and his men go to explore a large cave that was just found, but little do they know of the peril that awaits. Inside, they find a cache of cheese and wine. Despite his men's constant pleading, Odysseus decides to stay in the cave, awaiting its owner's return. A huge, lumbering Cyclops enters the cave as they are feasting, and he is not very happy about the intruders. Polyphemus, the Cyclops, eats two of Odysseus's men. Odysseus becomes worried.

Later, Odysseus formulates a very cunning plan. He tells the Cyclops his name is Nobody, intoxicates the Cyclops, then blinds him while Polyphemus is sleeping. Polyphemus shouts, "Nobody blinded me!" so no one comes to his aid. Then Odysseus and his men escape from the cave by hiding under Polyphemus's sheep.

Aeolia Odysseus next lands on Aeolia, home of Aeolus, god of the winds. Aeolus bottles up all of the bad winds and gives Odysseus the bag filled with them. He did this to make his journey home safe. With Ithaca in sight, Odysseus's men become greedy and decide to open the bag. This causes the winds to blow them back to Aeolia. Aeolus sends them on their way because he fears their journey is cursed by the gods.

Island of the Laestragonians Odysseus‘ next stop was the Island of the Laestrygonians. Here his men were ravaged by ravenous cannibals. They ate all but one ship of Odysseus' men.

Circe's Island Circe turns Odysseus' men to swine, but Odysseus is protected from her magic with the help of Hermes, who gave him a magical herb called Moly. Odysseus ends up staying there for what seems like a short time, but ended up being a couple years. Before Odysseus departs, Circe finally tells him that he needs to find the blind prophet Teiresias in the Underworld.

The Underworld Odysseus consults the prophet Teiresias to ask how he can get home, and finds his mothere, who has committed suicide in depression.

The Island of the Sirens Odysseus and his men pass here, an island with women singing their luring songs, trying to reel in sailors. So they do not hear, Odysseus fills his mens ears with beeswax, and he has them tie him to the mast.

Scylla and Charybdis Odysseus chooses to sail for Scylla, a sixheaded sea serpent, rather than Charybdis, a giant whirlpool. He did this because he knew that if he went to Charybdis, the whole ship would be destroyed. However, if he went towards Scylla, six men would die. A sacrifice the brave Odysseus decided to make.

The Island of Helios They stop here, and Odysseus falls asleep praying to Athena. While sleeping, his men once again go against his orders and eat Helios' cattle. This outrages the god, and he threatens never to rise again. As a punishment, Zeus throws a bolt of lightning at the ship, and turns it to splinters. Only Odysseus survives.

Calypso’s Island Odysseus finds this island after drifting in the sea. It is a island of women, with a nymph named Calypso, with whom Odysseus has a seven-year affair with. After the seven years, Hermes convinces Calypso to let Odysseus build a new ship so he could sail home.

The Island of the Phaecians The Phaecians accept Odysseus, and he explains his ten-year journey to them during a feast. They happily give him a ride home on one of their magical ships.

Ithaca Odysseus finally arrives home, and sees his son, Telemachus, for the first time in 15 years. He and Telemachus kill all of the suitors, and Odysseus takes his place as king, once again, alongside his wife Penelope.