12 Olympian Gods & Goddesses, Odyssey Part 1 Review, Gods & Goddesses Review, The Odyssey: Part One Study Guide

How does Zeus punish Odysseus after his men kill Helios' cattle?

Zeus destroys Odysseus' ship with a thunderbolt, and all of his men die.

Poseidon

Zeus's brother, god of the sea, carries a trident

Athena

Zeus's favorite daughter, sprang fully grown & fully armored from his head, goddess of wisdom & war, second virgin goddess

"The Maiden"

Athena

Zeus' favorite daughter

Athena

Hades

God of the land of the dead, Zeus's brother, banned from Mt. Olympus, has no pity, & has a magic helmet that can make you invisible if you wear it.

Poseidon

God of the sea, curses Odysseus' travel home to Ithaca

Where does Odysseus end up after his ship is destroyed and his men are killed?

Calypso's island

What is an archetype?

Characters, plots, and themes that are repeated in literature and popular culture.

Cicones

Citizens of Thrace, allies of Troy; Odysseus and his men raid Thrace after they leave Troy.

Banned from Mt. Olympus

Hades

God of the Underworld

Hades

Owns a magic helmet to make him invisible

Hades

Who are the Sirens?

Half-bird/half-woman creatures who sing to lure sailors to their island.

What does he ask from his men to do so that he can be the first and only man to survive hearing the song of the sirens?

He asks them to tie him to the ship.

Tiresias

blind prophet who advised Odysseus

Epithet

brief phrase that describes a character

The Odyssey is not told in chronological order. Instead, it begins __________

en medias res

Charybdis

female monster who sucks water to form a deadly whirlpool

Poseidon

god of the sea

Epic hero

main character in an epic

Hermes

messenger and herald of the gods

Telemachus

son of Odysseus and Penelope, heir to the throne of Ithaca

Beginning in medias res

starting in the middle, so most of the story is a flashback

List characteristics of an Epic Hero

strength, helped and harmed by interfering gods, embodies ideals and values important to a culture, always emerges victorious

Helios

sun god

Laertes

the father of Odysseus

invocation of the muse

the poet's appeal to the goddess of poetry

Calypso

the sea nymph who detained Odysseus for seven years

Underworld

the world of the dead

How do we know that Cyclopes are uncivilized

they dont have laws, dont farm, dont have community meetings

myths

traditional stories told through generations about cultural beliefs, customs, and/or religions

Homeric simile / Epic Simile

Compare heroic or epic events to simple and easily understandable everyday events; long--usually over many lines.

the Sirens

Creatures who can spellbind any man alive who catches their voice in the air.

The Sirens

Creatures who tempt Odysseus and his men with their voices.

Elpenor

Crewmate that dies and meets Odysseus and his men in the Land of the Dead

What does it say about Odysseus that he wanted to stay at the Cyclops' island even though his men begged him to leave? (This was before he met the cyclops.)

He is prideful, curious, take risks, etc.

How does Polyphemus curse Odysseus?

He prays to Poseidon that Odysseus' trip would take a long time, that all of his men would die, and that he would return to chaos at home on a stranger's boat.

How does Odysseus keep his men from hearing the Sirens' songs?

He puts beeswax in their ears.

What does Odysseus do upon leaving the Cyclopes island? What do his men think about it?

He yells to the Cyclops, giving away their location. The men think its reckless and dangerous.

Forges all armor for gods

Hephaestus

God of Fire

Hephaestus

Secret Protector of Marriage & Married Life

Hera

God of Speed

Hermes

Messenger of the gods

Hermes

Zeus' sister

Hestia

Three Virgin Goddesses

Hestia Athena Artemis

Ithaca

Home of Odysseus

What is Odysseus' fatal flaw?

Hubris, or excessive pride.

What are the characteristics of the epic plot?

It involves strange creatures, treacherous weather, and large-scale events. The gods and goddesses intervene.

Why is the lotus plant so dangerous?

It makes men forget about home; has characteristics of addictive drug

Where is Odysseus' home?

Ithaca

To whom is Odysseus telling his story

King Alcinous

Alcinous

King of the Phaeacians on Scheria, who helps Odysseus.

Zeus

King of the gods

Lotus Eaters

Legendary people visited by Odysseus, they live on a plant whose fruit induces stupor and forgetfulness of home

Odysseus

Main character of the Odyssey. Son of Laertes and Anticleia, husband of Penelope and father of Telemachus. A cunning, shrewd and eloquent hero.

What are the characteristics of epic setting?

More than one location. Fantastic or exotic lands.

Who is Scylla?

She is a 6 headed monster who eats 6 of Odysseus' men.

Who is Charybdis?

She is a monstrous whirlpool.

Circe

She turns Odysseus' men into pigs. She later encourages Odysseus to go to the Land of The Dead so that he might be able to eventually make it home.

Scylla

Six-headed sea monster who lives near the whirlpool Charybdis; she eats six of Odysseus' men.

Polyphemus

Son of Poseidon, the cyclops that Odysseus and his men blind. He curses Odysseus and prays against him to Poseidon.

Circe

The beautiful witch-goddess who transforms Odysseus's crew into swine when he lands on her island.

Odysseus

The main character/epic hero of The Odyssey

Helios

The sun god, whose cattle Odysseus' men slaughter.

Penelope

The wife of Odysseus and a symbol of devotion and fidelity

Why do the men kill the cattle?

They are starving.

How do Odysseus and his men escape the Cyclopes' cave?

They are tied to the underbellies of the sheep.

Homer

A Greek poet, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey

Apollo

A beautiful god & master musician, often entertains the gods on Mt. Olympus with his golden lyre, god of archery, prophecy & music, Artemis's twin.

Who is Elpenor? What does he ask of Odysseus?

A crewmate who died in Circe's hall; he asks Odysseus to bury him.

Polyphemus

A cyclops (one-eyed giant) and son of Poseidon

Entertains the gods on Mt. Olympus

Apollo

God of Music, Archery, & Prophecy

Apollo

Twin god & goddess

Apollo & Artemis

God of War

Ares

Goddess of the Moon & Hunt

Artemis

Two faces: Good & Evil

Artemis

Controls the thunderbolt

Zeus

Defeated Cronus & sent Titans to prison

Zeus

The Lotus Eaters

Offer the Lotus plant to Odysseus' men that makes them forget their homeland

Troy

A kingdom that was destroyed by the Greeks in the Trojan War. It is located on the western coast of Asia Minor

odyssey

A long journey

epic

A long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds

Epic Simile

A long, extended comparison

epic hero

A main character in an epic whose legendary or heroic actions are central to his/her culture, race, or nation.

Aeolus

A mortal whom Zeus has appointed keeper of the winds.

Olympus

A mountain in Greece, which is home to many of the gods and goddesses

Laestrygonians

A race of cannibals who throw boulders at Odysseus' ships

Born from the Sea

Aphrodite

Goddess of Love & Beauty

Aphrodite

Scylla

6 headed monster lives on this island

conflict

A struggle between opposing forces

Who gave Odysseus a bag of bad winds in order to ease his way home?

Aeolus

Married to Hephaestus

Aphrodite

imagery

Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

What is the first thing that Odysseus tells his men once they arrive to the island of the sun god, Helios?

Don't eat the cattle.

Iliad

Epic poem that tells the story of the Trojan War

Athena

Favorite daughter of Zeus. Greek goddess of wisdom, war and peace; friend of Odysseus

Hestia

First of the three virgin goddesses, goddess of the Hearth and domestic life, Zeus's sister, often pictured with a tea kettle

Hephaestus

God of fire, thrown from Mt. Olympus by his mother because he was so lame & ugly. Makes all the armor for the gods and builds their houses.

Hermes

God of speed, messenger for the gods. Has winged sandals, a winged helmet & a winged magic wand.

Ares

God of war, hated by his parents, Zeus & Hera.

Aphrodite

Goddess of love & beauty that was born from the sea. Married to Hephaestus.

Artemis

Goddess of the moon & hunt, Apollo's twin, often known for having two faces: good & evil, last of the virgin goddesses

Calypso

Goddess who keeps Odysseus on her island for 7years as she tries to make him fall in love with her

Achaeans

Greeks; specifically, the people of Achaea in northeastern Greece.

What happened at the land of Cicones?

Odysseus' men raided this land, fighting the men and trying to take the women and children as slaves; 72 of Odysseus' men died in battle

Why doesn't Odysseus kill the Cyclops in the cave?

Only Polyphemus could remove the boulder from the opening of the cave.

Cyclopes

Race of one-eyed monsters who live lawless and don't fear the gods

Zeus

Ruler of all gods, controls the lightning bolt, married to Hera, killed father, Cronus

God of the Seas

Poseidon

Brothers of Zeus

Poseidon Hades

Who does Odysseus travel to see in The Land of the Dead?

Tiresias

Hera

Wife & sister of Zeus, Queen of gods, special protector of marriage & married women, angry goddess who doesn't forgive or forget

Epic

a long narrative poem

Invocation

a prayer or petition for help or support to tell a story

Allusion

a reference to a work of literature in another piece of literature