Odyssey Characters and Literary Terms
Cicones
Citizens of Thrace, allies of Troy; Odysseus and his men raid Thrace after they leave Troy. After the crew loots too much, these people kill six men per ship.
epithet
an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned
Achaeans
another word for the Greeks; specifically, the people in northeastern Greece.
Tiresias
blind prophet who advised Odysseus
hubris
excessive pride/ arrogance
Charybdis
female monster who sucks water to form a deadly whirlpool
Poseidon
god of the sea, earthshaker
Hermes
messenger and herald of the gods
Telemachus
son of Odysseus and Penelope, heir to the throne of Ithaca, young prince, poised
Helios
sun god, mad at Odysseus for eating his cattle
Laertes
the father of Odysseus
Calypso
the sea nymph who detained Odysseus for seven years
invocation to the muse
the summoning of a deity or the supernatural asking for help to tell a story/ work on a piece of art; the poet's appeal to the goddess of poetry
Underworld
the world of the dead
Homeric 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. Ravishing singers
Ithaca
Home of Odysseus
Alcinous
King of the Phaeacians, who helps Odysseus.
Zeus
King of the gods
Phaeacia
Land where Nausicaa and her parents rule - they hear Odysseus' story and help him get home.
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.
Circe
The "lustrous witch-goddess" who transforms Odysseus's crew into swine when he lands on her island.
Penelope
The wife of Odysseus and a symbol of devotion and fidelity
Homer
A Greek poet, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey
Polyphemus
A cyclops (one-eyed giant) and son of Poseidon
Antinous
Bold suitor, leader of the suitors, first to get shot with arrow.
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 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
Scylla
6 headed monster lives on this island
Cyclopes
Race of one-eyed monsters who live lawless and don't fear the gods
Athena
Sparkling eyed goddess, gray eyed goddess, and favorite daughter of Zeus. Greek goddess of wisdom, war and peace; friend of Odysseus
hero's journey
a character follows steps in order to accomplish a task or transform into a better person
epic
a long narrative poem from the oral tradition about the deeds and adventures of a hero and is meant to teach us about life
mythology
a set of beliefs held by a culture
in medias res
a story that begins in the middle of things; starting in the middle, so most of the story is a flashback
