Word Play
This word is created from the Greek roots nostros ("return journey) together with algos ("pain").
What is the word "nostalgia"?
This enchantress has the power to turn men into animals.
Who is Circe?
Penelope is the queen of which Greek island?
What is Ithaca?
On his way home, this king--husband to Helen--was shipwrecked by a storm that landed him in Egypt.
Who is Menelaos?
The Odyssey was composed by this poet, or rather many people who are designated by this one name.
Who is Homer?
These female creatures, half bird half woman, are known for luring sailors with their singing.
Who are Sirens?
Penelope has been beseiged by these people while Odysseus has been away.
Who are suitors?
Odysseus uses his wits to outsmart this giant Cyclopes, who has trapped the warriors in a cave.
Who is Polyphemos?
This hero was killed in his bath, after arriving home to Sparta.
Who is Agamemnon?
This goddess is Odysseus' constant ally on his trip.
Who is Athene?
She is a "cave-dwelling flesh-eater with twelve feet and six necks, each neck topped with a ghastly head."
Who is Skylla?
Penelope hosts a tournament for her suitors, who must accomplish this if they seek her hand in marriage.
What is shoot an arrow through 12 axeheads in a line?
At the edge of the Underworld, Odysseus is able to summon the ghosts of the dead by performing this act.
What is sacrifice an animal?
This Greek warrior, who raped Cassandra, was struck by a thunderbolt and speared to death by Poseidon's trident.
Who is Aias?
This adjective, meaning intelligent, is a key word used to describe Odysseus.
What is "crafty"?
She offers to make Odysseus immortal, thus tempting him to abandon his journey home.
Who is Kalypso?
Upon his return Odysseus is put to the test by Penelope and it is his intimate knowledge about this household item that convinces Penelope he is her husband.
What is their marriage bed?
This god wreaks havoc with Odysseus' ship during the journey home.
Who is Poseidon?
Upon his return to Ithaca, Odysseus gains admission into the palace disguised as this.
What is a beggar?
In one version of The Odyssey, Circe and Odysseus have a son, whose name means this in Greek.
What is 'Born Far Away'?
Odysseus meets this beautiful and wise young woman, a princess on the island of Scheria, a final temptation and most powerful obstacle to his return.
Who is Nausikaa?
In an alternative version of The Odyssey, Penelope is said to have been unfaithful to Odysseus during his absence, and is then cast out of Ithaca to wed this god.
Who is Hermes? (And with Hermes, Penelope becomes the mother of Pan.)
This goddess is Odysseus' constant ally on his trip.
Who is Athene?
Odysseus's return to Ithaca is a bloody one because of this action that he takes.
What is the slaying of all of Penelope's suitors? (And an ensuing battle with their fathers and brothers, who want vengeance.)