Odyssey Background
Who wrote The Odyssey?
Homer
What was the name of the 6 headed monster?
Scylla
Where does Telemachus go to seek word of his father? Name at least one of the cities.
Pylos and Sparta
In the Trojan War, Odysseus is well-known for coming up with the idea for this thing. What was it?
The Trojan Horse
What did Odysseus put in his men's ears to avoid the song of the Sirens?
Wax
What does the concept of Xenia mean?
Hospitality
How does Odysseus overcome Circe's powers and who helps him do so?
Hermes gives him a special herb that he eats to prevent Circe's potion from working on him.
How does Penelope delay the suitors from marrying her?
She promises to marry one of the suitors after she completes a shroud for Odysseus's father. Every night she takes out some of the stitches so that she won't complete it.
What does Odysseus NOT tell his men about Scylla?
That Scylla will have to kill some of his men
Explain the first part of Tiresius's prophesy
Do not eat or kill the cattle of Helios
Much of The Odyssey is Odysseus retelling his adventures from this location. Who he is with?
The Phaecians
What is the name of the Cyclops?
Polyphemus
Who is Odysseus's father?
Laertes
Who are the Laestrygonians and what do they do in the story?
Giant cannibals who throw rocks at Odysseus's ship and kill/eat his men.
How many years is Odysseus away from home in total?
20
The genre of The Odyssey: An epic ________
An epic poem
Who gives Odysseus directions to the underworld/Land of the Dead?
Circe
Who is the woman who recognizes Odysseus before he reveals himself to everyone?
Eurycleia
This is the most arrogant suitor and the one who is killed first
Antinous
Who is Argos?
Odysseus's dog
The Odyssey begins in "Media Res." What does this mean?
In the middle of the action
Who is the Lord of the Winds?
Aeolus
What is Penelope's final test to see if Odysseus is really who he says he is?
She asks for their bed to be moved, but Odysseus knows it cannot be moved since one of its posts is a tree.
Who are the three mortal men who help Odysseus defeat the suitors?
Telemachus, Eumaeus, and Philoetius
Explain the last part of Tiresius's prophesy
Odysseus should take an oar and walk inland to a a land where they don't know about the sea. At this point, he should offer a sacrifice to Poseidon.