Characters
This hero is the main character of the epic, known for his cleverness, bravery, and long journey home after the Trojan War.
Who is Odysseus?
This is the first place Odysseus and his men land after leaving Troy, where they are attacked by the Cicones.
What is Ismarus?
This theme is shown when Penelope waits for Odysseus for 20 years.
What is Loyalty?
This one-eyed monster traps Odysseus and his men in his cave, but they escape by blinding him.
Who is Polyphemus?
This person is Odysseus’ wife, who remains loyal to him for 20 years, despite the numerous suitors wanting to be with her.
Who is Penelope?
This Cyclops is blinded by Odysseus after trapping him and his crew in a cave.
Who is Polyphemus?
This is the land where the inhabitants eat the flowers. causing Odysseus' men to forget their desire to return home.
What is the Land of the Lotus-Eaters?
Odysseus shows this theme when he chooses to leave Calypso and return home.
What is love for home/temptation?
This six-headed monster devours six of Odysseus’s men when they pass her lair.
Who is Scylla?
Odysseus' son, who embarks on his own journey to find his father and help him return to Ithaca.
Who is Telemachus?
This hero and friend of Odysseus dies on Circe’s island after drinking too much and falling from a roof.
Who is Elpenor?
Odysseus and his men are turned into pigs by who lives on this island, but with her help, they eventually continue their journey.
What is Aeaea, the island of Circe?
The Phaeacians helping Odysseus (giving him food and shelter) is an example of this theme.
What is hospitality?
This deadly whirlpool swallows ships whole, posing a threat to Odysseus’s crew.
What is Charybdis?
This character is Odysseus' father, who lives on the island of Ithaca but is ultimately reunited with his son.
Who is Laertes?
He is the king of the Phaeacians who helps Odysseus return to Ithaca after hearing his story.
Who is Alcinous?
After escaping Circe, Odysseus travels to this dark and terrifying place and meets the blind prophet Tiresias.
What is the Underworld (or Hades)?
Odysseus proves his identity to Penelope by describing this object, which only he would know about.
What is identity?
Odysseus must navigate past these dangerous, singing creatures who lure sailors to their doom.
Who are the Sirens?
This character is the mother of Odysseus, whom he encounters in the Underworld during his journey.
Who is Anticlea?
After leaving the land of the dead, Odysseus receives advice from this prophet on how to make it home safely.
Who is Tiresias?
This island, home to the sun god Helios, is where Odysseus' men slaughter the sacred cattle, angering the god.
What is Thrinacia?
Odysseus’s longing to return home to Ithaca after years of struggle reflects this theme, often tied to a desire for one’s homeland.
What is nostalgia?
Whos cattle of this sun god must not be eaten, or consequences will follow for Odysseus’s men.
Who are Helios's cattle?
This character is the first to recognize Odysseus after his return to Ithaca, despite his disguise, showing deep familial loyalty.
Who is Eurycleia (Odysseus' nurse)?