You a "muse" me
Homer begins The Odyssey by invoking this ~ which is a traditional feature of epic poetry.
What is a muse?
This messenger of the gods is sent by Zeus to order Calypso to release Odysseus.
Who is Hermes?
This character exemplifies the Greek value of xenia by offering Odysseus shelter and assistance after all his men had perished, helping him finally return home.
Who is King Alcinous?
The figurative language in the line “driving veils of squall moved down like night on land and sea” is an example of this literary device.
What is a similie?
The Cyclops’ refusal to offer food, shelter, or respect to his guests is a violation of this sacred Greek code.
What is xenia?
This king of the winds hosted Odysseus for a month and gave him a bag of stormy winds.
Who is Aeolus?
The crew's death is blamed on their own recklessness. This reflects what recurring Greek theme about human limitations.
What is hubris?
This is the item Hermes carries that can charm men to sleep or awaken them.
What is a magic wand?
This city, raided by Odysseus and his men, was the home of the Cicones.
What is Isamarus?
Odysseus and his men drifted at sea for this many days before reaching the land of the Lotus-Eaters.
What is 9 days?
This trait (and vocab word) of Odysseus allows him to outwit the Cyclops and escape.
What is guile?
This is the reason Odysseus’s men opened the bag, thinking it contained gold & silver.
What is greed (or mistrust of Odysseus)?
She steps in to help Odysseus because she admires him.
Who is Athena?
Odysseus builds this crucial item for his escape from Calypso’s island, as instructed by the goddess herself.
What is a raft?
Odysseus and his crew did this to the city of the Cicones which led to a brutal counterattack.
What is plunder the city and enslave the women?
This detail shows that the Lotus-Eaters are not physically violent, but still dangerous in their own way.
What is it causes them to lose all memory of home and their desire to return?
This was the initial improvised weapon Odysseus prepared to use against the Cyclops before deciding against it due to the exit being blocked.
What is a sharp sword aimed at the liver?
This herb, given by Hermes, protects Odysseus from Circe’s spells.
What is moly?
While Odysseus is lost, this family member must begin his own journey of maturity.
Who is Telemachus?
This is the specific number of days Odysseus must sail before he reaches the island of Phaeacia after leaving Calypso's island.
What is twenty?
This action by Odysseus's crew led to their delayed departure from Ismarus and eventually losing 72 men.
What is getting drunk and feasting on livestock?
This leadership tactic shows Odysseus’s decisiveness and refusal to leave any man behind, despite their resistance.
What is physically dragging the men back to the ship and tying them under their benches and giving a strict warning to the others.
This is what Odysseus offered to the Cyclops, which played a crucial role in their eventual escape.
What is Maron's wine?
This aspect of Circe’s hospitality shows a dark twist on the Greek concept of xenia.
What is her use of food and drink to enchant and imprison guests?
The suitors’ plan to do this so that he doesn't interfere in one of them marrying Penelope.
What is to kill Telemachus?
After surviving the storm and swimming to shore on Phaeacia, Odysseus does this immediately.
What is he hides under the bushes and falls asleep?
This is what Odysseus’s men did to mourn their fallen comrades before sailing away from Ismarus.
What is raising a cry three times for each poor ghost/soul?
The structure of this episode in The Odyssey follows a common mythological motif in which heroes must resist this kind of temptation.
What is the temptation to forget one's purpose or goal?
Polyphemus attributes his ram's slowness to this.
What is grief over the Cyclop's eye?
Before Circe will let Odysseus leave, she insists he must first travel to this place to seek guidance.
What is the land of the dead (or Hades)?