Pre-Odyssey Background
Greek warrior who come up with the clever plan that help him win the Trojan War
Who is Odysseus?
The king of the gods; god of thunder and the skies
Who is Zeus?
the most likely author of both The Iliad and The Odyssey
Who is Homer?
the name Odysseus uses when the cyclops asks him his name
Who is Nobody?
Odysseus' disguise given to him by Athena when he arrives on his island of Ithaca
Who is the old beggar?
The prop used to trick the Trojans into thinking the Greeks have surrendered and given them a peace offering.
What is the Trojan horse?
Queen of the gods; married to the god Zeus; commonly tests the characters of mortals; hates demigods because they are the result of adultery
Who is Hera?
The Greek island to which Odysseus strives to return after the Trojan War
What is Ithaca?
Name of the enchantress who turns Odysseus' men into swine; holds Odysseus on her island for one year
Who is Circe?
Name of Odysseus' dog who passes away in bittersweet happiness upon hearing the voice of his master one last time
Who is Argos?
A sea god who holds a longstanding grudge against Odysseus for blinding his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus. He makes Odysseus's journey home very long and difficult
Who is Poseidon?
The goddess of military strategy and wisdom who sided with and helped Odysseus win the battle against Penelope's suitors
Who is Athena?
the fallen goddess who falls in love with and holds Odysseus on her island for seven years until Zeus sends her a command to release him
Who is Calypso?
the place the enchantress tells Odysseus he must go to if he wants to make it home alive
What is the Land of the Dead?
What is the Underworld?
The two challenges given to the suitors to prove themselves worthy of marrying Penelope (name both in the order in which they appear)
What is stringing the bow?
What is the archery contest?
Woman named the "face that launched a thousand ships"; often credited as the reason the Trojan War began
Who is Helen of Troy?
God of music, poetry, art, prophecy, archery, medicine, light, and the sun; Roman name is the same as his Greek name
Who is Apollo?
The plant that Odysseus' men consume that causes them to want to stay and never return home
What is the Lotus flower?
The three various monsters of the seas that Odysseus and his men face (all 3 in the order in which they appear)
Who are the Sirens?
Who is Scylla?
Who is Charybdis?
Name of the suitor who is killed first by Odysseus and is then blamed for the wrongdoings of ALL the suitors by Eurymachus
Who is Antinous?
Central character in Homer's The Iliad who fought and killed Hector, the Trojan hero. He himself, almost completely invulnerable, was slain in battle when he received an arrow to his heel.
Who is Achilles?
the god who works primarily under Zeus; he was sent to Earth to command the fallen goddess to release Odysseus from her island after holding him there for seven years
Who is Hermes?
The name of the cyclops that entraps Odysseus and his men inside his cave; the cyclops' father is the god Poseidon
Who is Polyphemus?
Threatens to take away the sun and shine it among the dead in the Underworld if the king of the gods does not punish Odysseus' men for eating his cattle
Who is Helios, the Sun God?
The inside knowledge Penelope looks to retrieve from the man claiming to be her husband, Odysseus; she uses this to test whether he is the true Odysseus
What is the olive tree bed?