The Epic Form/Basics
A larger-than-life person who embodies traits that the culture values
Epic Hero
King of Ithaca
Odysseus
King of the Sea
Poseidon
An island nymph on Ogygian who holds Odysseus captive
Calypso
A giant Cyclopes who is blinded by Odysseus
Polyphemus
A long narrative poem
Epic
Queen of Ithaca
Penelope
King of the Gods and Ruler of the Sky
Zeus
Daughter of the Sun, Goddess of the Wild
Circe
Beauties who seduce men with their singing
Sirens
A fixed rhythmic pattern
Meter
Father of Odysseus
Laertes
Ruler of the Underworld
Hades
Keeper of the Winds
Aeolus
A six-headed monster and man-eater
Scylla
A long comparison over many lines
Epic Simile
Mother of Odysseus
Anticlea
Messenger of the Gods
Hermes
Keeper of Odysseus’s pigs who give him a place to stay when he returns to Ithaca
Eumaeus
A whirlpool that sinks ships
Charybdis
A characterizing phrase for a person, place, or thing
Epithet
King and Queen of Ithaca’s son
Telemachus
Goddess of Wisdom
Athena
An old nurse of Odysseus’s who knows him by the scar on his leg
Euryclea
How many heads does Scylla have?
6 heads