According to Circe
These are the mythical creatures Circe first warns Odysseus about, who she describes to "spellbind any man alive..." with their "...high, thrilling song" (XII, 45-50, Fagles)
Who are the sirens?
Out of the two routes Circe explained to Odysseus, this is the route that Odysseus decides NOT to take.
What is the Clashing Rocks?
This many crew members were captured and killed by Scylla while passing the two crags.
What is six crew members?
As seen on page 276 of the Fagles reading, Circe is referred to as "the nymph with glossy braids, the awesome one who speaks with a human voice... (XII, 160-161). This quote is an example of this literary device commonly seen throughout the book.
What is an epithet?
Which direction toward Erebus did Circe tell Odysseus to steer his ship?
West
The Clashing Rocks are one of the two treacherous routes mentioned, with this ship being the sole survivor of the dangerous cliffs, and only with divine aid.
What is the Argo?
Odysseus and his crew must first pass the Sirens on their journey, where the man have to find a way to avoid their song. While Odysseus gets tied up so he can actually hear the song, his crew members shove this into their ears so they can't hear anything.
What is beeswax?
This is the name of the creature found on the second crag, under a great fig tree, who creates the whirlpools in the water.
Who is Charybdis?
Circe says to Odysseus and his crew after their trip to the land of the dead "'I will set you a course and chart each seamark, so neither on sea nor land will some new trap ensnare you in trouble...'" (XII, 28-29, Fagles). This literary convention is seen throughout the book in many other instances.
What is divine aid/intervention?
Beneath which crag does Charybdis abide?
The lower crag
Charybdis lives on the shorter crag on the other route described by Circe, and she drinks and vomits the water up this many times a day each, creating whirlpools in the water.
What is three times each a day?
This island is the first place Odysseus and his crew go after the land of the dead - it is also home to Circe.
Where is Aeaea?
The first thing that Odysseus and his crew do after returning from the land of the dead is finding the body of this crew member, who tragically fell off of Circe's roof after having one too many drinks.
Who is Elpenor?
"As soon as Dawn with her rose-red fingers shone again..." is an example of a phrase used often throughout the Odyssey, and is meant to symbolize this phase of the day (XII, 8, Fagles).
What is the sunrise?
Who can stop Scylla's attacks?
Her mother
The cattle of Helios, that live on this island, are unique as they are a fixed number of animals. As mentioned "No breeding swells their number, nor do they ever die" (XII, 140-141, Fagles).
What is Thrinacia?
After exhausting their food supply and get tired of hunting on the island of Thrinacia, Odysseus' crew finally cave in and slaughter some of Helios' cattle. However, they don't just do this once but continue slaughtering more cattle for this many days.
What is six days?
After landing on Thrinacia, Odysseus gets his crew to refrain from eating Helios' cattle, until they run out of food from Circe and this crew member convinces them to go against Odysseus' command while he is sleeping.
Who is Eurylochus?
Even though Odysseus' crew decide to go against his wishes and kill Helios' cattle, they decide to slaughter the cattle as food and as a sacrifice to the gods, which is otherwise known as this.
What is hekatombus?
What are the names of the two men who bind Odysseus as he flailed due to the Sirens?
Perimedes and Eurylochus
Scylla is an immortal monster who lives in a cave in one of the crags on the other route described by Circe. Scylla is said to have this many legs, this many heads, and this many rows of fangs per head.
What are twelve legs, six heads, and three rows of fangs per head?
After Zeus' storm destroyed their ship, Odysseus was the only remaining man alive. He made it back to the two crags but survived and drifted in the water for nine day, until the tenth when he landed on this island - home to Calypso
What is Ogygia?
The nymphs found on the island of Thrinacia, are called this, take care of Helios' cattle and are children of Helios and their mother, Neaera.
Who are Phaëthusa and Lampetie?
"Just as an angler poised on a jutting rock/flings his treacherous bait in the offshore swell,/whips his long rod.../and whisks up little fish he flips on the beach-break, writhing, gasping out their lives..." Is a homeric simile and is comparing an angler and its catch to this (XII, 271-275, Fagles).
Who told Odysseus that Zeus would strike his ship with a white hot bolt, tearing it to splinters? And who told the person who told Odysseus?
Calypso, who heard it from Hermes