1. Homer
Homer was traditionally a blind minstrel or bard, who
sang or performed to music epic poems set in the Heroic
Age. The story of the Trojan War is related in Homer's
epic, The Iliad. This 10 year conflict pitted Greek heroes
against the city of Troy, on the western coast of what is
now Turkey. Homer's other great epic, The Odyssey,
narrates the homeward journey of the hero Odysseus
after the war.

2. Trojan War
The Trojan War began when a prince of Troy
eloped with the wife of a Greek king. The
woman's name was Helen and she became
infamous as Helen of Troy. Hers was "the face
that launched a thousand ships," according to the
playwright Marlowe, because all the kings of
Greece rallied to get her back. Sailing to Troy,
they besieged the city for 10 years. Homer's
other epic, The Iliad, concerns this siege and the
many individual battles that were fought between
heroes on both sides. It also chronicles the
involvement of the supreme gods, who
descended from Mount Olympus to take sides in
the contest.

3. Odysseus’ Plan
The Trojan War was over. The clever Greek Odysseus had tricked
the enemy into bringing a colossal wooden horse within the walls of
Troy. The Trojans had no idea that Greek soldiers were hidden
inside, under the command of Odysseus. The Greeks had been
laying siege to Troy for ten long years, but suddenly it looked like
their whole army had departed, leaving the horse behind.
That night, while the Trojans slept, Odysseus and his men emerged
from the horse's belly. Opening the city gates, they admitted their
comrades, who had snuck back in the dark.
Troy was sacked and the Trojans utterly vanquished. Now it was
time for Odysseus and his fellow warriors to return to their
kingdoms across the sea. Here begins the tale of The Odyssey, as
sung by the blind minstrel Homer.

4. Characters Description
Athena goddess of wisdom, skills, and
warfare, who occasionally comes to
help Odysseus
Odysseus The hero of the Odyssey, son of
Laertes and king of Ithaca, an island
in the Mediterranean Sea, Without last
names, people were known by their
parents and the land from which they
came.
Penelope Wife of Odysseus, separated from
Odysseus for 20 years after he leaves
to fight in the Trojan War, faithful
Telemachus Son of Odysseus whom he has not
seen for 20 years: 10 years of Trojan
War and 10 years at sea by angry
gods

5. Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
of that man skilled in all ways of contending,
the wanderer, harried for years on end,
after he plundered the stronghold
on the proud height of Troy.
He saw the townlands
and learned the minds of many distant men,
and weathered many bitter nights and days
in his deep heart at sea, while he fought only
to save his life, to bring his shipmates home.
But not by will nor valor could he save them,
for their own recklessness destroyed them all –
children and fools, they killed and feasted on
the cattle of the Lord Helios, the Sun,
and he who moves all day through heaven
took from their eyes the dawn of their return.
Of these adventures, Muse, daughter of Zeus,
tell us in our time, lift the great song again.

6. Phaeacians
The Odyssey begins at the end of the journey. Odysseus, after 10
years of travel, washes ashore among the Phaeacians. He is found
and is treated to a banquet, where he retells the story of how he came
to this situation. In exchange for this story, Odysseus is offered a ship
to sail safely home to Ithaca.
Ismarus
Odysseus tells about his raid on Ismarus. The inhabitants came and
attacked the men who then retreated to the ships. Many of Odysseus’
men were killed.
The Lotus-Eaters
His next stop was the country of the Lotus-Eaters, who live upon that flower.
The men disembarked on the island to look for supplies. The Lotus-Eaters
showed no harm, only offered the sweet flower. When Odysseus’ men ate the
Lotus, it caused them to forget their purpose and not want to return to the
ship.

7. The Cyclops
His next trip was to the island of the Cyclops. He lies about his name
because he knows that the Cyclops are children of Poseidon whom he
has angered. Then he used quick-thinking to get him drunk, blind the
Cyclops (Polyphemus) with a large pole, and escape his lair. Polyphemus
did, however, eat some of the men. They escape by hiding under the
bellies of the sheep and riding out unnoticed. Odysseus uses a lie and
trickery to escape. As Odysseus and his men sail away, he turns and
shouts his name back to the blind Cyclops in a prideful and arrogant
gesture that causes him further trouble. Polyphemus asks his father
Poseidon to avenge him.

8. King Aeolus
Odysseus tells about sailing to Aeolia. While there, they meet Aeolus,
king of the winds. Odysseus tells about Aeolus’ gift of a bag filled with
winds and about how his curious sailors opened it too early, releasing
a wind that blew them off course, back to Aeolia. The only wind that
was not in the bag was the wind that would take them home. When
the other winds were released, it caused the storm that blew them in
the wrong direction.

9. Character/Place Description
Achaeans Greeks who were shipmates of Odysseus
Cicones Islanders on Ismarus who attacked the men of Odysseus
King Aeolus Kind of the winds
Lotus-Eaters Men who live on the island and eat the lotus flower
Nohbdy The false name that Odysseus gives Polyphemus
Phaeacians Offer Odysseus a ship to sail home in exchange of hearing
about his adventures over the last 10 years
Polyphemus A one-eyed monster, Cyclops, “a wild man ignorant of civility”
Poseidon God of the Sea who is upset with Odysseus because Odysseus
refuses to acknowledge that he had help to win the Trojan
War. “Without the gods, man is nothing.”
Zues King of the gods and god of the sky, works in conjunction with
his brother Poseidon by raising winds to blow Odysseus off
course

10. Laestrygonians
His crew next barely escapes from the Island of the Lotus-Eaters, vicious
cannibals. The Laestrygonians destroy all his men and boats except the
one boat Odysseus and a handful of his men are on.
Circe
The survivors next land at Aeaea, where the witch Circe lives. She lures the
scouting party with her bewitching beauty, then uses a wand to transform
them into pigs. Only Odysseus escapes. The other crewmen are too
terrified to help, but Odysseus uses a magic herb to protect himself from
magical transformation. When her spells don't affect Odysseus, he
demands that Circe change his men back into human shape. Before
Odysseus departs from the island a year later, Circe informs him that in
order to reach home he must journey to the land of the dead, Hades, and
consult the blind prophet Tiresias.

11. The Land of the Dead
Circe gives Odysseus directions on how to make a magical journey into
Hades, the land of the dead, where he can learn from ancient spirits
how to safely make it home. He sacrifices a ram and a black ewe, and
he feeds the blood to the ghosts so they can take form and talk. He
sees the spirit of his mother there and did not know she had died while
he was away at war. He also sees the spirit of Elpenor, one of his fallen
men, who requests a proper burial. At last, Odysseus speaks with
Tiresias, the blind prophet, who tells him not to be shaken from his
path. He explains that Odysseus will make landfall on Thrinacia and
there find the grazing herds of Helios, the sun god. He must not eat the
cattle. If he does, there will be destruction for ship and crew. Tiresias
also says that Odysseus will eventually return home alone after being
lost for years, under strange sail to find his home filled with trouble:
men eating his livestock and courting his wife. He will deal out death in
open combat or by stealth to all the suitors. After he defeats the
suitors, Odysseus must carry out sacrifices for Lord Poseidon and all the
gods. Only then can he return to his family, reclaim his role as king of
Ithaca, and have peace around him.

12. Character/Place Description
Anteclea the mother of Odysseus
Cirece sorceress-goddess who turns men into pigs, Circe
both helps and hinders Odysseus on his journey and
is considered both ally and enemy
Elpenor Odysseus’ shipmate, got drunk and fell off the roof
in Circe’s hall, Odysseus does not know he is dead
until he meets him in Hades
Laestrygonians cannibals
Tiresias Blind prophet

13. The Sirens
Odysseus returns to Circe’s island to retrieve Elpenor. Following
Círcë's advice, Odysseus succeeds in getting past the sirens which
are monsters who lure men with their beautiful songs. Odysseus
puts ear wax in all of the men’s ears so they won’t hear the song.
One person must listen in order to pass, so Odysseus orders the
men to tie him to the mast. This is an example of self-sacrifice on
his part because the song makes him want to go to the monster
who is waiting to eat them.
Scylla and Charybdis
Odysseus must make a choice between the two. He chooses the
sea monster by which some of his men may escape rather than the
whirl pool which none of them would escape. He also makes the
difficult choice not to tell his men so that none of them will panic.
He is demonstrating his leadership skills in this situation.

14. Cattle of the Sun God
Odysseus’ ship is taken to the island of the Cattle of the Sun God.
The winds will not allow his ship to leave for a month. Odysseus
falls asleep on the ship while his men go ashore. His starving crew
abandon his command to leave the cattle alone. Eurylochus
encourages the men to eat what is available because it would be
better to be killed by the gods than to starve. They kill and eat
sacred cows which belong to Heliós (Hyperion or Apollo, the Greek
Sun-God). Helios makes a plea to Zeus to punish Odysseus. The
gods raise storms that drive the boat all the way back to Charybdis.
Zeus strikes the ship with a lightning bolt. Odysseus's ship sinks
and his men drown. Only Odysseus thinks quickly enough to save
himself, and he washes ashore on Ogygia.

15. Calypso
Odysseus washes ashore on Ogygia after loosing all of
his men. Calypso enslaves him on Ogygia because she
has fallen in love with the hero; however, Odysseus
never loved her back with his heart. When he escapes
from the begrudging Calypso, he is washed ashore on
the island of the Phaeacians.