All Questions
Tagged with homer the-odyssey
27 questions
4
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Why does Odysseus laugh at Zeus' sign before killing the suitors?
When Odysseus strings his bow, that none of the suitors beforehand have been able to string, he then plucks it like a harp, sounding a note. After that, Zeus gets involved, sending a thunderclap as a ...
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3
votes
1
answer
162
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Why does Telemachus hang the women instead of following Odysseus' instructions?
In The Odyssey, after Odysseus has slain the suitors, he tells Telemachus to have the disloyal women help to clean up the mess, and then to cut them to pieces:
“These dead must be disposed of first ...
- 27.2k
3
votes
1
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218
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What does "spiked with coughing death" mean in "The Odyssey"?
In The Odyssey, when Penelope becomes convinced that Odysseus is not going to return, she devises a test for the suitors: to use Odysseus' bow to shoot an arrow through twelve axes. When she goes to ...
- 27.2k
4
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2
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Bathing and marriage in ancient Greek culture
Early on in Homer's Odyssey, the maiden princess of the seafaring peoples is called by the goddess to go and bathe on the beach and wash clothes with her servants. This is understood both by the ...
- 43
2
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1
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802
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What does Athena mean in this passage of book 3 of the Odyssey?
In book 3 of The Odyssey, Athena says this to Telemachus after he says that he will never gain her favor (in Robert Fagles' translation):
“Telemachus!”
Pallas Athena broke in sharply, her eyes afire—
...
- 163
3
votes
1
answer
318
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What does Athena mean by 'slaughtering his droves of sheep and cattle'?
In book 1 of The Odyssey, Athena says to Zeus (in Robert Fagles' translation):
While I myself go down to Ithaca, rouse his son
to a braver pitch, inspire his heart with courage
to summon the flowing-...
- 163
4
votes
1
answer
592
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What does Athena mean by "suave, seductive words" in the Odyssey?
In book 1 of The Odyssey, Athena says to Zeus (in Robert Fagles' translation):
"Atlas’ daughter it is who holds Odysseus captive,
luckless man—despite his tears, forever trying
to spellbind his ...
- 163
3
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1
answer
163
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What evidence supports Calypso's island being Gozo (Malta)?
In the Odyssey, the island where Calypso lives is called Ogygia, but what real Mediterranean island is this? One long-standing theory has it as Gozo, the second island of Malta:
Ogygia or Phaeacia ...
- 76.7k
2
votes
1
answer
280
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Who are the '12 children of Aiolos Hippotadês', as introduced in Book 10, The Grace of the Witch, of Homer's Odyssey?
Below is an excerpt of Book 10, The Grace of the Witch, of Homer's Odyssey
We made our landfall on Aiolia Island, domain of the Aiolos Hippotadês, the wind king dear to the gods who never die- an ...
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0
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Specificity in ancient depictions of Olympus?
The highest peak in Greece is Mount Olympus, near the northwestern Aegean coast. Was this taken as the literal home of the Olympian gods by worshipful ancient Greeks, or was it merely figurative to ...
- 127
6
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1
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610
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Why is this line about prophecy in book 2 of the Odyssey thought to be "spurious"?
In my translation of the Odyssey by Emily Wilson, she translates part of a speech concerning prophecy by Eurymachus at the end of book 2 as this:
You know many ancient forms of wisdom,
but if you ...
- 23.6k
10
votes
1
answer
656
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In Homer's Odyssey, how can the one-eyed Cyclops have multiple brows?
When Odysseus meets the Cyclops, the text never explicitly states that he has only a single eye. However, the unfolding action in which Odysseus and his crew blind the Cyclops by pushing a stake into ...
- 23.6k
5
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1
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152
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What are "inward meats" in Homer?
In both the Iliad and the Odyssey there are many mentions of "inward meats," such as:
When the thigh-bones were burned and they had tasted the inward meats, they cut the rest up small, put ...
- 53
3
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1
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311
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Why are sea creatures Sirens "in a meadow" in The Odyssey?
The Odyssey offers this description of Sirens from wise Circe:
The Sirens bewitch everybody who approaches them. There is no homecoming for the man who draws near them unawares...For with their high ...
- 4,654
7
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2
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1k
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Can the Odyssey be consumed independently of the Iliad?
The Odyssey is largely a sequel to the Iliad, both of them being attributed to Homer and describing events which are roughly part of a single overall story (Odysseus first fighting in the Trojan War ...
- 76.7k
4
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1
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What manuscript was the first printed edition of the Odyssey based on?
The Wikipedia article about the Iliad says that this work was first printed in Florence in 1488/89.
The Wikipedia article about the Odyssey does not mention when this epic was first printed,
but it ...
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2
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2
answers
2k
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How did the Greeks anger Pallas Athena?
During the Iliad several of the gods take sides in the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. For example, Ares, Apollo and Aphrodite side with the Trojans, while Pallas Athena, Hera and Poseidon ...
- 51.1k
2
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0
answers
330
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Is Odysseus a hero in the Odyssey?
Is Odysseus a hero in the Odyssey? From what I’ve read, the answer seems to be a pretty clear yes. The definition of an Ancient Greek hero seemed to revolve around pure talent and ability to fight. ...
- 161
4
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0
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5k
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What does Athena’s statement to Zeus at the beginning of The Odyssey reveal?
I was told to analyze this passage in book 1 of The Odyssey, having read only books 1-4:
And sparkling-eyed Athena drove the matter home: “Father, son of Cronus, our high and mighty king, surely he ...
- 161
5
votes
1
answer
319
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Is there any significance in Shakespeare's use of the name "Laertes" (name of the father of Odysseus) in Hamlet?
Is there any significance in Shakespeare's use of "Laertes" (name of the father of Odysseus) in Hamlet?
Do we associate the name with The Odyssey more strongly than Shakespeare, to whom it was just ...
- 614
12
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2
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2k
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Where was the Odyssean Ithaca?
It's well known that the home of Odysseus, as described in Homer's Odyssey, was the island of Ithaca. There's a modern-day Greek island called Ithaca, and according to Wikipedia:
Modern Ithaca is ...
- 76.7k
13
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2
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1k
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Why does the portrayal of fate in the Odyssey differ from that of the Iliad?
In the Iliad, fate and the will of the gods are two distinct concepts. This is shown when Zeus is tempted to save his son, Sarpedon, from his predestined death in battle, though he ultimately chooses ...
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15
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2
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2k
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Why is Nausicaa named 'burner of ships'?
Nausicaa in the Odyssey is the princess of a race of seafarers.
She and her people are beloved of and descended from Posidon/Neptune. Nausicaa herself is directly descended from both sides as her ...
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31
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1
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Are there any recorded discrepancies between The Odyssey as oral tradition and The Odyssey as Homer transcribed it?
The Odyssey began as oral tradition, and was later transcribed by someone we now call "Homer." Disregarding the Homeric Question concerning the identity of the person who transcribed these works, it ...
user80
32
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2
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21k
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Was Odysseus considered unfaithful to his wife in the Odyssey?
Penelope is portrayed throughout the story to be virtuous when it comes to men, meaning that she holds out hope for her husband's safety 20 years after she saw him and had no other relationships in ...
- 6,888
16
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2
answers
4k
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Did Homer base the Iliad and the Odyssey on mythology?
Homer's two epic poems follow the story of the Trojan War through various perspectives. Did Homer make up the stories, or was there some kind of historical/mythological predecessor that he retold (or ...
- 6,888
25
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3
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How many sailors from Odysseus' crew survived the Odyssey?
It's been a long time since I've read it, maybe 20 years. Of course, Odysseus survives, but does anyone else? How many sailors did he start with, and how many made it home with him (or safely departed ...
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