MYTHOLOGY IN THE ODYSSEY - Weeblyteacherboggs.weebly.com/uploads/7/9/6/7/79671654/... · Circe has warned Odysseus about Scylla and Charybdis. What are they? 7. As they pass Scylla

Character Map and Mythology

God/Goddess Roman Name Realm Characteristics In the Odyssey

Zeus

Hera

Poseidon

Hades

Athena

Hermes

Ares

Aeolus

Apollo

Aphrodite

Muses

Fates

Calypso

MYTHOLOGY IN THE ODYSSEY

Design by Danielle Knight (Study All Knight), 2014

The Odyssey Character Map

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Danielle-Knight


A Hero’s Journey

CUT ALONG DASHED GUIDELINE

The hero's journey is a pattern that can be found in myths, stories, and legends from a range of cultures and time periods. From ancient Greece to modern Hollywood and anywhere beyond or in between, the hero's journey is an important archetype (or basic original pattern) from which many stories have been derived.

1. Ordinary World - The hero's normal world before the story begins

2. Call to Adventure - The hero is presented with a problem, challenge or adventure

3. Refusal of the Call - The hero refuses the challenge or journey, usually because he's scared

4. Meeting with the Mentor - The hero meets a mentor to gain advice or training for the adventure

5. Crossing the First Threshold - The hero crosses leaves the ordinary world and goes into the special world. The threshold is the jumping off point - the gateway to the unknown


The hero's journey is a pattern that can be found in myths, stories, and legends from a range of cultures and time periods. From ancient Greece to modern Hollywood and anywhere beyond or in between, the hero's journey is an important archetype (or basic original pattern) from which many stories have been derived.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies - The hero faces tests, meets allies, confronts enemies & learn the rules of this new world.

7. Approach - The hero has hit setbacks during tests & may need to try a new idea

8. Ordeal - The biggest life or death crisis

9. Reward - The hero has survived death, overcomes his fear and now earns the reward

10. The Road Back - The hero must return to the Ordinary World. Fighting from The Ordeal is not finished.

11. Resurrection Hero - another test where the hero faces death – he has to use everything he's learned

12. Return with Elixir - The hero returns from the journey with the “elixir” (his new power/skill), and uses it to help everyone in the Ordinary World



Homer, The Odyssey, Themes, Literary Devices


In the tenth year of the Trojan War, the Greeks 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. That night they emerged and opened the city gates to the Greek army. Troy was destroyed. Now it was time for Odysseus and the other Greeks to return to their kingdoms across the sea. Here begins the tale of theOdyssey, as sung by the blind minstrel Homer.

Important Background Information for The Odyssey

Greek kingship – Kingship was determined not by birth but by acclaim, superior wealth and achievement. No one is automatically the next king in Ithaca, even if he does marry Penelope; however, the marriage would help a suitor become king.

Hospitality/Courtesy – Hospitality was crucial to the ancient Greeks. As sailors and travelers through wild countries, they depended on strangers. They might ask to be hosted, fed and given gifts as guests. At same time, they might raid, kill, steal, & kidnap women. Odysseus does both.

Magical elements – Prophecies were common elements in Greek tales. They often lend irony to a story, as a character does not realize a prophecy is coming true until it has happened. Curses were also common; an effective curse required clearly identifying the offender – as by name and home – so the gods could find and punish him. Oaths, as in promises, were absolutely binding; breaking them would be punished by the gods.

Athena’s fury with the Achaeans – Athena was enraged when an Achaean man named Ajax (not the famous one) tried to rape Trojan King Priam’s daughter Cassandra, who had taken refuge in Athena’s temple. When the Achaeans failed to punish Ajax, Athena sent storm winds that kept them from going home. Ajax was killed; Menelaus wandered for 7 years, and Odysseus for 10. When the Odyssey opens, Athena is on Odysseus’s side; this change is not explained. Probably, she felt he’d paid his debt to her.

Helen – The Trojan War happened because Menelaus called all his Greek allies (Greece was not all one country yet) to help get back his wife and the many treasures stolen by Paris. Did Helen go willingly with Paris? The answer is…we don’t know. Paris chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess, (angering Athena and Hera, by the way) and the goddess promised to get him Helen. Some sources think Helen wanted to go with him, but others describe it as abduction and rape. Maybe Aphrodite put a spell on Helen to go with Paris, and this magic later wore off. Maybe she really liked him better, but played all lovey with her husband back at home to protect her life.





1

2

3

4

5

6 7

89

111410

12

13

17

1615

18

Odysseus’ Journey- numbered in order.

What is an EPIC?

Long, narrative poem about the adventures of a hero

Shows values & beliefs of a culture

Includes a journey / quest

Encompasses vast setting (world)

Involves supernatural forces

Hero’s actions determine nation’s fate

Epithet Adjective or descriptive phrase regularly used to characterize a person, place, or thing. We speak of “Honest Abe,” for example, and “America the Beautiful.”

Homeric Epithet: compound adjective that modifies a noun. Ex: “wine-dark sea,” “rosy-fingered dawn,” “thegray-eyed goddess Athena.”

Epic Hero “LARGER THAN LIFE PERSON” who embodies the

highest ideals of his culture and embodies LOYALTY, VALOR/ COURAGE, SENSE OF JUSTICE, DIGNITY, PERSISTENCE

The epic hero usually undertakes a QUEST/ JOURNEYto achieve something of great value to themselves or society

Epic heroes “LIVE ON AFTER DEATH”…meaning they are forever remembered by those who live after them…achieving a type of IMMORTALITY

Not a “Superman” with magical powers but a “REGULAR” human whose aspirations and accomplishments set him/her apart. Overcomes great obstacles/opponents but maintains HUMANITY

The epic hero is an ARCHETYPAL character. Epic hero experiences typical HUMAN EMOTIONS/

FEELINGS, yet is able to master and control these human traits to a greater degree than a typical person



The Adventures of Odysseus



1. The Odyssey begins with the invocation to the Muse. What is the purpose of this section?

2. Odysseus is talking to King Alcinous of Phaeacia. Find one passage in which Odysseus expresses his great longing to return home to Ithaca, and write the line or lines here.

3. Where did Odysseus start the long journey about which he is telling King Alcinous?

4. Why does the army of the Cicones attack Odysseys and his men?

5. When they escape from the land of the Cicones, why are six benches empty in each of Odysseus’ ships?

6. According to Odysseus, who caused the great storm?

7. Odysseus and his men land on the coastline of the Lotus Eaters to take on water. Why does he send three men ashore?

8. What is the danger to Odysseus and his men in the land of the Lotus Eaters?

9. How does Odysseus rescue his men from this danger?



The Cyclops



1. One of the laws of ancient Greek society is courtesy to strangers. What does Polyphemus do to defy this law?

2. Why does Odysseus not kill the Cyclops when he is asleep?

3. What does Odysseus do to prepare for the Cyclops’ return to the cave?

4. What do Odysseus and his men do to Polyphemus?

5. Why don’t the other Cyclopes help Polyphemus?

6. What trick does Odysseus use to free his men and himself from the cave?

7. When he is safely at sea, Odysseus boasts of his true identity. What does Polyphemus ask Poseidon, the god of the sea, to do?

8. From the episode of the Cyclops, give two examples of Odysseus’ famous cleverness.



The Land of the Dead; The Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis; The Cattle of the Sun God



1. Who does Odysseus see in the Land of the Dead and why is Odysseus there?

2. What plan does Odysseus devise that will enable him to listen to the song of the Sirens yet remain unharmed by them?

3. How does Odysseus protect his men from the danger of the Sirens’ song?

4. When he hears the Sirens’ song, what does Odysseus tell his crew to do?

5. How do his men respond to this command?

6. Circe has warned Odysseus about Scylla and Charybdis. What are they?

7. As they pass Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus follows Circe’s advice in order to lose the fewest men. What is his plan?

8. What does Odysseus compare the way Scylla snatched his six men from their boat?

9. On the island of Thrinakia, what crime to Odysseus’ men commit while Odysseus is praying?

10. How does Zeus punish Odysseus’ men for what they did?



The Return of Odysseus; Argus; The Suitors; Penelope; The Challenge; Odysseus’ Revenge



1. What is the situation in Ithaca when Odysseus first returns?

2. How is Odysseus disguised when Telemachus first sees him?

3. Why does Telemachus think that Odysseus must be a god?

4. Which of the gods has helped Odysseus and advised him about his homecoming?

5. What does the section titled “Argus” reveal about Odysseus?

6. Why is this part ironic?

7. What qualities does Penelope reveal about herself through her actions ?

8. When Penelope talks to the beggar, she tells him about the trick she used to postpone choosing one of the suitors as a husband. What is the trick?





9. Why does Penelope take Odysseus’ hunting bow to the hall where the suitors are?

10. To what does Homer compare Odysseus’ string of the bow?

11. After stringing the bow, which none of the suitors could do, what other extraordinary feat does the old beggar accomplish?

12. Antinous is one of the suitors. What does he do that reveals his bad character?

13. Which of the suitors does Odysseus kill first?

14. Odysseus gives his reasons for killing the suitors. List the reasons:

15. What argument does Eurymachus use to try to save his own life and the lives of the other suitors?





16. Summarize Odysseus’ reply to Eurymachus?

17. Who helps Odysseus fight against the suitors?

18. What is the outcome of the battle between Odysseus and the suitors?



Penelope’s Test



1. Penelope tests Odysseus to see if he is really her husband. What is the test?

2. What reason does Penelope give Odysseus for having tested him in this way?

3. To what does Homer compare the way Odysseus has longed for his wife?



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MYTHOLOGY IN THE ODYSSEY - Weeblyteacherboggs.weebly.com/uploads/7/9/6/7/79671654/... · Circe has warned Odysseus about Scylla and Charybdis. What are they? 7. As they pass Scylla