For questions about the book by Homer about the ten-year travels of Odysseus, a Greek hero, after fighting in the Trojan War.
See also the iliad tag for another epic by Homer about the Trojan War.
The Project Gutenberg translation can be found here.
Questions tagged [odyssey]
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In the Odyssey, why didn't Penelope simply turn away her suitors?
If I remember the story correctly, Penelope spends over a decade telling her suitors that she will choose one of them as a husband some day, but continues inventing elaborate reasons why she cannot yet make that choice. It seemed clear to the reader…
Ixrec
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Who translated the Iliad or the Odyssey to Latin first?
Who was the first person to translate part or all of Homer's works, the Iliad and/or the Odyssey, to Latin? Have these translations survived to current times?
My original motivation for the question is the following: Devecseri Gábor has written an…
Matt Cloudy-grid
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Why did Odysseus pretend to be Helen's suitor if he wanted to win Penelope?
An important point in the story of the Iliad is that Odysseus (hoping to win the hand of Penelope, King Tyndareus niece), proposes an "Oath of Tyndareus", which binds all the suitors of Helen to join one another if one of the suitors abducts her…
DVK
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How did Odysseus's ship get wrecked, and how did Odysseus himself land to Ogygia?
I have tried to read Homer's Odyssey and commentaries to find out details about how Odysseus's shipwreck happened, how many men were involved and saved and so forth. It looks like the first book starts when Odysseus was already in the Ogygia island,…
MarkokraM
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What does Nausicaa symbolize in the Odyssey?
There was an interesting question in Lit regarding the meaning of her name, and in my research, I came across some interesting speculation on Nausikaa's distinctness. For instance, she is the one woman Odysseus does not mention to Penelope. …
DukeZhou
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How did Helen get back from Troy?
The nostoi, or journeys home, of many of the heroes of the Trojan War are recounted by Homer -- most famously that of Odysseus -- or were known in antiquity but later lost. Is anything known about how Helen got back to Sparta?
In the Odyssey, book…
TKR
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Why does Ino help Odysseus?
In Book V of the Odyssey, Ino saves Odysseus from drowning by giving him a magic veil.
Why? Ino is a water deity, I'd expect her to be aligned with Poseidon's wishes. What reason does she have to intervene in favor of the hero instead? Even…
Ouroboros
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Odysseus raid on the Cicones at Ismaros (Odyssey Book 9 lines 40-66)
Open question for thoughts and explanations re Odysseus’ raid on the Cicones (also called Kikonians) while on his way home from the Trojan War, on any of my questions below and/or other thoughts of your own.
In Homer’s Odyssey Book 9, Odysseus tells…
Timothy
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Why is Dante’s Odysseus different from Homer’s?
In Canto XXVI of the Inferno, Dante encounters Odysseus and Diomedes. Odysseus account of his exploits after Troy differ from the more familiar story in Homer’s Odyssey. Notably, Dante’s Odysseus does not return to Ithaca, deciding to travel beyond…
Girsan Virlee
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The Odyssey lock scene (Book 21): Translations vs. original Greek?
Near the beginning of Book 21, most translators have used some peculiar language to describe Penelope's unlocking of the door behind which Odysseus' bow is kept. Fagles writes (lines 54–56)
At once she loosed the thong from around its hook,
…
Ari
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Did the gods think Poseidōn's vengeance on Odysseus was just excessive, or entirely unfair?
The beginning of the Odyssey, the Olympian gods all want to allow Odysseus to return from his long exile, only Poseidōn is against that. So Zeus, as king of the gods, overrules Poseidōn on Athēnē's request.
Poseidōn hates Odysseus because he blinded…
Matt Cloudy-grid
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Was there an epic or drama detailing Menelaus's return?
In book IV of the Odyssey (translator Robert Fitsgerald), Menelaus mentions he spent 7 years returning to Sparta. This seems like it would be something that somebody in ancient times would write about. If it was written, what is the piece called?
tox123
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How old was Nestor?
I am rereading the Iliad and I am wondering how old Nestor, Agamemnon, Odysseus etc. were. Nestor was and old man, but how old ? 60 ? What age was the prime of life, which I suppose Agamemnon and Odysseus were in.
I think I saw a reference to…
mike
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Did Helen and Stentor have voice-related "super-powers"?
Helen's Many Voices
In Odyssey 4.274-289 Menelaus recounts a story from the time that he and other leaders of the Greek forces at Troy were hiding in the famous decoy wooden horse which they used as a stratagem to win the Trojan War. He says that…
Adinkra
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Has Odysseus ever used a bow prior to the archery contest in the Odyssey?
In Odyssey 21 Penelope famously proposes an archery contest to her suitors, a test of masculine skill with herself as the prize. The disguised Odysseus wins the contest and then proceeds to reveal himself and execute the suitors with the same bow.…
yannis
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