The Odyssey
Objective: To learn an amazing number of fascinating facts, many of which are not included in most high school textbooks, about The Odyssey. Disclaimer: Due to the controversy that occasionally arises when Christians consider mythology, I would like to state that I approach the study of mythology purely from a literary perspective. Although I worship the one true Christ, I believe mythology, although just make-believe, does have some awfully cool stories, and knowledge of mythology should be part of one's basic high school education.
Directions: Number your own paper in the same way this page is numbered. Follow the links to answer the questions. To read the questions, keep one printed copy of this page at your computer; by doing so, you only need to return to this page when you begin a new lettered section. The URL for this page is http://www. telapex.com/~tommyboy/theodyssey.htm. You may copy this URL to the clipboard now, so that you may paste it into the address field, if necessary, to return to this page. You may instead prefer to open up the links in new windows. Turn in your paper before you leave, with each group member's name and number. Enjoy!
A. Go to Homerto answer these questions:
1. Where were the Iliad and the Odyssey
composed? How do we know this?
2. What is the name of the meter used in Homer's poems?
3. What is a bard?
B. Go to Encyclopedia Mythica: Article: Odysseus to answer these questions:
1. What is Odysseus' Roman, or Latin, name?
2. Who was Odysseus' father?
3. What kingdom did he rule?
4. How did Odysseus reveal his sanity when Palamedes
placed Odysseus' baby son in front of the plow?
5. What prize did Odysseus win after Achilles' death?
C. Click on Calliope and tell what she is the muse of.
D. Go to Odysseus to answer these questions:
1. Give four reasons that many scholars refer to Odysseus
as a powerful mythic hero.
2. What is Odysseus' most important weakness? Give an
example of this in the poem.
E. Go to Encyclopedia Mythica: Greek Heroic Legend to answer the following questions. Click on the appropriate name on the left of the screen to go to the page you need.
1. What does the name "Antinous" mean?
2. What did the Laestrygones do?
3. What does the name "Penelope" mean?
4. To whom was Penelope a cousin?
5. What was Mentor supposed to do while Odysseus was
away from home?
6. What did Athena, disguised as Mentor, advise Telemachus
to do?
7. What does the word "mentor" mean?
F. Go to Immortals of Greek Mythology to answer these questions:
Apollo
1. Who is Apollo's father?
2. What was Apollo, or Phoibus, given to eat and drink
during his infancy?
3. What intentions did Apollo announce when he burst
from his crib?
4. In The Iliad, on whose side was Apollo?
Athena (Athene)
1. Athena is goddess of what?
2. How was Athena born?
3. What city is named in honor of Athena?
4. What different shapes would Athena assume in order
to help Odysseus home from the Trojan War?
Circe (Kirke)
1. What is Circe known as?
2. Who are Circe's parents?
3. Who was the sole "survivor" of the twenty-three men
sent by Odysseus to explore Circe's island?
4. What was the "good medicine" Hermes gave Odysseus
to ward off Circe's evil spell?
5. With whom did Circe tell Odysseus he must consult,
in order to discover how to appease Poseidon and find his way home?
Hermes
1. Who was Hermes?
2. Who were Hermes' parents?
3. Name two things Hermes did, or could do.
4. To whom did Hermes give the message from Zeus that
Odysseus must be sent towards his home?
Calypso (Kalypso)
1. What did Calypso offer Odysseus if he would stay with
her on her island?
Cronus (Kronos)
1. Who was Cronus?
2. How did Rhea trick Cronus so that he could not swallow
his sixth child, Zeus, as he had done his first five?
3. What did Zeus then do to save his siblings?
Odysseus
1. Although Odysseus is a mortal, who is said to have
been his grandfather?
2. What one other character besides Odysseus was known
to have returned from Hades to the land of the living?
3. Odysseus was known as Ulysses in which poem by Virgil?
Poseidon
1. How was Poseidon related to Zeus?
2. What was Poseidon commonly called?
3. In what way did Poseidon ride the waves of the vast
sea?
4. What animal was Poseidon said to have created as a
gift for the ancient Greeks?
5. What "instrument" did Poseidon use to let loose storm
blasts against Odysseus?
Scylla (Skylla)
1. Spell out an alternative pronunciation for this six-headed
monster.
Styx
1. Where did Styx make her home?
2. What were immortals solemnly bound to do if the poured
the waters of Styx and swore on
3. What was the punishment for breaking the oath?
Zeus
1. Why did Cronus swallow his first five children?
2. Whom did Zeus marry?
1. Identify, in order, the places Odysseus traveled.
Extra Credit: For varying amounts of extra
credit, you may answer Odyssey
Questions .
Back to the
assignment page .