The Odyssey | Odyssey

At a glance:

Author: Homer
First Published: 725
Type of Work: Poetry
Type of Plot: Epic
Time of Work: Years immediately following the Trojan War
Setting: Greece and Mediterranean lands
Principal Characters: Odysseus, Penelope, Telemachus
Genres: Poetry, Epic, Narrative poetry
Subjects: Language or languages, Husbands, Wives, Africa or Africans, Traveling or travelers, Voyages, Mythology or myths, Poetry or poets, War, Legends, Folklore, Gods or goddesses, Reading, Sea or seafaring life, Egypt or Egyptians, Adventure, Heroes or heroism, Life and death, Greek or Roman times, Greece or Greek people, Antarctica, Fables, Trojan War
Locales: Sparta, ancient, Greece, ancient, Mediterranean, Argos, ancient, Mount Olympus (mythic), Ithaca, ancient

Of the Greek heroes who survived the Trojan War only Odysseus had not returned home, for he had been detained by the god of the sea, Poseidon, because of an offense that he had committed against that god. At a conclave of the gods on Olympus, Zeus decreed that Odysseus should at last be allowed to return to his home and family in Ithaca. The goddess Athena was sent to Ithaca where, in disguise, she told Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, that his father was alive. She advised the youth to rid his home of the great number of suitors suing for the hand of his mother,...

The Odyssey | Odyssey

At a glance:

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