Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
1. Odysseus and his fleet leave Troy.
2. Odysseus and his crew land on Ismarus/Ismara on the coast of Thrace, where they sack the city. They engage in battle with the Ciconians. Many men are lost (six men from each ship).
3. They arrive on the island of the Lotus-Eaters.
4. Their next stop: the land of the cyclopes. Odysseus meets the cyclops, Polyphemus, who ate two of Odysseus' men each day, until they were able to escape.
5. Odysseus and his crew land on the Aeolian island of Aeolus, the "Keeper of the Winds". Before leaving the island, Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag that had trapped all the winds (save the wind to lead Odysseus home) and warned Odysseus not to open the bag. The bag was opened, releasing all the winds, just as Odysseus and his crew had sailed within sight of Ithaca. They were swept back to Aeolia by the violent winds.
6. Odysseus and his crew return to Aeolia a second time, but are not welcomed with the hospitality that Aeolus had previously shown them.
7. They resume their voyage to Ithaca from Aeolia, eventually coming to the city of Telepylus/Telepylos, home of the Laestrygonians. Odysseus loses all of his fleet and men, except his own ship and those men on his ship.
8. Odysseus and his surviving crew arrive on the island of Aeaea, home of Circe. Odysseus stays with Circe for a year. He leaves Aeaea, with Circe advising Odysseus it is essential that he visit Hades to talk to the prophet Tiresias before resuming his trip home.
9. Odysseus and his men journey to the Underworld, coming to the River Acheron. Odysseus speaks with Tiresias, and Tiresias cautions Odysseus on Helios' cattle and warns him about Scylla and Charybdis.
10. Odysseus and his crew return to Aeaea, to bury one of his shipmates (who had died in Aeaea). Circe warns him of the dangers of the Sirens, and Scylla and Charybdis.
11. Odysseus and his crew manage to sail safely pass the Sirens without any losses.
12. They sail into the Strait of Messina where Scylla and Charybdis reside. Odysseus chooses to sail close to Scylla rather than the whirlpool of Charybdis, and loses six men (one for each of Scylla's six heads).
13. Odysseus and his crew land on Thrinacia, home of Helios' sacred cattle. Though Odysseus had warned his crew not to eat Helios' cattle, they ended up eating some of the cattle while he was away. Helios was angered and asked Zeus to punish those who had eaten his cattle. Zeus brought about a great storm, completely destroying Odysseus' ship and killing all his men.
14. Odysseus, clinging to a piece of his destroyed vessel, was washed away at sea. He is swept past Scylla and Charybdis, again, and again manages to pass by safely.
15. Odysseus washes ashore on the island Ogygia, home to Calypso. Odysseus stays with her for seven years.
16. After staying with Calypso for seven years, Odysseus built a boat and set sail once more. Poseidon, seeing Odysseus at sea, brings a violent storm down on Odysseus and his ship is destroyed. Odysseus washes up on the shore of Scheria, kingdom of Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians. King Alcinous, Queen Arete and their daughter Nausicaa are extremely hospitable to Odysseus; providing him with clothing, food and entertainment. King Alcinous offers Odysseus one of his ships so that Odysseus can finally return to his homeland and family.
17. After twenty long and hard years, Odysseus returns at last to Ithaca.
* Many people forget that Odysseus visited Aeolia twice, stopped twice at Aeaea (before and after visiting the Underworld) and traveled by Scylla and Charybdis twice (before and after landing Thrinacia).
2. Odysseus and his crew land on Ismarus/Ismara on the coast of Thrace, where they sack the city. They engage in battle with the Ciconians. Many men are lost (six men from each ship).
3. They arrive on the island of the Lotus-Eaters.
4. Their next stop: the land of the cyclopes. Odysseus meets the cyclops, Polyphemus, who ate two of Odysseus' men each day, until they were able to escape.
5. Odysseus and his crew land on the Aeolian island of Aeolus, the "Keeper of the Winds". Before leaving the island, Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag that had trapped all the winds (save the wind to lead Odysseus home) and warned Odysseus not to open the bag. The bag was opened, releasing all the winds, just as Odysseus and his crew had sailed within sight of Ithaca. They were swept back to Aeolia by the violent winds.
6. Odysseus and his crew return to Aeolia a second time, but are not welcomed with the hospitality that Aeolus had previously shown them.
7. They resume their voyage to Ithaca from Aeolia, eventually coming to the city of Telepylus/Telepylos, home of the Laestrygonians. Odysseus loses all of his fleet and men, except his own ship and those men on his ship.
8. Odysseus and his surviving crew arrive on the island of Aeaea, home of Circe. Odysseus stays with Circe for a year. He leaves Aeaea, with Circe advising Odysseus it is essential that he visit Hades to talk to the prophet Tiresias before resuming his trip home.
9. Odysseus and his men journey to the Underworld, coming to the River Acheron. Odysseus speaks with Tiresias, and Tiresias cautions Odysseus on Helios' cattle and warns him about Scylla and Charybdis.
10. Odysseus and his crew return to Aeaea, to bury one of his shipmates (who had died in Aeaea). Circe warns him of the dangers of the Sirens, and Scylla and Charybdis.
11. Odysseus and his crew manage to sail safely pass the Sirens without any losses.
12. They sail into the Strait of Messina where Scylla and Charybdis reside. Odysseus chooses to sail close to Scylla rather than the whirlpool of Charybdis, and loses six men (one for each of Scylla's six heads).
13. Odysseus and his crew land on Thrinacia, home of Helios' sacred cattle. Though Odysseus had warned his crew not to eat Helios' cattle, they ended up eating some of the cattle while he was away. Helios was angered and asked Zeus to punish those who had eaten his cattle. Zeus brought about a great storm, completely destroying Odysseus' ship and killing all his men.
14. Odysseus, clinging to a piece of his destroyed vessel, was washed away at sea. He is swept past Scylla and Charybdis, again, and again manages to pass by safely.
15. Odysseus washes ashore on the island Ogygia, home to Calypso. Odysseus stays with her for seven years.
16. After staying with Calypso for seven years, Odysseus built a boat and set sail once more. Poseidon, seeing Odysseus at sea, brings a violent storm down on Odysseus and his ship is destroyed. Odysseus washes up on the shore of Scheria, kingdom of Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians. King Alcinous, Queen Arete and their daughter Nausicaa are extremely hospitable to Odysseus; providing him with clothing, food and entertainment. King Alcinous offers Odysseus one of his ships so that Odysseus can finally return to his homeland and family.
17. After twenty long and hard years, Odysseus returns at last to Ithaca.
* Many people forget that Odysseus visited Aeolia twice, stopped twice at Aeaea (before and after visiting the Underworld) and traveled by Scylla and Charybdis twice (before and after landing Thrinacia).
Source(s):
A mythology aficionada of 11+ years; I've read and dissected the Iliad and the Odyssey MANY times.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Length of Trip
Through all this evidence, the trip seems more and more unlikely, at least to this extent. The many miles and locations visited are described with such vivid and typically correct details, that we can not help but think that the excursions might have happened, but just not to the full degree.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Figures in Odysseus' Trip
There are many prominent figures in the story of the Odyssey. Most, if not all, nearly certainly fictitious, however, some of them are based in fact. Calypso, Circe, Polyphemus, Athena (Minerva in the Roman translation), and the Gods are based on religions and myth. They play an important part in understanding why the trip took so ling. but little else. They are attributed for all of the relations and positive attributes of the main characters including appearance, humility, and courage.
The other characters that were most likely around at the same time include Achilles, Agamemnon, Menelaus, and Hector. They are encountered in The Iliad at the city of Troy, but the Odyssey, we find them all safely bake at their respective kingdoms. Odysseus was a king of Ithaca but he was not allowed to return by the gods. This is one instance where they interact with the "mortal" world. They are sought out in the beginning by Odysseus' son Telemachus. He desires the knowledge of where his father has gone or if he is even alive. All admire Odysseus and treat all guests with respect. This is in accordance with the tradition of the times, so while some of the facts are exaggerated, the nature of the community is correct, therefore semi-proving the viability of the timeline.
The other characters that were most likely around at the same time include Achilles, Agamemnon, Menelaus, and Hector. They are encountered in The Iliad at the city of Troy, but the Odyssey, we find them all safely bake at their respective kingdoms. Odysseus was a king of Ithaca but he was not allowed to return by the gods. This is one instance where they interact with the "mortal" world. They are sought out in the beginning by Odysseus' son Telemachus. He desires the knowledge of where his father has gone or if he is even alive. All admire Odysseus and treat all guests with respect. This is in accordance with the tradition of the times, so while some of the facts are exaggerated, the nature of the community is correct, therefore semi-proving the viability of the timeline.
Travels
Odysseus was a very controversial character in Greek/Roman mythology. Form Troy, he supposedly sailed for ten years before being able to return home. He lost all of his men and when he finally arrived at his abode, there were dozens of suitors who had ransacked the estate. All of these events falling into place exactly as planned is highly unlikely, therefore we investigate to as to whether it was possible. His home was in Ithaca,Greece and he sailed to Troy, on the eastern edge of the modern day Turkey. Nearly all of the islands that were mentioned can be accounted for and the mentions of Egypt, Crete, and other prominent and recognizable civilizations bolster this conclusion.
Ancient sources provide a wealth of interpretations of Odysseus' wanderings, with a complex range of traditions which affect one another in various ways. Broadly speaking there are two dominant trends. One is that of Euhemerist accounts, which re-wrote mythical stories without their fantastic elements, and were often seen as thereby recovering "historical" records. The other reflects the conventions of foundation myths, whereby stories of a city or institution being founded in the course of Odysseus' travels often came to have political significance.
Some identifications are common to both groups. The main distinctions between them are in how the identifications were passed down through the generations, and the uses to which they were put. The most standard identifications, which are rarely disputed in ancient sources, are
Ancient sources provide a wealth of interpretations of Odysseus' wanderings, with a complex range of traditions which affect one another in various ways. Broadly speaking there are two dominant trends. One is that of Euhemerist accounts, which re-wrote mythical stories without their fantastic elements, and were often seen as thereby recovering "historical" records. The other reflects the conventions of foundation myths, whereby stories of a city or institution being founded in the course of Odysseus' travels often came to have political significance.
Some identifications are common to both groups. The main distinctions between them are in how the identifications were passed down through the generations, and the uses to which they were put. The most standard identifications, which are rarely disputed in ancient sources, are
- land of the Cyclopes = Sicily[6]
- land of the Laestrygonians = Sicily[7]
- island of Aeolus = one or more of the Aeolian Islands off Sicily's north coast[8]
- Scheria, the land of the Phaeacians = Corcyra (modern Corfu), off the west coast of Greece and Albania[9]
- Ogygia, the island home of the nymph Calypso = Gaudos, modern Gozo, part of the Maltese archipelago.[10]
Odysseus' Feats
One of Odysseus' greatest feats is the Trojan War. It is the most storied tragedy of all Greco-Roman times and the main hero savior of the Greeks. The term Trojan horse is all due to this superior being.
Helen, Agamemnon's wife, was stolen by the Trojans and he rallied all of the Greeks to get her back. They sailed off in their mighty fleets as the age dawned on a new time. Leaders led their troops all the way to Troy's shores. They prepared for battle and it was an epic one, in fact a struggle that has lasted through the ages. Achilles, Agamemnon, Paris, Menelaus, and Hector are some of the noteworthy competitors. Odysseus is the most humble of all men present and he is not mentioned nearly as much as the others. However, he is the main figure near the conclusion.
The battle became unbeatable for the Achaeans (Greeks), and they began to pack up and leave. Troy was destroyed but still held under the siege. Odysseus was mad because they had angered the gods. They would have gotten thrashed on the sea, so he stayed back with some of his own army, and came up with a plan for invading the city of Troy. He and his men hid in the belly of this large wooden horse. They built it with the remains of their camp, offered it to the Trojans as a peace offering. The Trojans accepted this token and debated as to what they should do with it. While they were sleeping, Odysseus and the men with him, launched an attack inside the city and ravaged it. They then returned to their ships and were hailed as victors amongst the remaining Achaeans.
Murray, Tim. "?." Encyclopedia of archaeology. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 1999. 111,115,116,118,286. Print.
The Iliad and The Odyssey. Radford: Wilder, 2007. Print.
"Troy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy>.
Murray, Tim. "?." Encyclopedia of archaeology. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 1999. 111,115,116,118,286. Print.
The Iliad and The Odyssey. Radford: Wilder, 2007. Print.
"Troy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy>.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Odysseus
Odysseus was a very well mannered man. He was known for his power and humility. There are many men in Greek mythology that are humble but that ends up being their tragic flaw. in Ulysses( in Roman Mythology), it was his largest and most valuable asset. He always was faithful and true to his family.
There is evidence that a man named Odysseus was alive around the time of the Homeric Age, there is no conclusive evidence that the two are the same person.
There is evidence that a man named Odysseus was alive around the time of the Homeric Age, there is no conclusive evidence that the two are the same person.
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