Places in the Odyssey

Place Name Book Summary Time Men lost Evidence

spent
here
Troy 1, 4, Odysseus begins his adventure at Troy. As a general, he went to 10 Many ‘Odysseus and his party were already sitting in the
8, 11 go command in the Trojan War. The war raged on for ten full years assembly place in Troy, concealed within the horse’
years with no end in sight. Luckily for the Greeks, the shrewd ‘But Odysseus held us back and checked our impetuosity’
Odysseus formulated a very cunning ruse. The Trojan Horse was ‘he disfigured himself’
his brilliant scheme: a giant wooden horse, supposedly a gift to
the Trojans, filled with Greek men ready to spring a surprise
attack. This strategy won the war for the Greeks. Unfortunately
for Odysseus, his arrogance and lack of worship to the Gods
caused Poseidon to have distaste towards him.
TRAVELLING
Ismarus- 9 Who: Native people 1 day 6 from ‘The wind brought me to Ismarus’
Cicones Odysseus landed on the Island of the Cicones after the Trojan each ship ‘I sacked this place and destroyed its menfolk’
War. His men raided the island and pillaged its luxuries. were ‘I said we must escape with all possible speed, but my
Odysseus urged his men to take what was needed and leave killed, in fools of men refused’
quickly, but they did not listen; their greed kept them on the total 72 ‘the Cicones went and raised a cry of help among other
island. As they were looting, the Cicones' army attacked men Cicones, who are more numerous and better men’
Odysseus's men while they were busy enjoying themselves in a ‘At dawn they were on us, thick as leaves’
drunken stupor. Odysseus's men were fighting a losing battle, ‘The Cicones gained the upper hand’
but they fought on bravely. Six benches of men on each ship ‘six of my strong-greaved comrades from each ship were
were lost. killed’
SAILED FOR TEN DAYS

Tunisia, North 9 Who: Native people 1 day 0 ‘We reached the country of the lotus eaters’
Africa- After the Island of the Cicones, Odysseus landed on the Island of roughly ‘I sent some of my followers inland to sense what sort of
Lotus eaters the Lotus Eaters. The Lotus is a plant that forces the eater to lose human beings might be there’
all grip on reality. Once it is eaten, the person knows nothing nor ‘These natives had no intention of killing my comrades’
cares for anything other than eating the lotus plant. Odysseus ‘All they now wanted was to stay’
sent in two men to scout out the area. When they did not come ‘I had to use force to bring them back’
back, Odysseus sent in to find them. He found the two men ‘I tied them up and dragged them’
 Places in the Odyssey
hopelessly addicted to eating the lotus plant. Odysseus tied the
two men up and forced them into the ship against their will and
sails away
TRAVELLING
Sicily- 9 Who: Cyclopes Roughly 6 men ‘Fierce, lawless people’
Polyphemus Odysseus then lands on an Island populated with bloodthirsty 3 days killed ‘The cyclopes have no assemblies for the making of laws’
Cyclopes. The men land here out of desperation; they need ‘For I had an instant foreboding that we were going to
water and food. Odysseus and his men go to explore a large cave find ourselves face to face with some barbarous being’
that was just found, but little do they know of the peril that ‘My men begged me to let them take some of the
awaits. Inside, they find a cache of cheese and wine. Despite his cheeses… them set sail across the water’
men's constant pleading, Odysseus decides to stay in the cave, ‘I wished to see the owner of the cave and had hopes of
awaiting its owner's return. A huge, lumbering Cyclops enters the some friendly gifts from my host’
cave as they are feasting, and he is not very happy about the ‘My name is nobody’
intruders. Polyphemus, the Cyclops, eats six of Odysseus's men. ‘this cruel brute’
Odysseus becomes worried. Later, Odysseus formulates a very ‘reaching out towards my men, he seized a couple and
cunning plan. He tells the Cyclops his name is Nobody, dashed their heads against the floor’
intoxicates the Cyclops, then blinds him while Polyphemus is ‘Limb by limb he tore them to pieces’
sleeping. Polyphemus shouts, "Nobody blinded me!" so no one ‘He once more snatched up a couple of my men’
comes to his aid. Then Odysseus and his men escape from the ‘He once more snatched two of us and prepared his
cave by hiding under Polyphemus's sheep. supper’
‘The cyclops eye hissed around the olive stake’
‘The cyclops lifted up his hands to the starry heavens and
prayer to the lord Poseidon’
TRAVELLING
Aeolia 10 Who: King Aeolus, with six sons married to his six daughters 1 0 ‘He had given his daughters to his sons in marriage’
King: Aeolus month ‘They are always feasting’
Odysseus next lands on Aeolia, home of Aeolus, god of the ‘For a whole month Aeolus entertained me and
winds. Here Odysseus and his crew feasted and entertained king questioned me on everything’
Aeolus with tales and answered questions on Troy. Once it is time ‘He presented me with a leather bag… in which he had
to leave, Aeolus bottles up all of the bad winds and gives imprisoned the boisterous energies of all the winds’
Odysseus the bag filled with them. He did this to make his ‘Then he called a breeze from the west to blow my ships
journey home safe. and their crews across the sea’
 Places in the Odyssey
9 DAYS AND NIGHTS AT SEA
Aeolia 10 With Ithaca in sight, Odysseus's men become greedy and decide 1 day 0 ‘They undid the bag and all the winds rushed out’
to open the bag. This causes the winds to blow them back to ‘We were driven back to the Island of Aeolus’
Aeolia. Aeolus sends them on their way because he fears their ‘Get off this island instantly, the world holds no one more
journey is cursed by the gods. damnable than you’
‘A man detested by the Blessed Gods’
‘thus he dismissed us from his palace’
6 DAYS, 6 NIGHTS TRAVELLING
Telepylus, 10 Who: Giant men, cannibals Not All ships ‘So I sent a party inland to find out what sort of people
Lamus- King: Antiphates long destroyed, they were’
Laestrygonian’ Odysseus's next stop was the Island of the Laestrygonian’s. The men ‘Antiphates… made his murderous intentions clear, who
s ships all parked in the harbour except Odysseus’. Here his men killed, pounced on one of my men to eat him for supper’
were ravaged by ravenous cannibals. They ate all but one ship of except ‘powerful Laestrygonian’s’
Odysseus's men. Odysseus’. ‘more like giants than men’
One of his ‘They carried them off like fishes on a spear to make their
men gone loathsome meal’
also ‘my ship was safe, but that was the end of all the rest’

TRAVELLING
Aeaea 10 Who: Circe 1 year 1, Elpenor ‘They could hear Circe within, singing in her beautiful
Odysseus lands on Aeaea, home to Circe. Odysseus sends some voice’
of his men to scout out the area, but when they do not return, he ‘Circe invited them to enter’
becomes worried. Circe turns them into pigs. All of Odysseus's ‘Eurylochus suspected a trap and stayed outside’
men do not return, so Odysseus himself sets off to see why. On ‘In this dish she introduced a noxious drug’
the way, he is confronted by Hermes. Hermes tells him that Circe ‘Now they had pigs heads and bristles and grunted like
is up ahead and that his only chance of survival is to eat the plant pigs’
Moly. Odysseus hesitates; Moly is poisonous. Nevertheless, he ‘The whole party had been wiped out’
eats it. Odysseus makes short work out of Circe because her ‘I shall go’
spells have no effect on him. Odysseus saves his men and has ‘I was nearing the sorceress palace when I met Hermes’
them returned to their normal state. Circe pleads for them to ‘She gave me the bowl and I drained it without suffering
stay on her island, and Odysseus does this because he was any magic effects’
 Places in the Odyssey
promised information on how to return home. Finally, Circe tells ‘I am sure you are Odysseus’
him to go see Tiresias, a prophet located in the underworld. ‘come to bed with me’
Elpenor falls off the roof the day they leave and dies ‘they became men again’
‘we stayed on day after day, for a whole year’

TRAVELLING

Hades 11 Who: Hades, Persephone, Tieresias briefly 0 ‘There I poured libations to all the dead’
Odysseus goes to the land of the dead to seek Tiresias. He finds ‘I made Tiresias a separate offering of the finest jet-black
him here, as Circe said. Tiresias tells Odysseus to sail towards sheep in my flocks’
Scylla and Charybdis, but to take the route of Scylla. Only six men ‘The spirit of the Theban prophet now came up’
will be lost as opposed to all of them. ‘A god is going to make your journey hard’
‘if you hurt the cattle, I predict your ship and company
will be destroyed’
‘As for your own end, death will come to you far away
from the sea, a gentle death’
TRAVELLING

Aeaea 12 Who: Circe 1 day 0 ‘we reached the island of Aeaea’

Odysseus and his men return to Circes island to bury Elpenor, as ‘I sent a party off to fetch the dead body of Elpenor’
promised in the underworld. Circe instructs Odysseus what to do ‘we performed the funeral rites’
now ‘Come spend the rest of the day here, enjoying food and
wine’
‘So the whole day long till sunset, we sat and feasted’
‘if you hurt the cattle, I predict the destruction of your
ship’
‘when your crew have carried you past the sirens, two
routes will be open to you’
TRAVELLING
Sirens 12 Who: The sirens Briefly 0 ‘The sirens bewitch everybody who approaches them’
The Sirens sing a song that no man can resist to passing ships. ‘I took a large round of wax’
Circe gave Odysseus bee's wax to stop the sound, but advised ‘I took my men in turn and plugged their ears with it’
that Odysseus hear it while tied to the mast. Odysseus gives his ‘they bound me hand and foot’
 Places in the Odyssey
men the wax and has them tie him up to the mast. The condition ‘This was the sweet song the sirens sang’
he sets is this: if they see him struggle, tie him up tighter.
Odysseus hears their irresistible song and struggles against the
ropes, but his loyal men tie him tighter. Finally they're out of
range, and Odysseus commands them to remove the wax from
their ears.
TRAVELLING
Scylla and 12 Who: Scylla, six headed monster, Charybdis, whirlpool briefly 6 ‘I did not mention the inescapable horror of Scylla’
Charybdis Odysseus sails on to Scylla, as Tiresias suggested. When they ‘My men turned pale with terror’
come into view, Odysseus and his men see a dangerous whirlpool ‘the awesome Charybdis sucked down the salt water in
along with an eerie cave. As instructed, Odysseus sails towards her dreadful way’
the cave. His men are terrified, but they sail on. Then, Scylla ‘Scylla snatched out of my ship the six strongest ablest
strikes. The six-headed-monster devours six of Odysseus's men’
men as all six dangle from its mouth cursing Odysseus. Luckily, ‘there she devoured them at her own door’
the remaining men are safe. They sail on.
TRAVELLING
Thrinacia 12 Who: Helios- the sun God 1 All Crew ‘we soon reached the sun-gods lovely island’
Odysseus's next stop is Thrinacia, the island of the sun god's month ‘there came into my mind the words of Tieresias and of
cattle. His men land here and Odysseus warns them to not touch Circe which had been so insistent to avoid this island’
any of the cattle. A storm is raging on, and they are imprisoned ‘drive the ship past the island’
on the island with no food. Odysseus goes out to pray for the ‘do not eat the cattle of the sun god’
rain to stop, and he passes out. Meanwhile, his men decided that ‘the crew agreed and gave the promise’
being smote is a better death than the slow ravaging one of ‘The men, so long as their bread and wine lasted, kept off
hunger so they kill, eat, and sacrifice part of the cattle. Helios is the cattle’
greatly angered and the cattle, while roasting begin to moo and ‘their pangs of hunger sent them wandering’
come alive. Helios beseeches Zeus to punish Odysseus and his ‘Eurylochus was broaching a wicked scheme with his
men. Zeus does so by destroying Odysseus's ship and killing his mates’
men. Odysseus is left alive because Zeus knew that he was not ‘Let us round up the best of the sun’s cows’
responsible. ‘the men gathered round the cattle’
‘They slit the cows throats’
‘take vengeance of the followers of Odysseus’
‘for six days my men feasted on the pick of the suns
 Places in the Odyssey
cattle’
‘Zeus brought a sombre cloud to rest above the hollow
ship’
‘a howling wind suddenly sprung up’
‘my men were flung overboard’
‘there was no homecoming for them’
FLOATING ON SHIPS WRECKAGE FOR A LONG TIME
Scylla and 12 Odysseus was left floating on his own ship's wreckage. He floated briefly All crew ‘for this meant, I should have once more to retrace my
Charybdis aimlessly for a very long time, until he finally came back to Scylla already course to the dread Charybdis’
and Charybdis. Odysseus was able to avoid both perils, with the dead ‘I swung myself up to the great fig tree’
help of Zeus and his quick thinking. Zeus saved Odysseus from ‘I clung grimly on’
Scylla by hiding him from Scylla's view. Odysseus saved himself ‘I let go… and clambered onto… the great logs’
from Charybdis by grabbing hold of a fig tree and waiting for his ‘And thanks to the father of men and gods, Scylla did not
ship's wreckage to resurface. catch sight of e’
TEN DAYS DRIFTING
Ogygia 5 Who: Calypso 7 years All crew ‘The gods washed me up on the island of Ogygia’
Odysseus continued to float after his encounter with Scylla and already ‘she found him sitting on the shore, his eyes were wet
Charybdis. He eventually ended up on the island of Ogygia, home dead with weeping’
of Calypso. Calypso is a nymph and a temptress. She tried to ‘they found pleasure in making love’
seduce Odysseus. Calypso detained him there for seven years ‘You are hard-hearted you gods, and unmatched for
and offered him immortality if he would remain. Odysseus jealousy’
wanted to go home too badly to stay. Zeus finally freed him from ‘For I am ready with all my heart to help you leave’
the temptress's clutches and he set sail for home. ‘Presently Calypso brought his boring-tools’
‘Calypso saw him off the island’
18 DAYS AT SEA
Scherie 6-12 Who: The Phaeacian’s 3 days All crew ‘The mighty Alcinous had a young daughter called
King: Alcinous already Nausicaa’
As Odysseus journeyed home on his small boat, Poseidon, still dead ‘Give him food and drink and bathe him’
angry at him, destroyed it. Odysseus eventually washed up on ‘listen carefully to my directions if you want my help’
shore of Phaeacia. He was helped to the palace, and King ‘Odysseus began his tale’
Alcinous heard his story. Odysseus told of his travels during the ‘Odysseus, feel assured that you will reach your home’
 Places in the Odyssey
large feast that was held. Alcinous then gave Odysseus ships and ‘she drew near to Ithaca’
a safe passage home. He finally was returning to Ithaca.
TRAVELLING
Ithaca 13-24 Odysseus finally made it back to his home. Forever All crew ‘The good Odysseus now awoke from his sleep on his
already native soil’
dead