Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey, Part A

 Main characters:

  • Odysseus
  • The Cyclops
  • Circe

Secondary characters:

  • Odysseus' men
  • Hermes

Important things to remember:

  • The Land of the Cyclopes 
    • Odysseus and his men came upon the island of the Cyclopes' 
    • The land was good but the conditions were bad, but the Nymphs guided the goats towards them and they had plenty to eat
  • Prisoners of the Cyclopes
    • Odysseus took 12 of his best men out to explore the island
    • They came upon the cave of a cyclops, and ate some of his cheese, lit a burnt offering and waited for him to return so they could reason with him
    • The Cyclops returned and trapped them, eating 2 of the men
  • The Cyclops Defeated
    • The Cyclops ate 2 more men, then left for the day, leaving the crew trapped in the cave
    • Odysseus made the men cast lots to determine who would try to blind the Cyclops with him
    • When the Cyclops returned, he seized 2 more men to eat when Odysseus went to him and offered him wine they got from Ismarus
    • Odysseus told the Cyclops his name was "Nobody", and let him fall into a drunken slumber
    • Once the Cyclops was out cold, the men stabbed his eye until it bled and he could not see
    • The Cyclops called out in pain to the other Cyclopes on the island, and told them "Nobody is trying to kill me"
  • Escape from the Cyclops
    • Odysseus and his remaining men tied themselves to the bottom of sheep, so when morning came they could safely be let out of the cave unknown by the blinded Cyclops
    • Once back on the ship, Odysseus mocked the cyclops and he began to fling stones at them, almost causing their escape to fail
  • The Curse of Polyphemus
    • The Cyclops called out to Poseidon, asking him to not let Odysseus make it home
    • They next came upon the Island of Aeaea, home of the goddess Circe
  • Circe's Magic
    • The men were split into 2 groups to search the island
    • One of the groups came upon Circe's dwelling, and when she let them in they drank and Circe turned them into pigsties
    • Odysseus went to go try to help the men, but he ran into Hermes who told him the same fate awaited him, unless if he abided by the plan Hermes had
  • The Moly Defeats Circe
    • Circe tries to pull the same mischief on Odysseus when he drank, but the Moly herb made him immune to her tricks
    • He rushed her with a sword and it startled her, and she now knew who he was
    • Circe then took Odysseus to bed and freed his men
  • On Circe's Island
    • Odysseus went and got the rest of his men from the ship, and they stayed with Circe for a year, eating and drinking all they could
  • The Death of Elpenor
    • When they were ready to leave, the youngest of all Elpenor went to the roof in a drunken state
    • The noises scared him and he jumped to his death

Odysseus and his men against the Cyclops, via The Odyssey Project


Source: The Story of Homer's Odyssey

Rewritten and found through: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-homers-odyssey.html

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