THE ODYSSEY

1. THE ODYSSEY Stuff You Should Know.

2. Homer “wrote” it. (Not that Homer). • We say “wrote” because these started as stories/poems that were performed in the oral tradition, from memory. He recorded them. • In ancient Greek, his name is Ὅμηρος. • We’re pretty sure he was blind. • His Iliad and Odyssey are considered the beginning of the Western canon of literature. That’s a big deal. • We’re not sure when he lived, but we think it’s either around 850 BC or 1100 BC… most people think it’s closer to the 850 BC date. • Most writers after him modeled their work on the Iliad and the Odyssey. • Of all the papyrus fragments we’ve found that contain Greek literature, half of them are from Homer. Again, a big deal. • We think he was born at Smyrna or on the Cycladic island of Ios.

3. Smyrna & Ios

4. Wait- where?

5. What, exactly, is the Odyssey? • It’s the story of a guy named Odysseus, who is trying to make his way back home to Ithaca (the island he’s from; he’s also king of it) after the Trojan War. • It’s an epic poem, with meter and everything. • It’s a collection of chapters that we call “books.” • It’s a poem that’s available in various translations. • It’s pretty much a sequel to the Iliad, also by Homer, which tells the story of the 10-year-long Trojan War. • It’s a way for us to know all kinds of things about ancient Greek culture.

6. Tell me more about epics, please! • Ok! These are considered the 10 traits of an epic: • Begins in medias res. • The setting is vast, covering many nations, the world or the universe. • Begins with an invocation to a muse. • Begins with a statement of the theme. • Includes the use of epithets. • Contains long lists, called an epic catalogue. • Features long and formal speeches. • Shows divine intervention on human affairs. • Features heroes that embody the values of the civilization. • Often features the tragic hero's descent into the Underworld or hell. • Just FYI: the Odyssey includes all of these… it’s almost like we base our definition of an epic on the work of Homer…

7. What’s an epic poem? • According to Wikipedia (fine to use here… the definition doesn’t change, Ms. H. would know if it was inaccurate, and this isn’t a research paper) :“An epic (from the Ancient Greek adjective ἐπικός/epikos) is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation.” • The Odyssey clearly fits this description. Odysseus is engaged in the very serious mission of getting back home to his wife, son, kingdom (and dog!), and he encounters all kinds of beasts, witches, storms, creatures, and mean humans on the way. We learn all about Greek culture, like what character traits they valued, and common cultural practices (things like hospitality, etc.), from the Odyssey.

8. What’s an epic hero? • Let’s consult our friend Wikipedia again: • “The hero generally participates in a cyclical journey or quest, faces adversaries that try to defeat him in his journey and returns home significantly transformed by his journey. The epic hero illustrates traits, performs deeds, and exemplifies certain morals that are valued by the society the epic originates from. Many epic heroes are recurring characters in the legends of their native culture.” • Word. Odysseus pops up all though the Iliad, including when he shushes everyone in the Trojan Horse, and he’s painted on a ton of walls and cups and urns and things we find on archaeological digs. He was super famous. He’s kind of like the Superman of Ancient Greece… kind of.

9. What is it going to tell us about Ancient Greek life? And why do I care? • We can figure out what character traits were valued because Odysseus and Penelope are examples of ideal people. • We can figure out the ways it was ok to treat people (always give them food, don’t ask their name right away, if you make fun of someone’s dad and stab them in the eye they will probably throw rocks at you, etc.) • We can figure out their class system. • We can figure out the roles of men and women. • It’s relevant to you because some of us can trace our American culture back to England (and other parts of Europe, and anything that used to be in the Roman Empire [um, that’s A LOT of places]); the Romans who brought their culture there pretty much stole it from Greece. You behave the way you do partly because the Greeks thought it was cool. True story.

10. Tell me more about this Iliad… • Sure! It’s basically the epic poem that comes before the Odyssey, and tells the story of the Trojan War. In a nutshell: • A bunch of dudes (kings) want to marry Helen, so they go to her house. Her dad doesn’t want them to all kill each other, so he makes them swear that they will protect her honor no matter whom she marries, and back up whomever she marries (Menelaus). A dude named Paris, with the help of Aphrodite, steals Helen away. Uh oh. All of the old suitors stand by their oath, and go to war for M&H. The battle lasts 10 years. Eventually, Odysseus gets an idea to build a big horse. The plan works! Having conquered Troy and getting Helen back, everyone sets off for their respective homes. In between all of this is some human sacrifice, battles that include Achilles, Ajax, Hector, and the bow of Hercules, and all kinds of creepy prophecies. It’s really good.

11. If the Iliad happened in Troy, where does the Odyssey happen? • This is a tough one. Some people think Odysseus traveled all over the world to get back to Ithaca, even though they were only 680.4 miles away. Doubtful. • Most people (smart, historian people) agree that the whole journey takes place in the Mediterranean. Here are a couple of maps:

12. How do we not know this? • Place names have changed a lot between 1194 BC and now. • Homer isn’t super specific. Sometimes he just describes a place as having lots of mountains, or as being a place where there are goats and the sun sets in a bay. Not super helpful. • The only things we know for (99%) sure are where Troy and Ithaca are. Odysseus gets close to home, then is carried off again. This info is not a lot to go on. • The Trojan War probably happened, and Troy was an actual place, but we haven’t found a palace fitting the description in the Odyssey on Ithaca. This journey may or may not have actually happened. The journey isn’t exactly something we can prove and trace.

13. Why do I have to read this? • The Odyssey, as stated before, is a way to figure out where our cultural practices come from. • It’s the most fun way to learn about Ancient Greece and the classical tradition. • It’s a great introduction to Greek mythology, and I think we can all agree that that is awesome. • It’s ALL OVER our current culture. Allusions are made to the Odyssey constantly in movies, books, conversation, art, music, etc. • So you can impress people at cocktail parties. • You might be on Jeopardy someday. • So you can be reminded that it doesn’t matter how muscley and courageous you are if you aren’t clever, intelligent, and willing to trust other people.

14. I don’t believe you that it’s in our culture a lot. Prove this, please. • Done and done: • Have you seen O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Cold Mountain, or 2001: A Space Odyssey? • Have you heard of or read The Arabian Nights? • It’s referenced in episodes of The Simpsons, Phineas & Ferb, SpongebobSquarepants, and Pirates of the Caribbean. • Franz Ferdinand, Sting, John Denver, Sinead O’Connor, and The Who all have songs that reference the Odyssey. • The first home video game system was the Magnavox Odyssey. • Percy Jackson WHAT • There are a ton more… these are just a few.

15. I like art. I would like some Odyssey-based art, please. Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE 1891

16. Odysseus and Polyphemus AnoldBöcklin; 1896

17. Scylla and Charybdis JOHANN FUSSLIE 1795

18. Hermes Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus GERARD DE LAIRESSE 1670

19. Book XVII: The Wanderings of Odysseus BRUCE PORTER 2008

20. Odysseus and the Sirens Herbert James Draper 1909

21. Odysseus and His Men Blinding Polyphemus Laconiuncup 565-560 BC

22. Even local artists are inspired… Butte artist Shawn Crowe; various works 2005-present