The Odyssey Graphic Novel Review

What does 'in media res' mean?

'in the middle',

This graphic novel starts in the middle of Odysseus' journey home.

What is xenia?

extreme hospitality, the idea that anyone could be a god/goddess so you must respect strangers

What is an epithet?

a short descriptive phrase,

ex: Swift-footed Achilles, Clever Odysseus, grey-eyed Athena,

What is a hero's journey?

the typical events/actions that occur during a character's journey, hero goes on an adventure and overcomes challenges and returns home changed,

What is a narrative poem?

a poem that tells a story with characters, a short-story but in poetry form

Penelope

Odysseus' wife, mother of Telemachus, Queen of Ithaca

Odysseus

clever, King of Ithaca, been away for 20 years, supposedly loyal

Argos

Odysseus' dog, died waiting for Odysseus to return, symbol of loyalty

Telemachus

Odysseus and Penelope's son, goes to look for news of Odysseus

Antinoos

leader of the suitors, comes up with the plan to kill Telemachus when he returns,

Eurymachus

another suitor, 'wing leader' of Antinoos,

Athena

goddess of wisdom, favors Odysseus,

Hermes

messenger god, helps Ody get off of Calypso's island and gives him a magical herb to prevent Circe's magic

Nestor

King of Pylos, shows Telemachus xenia, first stop on Telemachus' search

Tiresias

a blind and dead prophet in the land of the dead that gives Ody a prophecy, tells him not to kill Helios' cattle

Laertes

Ody's Father, exiles himself from the kingdom an power due to grief of Odysseus' absence,

Posiedon

god of the sea, Ody angers him and he makes Ody's journey home difficult

Polyphemus

cyclops, Posiedon's son, gets blinded by Odysseus,

Calypso

nymph, keeps Ody on her island for 7 years, offered Ody immortality but Ody refuses

Circe

witch, turns Ody's men into pigs, Ody stays with her for one year,

Eumaeus

an old and loyal servant to Odysseus, helps Ody defeat suitors

Anticlea

Ody's mom, committed suicide because of grief from Ody's absence

Aeolus

god of the winds, all 12 of his sons and daughters are married to each other, gives Ody a bag of every wind except for the west wind,

Nausica

princess of the Phaecians, sees Ody on the shore and helps him, offers to bathe him, shows him xenia

Laestrygonians

giant man eating people, destroy all of Ody's ships except one,

Aegisthus

affair w/ Clytemnestra, helped kill Agamemnon

Oresetes

Aggy's son, kills Aegisthus and Clytemnestra to seek revenge for his father

Sparta

ruled by Menelaus and Helen, Telemachus goes there to get info about Ody, 2nd stop

Ithaca

ruled by Odysseus and Penelope, home, end goal

Cicones

first stop after Troy, Ody and his men raid the city, the people in the city fight back, killing some of Ody's men

Aeolia

ruled by Aeolus, where Ody received the bag of wind

Aeaea

Circe's island, Ody stayed here for one year

Ogygia

Calypso's Island, Ody was forced to stay here for 7 years,

The Land of the Dead

Hades' place where Odysseus speaks to the blind prophet and other ghosts

Phaecia

after Calypso's island, the people from this land 'kidnap' Ody and finally help him get home

Troy

start of Ody's journey, Trojan war was held here

Thrinacia

Helios' island, where cattle were killed and Ody and his crew disobeyed the prophecy from Tiresias

Sirens

singing lures sailors to their deaths,

Significance: temptation, self-discipline, distraction

Bag of Wind

given to Ody by Aeolus, all the winds except the west,

Significance: distrust, unreliable Ody,

Circe's turning men into Pigs

ody resists it because of the magical herb from Hermes,

significance: how Circe hates men, not xenia,

Laestrygonians (challenge)

all but one of ody's ships get destroyed,

significance: reckless/poor judgement leads to consequences

Lotus Eaters

ody's men eat the fruit, making them lazy, not wanting to continue the journey

significance: need self-discipline to avoid distraction,

Polyphemus (challenge)

ody's men blind him and escape, ody has to shout back that he is Ody not nobody

significance: consequences of pride,

Poseidon's Wrath

treacherous sea and storms that delay Ody's journey

significance: karma, gods' power to influence human fate

Helios' Cattle

Ody's men are starving, despite prophecy they kill and eat cattle anyway

significance: greed and desperation, danger in ignoring warnings

Scylla

six-headed sea monster that ate six of Ody's men

significance: sacrifice,

Charybdis

whirlpool that destroys everything,

significance: determination/persistence, peak destruction

Tiresias (info + significance)

gives ody the prophecy about cattle, tells ody about the suitors waiting for him in Ithaca

significance: despite warning, people can still do wrong, foreshadowing the killing of the cattle

Achilles (info + significance)

asks about his son, he would rather be living and poor than dead and remembered as a glorious hero

significance: mortality, family,

Agamemnon (info + significance)

tells ody to be cautious when he returns home,

significance: foreshadowing the suitors, betrayal and loyalty,

Anticlea (info + significance)

tells Ody about her death, informs him about what is going on in Ithaca

significance: motivates Ody to return home, consequences of Ody's absence

Elpenor (info + significance)

asks Ody to give him a proper burial so that his spirit can rest free,

significance: respecting dead, foreshadows that ody must do this before he returns home,

What is significant about Odysseus going to the Land of the Dead?

He is one of the two people who have ever made it out alive.