Characters

Calypso

  • Nymph

  • Keeps Odysseus captive for 7 years

  • Island is called Ogygia

Hermes

  • Messenger of Gods

  • Tells Calypso to let Odysseus leave

  • Gives Odysseus moly to protect from Circe

Nausicaa

  • Beautiful daughter of Alcinous & Arete

  • Discovers Odysseus on beach at Scherie

  • Takes him to her parents’ palace

Alcinous

  • King of Phaecians

  • Offers Odysseus hospitality on his island of Scherie

  • Provides safe passage back to Ithaca for Odysseus

Arete

  • Queen of Phaecians

  • Settles men’s disputes

Polyphemus

  • Cyclops

  • Imprisons Odysseus & crew in cave

  • Odysseus blinds him & escapes

  • This makes Poseidon angry (Polyphemus’ father)

Scylla

  • 6 headed monster

  • Lives near Charybdis

Sirens

  • Creatures who call to sailors with tempting songs

  • Odysseus instruct men to tie him to mast of ship so he can hear their songs without giving in

Ino

  • Mortal woman changed into Goddess living in the sea

  • Helps Odysseus in book 5 by giving a veil promising ‘divine protection’

Athene

  • Daughter of Zeus

  • Odysseus is her favourite mortal

  • Helps Odysseus in book 5 by prompting Zeus to compel Calypso to release him

  • Calmed the sea after Poseidon stirred it up

  • Sent a dream to Nausicaa to make her go to beach & find Odysseus

Zeus

  • King of Gods

  • Sends storm in book 12 on request of Hyperion who’s cattle was eaten by Odysseus’ men

Hyperion

  • God of Sun

  • Odysseus’ men ate his cattle on Thrinacie & so complained to Zeus

Aeaea

  • Home of Circe (enchantress & goddess)

Aeolus

  • God of winds

  • Gives Odysseus a bag containing the winds

Laestrygonians

  • Monstrous cannibal giants

  • Live in Telepylus

  • Destroy all of Odysseus’ ships except his own one & eat all his men except his own crew

Cicones

  • Live in Ismarus

  • Odysseus’ men sack their city

  • Cicones find reinforcements & send Odysseus and men packing

Circe

  • Enchantress who kept Odysseus Odysseus on Aeaea for a year & turned his men into pigs (swine)

Charybdis

  • Ship-devouring whirlpool lying on other side of a narrow passage of water from Scylla

Lotus eaters

  • Mysterious people who subsist on the sweet fruit of lotus

  • Odysseus’ men eat the lotus & sink into a dreamy oblivion & are mindless of their voyage home

Eurylochus

  • Comrade of Odysseus on voyage home from Troy

  • Provoked men to eat Hyperion’s cattle