Quarter 3 Midterm - Literature

  • Calypso - the beautiful nymph who fell in love with Odysseus and held him prisoner for 7 years   

  • Charybdis - the huge, dangerous whirlpool with teeth that swallowed a large amount of water and spit it back out again; one of the choices Odysseus made if he wanted to pass the strait; represented high risk, high reward

  • Laertes - the elderly father of Odysseus; to whom Penelope pretended to be making a burial shroud for in order to trick the suitors into waiting for her marriage

  • Odysseus - the protagonist of Odyssey who spent 20 long years trying to get home from the Trojan War; favored by the god Athena, but an enemy of the god Poseidon

  • Circe - the beautiful witch-goddess who transformed Odysseus’ crew into swine and advised him through some of his journey

  • Tiresias - the blind prophet/ seer from the Land of the Dead who tells Odysseus his prophecy, warns him of the dangers to come, and offers advice on how to avoid certain fates

  • Homer - the author of the epic poem, Odyssey

  • Scylla - the monstrous sea serpent on the cliffs with six snake-like heads that bent her heads down to pick sailors from the ship; Odysseus decided to hold course against the rocks of Scylla; represented low risk, low reward

  • Argus - the old, loyal dog of Odysseus 

  • Polyphemus - a Cyclops and a son of Poseidon,who imprisoned Odysseus and his men and tried to eat them; in return, Odysseus blinded him using a sharpened, hot branch and escaped from his cave; Polyphemus then prays to his father, cursing Odysseus and lengthening his journey home

  • Xenia - Greek word for “hospitality”; the idea that gods could appear as anyone, so everyone, even strangers, should be treated with respect, as they could be a god in disguise

  • Hermes - the messenger of gods; guides deceased souls to the Land of the Dead

  • Poseidon - the god of the sea, earthquakes, horses, and storms at sea; divine antagonist of Odysseus; creates many problems and challenges for Odysseus on his journey home

  • Antinous - the most arrogant of Penelope’s suitors; the leader of all the suitors on Ithaca; lead a campaign to have Telemachus killed; killed by Eurymachus

  • Athena - the daughter of Zeus; goddess of wisdom, skills, and warfare; often helped and advised Odysseus on his journey

  • Telemachus - the son of Odysseus and Penlope who attempts to find out more about his father by imitating him: going on a journey

  • Ithaca - the home state of Odysseus and his family; where Odysseus was king

  • Penelope - the wife of Odysseus and the mother of Telemachus who is left to take care of Ithaca and the many suitors inhabiting it, while awaiting her husband’s return

  • Eumaeus - the loyal swineherd and friend of Odysseus who helps him to reclaim his throne; he gives Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, food and shelter in his hut, even without knowing the beggar’s true identity

  • Zeus - the king of gods and men; sometimes helped Odysseus, or permitted his daughter, Athena, to help him

  • Lotus-Eaters - a race of people who were known for their obsession with consuming the lotus flowers, which causes them to forget, and want to stay on their island.

  • Cyclops - a race of one-eyed barbaric, primitive giants who lived on Mount Aetna, like Polyphemus

  • Sirens - dangerous creatures who lured sailors to their death/ destruction my using their enchanting songs to tell the truth

  • The Muses - the daughters of Zeus who were the sources of inspiration for the arts and knowledge

  • Elpenor - the youngest of Odysseus’ crew who, after being freed from being a pig on Circe’s island, got drunk, fell off a roof, broke his neck, and died; when Odysseus visits the Land of the Dead, his spirit asks Odysseus to return to Circe’s island and give him a proper burial

  • Phaeacians - the sailors who helped Odysseus return to Ithaca after he told the king his story