Odyssey vocab and epithets 2

Vocabulary from the Odyssey

  • Guile: Cunning and crafty intelligence.

  • Ilium: Ancient name for Troy.

  • Mutinous: Rebellious behavior, such as disobedience.

  • Lee: Area sheltered from the wind.

  • Prodigious: Enormous or remarkable in size.

  • Kids: Baby goats.

  • Victuals: Food supplies.

  • Wyth: Made of strong twigs.

  • Dispatched: To finish quickly.

  • Capa: A quiver or case for arrows.

  • Din: Uproar or loud noise.

  • Lugger: A small sailing vessel.

  • Nectar: Considered food of the gods, often linked with ambrosia.

  • Bored: To make a hole in something.

  • Divers: Every or all.

  • Pectoral: Relating to the chest area.

  • Weird: A term related to fate or destiny.

  • Pinioned: Confined or restricted.

  • Votive: Done as an expression of thanks.

  • Libations: Wine poured onto the ground as an offering.

  • Assuage: To pacify or calm.

Additional Vocabulary

  • Cairn: A heap of stones built as a monument.

  • Bereft: Deprived or lacking.

  • Ardor: Passion or enthusiasm.

  • Maelstrom: A powerful whirlpool.

  • Cuirass: A piece of armor that covers the upper body.

  • Insidious: Characterized by betrayal or treachery.

  • Contrived: Devised or planned.

  • Beeves: A term for beef.

  • Bole: The trunk of a tree.

  • Petrel: Small seabirds.

  • Harried: Harassed or troubled.

Important Epithets and Characters

  • Epithets for Gods:

    • Zeus: King of the Gods.

    • Helios: Sun God.

    • Circe of Aeaea: Magician and enchanter.

    • Calypso: Loveliest goddess.

    • Poseidon: God of the sea, earthquakes, horses, and storms.

    • Apollo: God of music, poetry, prophecy, and medicine.

    • Athena: Goddess of wisdom, skills, and warfare.

    • Polyphemus: Ogre and son of Poseidon.

  • Key Relationships:

    • Odysseus: The protagonist, son of Laertes.

    • Agamemnon: Son of Atreus who led the Greek army in the Trojan War.

    • Telemus: A seer, son of Eurymus.

    • Anticlea: Odysseus's mother, daughter of Autolycus.

Notable Descriptions

  • Images of Characters:

    • Odysseus depicted as a graybeard (Eurylochus).

    • Helios: Described as the Lord of Noon.

    • Telemus: Known as Cronus's son.

    • Depictions of characters often include physical attributes, such as being sun-bright or pale (referring to Persephone).