Odyssey Characters Flashcards
Alcinous
The king of the phaechians
-Odysseus tells his story to him and when he interrupts himself this is how we know the story is a flashback
Helios
The sun god
-His cattle are killed and eaten by Odysses’ crew and he curses them
-He is the god of high noon
Antinous
The leader of the suitors; he is very haughty
-He is in The suitors, and he dies in Odysseus’ Revenge.
Odysseus
The main character
He was a warrior in the battle of Troy who is trying to get home to Ithaca to his wife and son
The gods have a liking for him and interfere with his journey
In every story
Argus
Odysseus’ dog that he trained before he left Troy
Athena
Goddess of War and wisdom
-Helps guide Odysseus home
-Descuises him and transforms him
-She helps him because she wants to see a good fight
Calypso
Sea nymph who loves Odysseus
-She captures him for a long time before “Sailing from troy”
Circe
Goddess / Sorceress of Aeolia
-Introduced in The land of the dead and she tells odysseus he needs to go to underworld to meet teiresais
-Holds odysseus captive for a year on her island
-She also guides him towards the path of chrybdis and the sirens
Charybdis
The whirlpool in “Scylla and Charybdis”
-A very aggressive and hard to escape whirlpool
Elpinor
The first person Odysseus sees that he knows in the underworld
-He dies because he got frunk and fell off of a roof
-His spirit is roaming because he didn’t get a proper burial
-He begs the crew to give him a proper burial
Eumeus
Odysseus’ worker back on Ithaca
-Introduced in 20 years and I’m back again
-Shelters and provides food for the beggar before he knew it was Odysseus
-He joins the “army” at the end of “Odysseus’ Revenge”
Eurylochus
One of the few named crew mates by odysseus
- He rallys up the crew in “The cattle of the sun god” to kill and eat Helio’s cattle
-He says to pay it back they will build a temple to Helios
Penelope
Odysseus’ wife who he wants to get back to
-She is very cleaver and witty just like her husband
-She is hopeful and kind
Polyphemus
The cyclops and son of Poseidon
-He curses Odysseus on his way off of his island
-He takes care of sheep and makes dairy products
-His eye gets stabbed by a wooden spear from odysseus
Poseidon
The god of the sea
After his son the cyclops prayed a curse on odysseus he made his seafair difficult
Scylla
The sea monster that kills a lot of the crew
She lives by the whirlpool Charybdis and doesn’t leave
Seen in the story of her and the sun god’s cattle
Sirens
Mystical creatures who sing songs to get sailors to jump into the water and die.
-Odysseus had to be tied up and listen to their song
Telemachus
Odysseus’ son
-In 20 years and I’m back again, Odyssey’s revenge, the challenge
-Helps his dad kill all of the suitors
Teiresias
The prophet who Odysseus goes looking for in the underworld
-Tells Odysseus what his future holds and what to and to not do
Zeus
The god in charge
-Kills all of Odysseus’ crew
Controls the wind and weather by which they sail
-Has investment in the journey
