The Odyssey Chapters 1-5 Flashcards
kleos
Greek word often translated to “renown”, or “glory”. It is related to the word “to hear” and carries the implied meaning of “what others hear about you”. A Greek hero earns kleos through accomplishing great deeds, often through his own death.
in media res
the literary and artistic narrative technique of relating a story from the midpoint, rather than the beginning
Achaeans
an inhabitant of Achaea
Antinous
the chief suitor of Penelope, killed by Odysseus upon his return from Troy
Calypso
a sea nymph who detained Odysseus on the island of Ogygia for seven years (also, Kalypso)
Eurycleia
she nursed Odysseus and Telemachus, Odysseus’ son. Eurycleia’s name means “broad fame,” while Anticleia means “anti-fame.” The tension between the meanings of Eurycleia’s name and Anticleia’s name reflects the tension between the two pillars of Odysseus’ life
Lacedaemon
Sparta. (Classical Mythology) the son of Zeus and Taygete and the founder of the city of Sparta
Orestes
the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and the brother of Electra and Iphigenia: he avenged the murder of Agamemnon by killing Clytemnestra and her lover, Aegisthus, then was pursued by the Furies until saved by Athena
Telemachus
the son of Odysseus and Penelope who helped Odysseus to kill the suitors of Penelope
Nestor
the oldest and wisest of the Greeks in the Trojan War and a king of Pylos
epic poem
a long, serious, poetic narrative about a significant event, often featuring a hero. Before the development of writing, epic poems were memorized and played an important part in maintaning a record of the great deeds and history of a culture
epithet
an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned
an epithet as a term of abuse
Aegisthus
a cousin of Agamemnon who seduced Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, and was later killed by Orestes
Athena
also called Pallas, Pallas Athena. The virgin deity of the ancient Greeks worshiped as the goddess of wisdom, fertility, the useful arts, and prudent warfare. At her birth she sprang forth fully armed from the head of her father, Zeus
Clytemnestra
the daughter of Tyndareus and Leda, the wife of Agamemnon, and the mother of Orestes, Electra, and Iphigenia. She killed Agamemnon and was herself killed, along with her lover, Aegisthus, by Orestes
Helen
the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda and wife of Menelaus whose abcution by Paris was the cause of lthe Trojan War (also called Helen of Troy)
Menelaus
a king of Sparta, the husband of Helen and brother of Agamemnon, to whom he appealed for an army against Troy in order to recover Helen from her abductor, Paris.
Penelope
the wife of Odysseus, who remained faithful to him during his long absence at Troy. A faithful wife
Odysseus
king of Ithaca; son of Laertes; one of the heroes of the Illiad and protagonist of the Odyssey: shrewdest of the Greek leaders in the Trojan War
Athene (a)
goddess of war and wisdom, after whom the city of Athens was named. (Same defnition as “Athena”)
hubris
excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance (also, hybris)
epic simile
a simile developed over several lines of verse, especially one used in an epic poem (also called Homeric simile)
Agamemnon
a king of Mycenae, a son of Atreus and brother of Menelaus. He led the Greeks in the Trojan War and was murdered by Clytemnestra, his wife, upon his return from Troy
Atreus
the father of Plisthenes, Agamemnon, Menelaus, and Anaxibia upon whose house Thyestes pronounced a curse
