Mythology of the Iliad and the Odyssey by Karen Bornemann Spies
Authors: Karen Bornemann Spies
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hearts—and the
Odyssey
is its supreme manifestation. 6
GLOSSARY
adze —A tool for shaping wood.
ambrosia —The food of the gods.
arete —The ancient Greek concept of striving for excellence, a particular goal of heroes.
cauldron —A large pot.
cosmopolitan —Having a broader, more world-wide mixture.
epic —A long poem that tells the deeds of a hero or heroes in elegant, formal language.
fate —The belief that life’s outcomes are predetermined by the gods.
hubris —Excessive pride. Heroes in Greek mythology who demonstrated excessive pride often made tragic decisions.
Ilium —Another name for Troy.
keel —The bottom of a ship.
kleos —The Greek word referring to the glory sought by a hero.
lays —Short narrative poems combined to form longer epics. Some historians believe that the Greek epics were composed of lays.
moly —The herb that Hermes gave Odysseus to protect him from Circe’s magic.
mythos —The Greek word for story, tale, or speech.
Nostoi —The Greek word for returns or homecoming. The journeys of the Greek leaders other than Odysseus were recorded in an epic of this title, which is now lost.
nymph —A minor goddess or divinity of nature. Nymphs usually dwelled in the mountains, forests, trees, or water. They were often portrayed as young women.
Odusseia —Greek word meaning the story of Odysseus.
odyssey —A journey or quest; usually a long, wandering voyage filled with many changes of fortune.
oracle —A prophet or prophetess who foretold the future.
papyrus —An Egyptian plant cut into strips and pressed to make a paper-type material.
pestilence —Disease.
polis —The Greek city-state, an independent self-governing community.
pyre —A bed of materials that are collected into a tall pile onto which a body is placed and burned at a funeral.
quiver —A case for carrying arrows.
sack —To loot and destroy a city.
theomachies —Two episodes in the
Iliad
in which the gods fight each other on the battlefield.
urn —A vase used to hold the ashes of a person who has died.
vellum —A fine-grained animal skin used for making books.
FURTHER READING
Colum, Padriac.
The Trojan War and the Adventures of Odysseus.
New York: William Morrow & Co., 1997.
Fagles, Robert, translator.
Homer: The Iliad
. New York: Penguin Books, 1990.
Fleischman, Paul.
Dateline: Troy
. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 1996.
Mattern, Joanne.
The Odyssey
. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996.
Sutcliff, Rosemary.
Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad
. New York: Delacorte Press, 1993.
Williams, Marcia, illustrator.
The Iliad and the Odyssey
. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 1998.
INDEX
A
Achaeans, 22
and Patroclus, 28, 34, 36–37
and the Trojan horse, 42, 45
Achilles
argument with Agamemnon, 11, 21–32
characteristics, 31–32, 39
death, 33, 41, 46
ghost, 40, 66–67
role in the
Iliad
, 23
vs. Hector, 33–39, 45
Achilles heel, 6, 23, 41, 46
Aeneid
, 40
Aeolus, 63–64, 67–68, 76
Agamemnon of Mycenae, King
argument with Achilles, 11, 21–32
command, 22
rescue of Helen, 5
Ajax, 27, 41–42, 46, 62, 66
Alcinoüs, King, 50, 78
Amazons, 22
Andromache, 40, 45
Aphrodite, 14–16, 18, 20, 26, 30, 33
Apollo, 11, 24, 28, 39, 41, 44, 46, 81
Archaic Period, 9
Ares, 33
arete
(excellence), 23
Artemis, 20, 23, 33
Athena
fighting Aphrodite and Ares, 33
against Hector, 35
helping Telemachus, 77
and judgment of Paris, 14–15, 20
making Ajax insane, 42
on Odysseus’ return home, 71, 78–81, 83
punishment of the Greeks, 50, 53
and the Trojan horse, 43
Athens, 9–10, 62
B
Briseïs, 21, 25–27, 30
C
Calchas, 23–24, 39
Calypso, 69–76
Cassandra, 40, 44, 47, 50, 53
Charybdis, 69, 71, 74, 76
Chryseïs, 24–25, 30
Chryses, 24
Circe, 63–68, 69, 75–76, 78
Classical Period, 9–10, 62
Cyclops, 56–61, 63, 68, 69, 77
D
Dark Age, 8–9
Deiphobus, 35, 45
Diomedes, 32, 33, 42–43
Dorians, 8
E
epic, 5, 8–9, 11–12, 13, 21,
Odyssey
is its supreme manifestation. 6
GLOSSARY
adze —A tool for shaping wood.
ambrosia —The food of the gods.
arete —The ancient Greek concept of striving for excellence, a particular goal of heroes.
cauldron —A large pot.
cosmopolitan —Having a broader, more world-wide mixture.
epic —A long poem that tells the deeds of a hero or heroes in elegant, formal language.
fate —The belief that life’s outcomes are predetermined by the gods.
hubris —Excessive pride. Heroes in Greek mythology who demonstrated excessive pride often made tragic decisions.
Ilium —Another name for Troy.
keel —The bottom of a ship.
kleos —The Greek word referring to the glory sought by a hero.
lays —Short narrative poems combined to form longer epics. Some historians believe that the Greek epics were composed of lays.
moly —The herb that Hermes gave Odysseus to protect him from Circe’s magic.
mythos —The Greek word for story, tale, or speech.
Nostoi —The Greek word for returns or homecoming. The journeys of the Greek leaders other than Odysseus were recorded in an epic of this title, which is now lost.
nymph —A minor goddess or divinity of nature. Nymphs usually dwelled in the mountains, forests, trees, or water. They were often portrayed as young women.
Odusseia —Greek word meaning the story of Odysseus.
odyssey —A journey or quest; usually a long, wandering voyage filled with many changes of fortune.
oracle —A prophet or prophetess who foretold the future.
papyrus —An Egyptian plant cut into strips and pressed to make a paper-type material.
pestilence —Disease.
polis —The Greek city-state, an independent self-governing community.
pyre —A bed of materials that are collected into a tall pile onto which a body is placed and burned at a funeral.
quiver —A case for carrying arrows.
sack —To loot and destroy a city.
theomachies —Two episodes in the
Iliad
in which the gods fight each other on the battlefield.
urn —A vase used to hold the ashes of a person who has died.
vellum —A fine-grained animal skin used for making books.
FURTHER READING
Colum, Padriac.
The Trojan War and the Adventures of Odysseus.
New York: William Morrow & Co., 1997.
Fagles, Robert, translator.
Homer: The Iliad
. New York: Penguin Books, 1990.
Fleischman, Paul.
Dateline: Troy
. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 1996.
Mattern, Joanne.
The Odyssey
. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996.
Sutcliff, Rosemary.
Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad
. New York: Delacorte Press, 1993.
Williams, Marcia, illustrator.
The Iliad and the Odyssey
. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 1998.
INDEX
A
Achaeans, 22
and Patroclus, 28, 34, 36–37
and the Trojan horse, 42, 45
Achilles
argument with Agamemnon, 11, 21–32
characteristics, 31–32, 39
death, 33, 41, 46
ghost, 40, 66–67
role in the
Iliad
, 23
vs. Hector, 33–39, 45
Achilles heel, 6, 23, 41, 46
Aeneid
, 40
Aeolus, 63–64, 67–68, 76
Agamemnon of Mycenae, King
argument with Achilles, 11, 21–32
command, 22
rescue of Helen, 5
Ajax, 27, 41–42, 46, 62, 66
Alcinoüs, King, 50, 78
Amazons, 22
Andromache, 40, 45
Aphrodite, 14–16, 18, 20, 26, 30, 33
Apollo, 11, 24, 28, 39, 41, 44, 46, 81
Archaic Period, 9
Ares, 33
arete
(excellence), 23
Artemis, 20, 23, 33
Athena
fighting Aphrodite and Ares, 33
against Hector, 35
helping Telemachus, 77
and judgment of Paris, 14–15, 20
making Ajax insane, 42
on Odysseus’ return home, 71, 78–81, 83
punishment of the Greeks, 50, 53
and the Trojan horse, 43
Athens, 9–10, 62
B
Briseïs, 21, 25–27, 30
C
Calchas, 23–24, 39
Calypso, 69–76
Cassandra, 40, 44, 47, 50, 53
Charybdis, 69, 71, 74, 76
Chryseïs, 24–25, 30
Chryses, 24
Circe, 63–68, 69, 75–76, 78
Classical Period, 9–10, 62
Cyclops, 56–61, 63, 68, 69, 77
D
Dark Age, 8–9
Deiphobus, 35, 45
Diomedes, 32, 33, 42–43
Dorians, 8
E
epic, 5, 8–9, 11–12, 13, 21,
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