The Odyssey
The Odyssey
by Homer

The Odyssey Resources

Best of the Web

Movie or TV Productions

1992-1994 TV Series

The Odyssey is a spin-off on Homer’s epic poem about a man in a coma.

1987 Animated TV Movie

This Australian animated movie doesn’t have very good reviews.

1997 TV Movie

In this TV movie version of the Odyssey Armand Assante plays Odysseus, Isabella Rossellini acts as Athene, and Vanessa Williams is Kalypso.

2000 Movie

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a modernized spin-off on the Odyssey directed by the Coen brothers and starring George Clooney.

2004 Movie

Troy is a movie about the Trojan war, the war that Odysseus left home to fight in. Odysseus is played by Sean Bean.

1967 Movie

Ulysses, directed by Joseph Strick is based on the James Joyce novel. Ulysses another name for Odysseus.

2006 TV Series

Class of the Titans, directed by Brad Goodchild, has a character named Odie Star based on Odysseus.

1981 Animated TV Movie

Ulysses 31, directed by Bernard Deyriès and Kyosuke Mikuriya, is a Franco-Japanese anime production.

1979 Documentary

Unterwegs mit Odysseus, directed by Tony Munzlinger, is a German documentary tracing the sites of Odysseus’s journey.

Audios

Modern-Day Soldiers Relate to the Odyssey

Genius Grant recipient Dr. Jonathan Shay discusses the relevance of the Odyssey to American soldiers returning home from the war in Iraq. NPR Morning Edition.

Cream

"Tales of Brave Ulysses" by Cream.

Videos

The Police
"King of Pain" by The Police…this song refers to Odysseus.

Images

Odyssey Written on Papyrus

The Metropolitan Museum of Art displays an early Hellenistic Papyrus fragment with lines from Homer's Odyssey.

Greek Vase

The image on this vase depicts Odysseus coming up against the Sirens.

Odysseus

An ancient image of Odysseus.

Odyssey-Related Art

A painting of Odysseus and Circe.

Another Vase

This vase has a picture of Odysseus getting his feet washed.

Odysseus Painting

Odysseus in the Underworld chatting with Teiresias.

Odysseus Painting

Odysseus hanging on to the bottom of a sheep.

More Sheep

Another vase with Odysseus tied to the underside of a sheep.

Yet Another Vase

This one has a picture of Odysseus slaying all of the suitors.

Penelope and Telemachus

This vase shows Penelope sitting at her loom next to her son.

Ancient Art

Odysseus and Nausicaa on…another vase.

Documents

"Ancient sarcophagus unearthed in Cyprus"

In 2006, construction workers in western Cyprus discovered a 2,500-year-old sarcophagus (coffin) with color illustrations of Homer's epics, including the Odyssey.

In case you can read Greek…

…here’s a copy of the original Greek text.

A Full Translation of the Odyssey

No matter which translation you’re using, it’s always convenient to have another translation nearby in case one section is particularly confusing. Also, two is always better than one. This is a really straightforward, simply-translated prose version of the Odyssey from some scholars at MIT. You can also read another one at the same website (The Chicago Homer) that has the text in Greek.

"Odysseus' Scar"

To escape persecution because he was Jewish, the German literary scholar Erich Auerbach fled to Istanbul, Turkey, where he remained for the duration of WWII. While he was there, with only access to a limited number of books, he wrote a famous work of literary criticism entitled Mimesis: A History of the Representation of Reality in Western Literature. The first chapter of the book, which is itself very famous, is called “Odysseus’ Scar”; in it, Auerbach compares the narrative techniques of Homer with those of the Bible. Even though most scholars now think that Auerbach’s presentation of Homer is too simplistic, his essay still offers many interesting insights. You can read it here

Other

Odyssey Jeopardy

Jefferson County Schools has created a terrific “Jeopardy” style trivia game for students to study the Odyssey. Categories include “Gods and Goddesses.” “Mere Mortals,” “Monsters,” “Travel and Tourism,” and “Misc.” (Linked file is in PowerPoint.)

Odyssey GoogleLitTrip

GoogleLit Trips is a website devoted to helping teachers and students explore literature by using Google Earth. Check out this Google Earth map of Homer’s travels

Map of the Odyssey

Maps are tricky when it comes to the Odyssey, since Homer probably was working from geography but probably not always true to it. Still, here’s a rough idea of where some of Odysseus’s episodes may have taken place.

Another Map

Here’s another take on the geographical locations of Odysseus’s travels.

Greek Mythology

Need to brush up on your Greek mythology? This is the site for you.

Quizzes