ODYSSEUS SUMMARY

Odysseus was a legendary hero in Greek mythology, king of the island of Ithaca and the main
protagonist of Homer's epic, the Odyssey. He was also a prominent character in the other surviving
Homeric epic, the Iliad. He was the son of Laertes and Anticlea, and is well known as an eloquent
speaker, ingenious and cunning.
Before the Trojan War started, Odysseus was one of the suitors that wanted to marry Helen, stepdaughter of king Tyndareus of Sparta. However, the suitors were many and there didn't seem to be
a way to solve who the husband would be. Odysseus told Tyndareus that he would provide a
solution
if
he
helped
him
marry Tyndareus'
niece, Penelope. Tyndareusagreed
and Odysseus proposed to draw straws. Before that, though, he made everyone swear an oath that
they would all support the husband and wife in any ill fate that they might face in the future. As a
result, Menelaus drew the lucky straw, while Odysseusmarried Penelope.
After Helen's abduction by Prince Paris of Troy, all suitors were summoned to help Menelaus in his
quest to bring her back. Odysseus did not want to join the expedition, for an oracle had informed
him that if he participated, it would take him a long time to return home. So, he decided to feign
madness by harnessing a donkey and an ox to a plough and sowing salt on a field. Palamedes did
not believe that Odysseus was actually mad, so he put Odysseus' baby boy Telemachus in front of
the plough; Odysseus immediately changed course, thus exposing his plan. For this
reason, Odysseus always had a grudge against Palamedes since then.
After Odysseus' plan was foiled, they all tried to recruit the hero Achilles, as an oracle said that
the Trojan War would be won only if Achillesjoined. Before they reached the island of Scyros
where Achilles lived, his mother Thetis disguised him as a woman, because of another prophecy
that said Achilles would either live a long, peaceful life, or have a glorious death while
young. Odysseus made a plan to find out who Achilles was, among the women; he laid various
weapons on a table, and Achilles was the only one who showed real interest in
them. Odysseus then sounded a battle horn, and Achilles instinctively picked up a weapon ready to
fight. As a result, Achilles joined in.
After the Greeks reached Troy and the war started, Odysseus played a particularly influential role
as a strategist and advisor. He was the main character who maintained the morale of the Greeks in a
high level, and managed to prevent Agamemnon from withdrawing from the war. He also managed
to appease Achilles' rage when Patroclus was slain. However, holding a grudge
against Palamedes, it seems that Odysseus played a role in his demise; some versions say
that Odysseus made a plan to expose Palamedes as a traitor and was stoned to death. According
to another version, Odysseus and Diomedes told Palamedes to descend a well because of a
treasure that was supposedly hidden there; whenPalamedes reached the bottom of the well, the two
men buried him inside.
Odysseus was most famous in the war for his contribution to create the Trojan Horse, a huge
wooden horse that was supposed to be a gift to the Trojans by the retreating Greeks. The Trojans
accepted the gift joyfully and started celebrating around it. When the night fell and everyone was
drunk, the Greek warriors, who had hidden in the hollow body of the horse, revealed themselves and
slew the Trojans, winning the war.
After the Trojan War, Odysseus made a ten-year journey to reach his home, Ithaca; his adventures
were recounted in the epic Odyssey. On his way home, storms led Odysseus' ships to the island of
the Cyclops Polyphemus, who started eating the crew of the ships. Odysseus managed to
trick Polyphemus and along with his companions, blinded the Cyclops. Before they left, though, he
did the mistake of revealing his identity toPolyphemus, who then told his father, the god Poseidon;
this had a major impact on the hero's travel, as the god sent rough seas throughout the journey.
The ships then reached the island of the god of winds, Aeolus, who put all winds except the west
wind in a bag and gave the bag to Odysseus. As a result, the west wind blew the ships all the way
to Ithaca. However, just before they reached the shore, Odysseus' companions took the bag of

winds from Odysseus, and thinking it contained gold, opened it and released all of the winds. The
ships were blown away from the island, back to where they had started. Aeolus did not accept to
help them again, and they left.
They went to the island of the Laestrygonians, a cannibalistic tribe that ate all of the crew, except
that of Odysseus' ship. They quickly left the island and reached that of the witch Circe. She
turned Odysseus' companions into pigs, but Odysseus, who had been given a magical herb
byHermes, resisted her witchcraft. Circe fell in love with Odysseus and transformed the pigs back
into men. After they stayed on the island for one year, they left to continue their voyage.
They reached the western edge of the world, where Odysseus took advice from the spirit of the
prophet Teiresias, and later encountered his mother's spirit, who told him that back home, his
wife Penelope was being surrounded by potential suitors. They then returned to Circe's island, who
advised them on how to continue; they managed to avoid the Sirens, as well as
the monsters Scylla and Charybdis.
In the island of Thrinacia, Odysseus disregarded the advice of Teiresias and Circe, and caught the
cattle of the sun god Helios. Helios, enraged, demanded that Zeus punish them, or he would make
the sun shine in the Underworld. Zeus obliged by causing a shipwreck in which
onlyOdysseus survived. He reached the island of Ogygia, where the witch Calypso kept him
captive for seven years, before Hermes intervened and released the hero.
Odysseus then reached the island of the Phaeacians (the modern day island of Corfu), who helped
him reach his destination. He reached Ithacalate at night, and he was disguised by Athena as a
beggar in order to learn what had happened during his absence. Penelope, his wife, had just
announced that she would marry the person who was able to string his husband's bow and then
shoot an arrow through twelve axe shafts. She knew that this was impossible to do for everyone
except her husband. None of the suitors managed to do it, but Odysseus still in disguise completed
the challenge and revealed himself; helped by his son Telemachus, he slew the
suitors. Penelope did not believe that it was her husband but instead a god in disguise. To believe
him, she asked him to move their bed to another room. Odysseus said that this was impossible, as
he had made the bed and knew that one of the legs was a living olive tree.
Years later, the son of Odysseus and Circe, Telegonus, reached adulthood and wanted to meet his
father. He went to Ithaca, but as he reached the shore, he killed some sheep as he was
hungry. Odysseus went and fought with him, not knowing who the other person
was. Odysseus was eventually killed by Telegonus. Telegonus took Penelope and Telemachus to
the island of Circe, where she made them immortal. The two sons then married each other's
mothers.
Odysseus Is also called Ulysses, Ulixes, Olysseus, Oulixeus, Oulixes.

ILLIAD SUMMARY

Achilles was a hero in Greek mythology and one of the main characters that participated in
the Trojan War. He was also the protagonist of Homers epic, the Iliad. He was the son of Peleus,
king of the Myrmidons, and Thetis, a nymph. Both Zeus andPoseidon were in love with Thetis,
however Prometheus warned them of a prophecy that said the son of Thetis would be greater than
his father; so, the two gods decided to withdraw, and Peleusended up marrying her.
When Achilles was born, his mother wanted to make him immortal and thus, dipped him in the
river Styx. However, she did not realise that his heel, by which she held him, was not touched by the
waters, and so that was the only part of his body that remained mortal. According to another
version, Thetiscovered Achilles body in ambrosia and put him on top of a fire to burn away his
mortality; however, she was enraged because she was interrupted by Peleus and abandoned them.

When the Trojan War started, Achilles commanded 50 ships, each having 50 Myrmidons. He also
appointed five commanders; Menesthius, Eudorus, Peisander, Phoenix and Alcimedon. After
departing, they landed in Mysia by mistake, which was then ruled by Telephus. Telephus was
wounded in the battle by Achilles, and could not be healed. After consulting an oracle, he was told
that he who inflicted the wound would be able to heal it; so, Telephus asked Achilles to heal him,
and in return he guided them to Troy.
The Iliad starts the narrative of the Trojan War with Agamemnon, leader of the Achaeans, having
acquired a woman called Chryseis as his slave. Her father, being a priest of Apollo, begs the god to
help him, and Apollo sends a plague among the Greeks. Calchas identifies the source of the
problem and Agamemnon reluctantly consents; however, he demands that Achilles hand over his
own prize, another woman called Briseis.Achilles, furious that he was dishonoured in such a way,
withdraws from battle and asks his mother to convince Zeus to help the Trojans, so that he may
prove himself again in the battlefield. The Trojans manage to repel the Greeks back to the
shore; Patroclus, Achilles friend, wearingAchilles armor, successfully leads the Myrmidons
against the enemy, but is subsequently killed by Hector, the Trojan prince. Enraged by his friends
death, Achilles joins the battle and tracks down Hector, whom he kills in a face to face duel. He
then drags Hectors lifeless body with his chariot during the funeral games he held for Patroclus.
The death of Achilles is not narrated in the Iliad, although it was predicted by Hector with his dying
breath. Paris, the brother of Hector, managed to kill the hero with an arrow that landed on Achilles
heel, the only vulnerable part of his body. The arrow was poisoned and some sources say that it was
guided by the god Apollo. Achilles was cremated and his ashes were mingled with those
of Patroclus.
Achilles Is also called Achilleas, Achilleus.