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6th grade History

The Odyssey, chp. 1

I. Polyphemus the Cyclops

1. The Trojan War lasted 10 years.

2. King Odysseus was from Ithaca. He left the war with 12 ships. Each ship carried 60 men.

3. What happened at Cicones?

Odysseus and his men went ashore. They attacked the Cicones and killed cattle. Instead of
leaving, they stayed the night, feasting. The next morning the Greeks were attacked by
people who lived inland. They lost 10% of their men.

4. As Odysseus left Cicones with his men, he realized that he lost 6 men from every ship. (how many
men is that?!) 10% of his men

5. Odysseus sailed for 9 days before he landed at the land of the Lotus-eaters.

6. What was the land of the Lotus-eaters like? Why do you think that Odysseus was intent on leaving
so fast?

A peaceful land, the people living there ate lotus fruit and slept. Odysseus wanted to leave
immediately so that his men did not eat the lotus and forget their homes.

7. What is a Cyclops?
An enormous, one-eyed giant.

8. Describe where/how the Cyclops live.

They lived in a land without houses. They were cowherds and shepherds. They lived in
caves.

9. Polyphemus ate some of Odysseus’s crew.

10. Odysseus tells Polyphemus that his name is No-One.

11. Explain how Odysseus and his men escaped from Polyphemus.

They hid underneath the sheep, holding onto fleece. Polyphemus felt the backs of the sheep
as the left the cave, but not the bellies. The sheep carried them out of the cave.

12. Aeolus was guardian of the winds and lived on the island of Aeolia.

13. Describe Aeolus’s family and the way he treated Odysseus. What gift did he give Odysseus?
Why? Aeolus and his family greeted Odysseus warmly. They were generous and kind to the
Greeks. Aeolus and his wife had 12 children, 6 girls and 6 boys.
14. Penelope is the name of Odysseus’s wife.
15. What happened to the gift that Aeolus gave Odysseus?

The men opened the bag of wind, and it blew them back to Aeolia.

16. Why didn’t Aeolus replace the gift after Odysseus was blown back to Aeolia?
Aeolus said Odysseus must be one of the unluckiest of men and wanted nothing further to do
with him.

17. On the 7th day after leaving Aeolia Odysseus and his men reached Telepylus the land of the
Laestrygonians. Here there was no night, the sun shone all the time.

18. Antiphates was king.

19. Describe the king’s wife.

Huge. Man-eater.

20. What did King Antiphates do to Odysseus’s men?

Chased them as they ran away and destroyed their boats…as they swam back ashore
Antiphates and the others grabbed men and brought them home to cook and eat them.

21. After Odysseus left Telepylus, he had 1 ship left.