Monsters in the Odyssey

Odysseus tells his story to King Alcinous and his wife Queen Arete. (Wikimedia)

--------

Skip to:

• The Story
• Questions
• Activities
• Answers

---

Homer's book The Odyssey begins in medias res, "in the middle of things," with Odysseus's son Telemachus setting out to find his lost father. We pick up the story with Odysseus captive on Calypso's island--one of the last stops in the journey--and then visiting the land of the Phaeacians, where the hero recounts his journey thus far. This is the pith of Odysseus's odyssey. It's in Books 9-12 (of 24), near the middle of The Odyssey. (The remaining books are about Odysseus's return to Ithaca and the challenges he faces there.)

There's good reason to think of this King of Ithaca as "clever Odysseus," because he had to be mighty clever to overcome the trials of that 10-year journey home after the Trojan War. (It was he who devised the "Trojan Horse" as a means to bring that war to an end--clever indeed!) Drawing on his name, his journey is how we got the English common noun for a long, eventful journey: "an odyssey."

When we think of his odyssey, we can see it largely as a series of encounters with one monster after another.

Note: Items in [square brackets] and the notes were added by yours truly.

--------

• Read more about The Odyssey at Wikipedia
• Read The Odyssey FREE online (with somewhat easier versions here and here)

Return to Top

---

[1] The first challenge that Odysseus faced, as he told his story to Alcinous, King of the Phaeacians, was in the land of the Lotos Eaters, a people who used a kind of narcotic that took away their will to do anything. Fine for them to be lazy, but they caused Odysseus quite a headache when many of his men were induced to do the same. That almost ended the trip, as he had a hard time getting his men to return to the ships--and sail them.

Like the Laestrygonians, Polyphemus, too, hurled boulders. (Wikimedia)

[2] Next he and his men were captured by Polyphemus, the giant one-eyed Cyclops, and barely escaped with their lives (several, in fact, were eaten!) Only when the clever one figured a way to ride out under the Cyclops's sheep did they escape his cave.

[3] Giant human cannibals called the Laestrygonians came next. Similar to the Cyclopes* (but with two eyes), thousands of them hurled giant boulders off a cliff and sank eleven of Odysseus's twelve ships; they then ate the men. Odysseus's ship escaped only because it was moored away from the others.

*Cyclops is singular; Cyclopes is plural.

[4] Then he met the witch Circe, who ensorcelled his men and turned them into swine. He convinced her to change them back and lived as her lover for a year, even having two sons with her.

Odysseus hears the Sirens' song as his men row with their ears plugged. (Wikimedia)

[5] Next, the Sirens, whose alluring song caused sailors to drive their ships onto rocks, where the Sirens ate them. Odysseus wanted to hear them, so he had his men stuff their ears with beeswax and tie him to the ship's mast, keeping him bound no matter how he begged.

[6] Then he passed through a real dilemma: Scylla was a female monster with six heads on snaky necks. She would dart out of her cave and eat six men at a time. An arrow-shot across a narrow chasm from her was Charybdis, a sort of living whirlpool who sucked and spit out great volumes of water, causing shipwrecks so she could eat the men on board.

[7] Navigating "between Scylla and Charybdis" (a proverbial saying now meaning "between two dangerous options") thanks to a warning by Circe, he landed at last on the island of the nymph Calypso. No one would think of her as a monster, but she did fall in love with Odysseus and held him prisoner for seven years, until he was set free by the god Hermes (sent by Zeus at the request of Athena--gods everywhere!)

[8] And of course, the greatest "monsters" Odysseus faced were the "suitors," the men back in Ithaca, who after 20 years were trying to marry his wife, Penelope, and steal his kingdom. But of course clever Odysseus prevailed as always!

Return to Top

---

What did you read? (comprehension questions)

Practice 1: Match the term to its definition:

Term	Definition
alluring boulders cannibals chasm ensorcelled hurled induced moored prevailed swine	threw very hard pigs won put a spell on creatures who eat their own kind very attractive very large stones a deep cut in the earth tied up, as a ship convinced; persuaded

Answers are in the first comment below.

--------

Practice 2: Now choose one of the above words to match the context of the sentence.

1. Sometimes tropical fish become ----- and eat other fish in the tank.
2. He found the scent of her perfume -----, so he asked her out.
3. Merlin was ----- by the witch Vivien and trapped in a tree.
4. In a surprise upset, our basketball team ----- against the league champions!
5. The earthquake sent ----- crashing down the mountainside.
6. I keep my boat ----- at the local marina.
7. I was ----- to vote for the candidate by her excellent policies.
8. If you don't clean your bedroom, people will think you're a -----.
9. There's no reason for ----- insults when a soft word will do.
10. She threw her wedding ring into a deep ----- where no one would find it.

Answers are in the first comment below.

--------

Practice 3: Match the character to his or her actions (more than one each):

Character

Actions

Calypso Charybdis Circe The Cyclops The Laestrygonians The Lotos Eaters Scylla The Sirens The Suitors

kept sheep in his cave sang a beautiful kind of music was the last stop of Odysseus before the Phaeacians were giants with the usual two eyes a kind of whirlpool turned Odysseus's men into pigs wanted to steal Ithaca from Odysseus hurled boulders at Odysseus's ships had six heads lived with Odysseus for seven years abused a drug was named Polyphemus caused sailors to drive their ships onto rocks wanted to marry Penelope almost stole Odysseus's men away sucked and spit out a lot of water lived across from Charybdis had two sons with Odysseus

Answers are in the first comment below.

--------

Practice 4: Which came first? Choose the correct answer.

________ 1. (a) Odysseus lived with a witch, and had two sons with her.
                     (b) Odysseus overcomes multiple challengers in Ithaca.

________ 2. (a) Odysseus's men are turned into swine.
                     (b) Odysseus's men stuff their ears with beeswax.

________ 3. (a) Odysseus passes between two difficulties.
                     (b) Eleven of Odysseus's ships are destroyed by boulders.

________ 4. (a) Hermes frees Odysseus.
                     (b) Odysseus frees his men from drug abusers.

________ 5. (a) Odysseus and his men escape from a cave by riding under sheep.
                     (b) Odysseus lands on the island of a nymph.

________ 6. (a) Odysseus told his story to a king.
                     (b) Odysseus listens to the sirens' song.

Answers are in the first comment below.

--------

Practice 5: Are the following statements (T)rue or (F)alse? Rewrite the false statements to make them true.

1. The suitors were actually monsters, not men.
2. The Laestrygonians had only one eye.
3. Athena wanted Odysseus to go free and continue his journey.
4. Charybdis was a kind of whirlpool.
5. Odysseus's men enjoyed the song of the Sirens.

Answers are in the first comment below.

Return to Top

---

Activity 1: Choose a "monster" from the story and draw what you think it might have looked like.

--------

Activity 2: Use the Clues to find the worst monster(s) Odysseus met.

WORD BOX

Calypso     Charybdis     Circe     The Cyclops     The Laestrygonians

The Lotos Eaters     Scylla     The Sirens     The Suitors

Clues:

1. The answer did not love Odysseus.
2. The answer did not sing.
3. The answer was not giant.
4. The answer was not lazy.
5. The answer didn't eat people.

Answers are in the first comment below.

--------

NOTE:

These games (Crack the Code! and Follow Odysseus...!)
are easier to play in the printable PDF!

Activity 3: Crack the Code!

Use this key to decode the letters in the bottom of the box.

Example:

Your turn:

Answers are in the first comment below.

--------

Activity 4: Follow Odysseus on his journey!

First, unscramble the names of the eight "monsters" he encountered.

Then, starting at the top, trace a line to each point in the order he encountered them.

You'll need to return to the first point and behold! the beautiful figure you have drawn!

Answers are in the first comment below.

Return to Top

---

• The first comment below contains the Answers to:
• Practices 1-5
• Activity 2, and
• Activity 3 (Crack the Code!)
• The answer to Activity 4 (Follow Odysseus on his journey!) is available below, but is better viewed in the printable game page.

Return to Top

---