Odyssey Auxiliary: The Ultimate Guide to Homer's The Odyssey

Summary

The book starts with Athena once again telling the gods about Odysseus’ troubles. She tells Zeus that Odysseus wants to leave Kalypso’s island and go home; it has been a long time. Plus, to top off this sad story, Penelope’s (Odysseus’s wife) suitors are waiting to kill Telemakhos (Odysseus’s son), when he returns from his own odyssey in search for information about his father. Zeus confronts Athena with the fact that everyone knows that she has twisted Odysseus’ and Telemakhos’ fate a little so that they will both be safe in the end, and their enemies badly damaged. Zeus sends Hermes to tell Kalypso that it is time she sent Odysseus home. Hermes travels to Ogygia and is welcomed warmly by Kalypso. Kalypso feeds Hermes and he tells her of Zeus’ orders. Kalypso yells that all gods are jealous when goddesses choose to be with mortal men (Why?!? Why, why, why!? Why can’t I lie with Odysseus?!? You gods are so mean! You’re always getting angry at gods who want to sleep with men! It’s not fair!!). However, Kalypso knows that there is no living after disobeying Zeus. She says she can’t give Odysseus any big ships and sailors, but she can give him safety and her guidance. Odysseus is unsure of her promise of a raft to cross such a dangerous body of water. He thinks she is going to trick him somehow. She assures him that she is kind hearted and would do nothing to hurt him. Odysseus joins Kalypso inside her cave, she asks her to stay with him, even offering him immortality. She asks why he would choose to be with Penelope instead of her. Odysseus tells her that she is wonderful, but he misses his wife and home still. Kalypso watches as Odysseus builds a raft out of wood, and when he is finished she bathes him, gives him a scented cloak, gave him food and wine for the trip, and created a good wind for Odysseus to travel to land on.

After seventeen days on the sea, Odysseus can see Skheria. Poseidon however sees him when coming home from a visit to Asia. He creates thunderclouds, rain, and big wind from every direction. A nereid, Ino, pities Odysseus and gives him a veil to wear to protect him from the dangerous waves. She tells him he must dispose of it before getting to land. Odysseus is unsure of the veil, thinking that it is a trick from the gods, however when another huge wave attacks him he quickly changes his mind. He ties the veil around him and starts to swim. The veil makes him float and he stays in the water for two full days. When he finally reaches land all he can see is sharp rocks and crags, no way to get onto the land. He gets rid of Ino’s veil. He hangs onto a sharp rock to keep himself close to land as the waves buffet him around. He is torn away from the rock but is able to swim around the rocks and finds a shallow area without any dangerous rocks. He crawls onto the stream's bank and then finds his way between some thickets. He makes a small leaf bed and with the help of Athena falls into a deep sleep.

For a more detailed summary click here.

Characters & Their Lessons
Character: Dawn (Eos)
Description: Well, that just about sums it up…she's the dawn...

Character: Zeus
Description: The all mighty head god who likes to delegate anything he might have to do to other people

Character: Athena
Description: Athena is the goddess of wisdom, Poseidon’s sister (they’re always looking to show off in front of each other) and Zeus’ daughter. Without Athena in this book, Odysseus would still be in Kalypso’s cave. Someone has some major offering and praying to do when they get home.

Character: Odysseus
Description: Odysseus is the epic hero, Telemakhos’ daddy and Penelope's husband. He is finally set free. Now all he has to do is float across an ocean and make his way home, by himself.
Lesson: He learns to always remember your home and loved ones and to stick to your original goal

Character: Hermes
Description: Hermes is the Wayfinder and a messenger for the gods. He doesn’t like the big, open, empty sea

Character: Kalypso
Description: Kalypso is an incredibly beautiful sea nymph who holds Odysseus captive on her island, Ogygia, for seven years, offering him eternal youth and strength. She has to give up her “prisoner” on orders, but she doesn’t do it happily.
Lesson: She learns that you can’t always have it your way and that you have to let some things go, no matter how much you love them.

Character: Poseidon
Description: Poseidon is the god of the sea and of earthquakes; known for getting angry very easily and keeping grudges (he has one on Odysseus in The Odyssey!) In this book, Poseidon gets really cranky that Zeus let Odysseus leave Kalypso’s island. He wasn’t done playing with him yet! Poseidon takes just one more time torturing him on the ocean, just to make things a little more difficult.

Character:Ino-Leukothea
Description: Ino-Leukothea,a sea nymph, saves Odysseus from Poseidon’s dangerous waves. Isn’t that sweet? She gives him a special veil that makes him float and protects him.

Literary Devices
Figurative language
One example is the metaphor of Dawn with her fingertips of rose. This includes sensory language, imagery, description, and repetition.

Sensory language
When Hermes complains about the sea being gloomy and lonely, when Poseidon creates the big storm, when Odysseus is almost smashed into the sharp rocks. This includes imagery and description.

Development
When Kalypso has to let Odysseus go you learn more about who she is. Throughout the book you can see how much Odysseus wants to go home and some of his values become more obvious. This includes motivation, and dynamic character.

Mood
When Poseidon throws the storm at Odysseus when he is almost to Skheria the mood becomes weary, but when Odysseus finally reaches land it is almost like a sigh of relief is let out.

Pantheon
All the different gods each have a different job so together they have their extreme power (Hermês, Zeus, Athena, Poseidon). This includes polytheism

Symbolism
Ino's Veil
Ino’s veil represents protection. A simple gesture, (a piece of cloth), can make quite a difference in most situations. It also represents the gods’ favor. The veil is part of Ino, and because she is immortal, it keeps Odysseus from drowning; this is also why Odysseus returns it to the sea once he has reached land

Kalypso's name
Kalypso’s name means an eclipse, or the concealer. It is very symbolic of how she completely takes over and “eclipses” Odysseus’s life and everything that he stood for in the past.

Odysseus’s seven year stay on Ogygia
Odysseus’s stay represents the distractions of pleasure versus duties of leadership.

Respect
The lesser gods must respect Zeus. Kalypso has to let Odysseus go because Zeus wants her to.

Parting/gifts
Kalypso lets Odysseus go. She helps him to prepare and sets him off safely with supplies for the journey.

Travel/the journey
Odysseus is on his way back to civilization after being alone and scared for so long.

Connections

Roman Mythologies
The Greek myths and the Roman myths are very similar in a number of different ways.

Jupiter is the head god of Roman mythology, like Zeus’ role, and they both overthrew their fathers (Saturn in Roman and Cronos in Greek).
Mercury was the messenger for the gods and was also a trickster like Hermes.
Neptune is practically identical to Poseidon, both gods of the sea and earthquakes.
Ulysses is the Roman equivalent of Odysseus.

Norse Mythologies The Greek myths and the Norse myths are also very similar.

Aegir, in Norse mythology, is like Poseidon, both depicted with tridents and as hot-tempered rulers of the sea.
Odin is the head deity, like Zeus.
Hermod and Hermes are the messengers for the gods in the different mythologies.
In Norse mythology, Asgard is the equivalent of Mt. Olympus in Greek mythology, both ruled by their respective head god.

Pope John Paul II

On October 15th, 2006, a monument to Pope John Paul II was uncovered in Gozo (equivalent to Ogygia, Kalypso’s island). This religious symbol of worship, similar to the worship of gods, is ironic because it is located where Kalypso was said to reside. Click here for more info.

Abductions
Although it is a distant connection, abduction is related to Odysseus’ prison situation with Kalypso. He did reap some benefits that people like Elizabeth Smart did not. He was able to “hang around” with a goddess that was in love with him, for seven years. However, as time passed, the glamour of living on Ogygia faded, and the reality of being away from his family for so long started to sink in.

Links & References
Click here for all the characters in The Odyssey or here for more information on Kalypso.

This Section By:Becky K.(!), Caroline Q., Jenny G.