Odysseus Journey It took him HOW LONG to get home?

Odysseus’ Journey

It took him HOW LONG to get home?

Homer(the author)

• Blind poet and bard• Very little is known

about his life• Probably lived in the

8th or 9th century • Responsible for the first

written literature• Wrote two epic poems:

the Iliad and the Odyssey

Epic Poem• Long narrative

(story-telling) poem

• Can’t be told in one sitting

• Complex stories about several main characters

• Cover many years• Often about the

adventures of heroes

What Makes an Epic Hero?• Strong, but no super

powers• Faithful to his family,

his country, and his god• Brave• Intelligent• Help from a higher

force or being

The Trojan War

•Fought during 12th century BC (before Christ)

•Homer wrote about it in the Iliad 2000 years later

•Many movies have been made about it : “Troy”

•Trojans LOST the war; the Greeks won

Heroes of the Trojan War

Many heroes fought in the Trojan War:

• Achilles (Brad Pitt)• Hector (Eric Bana)• Paris (Orlando

Bloom)• Odysseus

Achilles is the maincharacter of the Iliad (thebook before The Odyssey)

Trojan Horse•Odysseus’

idea—thanks to Athena

•Held 100 men inside

•Won the war for the Greeks after 10 years of fighting

Odysseus

• King of Ithaca• Brilliant

military leader• Athena’s

favorite• Built the

Trojan Horse

Odysseus’ Flaws

•Pride•Lack of vigilance (keeping an eye on things)

•Easily tempted

The Voyage Home• Odysseus and his crew set sail for

Ithaca• Approximately 600 miles• Should take only a few weeks• Takes 10 years (also spent a couple

of years fighting the war, so he was really gone closer to 20 years)

TROYIthaca

Why so long?

•LOTS of stops on the way

•Women•Monsters•Gods