Chapter 8 Adventures of Odysseus

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Odysseus, also known by the Latin name Ulysses, was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and a warrior renowned for his brilliance, guile, and versatility. His adventures began with the Trojan War which was caused by a golden apple. 

Apple of Discord

Zeus held a banquet in celebration of the marriage of Peleus and Thetis. Eris, the goddess of discord, was not invited for her troublesome nature, and upon turning up uninvited, she threw a golden apple into the ceremony, with an inscription that read “For the fairest.” Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all claimed it. Not wanting to get involved, Zeus assigned Paris, prince of Troy, to decide who deserved the apple. Each of the goddesses offered Paris a gift as a bribe in return for the apple: Hera offered to make him the king of Europe and Asia, Athena offered him wisdom and skill in battle, and Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world as his wife, Helen of Sparta. Paris chose Aphrodite, a decision that ultimately led to the start of the Trojan war.

 Trojan Horse

The ancient Greeks went to war with Troy to regain Helen. During this Trojan War, which lasted ten years, the Greek Odysseus proved himself the shrewdest of the warriors. Odysseus conceived the plan that ultimately enabled the Greeks to defeat the Trojans. He had the Greeks build a huge wooden horse that was hollow inside and then filled it with many of the best Greek warriors. Those Greeks not in the horse then hid from the view of the Trojans.

 Seeing only the gigantic horse at their gates, the Trojans thought that the Greeks had departed for their homeland and left the horse as an offering for the gods. They took the horse into their city and celebrated late into the night. When they finally dropped off to sleep, the Greeks emerged from the horse and slaughtered the Trojans.

 Odysseus and the Cyclops

However, though the war ended, Odysseus’ adventures did not. It took Odysseus another ten years to get home. One of his adventures was filled with a Cyclops, a monstrous one-eyed giant. Odysseus and his men found their way into the Cyclops’s cave, but when the Cyclops returned, the giant barred the cave door with a massive boulder that Odysseus and his men could not move. The Cyclops then grabbed two of Odysseus’ men, tore off their limbs, and devoured the men, bones and all. Odysseus then devised a plan to get the Cyclops drunk. The intoxicated Cyclops asked Odysseus his name, and Odysseus responded, “My name is Noman.” When the Cyclops finally fell asleep from the wine, Odysseus and his men, took a sharpened pole and gouged out the giant’s eye. Odysseus then tied his men underneath the giant’s sheep, which were also in the cave. When morning came, the Cyclops removed the boulder to let out the sheep. The blinded monster felt the back of each sheep for any Greek warriors but never thought to feel underneath. Odysseus, clinging to the underside of the largest ram, and his men thus escaped. Eventually realizing that he had been tricked, the Cyclops called out in agony to his fellow giants, “Noman is killing me.” His companions replied that since no man was the cause of his pain, he must be sick and that there was nothing they could do, so they left him alone. Thus, the shrewd Odysseus defeated the Cyclops. The Greek epic the Odyssey records many other fascinating adventures. 

Penelope’s Web

During the twenty years when Odysseus was away, Penelope, his beautiful wife waited faithfully for his return. During this wait, many suitors courted her. They came to her home, insisting Odysseus was dead and would never return. In order to avoid choosing a husband, Penelope came up with a plan.

She announced that she was weaving a shroud for her father-in—law, and she said that oncshe had finished, she would choose among the suitors. Every day she wove the shroud, and each night she unraveled nearly all the day’s work. For years, she kept the suitors away until Odysseus finally returned.

 Today, any long eventful journey is called “an odyssey.” Marco Polo underwent an odyssey by land from Italy to China, Christopher Columbus an odyssey by water from Spain to America, and Neil Armstrong an odyssey through space from earth to the moon.

In this video, we looked at the adventures of Odysseus. In the next video, we will share with you the names of eight planets in our solar systems. Stay tuned!