Source recordAncient text
Odyssey
Homer · c. 725 BCE · Ancient Greek
Ancient text
Odyssey
Homer
The epic tale of Odysseus's ten-year journey home from Troy, featuring encounters with gods, monsters, and mortals. Essential source for Greek mythology and religious practices.
About this work
The epic tale of Odysseus's ten-year journey home from Troy, featuring encounters with gods, monsters, and mortals. Essential source for Greek mythology and religious practices.
Where to start
Emily Wilson's 2018 translation is the standout starting point for first-time readers, prized for its clarity and pace; Robert Fagles's 1996 verse translation is the classic alternative.
Figures in the text
Heroes and divinities who feature prominently, with where they appear.
Heroes and mortals
OdysseusBooks 1-24protagonist
PenelopeBooks 1-23his wife, besieged by suitors on Ithaca
HelenBook 4visited at Sparta by Telemachus, now reconciled with Menelaus
AgamemnonBook 11shade in the underworld who warns Odysseus about Clytemnestra
AchillesBook 11shade in the underworld
AjaxBook 11shade who refuses to speak to Odysseus over the arms of Achilles
Key scenes
Turning points of the work, in reading order.
The Cyclops' Cave
Odysseus blinds the Cyclops Polyphemus and escapes by hiding his men under sheep.
The Descent to the Underworld
Odysseus consults the dead, including the prophet Tiresias and the shades of Achilles and Agamemnon.
Circe and the Sirens
Circe turns his men to pigs before aiding him, and he later has himself bound to the mast to hear the Sirens safely.
The Stringing of the Bow
Penelope sets a contest with Odysseus's own bow that none of the suitors can even bend.
The Slaughter of the Suitors
Odysseus reveals himself and kills the suitors who have besieged his household.
Passages
Direct quotations are distinguished from editorial paraphrases and records awaiting verification.
“Say not a word in death's favour; I would rather be a paid servant in a poor man's house and be above ground than king of kings among the dead.”
Homer, Odyssey · 11.488–491
Translation: Samuel Butler
The Odyssey, trans. Samuel Butler (1900), Project Gutenberg eBook #1727; English-only replacement of prior unverified wording. Exact wording checked in the cited Project Gutenberg Book XI passage. The displayed source presents the sentence with a dialogue lead-in; Greek text was not retained or certified. English transcription checked 2026-09-23.
Read sourceStories drawn from it
Retellings in the atlas that quote or cite this work.
About this record
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Dates and authorship follow standard scholarly references; for many ancient works both are approximate or disputed.