People/LocationsGods/Goddesses to know in

The Odyssey

Background Story/Trojan War

• Helen (who was very beautiful) was married to Menelaus (who was a Greek King and a fierce warrior)

• She met Paris , the Prince of Troy. Several versions of the story exist, some say she ran away with Paris. Others say that he abducted her.

• Menelaus-very angry at the loss of his wife, gathers all of the Greeksand convinces them to attack Troy to get his wife back.

• However, Troy has a wall that makes it impossible to defeat them. Whenever the Trojans get tired, they simply retreat inside their city and rest. This war lasts for 10 years.

• Finally Odysseus (A Greek King)comes up with a plan to end theWar.

This is the story of the

Trojan Horse. (The rest of this story will be told in the

movie)

The Odyssey

• The Odyssey is about Odysseus’ attempt to get home AFTER the Trojan War.

Gods/Goddesses

• Zeus- King of all the Gods

Athena -Goddess of

Wisdom and War She has no mother. She was

born out of Zeus’ head.

Gods/Goddesses

• Poseidon-God of the Ocean/Zeus’ brother

Calypso-sea nymph – daughter of the Titan Atlas

Gods/Goddesses

• Hermes-messenger God

Aeolus-God of Wind

Gods/Goddesses

• Circe-minor goddess of magic/witchery

• Tiresias—blind prophetIn the Odyssey, he is deadand exists in the Underworld.

Places

• Sparta-where King Menelaus is fromA city-state in Greece known for its warriors

Ithaca-Island off of Greece-where Odysseus is from

Places

• Troy-site of the Trojan War

• Phaeacia-fictional island ruled by King Alcinous---the Phaeacians were known for being the finest seamen

Places

• Hades-the underworld• The Greeks did not believe as we do that

Hades was hell. They simply believed that when people died they went to the underworld,

the good and the bad.

People• Odysseus-King of Ithaca

• Penelope-Odysseus’faithful wife

• Telemachus-Odysseus’ son