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The Odyssey – Chapter Six Study Guide
1. Where do Odysseus and his men end up next?
The island of Aeolia
2. Who lives there? What is the epithet that describes this person?
Aeolus lives there; God of the Winds
3. How long did Odysseus stay there? And what did Odysseus receive as
his parting gift?
A whole month; He gives Odysseus a bag of all the winds except the
west wind, so they’ll be able to reach home.
4. Why do Odysseus’s men open the bag? What are the consequences of
this action?
Odysseus’s men are jealous and greedy, believing the bag contains
all the gold and silver it can hold; As a result, all the winds rush out and
the storm blows them all the way back to Aeolia.
5. Why does Aeolus say he will not help Odysseus a second time?
He believes Odysseus must be cursed by the gods since he is back on
Aeolia again rather than safely home.
6. Where do Odysseus and his men arrive at next?
At a city of Lamos called Laestrygonia
7. Describe the harbor where all of the ships except Odysseus’s enter.
The harbor has a very narrow opening made by two headlands
projecting out and forming a quiet pool. Only one ship at a time can enter
or leave because the headlands form such a narrow opening.
8. What is the simile that describes the king’s wife?
“…a giantess as big as the peak of a mountain.”
9. How do the Laestrygonians welcome Odysseus and his men?
They throw heavy stones at the ships trapped in the harbor. Then
they spear the men like fish and carry them off to eat them.
10. How many ships does Odysseus have at this point?
1 ship left
11. Where does Odysseus arrive next? Who lives there?
They arrive at the island of Aeaea. The goddess Circe lives there.
12. How does Odysseus decide which party of men will go explore this
island? Who will lead that party?
They divide the crew into two teams. Then put the names of the
party’s leaders into a helmet. Eurylochus’s name falls out, so he will lead
his party to explore the island.
13. What guards Circe’s house?
Fierce wolves and lions that have been tamed by Circe
14. Why does Eurylochus not follow Circe inside? How does this end up to
be a good thing?
Eurylochus fears a trap, so he does not follow the men into Circe’s
house. This is good since she drugs the men and turns them into swine
(pigs).
15. Who does Odysseus meet on his way to Circe’s house? What is the
epithet that describes this person?
Hermes; god of the golden wand
16. What does this person give to Odysseus?
A powerful drug that can resist Circe’s magical drugs. (The drug is
called Moly)
17. What does Odysseus command Circe do before he can eat?
That she release his companions so he can see them with his own
eyes.
18. What does Odysseus command the men waiting at the ship to do? Who
refuses and why?
He tells them to put all of their arms into a nearby cave and then go
to the palace to join their other comrades. Eurylochus refuses because he
thinks it is another trap and he doesn’t trust Odysseus anymore because he
remembers what happened to the men who followed Odysseus into the
Cyclops’ cave.
19. How long do they stay on Circe’s island? Who eventually convinces
Odysseus that it is time to return home? What theme does this
demonstrate?
A full year; eventually his men remind him that if they wish to return
home, they need to start planning it; Love of Home & Family
20. Where does Odysseus have to go before he can return home?
To the land of the dead where Hades and Persephone live
21. Who is Odysseus supposed to see while he is there? What is the
epithet that describes this person?
Tiresias; a blind prophet
22. How is Odysseus supposed to show respect towards the gods once he
arrives there?
Odysseus must dig a trench, pour offerings to the dead, make a
promise to make sacrifices upon his return to Ithaca, sacrifice two sheep,
and keep the other spirits away from the blood of the sheep until Tiresias
comes.
23. Who is Elpenor? What happens to him? Why?
Elpenor is one of Odysseus’s men; He gets drunk and falls asleep on
the roof. When he hears the shouts of the men preparing to leave, he
jumps up, forgetting where he is and falls off the roof, breaking his neck.
His soul is sent straight to the land of the dead.
Major characters introduced in this chapter: (give a short
description)
Aeolus: God of the winds; lives on Aeolia; gives Odysseus a bag of winds,
so that the only wind left will take him home
Laestrygonians: giants who end up killing almost all of Odysseus’s men
when the men can’t get their ships out of the harbor
Circe: a goddess who lives on Aeaea; she turns Odysseus’s men to swine
Eurylochus: one of Odysseus’s men; he leads the men who go to Circe’s
house
Hermes: god of the golden wand; he gives Odysseus a drug to make him
immune to Circe’s magical drugs
Tiresias: a blind prophet who will prophesy Odysseus’s homeward voyage;
lives in the land of the dead
Elpenor: one of Odysseus’s men; gets drunk, falls off a roof, breaks his
neck, and his soul is sent to the land of the dead
Important Greek Themes demonstrated in this chapter:
Hospitality:
Aeolus: page 49
Circe: page 55; 57-58
Divine Intervention:
Hermes: page 56-57
Trickery:
Circe: page 55
Love of Home & Family:
Odysseus: page 61
Respect for the Gods:
Odysseus: page 62