Athena
Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war. In
the epic, she was Odysseus' goddess
protector, she assists Odysseus and his son
Telemachus on numerous occasions.
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in order to avoid a prophecy made that
any offspring of his union with Metis
would be greater than he, Zeus swallowed
Metis to prevent her from having
offspring, but she already was pregnant
with Athena. Metis gave birth to Athena
and nurtured her inside Zeus until Zeus
complained of headaches and called for
Hephaestus to split open his head with his
smithing tools. Athena burst forth from his
forehead fully armed with weapons given
by her mother.
Known as the Virgin Athena
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Poseidon
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God of the seas. Poseidon holds a grudge
against Odysseus for thinking he did not need
help from the gods. What angers him more is
Odysseus blinding his son, Polyphemus (the
Cyclops). He makes Odysseus' journey home
all the more difficult.
Poseidon was a son of Titans Cronus and
Rhea. Like his brothers and sisters (except
Zeus) he was swallowed by his father. He and
his siblings were later regurgitated and
overthrew the Titans. When the world was
divided into three, Zeus received the Earth,
Hades the underworld, and Poseidon the Sea.
Poseidon and Athena once battled for the love
of Athens. Poseidon gifted them spring water;
Athena gifted them an Olive Tree.
It is because Poseidon had intercourse with
Medusa on the floor of the temple of Athena
that Medusa was turned into a monster.
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Zeus
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King of all gods. He often punishes
Odysseus for his or his mens wrong-doing,
or helps him, like hiding him from Scylla's
six heads.
He was the brother and “husband” of
Hera. However, Zeus had MANY affairs
with other women.
Was awarded the lightning bolt upon
defeating the Titans.
The god of the Underworld
Hades
Husband of Persephone. He trapped her
and brought her to the underworld.
When Hades was made to finally release
Persephone, he tricked her into eating
pomegranate seeds, which forced her to
return each year for a period of time.
Owns Cerberus, the 3-headed dog
Hermes
Hermes is the messenger of the gods. Hermes
helped Odysseus twice in the Odyssey. He
gave him the magical herb Moly to protect
him form Circe's witchery, and he
convinced Calypso to let him off of her
island.
Inventor of the “FOOT RACE”
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Helios
God of the sun. Odysseus' men upset him
when they eat his cattle on his island.
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Calypso
Calypso rescued Odysseus after
his ship and crew were destroyed
by the storm created by Zeus after
Odysseus's crew killed Helios's
sun cattle, even after a warning
from Circe. She tended to his needs
on her isolated island and made
him her lover. In total, Calypso
held Odysseus captive on her
island for seven years and she
hoped for him to stay there with
her forever as her husband. Seeing
as Calypso was a goddess,
Odysseus could not argue or resist
the goddess’ desires and it took the
divine intervention of Zeus to
ensure Odysseus passage onto his
next destination
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Circe
Circe, like Calypso, is also a
goddess found in an isolated
location, with her house
among dense woodland.
Circe is initially hostile to
Odysseus and his men and
attempts to turn them all to
pigs with a potion slipped
into the food she offers them,
but with Hermes aid,
Odysseus is able to enter her
abode and pacify her. She
returns all of Odysseus’ men
to their natural state and
offers them food and
hospitality for an entire year.
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Charybdis
Female monster who sucks in
water 3 times a day to create
a whirlpool.
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Polyphemus
(Cyclops)
Son of the sea-god Poseidon.
A cyclops that is blinded by
Odysseus.
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Scylla
A female monster with 6
serpent heads, each having a
triple row of fangs.
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Sirens
Sea nymphs whose beautiful
and mysterious music lures
sailors to steer their ships
towards dangerous rocks.
Odysseus: Obviously
important! The main
character. It is his
journey!
Penelope: Odysseus’
faithful wife
Telemachus: Odysseus’
son.
Teiresias: A blind prophet
from the city of Thebes
that Odysseus meets in
the Land of the Dead
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Lotus Plant: When eaten
creates a hypnotic
effect; the person
forgets where they are
going, what they are
doing and become
content and staying
where they are and
being idle.