- ingeniousadjectiveChapter 1 →
Clever and inventive in a practical way; here it describes a hero who survives by his wits and cunning rather than by brute strength alone.
“Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy.”
- musenounChapter 1 →
One of the nine goddesses of the arts in ancient Greek religion, invoked by poets at the start of an epic to inspire and guide their song.
“Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy.”
- sackedverbChapter 1 →
Captured and looted a city by military force, destroying it in the process.
“Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy.”
- bredverbChapter 1 →
Brought into existence by nature; here used in the sense of 'produced' or 'created' among living things.
“Of all the creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.”
- suitorsnounChapter 1 →
Men who formally seek to marry a woman, especially by courting her in her home; in this epic they have invaded Odysseus's palace and are competing for Penelope's hand.
- barrenadjectiveChapter 2 →
Empty and lifeless, producing nothing; used here of the open sea, which offers no comfort or hope to the man gazing across it.
“He never slept at night but lay awake, weeping, his heart breaking, gazing out over the barren sea.”
- serfnounChapter 3 →
A peasant laborer bound to work the land for a master, the lowest rank in a feudal or ancient social order, with almost no freedom or property.
“I would rather be bound down, working as a serf on hire to some landless man with hardly enough to live on, than be king over all the perished dead.”
- landlessadjectiveChapter 3 →
Owning no land at all; in an ancient agricultural society this meant a person was among the poorest and most powerless.
“I would rather be bound down, working as a serf on hire to some landless man with hardly enough to live on, than be king over all the perished dead.”
- perishedverbChapter 3 →
Died, especially in large numbers or under harsh conditions; here it describes all the dead souls in the Underworld.
“I would rather be bound down, working as a serf on hire to some landless man with hardly enough to live on, than be king over all the perished dead.”
- nymphnounChapter 2 →
A minor female deity in Greek mythology associated with a particular place in nature, such as a sea, river, or island; not fully mortal but not an Olympian god either.
- divineadjectiveChapter 2 →
Coming from or belonging to a god; having the authority or origin of the gods rather than of human beings.
- resentfuladjectiveChapter 2 →
Feeling bitter anger at being forced to do something one considers unfair; here describing Calypso's reluctant obedience to the gods' command.
- pretensenounChapter 5 →
A false appearance deliberately kept up to deceive others; here the act of behaving as though Odysseus and Telemachus do not know each other.
- estrangementnounChapter 5 →
The state of being distant or cut off from someone you were once close to; here the deliberate performance of not recognizing each other.
- footstoolnounChapter 5 →
A low piece of furniture used to rest the feet; here hurled as a weapon by an arrogant suitor against the disguised Odysseus.
“Antinous… caught up the footstool and threw it, and hit him on the right shoulder at the base of the neck.”
- dungnounChapter 5 →
Animal waste or manure; its presence shows how neglected and degraded the old dog Argos has become in his master's absence.
“There the dog Argos lay in the dung… but when he was aware of Odysseus standing by, he wagged his tail and dropped both his ears.”
- swoopedverbChapter 5 →
Dropped down suddenly and swiftly from above, as a bird of prey does when attacking; used here of the eagle in Penelope's dream.
“a great eagle swooped from the mountain and broke all their necks.”
- catharticadjectiveChapter 6 →
Providing a powerful emotional release or purging of tension, especially after a long buildup of suffering or conflict.
- strungverbChapter 6 →
Fitted a bowstring onto a bow by bending the bow and looping the string over the notched tips, requiring great strength and skill.
“so without any strain Odysseus strung the great bow.”
- pegnounChapter 6 →
A small pin or knob on a stringed instrument around which the string is wound and tightened to tune it; used here in a simile comparing stringing a bow to tuning a lyre.
“As a singer who has learned his lyre and singing easily stretches a string over a new peg, so without any strain Odysseus strung the great bow.”
- lyrenounChapter 6 →
A small ancient stringed instrument, shaped like a U with a crossbar, plucked by hand; the instrument associated with Greek bards and singers.
“As a singer who has learned his lyre and singing easily stretches a string over a new peg, so without any strain Odysseus strung the great bow.”
- shamelessadjectiveChapter 6 →
Having no sense of guilt or decency about one's actions; behaving in a way that violates the moral standards of the community without any remorse.
“There is no more deadly or shameless a thing than a woman who stores her mind with acts that are of such a kind.”
- fashionedverbChapter 6 →
Made or crafted something with skill and care, shaping it by hand; here Odysseus describes how he personally built the bed.
- marvelnounChapter 6 →
Something that causes wonder and amazement because of its extraordinary craftsmanship or nature; here the immovable bed is described as a wonder of construction.
The OdysseyNovel by Homer