Odyssey
epic poem attributed to Homer
epic poem attributed to Homer
Odyssey is a literary work composed in Homeric Greek, forming part of both the Homeric epics and the broader Epic Cycle [2][5][8]. It is conventionally abbreviated in scholarly references as Hom. Od. [11]. The work depicts episodes from the Odyssey narrative [1] and is set across the Mediterranean Sea [7].
The work follows Odysseus — also known by the Latin name Ulysses — a heroic king of Ithaca, as he makes his way home after the ten-year Trojan War [9]. His return journey itself spans an additional ten years, during which he faces numerous perils and loses all of his crewmates [9]. The narrative is populated by a wide cast of figures, including Penelope, Telemachus, Athena, Poseidon, Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, and Polyphemus, among others [12].
Regarded as one of the oldest surviving works of literature, the Odyssey is attributed to Homer and stands alongside the Iliad as one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature [9]. It is divided into 24 books and continues to reach wide audiences in the modern era [9]. The work is considered distinct from a separate entry known as The Odyssey [6].
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