Odysseus
Cunning Greek wanderer
Odysseus is the Greek hero of Homer's *Odyssey*, known for his cunning intelligence and the ten-year journey home after the Trojan War.
He devised the wooden horse that ended the siege of Troy.
His name has become shorthand for a clever wanderer facing endless obstacles: After three layovers and a cancelled flight, I felt like Odysseus trying to get home.
The Latin form is Ulysses.
Greek wisdom deity
- PoseidonGreek sea deity
- ZeusGreek sky god
- PolyphemusOne-eyed giant of myth
- CyclopsOne-eyed giant of myth
Circe · Calypso · Scylla · Charybdis · Tiresias · Hades · Aeolus · Helios
Ancient Greek epic composer
- IliadAncient Greek war epic
- Trojan WarLegendary Greek-versus-Troy conflict
- TroyAncient Anatolian city
- AchillesGreek hero, mortal heel
Agamemnon · Hector · Paris · Priam · Helen · Ajax · Diomedes · Nestor
Returning to one's origin
- PenelopeTraditional name, Greek origin
- TelemachusMythical prince of Ithaca
- ArgosHellenic city-state
- suitorsThose pursuing marriage
Laertes · palace · olive tree · bed · bow · contest · reunion · disguise
Skilled at deception
- stratagemDeceptive plan for advantage
- guileSly, strategic dishonesty
- shrewdPractically clever, perceptive
- craftyCleverly deceptive
resourceful · clever · trickery · deception · disguise · wooden horse · persuasion · eloquence
Athena
Greek wisdom deity
- PoseidonGreek sea deity
- ZeusGreek sky god
- PolyphemusOne-eyed giant of myth
Cyclops · Circe · Calypso · Scylla · Charybdis · Tiresias · Hades · Aeolus · Helios · Hermes
Homer
Ancient Greek epic composer
- IliadAncient Greek war epic
- Trojan WarLegendary Greek-versus-Troy conflict
- TroyAncient Anatolian city
Achilles · Agamemnon · Hector · Paris · Priam · Helen · Ajax · Diomedes · Nestor · hexameter
homecoming
Returning to one's origin
- PenelopeTraditional name, Greek origin
- TelemachusMythical prince of Ithaca
- ArgosHellenic city-state
Laertes · suitors · palace · olive tree · bed · bow · contest · reunion · disguise · scar
wily
Skilled at deception
- stratagemDeceptive plan for advantage
- guileSly, strategic dishonesty
- shrewdPractically clever, perceptive
crafty · resourceful · clever · trickery · deception · disguise · wooden horse · persuasion · eloquence · quick-witted
seafaring
Traveling by ocean vessel
- shipwreckDestroyed vessel at sea
- raftFlat water conveyance
- navigationDetermining position and course
wandering · ten years · Mediterranean · islands · storm · adventure · journey · mariner · sailor · nautical
warrior
One skilled in combat
suffering · perseverance · fortitude · courage · survivor · glory · mortal · hubris · longing · homesickness
- Greek mythologyZeus, Athena, Apollo, Hera, Poseidon
- Legendary HeroesHercules, Beowulf, Achilles, Gilgamesh, Sigurd
- Legendary VoyagersJason, Sinbad, Aeneas, Gilgamesh, Maui
- OdysseyPenelope, Telemachus, Ithaca, Homer, Circe
- Odyssey charactersPenelope, Telemachus, Athena, Circe, Calypso
- Ancient epic artAchilles, Hector, Ajax, Hercules, Perseus
Odysseusdeserter
One who abandons duty
Jason · Paris · oath-breaker · traitor · Theseus
OdysseusPenelope
Traditional name, Greek origin
homebody · stay-at-home · Telemachus · Laertes · sedentary
- the OdysseyGreek epic of homecoming
- space odysseyEpic journey through cosmos
- Honda OdysseyJapanese-made family minivan