PRONOUNCING GLOSSARY
The main purpose of this glossary is to indicate pronunciation. Identifications are brief, and only the first appearance of a name is listed.
Phonetic Equivalents:
a as in cat
ay as in day
aw as in raw
ai as in air
ah as in father
e as in pet
ee as in feet
i as in bit
eye as in bite
o as in pot
oh as in bone
oo as in boot
or as in bore
s as in hiss
th as in thin
u as in us
ur as in burst
Stress is indicated by an apostrophe after the stressed syllable (af’-ter).
ACASTUS (a-kas’-tus): king of Dulichion, ref.
ACHAEA (a-kee’-a): general, collective name for mainland Greece, ref.
ACHAEANS (a-kee’-unz): collective name for all Greek people, including the citizens of Ithaca, ref.
ACHERON (a’-ker-on): a river in the underworld, ref. See note ad loc.
ACHILLES (a-kil’-eez): son of Peleus and Thetis, grandson of Aeacus, and commander of the Myrmidons, Achaean allies, at Troy, ref.
ACTORIS (ak’-to-ris): maid of Penelope, ref.
ADRESTE (a-drees’-tee): maid of Helen, ref.
AEACUS (ee’-a-kus): son of Zeus, father of Peleus, grandfather of Achilles, ref.
AEAEA (ee-ee’-a): island home of Circe, ref.
AEETES (ee-ee’-teez): brother of Circe, ref.
AEGAE (ee’-jee): Achaean city in the northern Peloponnese and sacred to Poseidon, ref.
AEGISTHUS (ee-jis’-thus): son of Thyestes, seducer of Clytemnestra and murderer of Agamemnon, killed by Orestes, ref. See note ad loc.
AEGYPTIUS (ee-jip’-shus): Ithacan elder, father of Eurynomus, ref.
AEOLIA (ee-oh’-li-a): island ruled by Aeolus, ref.
AEOLUS (ee’-oh-lus): (1) master of the winds, ref. (2) Father of Cretheus, ref.
AESON (ee’-son): son of Tyro and Cretheus, father of Jason, ref.
AETHON (ee’-thon): name assumed by Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, ref.
AETOLIA (ee-toh’-li-a): region in west-central Greece, ref.
AGAMEMNON (a-ga-mem’-non): king of Mycenae, son of Atreus, husband of Clytemnestra, murdered by her and Aegisthus; brother of Menelaus, supreme commander of all Achaea’s armies and leader of the largest contingent at Troy, ref. See note ref.
AGELAUS (a-je-lay’-us): suitor, son of Damastor, killed by Odysseus, ref.
AJAX (ay’-jax): (1) Achaean, son of Telamon, Telamonian or Great Ajax, defeated by Odysseus in the contest for Achilles’ armor, ref. See notes ad loc. and ref. (2) Achaean, son of Oileus, Oilean or Little Ajax, ref. See notes ref, ref.
ALCANDRE (al-kan’-dree): lady of Egyptian Thebes, wife of Polybus, ref.
ALCIMUS (al’-si-mus): father of Mentor, ref.
ALCINOUS (al-si’-no-us): king of the Phaeacians, husband of Arete, father of Nausicaa, ref.
ALCIPPE (al-si’-pee): maid of Helen, ref.
ALCMAEON (alk-mee’-on): son of Amphiaraus, ref.
ALCMENA (alk-mee’-na): mother of Heracles by Zeus, ref. See note ref.
ALECTOR (a-lek’-tor): Spartan, whose daughter married Megapenthes, ref.
ALOEUS (a-lee’-us): husband of Iphimedeia, supposed father of Otus and Ephialtes, ref.
ALPHEUS (al-fee’-us): river in the western Peloponnese, ref.
AMNISUS (am-ni’-sus): port city of Cnossos, on the northern coast of Crete, ref.
AMPHIARAUS (am-fi-a-ray’-us): prophet and king of Argos, son of Oicles, grandfather of Theoclymenus, and one of the Seven Against Thebes who fought and died there, ref. See note ref.
AMPHILOCHUS (am-fi’-lo-kus): son of Amphiaraus, ref.
AMPHIMEDON (am-fi’-me-don): suitor killed by Telemachus; in the underworld his ghost reports the death of all the suitors to the ghost of Agamemnon, ref.
AMPHINOMUS (am-fi’-no-mus): a suitor killed by Telemachus, and a favorite of Penelope, ref.
AMPHION (am-feye’-on): (1) son of Zeus and Antiope; co-founder of Thebes (2) with his brother Zethus, ref. (2) King of Orchomenos, son of Iasus (1) and father of Chloris, ref.
AMPHITHEA (am-fi’-the-a): wife of Autolycus, mother of Anticleia, grandmother of Odysseus, ref.
AMPHITRITE (am-fi-treye’-tee): queen of the sea, ref.
AMPHITRYON (am-fi’-tri-on): husband of Alcmena, supposed father of Heracles, ref.
AMYTHAON (a-mi-thay’-on): son of Tyro and Cretheus, ref.
ANCHIALUS (an-keye’-a-lus): father of Mentes, ref.
ANDRAEMON (an-dree’-mon): father of Thoas, ref.
ANTICLEIA (an-ti-kleye’-a): daughter of Autolycus, wife of Laertes, mother of Odysseus, ref.
ANTICLUS (an’-ti-klus): one of the Achaean soldiers in the Trojan horse, ref.
ANTILOCHUS (an-ti’-lo-kus): son of Nestor, brother of Pisistratus and Thrasymedes; killed by Memnon at Troy, ref. See note ref.
ANTINOUS (an-ti’-no-us): son of Eupithes, one of the two leading suitors, ref. See note ref.
ANTIOPE (an-teye’-o-pee): daughter of Asopos, mother by Zeus of Amphion and Zethus, ref.
ANTIPHATES (an-ti’-fa-teez): (1) king of the Laestrygonians, ref. (2) Son of Melampus, father of Oicles, ref.
ANTIPHUS (an’-ti-fus): (1) son of Aegyptius, companion of Odysseus, killed by the Cyclops, ref. (2) Ithacan elder, ref.
APHRODITE (a-fro-deye’-tee): goddess of love, daughter of Zeus and wife of Hephaestus, ref. See note ref.
APIRAEA (a-peye-ree’-a): home of Eurymedusa, servant of Nausicaa, ref.
APOLLO (a-pol’-oh): son of Zeus and Leto, patron of the arts, especially music and poetry, and the god of archery —“lord of the silver bow” —whose arrows are a metaphor for the onset of a plague, and whose festival day in Ithaca is the day on which Odysseus kills the suitors, ref. See notes, passim.
ARCESIUS (ar-see’-si-us): son of Zeus, father of Laertes, grandfather of Odysseus, ref.
ARES (ai’-reez): son of Zeus and Hera, god of war, lover of Aphrodite, ref.
ARETE (a-ree’-tee): queen of Phaeacia, wife of Alcinous, mother of Nausicaa, ref. See note ad loc.
ARETHUSA (a-re-thoo’-sa): spring in Ithaca, ref.
ARETIAS (a-ree’-ti-as): grandfather of Amphinomus, ref.
ARETUS (a-ree’-tus): son of Nestor, ref.
ARGIVES (ar’-geyevz): alternate name for the Achaeans, ref.
ARGO (ar’-goh): the ship of the Argonauts, ref. See note ref.
ARGOS (ar’-gos): city or district in the northeastern Peloponnese, or the general region of the Achaeans, mainland Greece, ref.
ARGOS (ar’-gos): dog of Odysseus, ref.
ARIADNE (a-ri-ad’-nee): daughter of Minos, killed by Artemis, ref. See note ad loc.
ARNAEUS (ar-nee’-us): true name of the beggar Irus, ref.
ARTACIA (ar-tay’-sha): a spring on the island of the Laestrygonians, ref.
ARTEMIS (ar’-te-mis): daughter of Zeus and Leto, sister of Apollo, goddess of childbirth and hunting, ref. See note ref.
ARYBAS (a’-ri-bas): a lord of Sidon, father of Eumaeus’ nurse, ref.
ASOPUS (a-soh’-pus): river in Boeotia; as a river god, the father of Antiope, ref.
ASPHALION (as-fa’-li-on): attendant of Menelaus, ref.
ASTERIS (as’-ter-is): small island south of Ithaca, ref.
ATHENA (a-thee’-na): or Pallas Athena, goddess, daughter of Zeus, defender of the Achaeans. A patron of human ingenuity and resourcefulness, whether exemplified by handicrafts, such as spinning and weaving, or by skill in human relations, such as that possessed by Odysseus, her favorite among the Greeks, ref. See notes, passim.
ATHENS (a’-thenz): the great city of Erechtheus and Athena, located in Attica, in east-central Greece, ref.
ATLAS (at’-las): Titan who upholds the pillars separating the earth and sky; father of Calypso, ref. See note ad loc.
ATREUS (ay’-tryoos): father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, ref.
ATRIDES (a-treye’-deez): “son of Atreus,” patronymic of Agamemnon or Menelaus, ref.
AUTOLYCUS (aw-to’-li-kus): “the wolf himself,” father of Anticleia, maternal grandfather of Odysseus, ref.
AUTONOË (aw-to’-no-ee): maid of Penelope, ref.
BOËTHOUS (boh-ee’-tho-us): father of Eteoneus, ref.
CADMUS (kad’-mus): founder of Thebes, father of Ino Leucothea, ref.
CALYPSO (ka-lip’-soh): goddess-nymph, daughter of Atlas, who makes her home on the island of Ogygia, ref.
CASSANDRA (ka-san’-dra): daughter of Priam, lover of Agamemnon, and murdered with him by Aegisthus and Clytemnestra, ref. See note ref.
CASTOR (kas’-tor): (1) son of Zeus and Leda, brother of Helen and Polydeuces, ref. See note ad loc. (2) Son of Hylax, fictitious father of Odysseus, ref.
CAUCONIANS (kaw-koh’-ni-unz): a tribe southwest of Pylos, ref.
CENTAURS (sen’-tawrz): wild creatures, part man and part horse, who live in the vicinity of Mount Pelion, ref. See note ad loc.
CEPHALLENIANS (se-fa-lee’-ni-unz): ref, general name for the subjects of Odysseus as well as for the people of CEPHALLENIA (se-fa-lee’-ni-a), an island off the coast of Greece, to the west of Ithaca, in the kingdom of Odysseus, ref.
CETEANS (se-tee’-unz): the people led by Eurypylus, ref.
CHALCIS (kal’-sis): a stream south of the mouth of the Alpheus, off the western coast of the Peloponnese, ref.
CHARYBDIS (ka-rib’-dis): monster in the form of a giant whirlpool, located across from Scylla, ref.
CHIOS (kee’-os): large Aegean island off the coast of Asia Minor, ref.
CHLORIS (kloh’-ris): wife of Neleus, mother of Nestor, ref.
CHROMIUS (kro’-mi-us): son of Neleus and Chloris, brother of Nestor, ref.
CICONES (si-koh’-neez): Trojan allies, living in Thrace, to the north of Troy, ref.
CIMMERIANS (si-mer’-i-unz): people living near the kingdom of the dead, ref.
CIRCE (sir’-see): goddess and enchantress of Aeaea, who changes men to swine, ref. See note ref.
CLASHING ROCKS: legendary and lethal rocks or cliffs, near Scylla and Charybdis, which menace sailors, ref. See note ad loc.
CLITUS (kleye’-tus): son of Mantius, abducted by the Dawn, ref.
CLYMENE (kli’-men-ee): heroine seen by Odysseus in the underworld, ref.
CLYMENUS (kli’-men-us): father of Eurydice, ref.
CLYTEMNESTRA (kleye-tem-nes’-tra): daughter of Leda and Tyndareus, queen of Argos, wife of Agamemnon, lover of Aegisthus, and mother of Orestes, ref. See note ref.
CLYTIUS (kli’-ti-us): father of Piraeus, ref.
CLYTONEUS (kli-to-nee’-us): son of Alcinous and Arete, ref.
CNOSSOS (knos’-os): principal city of Crete, ref.
CREON (kree’-on): king of Thebes, father of Megara, ref.
CRETANS (kree’-tunz): ref, people of CRETE (kreet), the large island south of the Peloponnese in the Aegean, the kingdom of Idomeneus, ref.
CRETHEUS (kree’-thyoos): son of Aeolus (2), husband of Tyro, ref.
CRONUS (kro’-nus): god, son of Uranus, father of Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, ref.
CTESIPPUS (ktee-si’-pus): suitor killed by Philoetius, ref.
CTESIUS (ktee’-si-us): father of Eumaeus, ref.
CTIMENE (kti’-me-nee): younger sister of Odysseus, ref.
CYCLOPS (seye’-klops): a cannibal clan of one-eyed giants; also a name for Polyphemus in particular, ref. See note ref.
CYDONIANS (si-doh’-ni-unz): a people of Crete, ref.
CYLLENE (seye-lee’-nee): a mountain in northern Arcadia, the site of Hermes’ birth and sacred to the god, ref.
CYPRUS (seye’-prus): large island in the eastern Mediterranean, ref.
CYTHERA (si-thee’-ra): island off the southeastern coast of the Peloponnese, ref.
DAMASTOR (da-mas’-tor): father of Agelaus, ref.
DANAANS (da’-nay-unz): alternative name for the Achaeans, ref.
DAWN: goddess of the morning, wife of Tithonus, ref.
DEATH: Hades, god of the dead, son of Cronus and Rhea, brother of Zeus, Demeter and Poseidon, ref.
DEIPHOBUS (dee-i’-fo-bus): son of Priam; commander in chief of the Trojans after Hector’s death; consort of Helen after the death of Paris, ref.
DELOS (dee’-los): Aegean island in the Cyclades, sacred to Apollo, ref.
DEMETER (dee-mee’-tur): goddess of the grain crops, sister of Zeus and mother of Persephone, ref. See note ref.
DEMODOCUS (dee-mo’-do-kus): blind singer of the Phaeacians, ref.
DEMOPTOLEMUS (dee-mop-to’-le-mus): suitor killed by Odysseus, ref.
DEUCALION (dew-kay’-li-on): king of Crete, son of Minos, father of Idomeneus, ref.
DIA (deye’-ah): a small island off the northern shore of Crete, ref.
DIOCLES (deye’-o-kleez): son of Ortilochus, king of Phera, ref.
DIOMEDES (deye-o-mee’-deez): son of Tydeus, king of Argos, ref.
DIONYSUS (deye-o-neye’-sus): son of Zeus and Semele, the god of ecstatic release, especially associated with wine, ref.
DMETOR (dmee’-tor): son of Iasus (2), king of Cyprus, ref.
DODONA (doh-doh’-na): site in Thesprotia, in northwestern Greece; the sanctuary of an oracle of Zeus, whose prophecies were communicated through the rustling of the leaves of a great oak, ref.
DOLIUS (do’-li-us): an old manservant, attached to Penelope, father of Melanthius and Melantho, ref.
DORIANS (doh’-ri-unz): a people identified as Cretans by Odysseus, ref.
DULICHION (dew-li’-ki-on): island near Ithaca, off the western coast of Greece, ref.
DYMAS (deye’-mas): Phaeacian noble, ref.
EARTH: mother of Tityus, ref.
ECHENEUS (e-ke-nee’-us): Phaeacian elder, ref.
ECHEPHRON (e-ke’-fron): son of Nestor, ref.
ECHETUS (e’-ke-tus): brutal king, perhaps in western Greece, ref.
EGYPT: the country in Africa, ref.
EIDOTHEA (eye-do’-the-a): sea-nymph, daughter of Proteus, ref.
ELATUS (e’-la-tus): suitor killed by Eumaeus, ref.
ELIS (ee’-lis): realm of the Epeans, in the northwestern Peloponnese, bordering Nestor’s Pylos, ref.
ELPENOR (el-pee’-nor): companion of Odysseus, ref.
ELYSIAN FIELDS (ee-li’-zhun): distant home of the fortunate after death, ref.
ENIPEUS (e-neye’-pyoos): river in Thessaly, ref.
EPEANS (e-pee’-unz): people of Elis and Buprasion, in the northwestern Peloponnese, ref.
EPEUS (e-pee’-us): builder of the Trojan horse, ref.
EPHIALTES (e-fi-al’-teez): giant, son of Iphimedeia and Poseidon, brother of Otus, killed by Apollo, ref. See note ad loc.
EPHYRA (e’-fi-ra): city in Thesprotia, in northwestern Greece, ref.
EPICASTE (e-pi-kas’-tee): Jocasta, mother and wife of Oedipus, ref. See note ad loc.
EREBUS (e’-re-bus): the underworld, ref.
ERECHTHEUS (e-rek’-thyoos): first king of Athens, reared by Athena, ref.
EREMBIANS (e-rem’-bi-unz): people visited by Menelaus, ref.
ERIPHYLE (e-ri-feye’-lee): wife of Amphiaraus, ref. See note ad loc.
ERYMANTHUS (e-ri-man’-thus): mountain in the northwest Peloponnese, ref.
ETEONEUS (ee-tee-ohn’-yoos): attendant of Menelaus, ref.
ETHIOPIANS (ee-thee-oh’-pi-unz): ref, people of ETHIOPIA (ee-thee-oh’-pi-a), a far-off country to the east and a favorite haunt of Poseidon, ref.
EUANTHES (yoo-an’-theez): father of Maron, ref.
EUBOEA (yoo-bee’-a): large island lying off the coast of eastern Greece, ref.
EUENOR (yoo-ee’-nor): father of Leocritus, ref.
EUMAEUS (yoo-mee’-us): swineherd of Odysseus, ref. See note ad loc.
EUMELUS (yoo-mee’-lus): husband of Iphthime, brother-in-law of Penelope, ref.
EUPITHES (yoo-peye’-theez): father of Antinous, killed by Laertes, ref.
EURYADES (yoo-reye’-a-deez): suitor killed by Telemachus, ref.
EURYBATES (yoo-ri’-ba-teez): herald of Odysseus, ref.
EURYCLEIA (yoo-ri-kleye’-a): the old nurse of Odysseus and Telemachus, attendant of Penelope, ref.
EURYDAMAS (yoo-ri’-da-mas): suitor killed by Odysseus, ref.
EURYDICE (yoo-ri’-di-see): daughter of Clymenus, wife of Nestor, ref.
EURYLOCHUS (yoo-ri’-lo-kus): kin of Odysseus, and his second in command, ref.
EURYMACHUS (yoo-ri’-ma-kus): one of the two leading suitors, son of Polybus, and killed by Odysseus, ref.
EURYMEDON (yoo-ri’-me-don): king of the Giants, father of Periboea, ref.
EURYMEDUSA (yoo-ri-me-doo’-sa): nurse and servant of Nausicaa, ref.
EURYMUS (yoo’-ri-mus): father of Telemus, prophet of the Cyclops, ref.
EURYNOME (yoo-ri’-no-mee): housekeeper of Penelope, ref.
EURYNOMUS (yoo-ri’-no-mus): suitor, son of Aegyptius, ref.
EURYPYLUS (yoo-ri’-pi-lus): son of Telephus, leader of the Ceteans, ref.
EURYTION (yoo-ri’-ti-on): drunken Centaur, ref.
EURYTUS (yoo’-ri-tus): king of Oechalia, archer killed by Apollo, ref.
FURIES: avenging spirits whose task it is to exact blood for blood when no human avenger is left alive. They are particularly concerned with injuries done by one member of a family to another; and they have regulatory powers as well, as when they punish Oedipus for marrying his mother and driving her to suicide; ref, see ref.
GERAESTUS (je-ree’-stus): promontory on the island of Euboea, ref.
GORGON (gor’-gon): fabulous female monster whose glance could turn a person into stone, ref. See note ref.
GORTYN (gor’-tin): city in Crete, ref.
GRACES: attendant goddesses, daughters of Zeus who personify beauty and charm, often associated with the arts and the Muses, ref.
GREAT BEAR: constellation, also called the Wagon and the Big Dipper, ref. See note ref.
GYRAE (jeye’-ree): rocky headland somewhere in the Aegean Sea, ref.
HALITHERSES (ha-li-thur’-seez): Ithacan elder with prophetic powers, ref.
HALIUS (ha’-li-us): Phaeacian, son of Alcinous and Arete, ref.
HEBE (hee’-bee): goddess of youth, daughter of Zeus and Hera, servant of the gods, ref.
HELEN (he’-len): daughter of Zeus and Leda, wife of Menelaus, consort of Paris; her abduction by him from Sparta caused the Trojan War, ref. See notes ref, ref.
HELIOS (hee’-li-os): the Sun, ref. See note ref.
HELLAS (hel’-as): the district ruled by Achilles, later called Thessaly, as well as a name for Greece in general, ref.
HELLESPONT (hel’-es-pont): strait between the Troad and Thrace (the Dardanelles), ref.
HEPHAESTUS (he-fees’-tus): god of fire, the great artificer, son of Hera, husband of Aphrodite, ref. See notes ref, ref.
HERA (hee’-ra): goddess, daughter of Cronus and Rhea, wife and sister of Zeus, ref. See notes ref, ref.
HERACLES (her’-a-kleez): son of Zeus and Alcmena; the hero of the Labors, who after death divides his time between the underworld and Olympus, ref. See notes ref, ref.
HERMES (hur’-meez): god, son of Zeus and Maia, messenger of the gods, giant-killer, and guide of dead souls to the underworld, ref. See notes ref, ref.
HERMIONE (hur-meye’-o-nee): daughter of Menelaus and Helen, ref.
HIPPODAMIA (hi-po-da-meye’-a): maid of Penelope, ref.
HIPPOTAS (hip’-o-tas): father of Aeolus, ref.
HUNTER: constellation (otherwise called Orion), ref. See note ref.
HYLAX (heye’-lax): fictitious father of Castor (2), ref.
HYPERESIA (hi-pe-ree’-si-a): city in Achaea, home of Polyphides, ref.
HYPERIA (hi-pe-reye’-a): former land of the Phaeacians, near to the Cyclops, ref.
HYPERION (heye-pee’-ri-on): alternative name of the sungod, Helios, ref. See note ad loc.
IARDANUS (i-ar’-da-nus): river in Crete, ref.
IASION (eye-a’-si-on): son of Zeus and Electra, loved by Demeter, ref. See note ref.
IASUS (eye’-a-sus): (1) father of Amphion (2), ref. (2) Father of Dmetor, ref.
ICARIUS (eye-ka’-ri-us): father of Penelope and brother of Tyndareus, ref.
ICMALIUS (ik-ma’-li-us): Ithacan craftsman who made Penelope’s chair, ref.
IDOMENEUS (eye-do’-men-yoos): Achaean, son of Deucalion, commander of the Cretan contingent at Troy, ref. See note ref.
ILIUM (il’-i-um): Troy, the city of Ilus, ref.
ILUS (eye’-lus): lord of Ephyra, son of Mermerus, ref.
INO (eye’-noh): (Leucothea), daughter of Cadmus, once a mortal and now a sea-nymph, ref. See note ad loc.
IOLCOS (i-ol’-kos): city in Thessaly, home of Pelias, where Jason sought the golden fleece, ref.
IPHICLUS (eye’-fi-klus): king of Phylace, ref.
IPHIMEDEIA (eye-fi-me-deye’-a): wife of Aloeus, mother of Otus and Ephialtes by Poseidon, ref.
IPHITUS (eye’-fi-tus): son of Eurytus, killed by Heracles, ref.
IPHTHIME (if-theye’-mee): wife of Eumelus, sister of Penelope, ref.
IRUS (eye’-rus): nickname of Ithacan beggar whose true name is Arnaeus, ref. See note ref.
ISMARUS (iz’-ma-rus): Thracian city, home of the Cicones, ref.
ITHACANS (ith’-a-kunz): ref, people of ITHACA (ith’-a-ka), home of Odysseus, Ionian island off the western coast of Greece, ref.
ITHACUS (ith’-a-kus): builder of a well on Ithaca, ref.
ITYLUS (it’-i-lus): son of Zethus and Pandareus’ daughter, who was transformed into a nightingale, ref. See note ref.
JAGGED ISLANDS: a cluster of islands between Elis and Ithaca, ref.
JASON (jay’-son): leader of the Argonauts and captain of the ship Argo, ref. See notes ref, ref.
LACEDAEMON (la-se-dee’-mon): city and kingdom of Menelaus, in the southern Peloponnese, ref.
LAERCES (lay-er’-seez): goldsmith in Pylos, ref.
LAERTES (lay-er’-teez): son of Arcesius, husband of Anticleia, father of Odysseus, ref.
LAESTRYGONIANS (lee-stri-goh’-ni-unz): legendary clan of giant cannibals, ref.
LAMPETIE (lam-pe’-ti-ee): nymph, daughter of Helios and Neaera, ref.
LAMUS (lam’-us): either the founding king of the Laestrygonians or their major city, ref.
LAODAMAS (lay-o’-da-mas): Phaeacian, son of Alcinous and Arete, ref.
LAPITHS (la’-piths): Thessalian tribe, led by Pirithous, ref. See note ref.
LEDA (lee’-da): wife of Tyndareus and mother of Clytemnestra; mother by Zeus of Castor, Helen and Polydeuces, ref. See note ref.
LEMNOS (lem’-nos): island in the northeastern Aegean, ref. See note ad loc.
LEOCRITUS (lee-o’-kri-tus): suitor killed by Telemachus, ref.
LEODES (lee-oh’-deez): suitor with prophetic gifts, killed by Odysseus, ref.
LESBOS (lez’-bos): island and city off the coast of Asia Minor, south of Troy, ref.
LETO (lee’-toh): goddess, mother of Apollo and Artemis by Zeus, ref.
LEUCOTHEA (lew-ko’-the-a): Ino’s name after she became a divinity, ref.
LIBYA: the country in Africa as well as a general name for the continent itself, ref.
LOTUS-EATERS: legendary people visited by Odysseus, they live on a plant whose fruit induces stupor and forgetfulness of home, ref.
MAERA (mee’-ra): heroine seen by Odysseus in the underworld, ref.
MAIA (may’-a): mother of Hermes, ref.
MALEA (ma-lee’-a): stormy southeastern cape of the Peloponnese, ref.
MANTIUS (man’-shus): prophet, son of Melampus, grandfather of Theoclymenus, ref.
MARATHON (ma’-ra-thon): village in Attica near Athens, ref.
MARON (mah’-ron): son of Euanthes, priest of Apollo at Ismarus, ref.
MASTOR (mas’-tor): father of Halitherses, ref.
MEDON (mee’-don): herald of Odysseus in Ithaca, ref.
MEGAPENTHES (me-ga-pen’-theez): son of Menelaus by a slave woman, ref.
MEGARA (me’-ga-ra): daughter of Creon, wife of Heracles, ref.
MELAMPUS (me-lam’-pus): famous seer, ref. See note ad loc.
MELANEUS (me’-lan-yoos): father of Amphimedon, ref.
MELANTHIUS (me-lan’-thi-us): son of Dolius, goatherd, ref.
MELANTHO (me-lan’-thoh): daughter of Dolius, maid of Penelope, ref.
MEMNON (mem’-non): son of Tithonus and Dawn, ref. See note ref.
MENELAUS (me-ne-lay’-us): son of Atreus, king of Lacedaemon, brother of Agamemnon, husband of Helen, ref. See notes, passim.
MENOETIUS (me-nee’-shus): father of Patroclus, ref.
MENTES (men’-teez): son of Anchialus, king of the Taphians, name assumed by Athena in Ithaca, ref.
MENTOR (men’-tor): son of Alcimus, Ithacan friend of Odysseus, often impersonated by Athena, ref. See notes ref, ref.
MERMERUS (mur’-me-rus): father of Ilus, ref.
MESAULIUS (me-saw’-li-us): servant of Eumaeus, ref.
MESSENIANS (me-see’-ni-unz): ref, people of MESSENE (me-see’-nee), a city in Lacedaemon, ref.
MIMAS (meye’-mas): craggy promontory of Asia Minor opposite the island of Chios, ref.
MINOS (meye’-nos): son of Zeus and Europa, king of Crete, father of Deucalion, ref. See note ref.
MINYANS (min’-yunz): people of Orchomenos in east-central Greece, ref.
MULIUS (moo’-li-us): Dulichian herald of Amphinomus, ref.
MUSE: goddess, daughter of Zeus, one of the nine, all told, who preside over literature and the arts and are the sources of artistic inspiration, ref.
MYCENAE (meye-see’-nee): (1) legendary heroine from whom the Argive city took its name, ref. (2) City in the Argolid, Agamemnon’s capital, just to the north of the city of Argos, ref.
MYRMIDONS (mur’-mi-donz): people of Phthia, in southern Thessaly, ruled by King Peleus and commanded at Troy by Achilles, ref.
NAIADS (neye’-adz): water-nymphs, ref.
NAUSICAA (naw-si’-kay-a): daughter of Alcinous and Arete, ref.
NAUSITHOUS (naw-si’-tho-us): son of Poseidon, father of Alcinous and Rhexenor, founder of the Phaeacian settlement on Scheria, ref.
NEAERA (ne-ee’-ra): wife of Helios, mother of Lampetie and Phaëthousa, ref.
NION (neye’-on): alternative name of Mount Neriton, on Ithaca, ref.
NELEUS (neel’-yoos): son of Poseidon and Tyro, father of Nestor, former king of Pylos, ref.
NEOPTOLEMUS (nee-op-to’-le-mus): son of Achilles; married to Hermione, daughter of Helen and Menelaus, ref. See note ref.
NERICUS (nee’-ri-cus): town on the western coast of Greece, captured by Laertes, ref.
NERITON (nee’-ri-ton): mountain on Ithaca, ref.
NERITUS (nee’-ri-tus): builder of a well on Ithaca, ref.
NESTOR (nes’-tor): son of Neleus, king of the Pylians, father of Antilochus, Pisistratus, Thrasymedes and others; the oldest of the Achaean chieftains, ref.
NILE: the famous river of Egypt, ref.
NISUS (neye’-sus): king of Dulichion, father of Amphinomus, ref.
NOËMON (no-ee’-mon): Ithacan, son of Phronius, ref.
OCEAN: the great river that surrounds the world and the god who rules its waters, ref.
ODYSSEUS (o-dis’-yoos): grandson of Arcesius and Autolycus, son of Laertes and Anticleia, husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, king of Ithaca and the surrounding islands, ref. See notes, passim.
OECHALIA (ee-kay’-li-a): Thessalian city of Eurytus, ref.
OEDIPUS (ee’-di-pus): son of Laius and Jocasta (Epicaste), her husband as well, and king of Thebes (2), ref. See note ad loc.
OENOPS (ee’-nops): Ithacan, father of Leodes, ref.
OGYGIA (oh-ji’-ja): island in the center of the sea and home of Calypso, ref.
OICLES (oh-i’-kleez): father of Amphiaraus, ref.
OLYMPUS (o-lim’-pus): mountain in northeastern Thessaly, the home of the gods, ref.
ONETOR (o-nee’-tor): father of Phrontis, ref.
OPS (ops): son of Pisenor, father of Eurycleia, ref.
ORCHOMENOS (or-ko’-men-os): city of the Minyans, in east-central Greece, bordering on Boeotia, ref.
ORESTES (o-res’-teez): son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and the avenger of his father, ref. See notes ref, ref, ref.
ORION (o-reye’-on): mythical hunter, loved by the Dawn, murdered by Artemis; and the constellation in his name, ref. See note ref.
ORMENUS (or’-men-us): father of Ctesius, grandfather of Eumaeus, ref.
ORSILOCHUS (or-si’-lo-kus): son of Idomeneus, ref.
ORTILOCHUS (or-ti’-lo-kus): father of Diocles, ref.
ORTYGIA (or-ti’-ja): legendary place where Artemis killed Orion, an island sometimes identified as Delos, ref.
OSSA (os’-a): mountain in Thessaly, ref.
OTUS (oh’-tus): giant, son of Iphimedeia and Poseidon, brother of Ephialtes, killed by Apollo, ref. See note ad loc.
PALLAS (pal’-as): epithet of Athena, ref.
PANDAREUS (pan-dar’-yoos): father of the nightingale, whose daughters were snatched away by the whirlwinds, ref. See note ad loc.
PANOPEUS (pan’-op-yoos): city in Phocis, ref.
PAPHOS (pa’-fos): city in Cyprus and a favorite haunt of Aphrodite, ref.
PARNASSUS (par-nas’-us): great mountain in central Greece, on the north side of the Gulf of Corinth; the oracle of Delphi was situated on its southern slope, ref.
PATROCLUS (pa-tro’-klus): son of Menoetius, brother-in-arms of Achilles, killed by Hector at Troy, ref. See note ref.
PELASGIANS (pe-laz’-junz): Trojan allies, a tribe located in Asia Minor, ref.
PELEUS (peel’-yoos): father by Thetis of Achilles, ref.
PELIAS (pe’-li-as): son of Poseidon and Tyro, king of Iolcus, ref.
PELION (pee’-li-on): mountain in Thessaly, home of the Centaurs, ref.
PENELOPE (pe-ne’-lo-pee): daughter of Icarius, wife of Odysseus, mother of Telemachus, queen of Ithaca, ref. See notes, passim.
PERIBOEA (pe-ri-bee’-a): daughter of Eurymedon, mother by Poseidon of Nausithous, ref.
PERICLYMENUS (per-ri-kli’-men-us): son of Neleus and Chloris, brother of Nestor, ref.
PERIMEDES (per-ri-mee’-deez): companion of Odysseus, ref.
PERO (pee’-roh): daughter of Neleus and Chloris, ref.
PERSE (pur’-see): nymph, daughter of Ocean, wife of Helios, mother of Aeetes and Circe, ref.
PERSEPHONE (pur-se’-fo-nee): goddess of the underworld, daughter of Demeter, and wife of Hades, ref.
PERSEUS (purs’-yoos): son of Nestor, ref.
PHAEACIANS (fee-ay’-shunz): ref, people of Alcinous and Arete, inhabitants of PHAEACIA (fee-ay’-sha), a kingdom whose alternative name is Scheria, ref.
PHAEDIMUS (fee’-di-mus): king of the Sidonians, friend of Menelaus, ref.
PHAEDRA (fee’-dra): wife of Theseus, heroine seen by Odysseus in the underworld, ref.
PHEAE (fe’-ee): town in Elis, ref.
PHAESTOS (fees’-tos): city in Crete, ref.
PHAËTHUSA (fay-e-thoo’-sa): nymph, daughter of Helios and Neaera, ref.
PHAROS (fa’-ros): island off the mouth of the Nile where Menelaus subdued Proteus, ref.
PHEMIUS (fee’-mi-us): son of Terpias, Ithacan bard, ref.
PHERA (fee’-ra): town between Pylos and Sparta, the home of Diocles, ref.
PHERAE (fee’-ree): town in Thessaly, the home of Eumelus, ref.
PHERES (fe’-reez): son of Cretheus and Tyro, ref.
PHIDON (feye’-don): king of Thesprotia, ref.
PHILOCTETES (fi-lok-tee’-teez): son of Poias, the great archer of the Trojan War, commander of the Thessalians, marooned on Lemnos suffering from an infected snakebite, ref. See note ad loc.
PHILOETIUS (fi-lee’-shus): cowherd loyal to Odysseus, ref.
PHILOMELIDES (fi-lo-me-leye’-deez): wrestler in Lesbos, thrown by Odysseus, ref.
PHOEBUS (fee’-bus): epithet of Apollo, translated as Lord Apollo, ref.
PHOENICIANS (fee-ni’-shunz): ref, people of PHOENICIA (fee-ni’-sha), a country on the coast of Syria, ref.
PHORCYS (for’-seez): an old god of the sea, father of Thoosa, ref.
PHRONIUS (fron’-i-us): father of Noëmon, ref.
PHRONTIS (fron’-tis): son of Onetor, helmsman of Menelaus, ref.
PHTHIA (ftheye’-a): sector of southern Thessaly, kingdom of Peleus and home of Achilles, ref.
PHYLACE (fil’-a-see): home of Iphiclus in Thessaly, ref.
PHYLACUS (fil’-a-kus): hero of Phylace, ref.
PHYLO (feye’-loh): handmaid of Helen, ref.
PIERIA (pi-e’-ree-a): area north of Mount Olympus in Thessaly, ref.
PIRAEUS (peye-ree’-us): Ithacan, friend of Telemachus, host of Theoclymenus, ref.
PIRITHOUS (peye-ri’-tho-us): son of Zeus, king of the Lapiths, ref. See note ad loc.
PISANDER (peye-san’-der): suitor, son of Polyctor, killed by Philoetius, ref.
PISENOR (peye-see’-nor): (1) father of Ops, ref. (2) Ithacan herald, ref.
PISISTRATUS (peye-si’-stra-tus): son of Nestor, who accompanies Telemachus to Sparta, ref.
PLEIADES (pleye’-a-deez): constellation, ref. See note ad loc.
PLOWMAN: constellation, ref. See note ad loc.
POIAS (poi’-as): father of Philoctetes, ref
POLITES (po-leye’-teez): companion of Odysseus, ref.
POLYBUS (pol’-i-bus): (1) father of Eurymachus, ref. (2) A man of Egyptian Thebes, visited by Menelaus and Helen, ref. (3) Phaeacian craftsman, ref. (4) Suitor killed by Eumaeus, ref.
POLYCASTE (po-li-kas’-tee): youngest daughter of Nestor, ref.
POLYCTOR (po-lik’-tor): (1) builder of a well on Ithaca, ref. (2) Father of Pisander, ref.
POLYDAMNA (po-li-dam’-na): wife of Thon, an Egyptian, ref.
POLYDEUCES (po-li-dyoo’-seez): brother of Helen and Castor (1), ref. See note ad loc.
POLYPHEMUS (po-li-fee’-mus): Cyclops, son of Poseidon and Thoosa, blinded by Odysseus, ref.
POLYPHIDES (po-li-feye’-deez): son of the prophet Mantius, and father of Theoclymenus, ref.
POLYTHERSES (po-li-thur’-seez): father of Ctessipus, ref.
PONTONOUS (pon-ton’-o-us): herald of Alcinous, ref.
POSEIDON (po-seye’-don): god of the sea, son of Cronus and Rhea, younger brother of Zeus, father of Polyphemus, throughout the Odyssey an inveterate enemy of Odysseus, ref.
PRAMNIAN WINE (pram’-ni-an): dispensed by Circe, and a wine often used medicinally, ref.
PRIAM (preye’-am): king of Troy, son of Laomedon of the line of Dardanus, father of Hector and Paris, ref. See note ref.
PROCRIS (pro’-kris): daughter of Erechtheus, king of Athens, and seen by Odysseus in the underworld, ref.
PROTEUS (proh’-tyoos): the Old Man of the Sea, servant of Poseidon and father of Eidothea, ref.
PSYRIE (psi’-ri-ee): island off the northern coast of Chios, ref.
PYLIANS (peye’-li-unz): ref, people of PYLOS (peye’-los), Nestor’s capital city and also the region surrounding it in the southwestern Peloponnese, ref.
PYTHO (peye’-thoh): place in Phocis sacred to Apollo, his sanctuary and oracle on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, and later called Delphi, ref.
RHADAMANTHYS (ra-da-man’-this): son of Zeus and Europa, brother of Minos, and the justicer who rules the Elysian Fields, ref.
RHEXENOR (rex-ee’-nor): son of Nausithous, brother of Alcinous, father of Arete, ref.
RITHRON (reye’-thron): harbor on the coast of Ithaca, ref.
RUMOR: personified as the messenger of Zeus, ref.
SALMONEUS (sal-mohn’-yoos): son of Aeolus (2), father of Tyro, ref.
SAME (sam’-ee): island off the western coast of Greece (later called Cephallenia), near Ithaca in the kingdom of Odysseus, ref.
SCHERIA (ske’-ri-a): island of the Phaeacians, ref.
SCYLLA (sil’-a): man-eating monster that lives in a cliffside cavern opposite the whirlpool of Charybdis, ref.
SCYROS (skeye’-ros): island in the central Aegean off the coast of Euboea, ref.
SICILIANS: ref, people of SICILY, the large island just off the southern tip of Italy in the Mediterranean, ref.
SIDONIANS (seye-do’-ni-unz): ref, people of SIDON (seye’-don), a city in Phoenicia, ref.
SINTIANS (sin’-chunz): friends of Hephaestus in Lemnos, ref.
SIRENS: enchantresses of the sea, whose song can tempt a sailor to his ruin, ref.
SISYPHUS (sis’-i-fus): legendary figure doomed in the underworld to rolling a boulder up an incline and forever failing to surmount its crest, ref. See note ad loc.
SOLYMI (so’-li-meye): Lycian mountain range in Asia Minor, ref.
SOUNION (soon’-yun): southeasternmost cape of Attica, near Athens, ref.
SPARTA (spar’-ta): capital city of Lacedaemon, the home of Menelaus and Helen, ref.
SPRINGS: place on the western coast of Greece, across from Ithaca, ref.
STRATIUS (stra’-shus): son of Nestor, ref.
STYX (stix): river in the underworld, by which the gods swear their binding oaths, ref. See notes ad loc. and ref.
SYRIE (si’-ri-ee): place of unknown location, perhaps an island, perhaps a country; the original home of Eumaeus, ref.
TANTALUS (tan’-ta-lus): legendary figure doomed to eternal thirst and hunger in the underworld, ref. See note ad loc.
TAPHIANS (ta’-fi-unz): ref, sea-trading people of TAPHOS (ta’-fos), uncertainly located on or near the western coast of Greece, ref.
TAYGETUS (tay-i’-ge-tus): mountain range in Lacedaemon, ref.
TELAMON (tel’-a-mon): father of Great Ajax, ref.
TELEMACHUS (te-lem’-a-kus): grandson of Laertes and Anticleia, son of Odysseus and Penelope, heir to the throne of Ithaca, ref. See notes, passim.
TELEMUS (tee’-le-mus): prophet of the Cyclops, ref.
TELEPHUS (tee’-le-fus): father of Eurypylus, ref.
TELEPYLUS (tee-le’-pi-lus): city of the Laestrygonians, ref.
TEMESE (te’-me-see): place of unknown location, perhaps in Cyprus, and invented by Athena disguised as Mentes, ref.
TENEDOS (ten’-e-dos): island in the northeastern Aegean off the coast of Troy, ref.
TERPIS (ter’-pis): father of Phemius, ref.
THEBES (theebz): (1) city in Egypt, famous for its wealth and hundred gates, ref. (2) Seven-gated city in Boeotia, ref.
THEMIS (the’-mis): goddess whose province is established law and custom, ref.
THEOCLYMENUS (the-o-kli’-men-us): Argive seer of prophetic lineage, son of Polyphides, ref.
THESEUS (thees’-yoos): son of Aegeus, king of Athens, who abducted Ariadne from Crete, ref.
THESPROTIANS (thes-proh’-shunz): ref, people of THESPROTIA ( thes-proh’-sha), a district in northwestern Greece, ref.
THETIS (the’-tis): sea-goddess, daughter of Nereus, married to Peleus and by him the mother of Achilles, ref.
THOAS (thoh’-as): Achaean, son of Andraemon, commander of the Aetolians at Troy, ref.
THON (thohn): Egyptian, husband of Polydamna, ref.
THOOSA (tho-oh’-sa): sea-nymph, daughter of Phorcys, mother by Poseidon of Polyphemus, ref.
THRACE (thrays): a country north of the Aegean and the Hellespont, ref.
THRASYMEDES (thra-si-mee’-deez): son of Nestor, brother of Antilochus and Pisistratus, ref.
THRINACIA (thri-nay’-sha): mythical island of Helios, the sungod, where he pastured his sacred cattle, ref.
THYESTES (theye-es’-teez): brother of Atreus, father of Aegisthus, ref.
TIRESIAS (teye-ree’-si-as): blind seer of Thebes (2), who retains his prophetic powers even in the underworld, ref.
TITHONUS (ti-thoh’-nus): husband of the Dawn, son of Laomedon and elder brother of Priam, ref.
TITYUS (ti’-ti-yus): legendary figure doomed to eternal torture in the underworld for having violated Leto, mother of Artemis and Apollo, ref. See note ad loc.
TROJANS (troh’-junz): ref, people of the Troad and their allies arrayed against the Achaeans in the Trojan War; as well as the people of TROY (troy), capital city of the Troad, and alternatively called Ilium, ref.
TYDEUS (teye’-dyoos): son of Oeneus, father of Diomedes, ref.
TYNDAREUS (tin-dar’-yoos): husband of Leda, father of Clytemnestra, Castor and Polydeuces, ref.
TYRO (teye’-roh): daughter of Salmoneus, wife of Cretheus, mother by Poseidon of Pelias and Neleus, ref.
WAGON: constellation, also called the Great Bear and the Big Dipper, ref. See note ref.
ZACYNTHUS (za-kin’-thus): island off the western coast of Greece, south of Ithaca, in the kingdom of Odysseus, ref.
ZETHUS (zee’-thus): son of Zeus and Antiope, builder of Thebes (2) with his brother Amphion (1), and father of Itylus, ref.
ZEUS (zyoos): king of the gods, son of Cronus and Rhea, brother and husband of Hera, father of the Olympians and many mortals too. His spheres include the sky and the weather, hospitality and the rights of guests and suppliants, the punishment of injustice, the sending of omens, and the governance of the universe, controlled to some extent by Fate as well, ref. See notes, passim.
* The line numbers here and throughout, unless otherwise indicated, refer to the Fagles translations of the Odyssey and the Iliad, where the line numbers of the Greek text will be found at the top of every page.
Contents
THE SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION OF HOMERIC NAMES
THE GENEALOGY OF THE ROYAL HOUSE OF ODYSSEUS
THE GENEALOGY OF THE ROYAL HOUSE OF PHAEACIA
TEXTUAL VARIANTS FROM THE OXFORD CLASSICAL TEXT
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING
Praise for The Odyssey
“Did the world need one more translation of the Odyssey? Yes. In Robert Fagles’ lucid, muscular verse, these ancient measures stalk across the page in march time, from the first sight of ‘young Dawn with her rose-red fingers’ to the moment when the last suitor has been slaughtered and Odysseus takes Penelope to bed.”
—Newsweek
“To re-create a world where everything is living, down to the chairs and table-linens, is very nearly as difficult as to create it. Fagles does this with triumphant assurance; every arrowhead flashes lightning, every bush burns: Homer is with us.”
—James Dickey
“Fagles’ fresh translation of Homer’s classic is enough to make you tune out the Smashing Pumpkins and turn off Melrose Place. The peerless epic about the travels of Odysseus remains as mesmerizing as when it was first chanted on Greek hillsides almost 2,700 years ago.”
—People magazine
“Fagles capture[s] the sheer energy of a story that sweeps on like a tidal wave over twenty-four books and 12,000 lines. He unravels Homer’s complex structure like Penelope at her loom . . . compelling the reader forward. Fagles’ expertise with the dialogue is unmistakable. In his hands, characters spring to life through speech.”
—Josephine Balmer, The Independent on Sunday (London)
“Readers make their own odyssey, by now, through Odysseys. This latest lap of the journey returns us quite spectrally to the poetry of the affair: ‘So they traded stories, the two ghosts standing there in the House of Death . . .’ Poetry for which, yet again, we aspirants to Homeric harness are in Robert Fagles’ debt, and happy to be there.”
—Richard Howard
“Fagles does justice to the narrative velocity of the poem, to its economy, and he writes a supple English that’s especially pleasing when read aloud. . . . The Odyssey is a journey on which Robert Fagles is excellent company.”
—The Boston Globe
“Translators have inherited from the bards and troubadours the task of making the poem new. . . . This new version is a wonderful addition to that history. Fagles has made the lines fresh again. It’s as if the dew’s still on them.”
—William Fiennes, The Observer
“A memorable achievement . . . Mr. Fagles has been remarkably successful in finding a style that is of our time and yet timeless. . . . The long and excellent Introduction by Bernard Knox is a further bonus, scholarly but also relaxed and compellingly readable. Mr. Fagles’ translation of the Iliad was greeted by a chorus of praise when it appeared; his Odyssey is a worthy successor.”
—Richard Jenkyns, front page of The New York Times Book Review
“The other shoe has dropped, and now we have the superb Fagles/Knox Odyssey. If, as Robert Fagles remarks in his Postscript, Homer’s work is ‘a musical event,’ it is Beethoven’s Ninth.”
—Anthony Hecht
“In his translation of the Odyssey, Fagles has created in English a masterpiece of world literature, combining in his poetry the crispness and timeliness of modern colloquial speech and a timeless classical beauty and dignity. The reader is entranced with a mythical, magical world . . . in which mortal heroes and immortal gods and goddesses hold close communication.”
—Nashville Banner
“Robert Fagles’ Odyssey is a splendid companion piece to his memorable English version of the Iliad. He has managed to create a poetic colloquial English with a timeless dignity. The sensory values of Odysseus’ archaic world—the snap of the sails, the scud of seafoam, the gleam of burnished bronze—come wonderfully alive in this supple, rhythmic English.”
—Robert Alter
“As Ezra Pound said, Homer had an ‘ear for the sea-surge,’ and Fagles captures it superbly in images of dripping oarblades and pitchers of shining wine. . . . [He] triumphantly restores the poem to its Hellenic toughness . . . [and] breathes fantastic new life into an ancient adventure.”
—Manchester Guardian Weekly
“Fagles keeps taut the scenes of deception and recognition as the hero tests his family and friends, driving his lines at a surging pace. His poetic momentum does more than merely move the great battle scene in the hall to its dramatic close; it keeps the reader always on top of the action with a vantage point to see the subtlety of the actors.”
—Peter Stothard, The Times (London)
“It is not every day that a batter manages a Homer on each of his first two tries at the plate. But now with his Odyssey, as earlier with his Iliad, translator Robert Fagles has done just this. There is also a triumphant Introduction by Bernard Knox.”
—Maynard Mack
“Now I have Robert Fagles to thank for a new and precious gift. He has let me hear the rhapsode work his magic, and held me spellbound in those shadowy halls.”
—Peter Green, The New Republic
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“For those bereft of Greek, the immortality of Homer, Sophocles, Aeschylus, and their compatriots has been secured through his elegant and pithy translations. We present this medal to Robert Fagles with heartfelt thanks and appreciation in lieu of a libation to the hidden muse who graces the minds of the finest translators.”
—Gregory Rabassa, Citation for the winner of the 1997PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation for Lifetime Achievement
The Odyssey was chosen as a main selection of The Book-of-the-Month Club, The Quality Paperback Book Club, The Canadian Book-of-the-Month Club, and as a dual main selection of The Readers Subscription Book Club (with Robert Fagles’ translation of the Iliad). It was also chosen by The History Book Club, The Softback Preview Book Club, and The Folio Society.
PENGUIN BOOKS
THE ODYSSEY
The Greeks believed that the Iliad and the Odyssey were composed by a single poet whom they named Homer. Nothing is known of his life. While seven Greek cities claim the honor of being his birthplace, ancient tradition places him in Ionia, located in the eastern Aegean. His birthdate is undocumented as well, though most modern scholars now place the composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey in the late eighth or early seventh century B.C.
ROBERT FAGLES is Arthur W. Marks ’19 Professor of Comparative Literature at Princeton University. He is the recipient of the 1997 PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Fagles has been elected to the Academy, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He has translated the poems of Bacchylides. His translations of Sophocles’ Three Theban Plays, Aeschylus’ Oresteia (nominated for a National Book Award) and Homer’s Iliad (winner of the 1991 Harold Morton Landon Translation Award by The Academy of American Poets, an award from The Translation Center of Columbia University, and the New Jersey Humanities Book Award) are published in Penguin Classics. His original poetry and his translations have appeared in many journals and reviews, as well as in his book of poems, I, Vincent: Poems from the Pictures of Van Gogh. Mr. Fagles was one of the associate editors of Maynard Mack’s Twickenham Edition of Alexander Pope’s Iliad and Odyssey, and, with George Steiner, edited Homer: A Collection of Critical Essays.
BERNARD KNOX is Director Emeritus of Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C. His essays and reviews have appeared in numerous publications and in 1978 he won the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism. His works include Oedipus at Thebes: Sophocles’ Tragic Hero and His Time; The Heroic Temper: Studies in Sophoclean Tragedy; Word and Action: Essays on the Ancient Theatre; Essays Ancient and Modern (awarded the 1989 PEN/Spielvogel-Diamonstein Award); The Oldest Dead White European Males and Other Reflections on the Classics; and Backing into the Future: The Classical Tradition and its Renewal. Mr. Knox is the editor of The Norton Book of Classical Literature, and has also collaborated with Robert Fagles on the Iliad and The Three Theban Plays.