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The Odyssey
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Moira | fate given to man from the Gods/Do the God's control my fate or do I? "Year spun out by the Gods" |
| Hubris | excessive pride (the Greeks thought this was the biggest flaw of all) |
| Nostos | yearning for home; nostalgia (a feeling one experiences); "his heart sat on his wife and his return" |
| Oikos | Ithica; home (family, community, economic system, etc); this is what defines a person |
| Arete | excellent, living up to one's potential |
| Time | material honor (example: trophy) |
| Cleos | reputation |
| Xenia | the guest- host code; it involves food, shelter, and entertainment; "I may have brought water soon and graceful golden pitcher over a silver basin...poured them wine" |
| Sophrosyne | moderation; self-control (this is the antithesis of hubris) |
| Greek Value | Importance of swearing an oath |
| Odysseus | man of twist and turns |
| Calypso | bewitching nymph; lustrous Goddess |
| Athena | Sparkling eyed, Odysseus mentor (Mentes), clear eyed goddess |
| Zeuss | marshall of the thunder heads, father of the men |
| Poisden | lord of the baron salt sea |
| Hermes | God and Giant Killer |
| Telemachus | heart obsessed with grief, heedful, discreet |
| Aegisthus | cunning & murderous |
| Achean | bronze armored |
| Menelaus | red haired |
| Penelope | That radiant woman, Icarius’ daughter Penelope, wary and reserved |
| Polyphemus | the brutal Cyclops |
| Eurycleia | his fond old nurse, god’s own Odysseus, the barren salt sea |
| Laertes | Father of Odysseus; kept to himself on the farm |
| Anticlieia | mother of Odysseus |
| Circe | Bewitching nymph, goddess of magic |
| Cyclops | one-eyed giant, son of Poseidon |
| Demodocus | poet who often visits the court of Alcinous, King of Phaesacians on the island of Scherie; performs 3 narrative songs |
| Phemius | son of Terpes is gifted poet |
| Elpenor | Odysseus' crew mate who fell off Circe's roof b/c he was drunk |
| Clytemnestra | Agamemnon's wife who kills him |
| Lotus Eaters | false reality |
| Broadsea | player in the games that are held in Phaeaia |
| Tiresias | prophet of Thebes |
| Homer | author of the Odyessy |
| Nausicaa | daughter of Queen Arete & King Alcinous; guides Odysseus to kingdom |
| King Alcinous | King of Phaesia, offers Xenia to Odysseus |
| Queen Arete | Queen of Phaesia; |
| Phaeacieans | people who live in Phasia & compete in the games |
| Achilles | God; fights in trojen war, killed by an arrow in the heel |
| Fates | three sister dieties,incarnations of destiny & life; who share one eye |
| Antinous | competitor in games in Phasia; leads the campaign to have Telemachus killed; suitor that tries to court Penelope; dies when Odyssues returns |
| Ino | lesser God; gives Odysseus advice to abandon the raft & swim |
| Agememnon | fights along side Odysseus & is killed by Clytemnestra (his wife) & dies |
| Characteristics of Epic | has a national hero that performs incred feats; historical, legendary or mythical or a combo of the 3; specific style & formal language |
| Characteristics of Epic hero | humble, mysterious, miraculous birth or maybe the son of a God or Goddess, may not even know his real parents until adulthood; supernatural or superhuman strenght or ability; magical device for protection; only works for him |
| Propriety | conforming to standards |
| Swaggering | weird walking |
| brazen | bold & w/o shame |
| antagonist | a person who is opposed to, struggles against or competes wiht another; the adversary of the hero |
| protagonist | the leading character, hero or heroine of a drama or other literary work; advocate of a political cause, social program ; leader of a movement |
| soothsayer/profet | one who claims to foretell events or predict the future; prophet-person who speaks by diven inspiration or as the interpreter, the will of a God |
| bard/rhapsode | bard-person who composed/recited epic or heroic poems, epithet of Wm Shakespeare; rhapsode-an epic poem or part of such a peom, as a book of the Illiad, enthusiastic piece of literature |
| the Greek Dialectic | the conventionalized & poetic dialect of the Attic tragic poets; Homeric Greek is used in the first epic poems; the Illiad & Odyssey |
| soliloquy | an utterance of disourse by a person who is talking to himself/herself, disregardful of oblivious to any hearers persent |
| foil character | opposite characters |
| libations | the pouring out of a drink as an offering to a deity |
| supplication | the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly |