Wiki index
Browse all entries
66 entries
Browse people, factions, places, events, items, and concepts by type, tag, or keyword.
Filter by tags 66 tags
No matching tags.
Homeric Epics
Homer · War at Troy and the Long Way Home
The two great epics ascribed to Homer: the Iliad, which follows the wrath of Achilles in the tenth year of the…
Iliad
Fifty-one days in the tenth year of the Trojan War
Twenty-four books on the wrath of Achilles. A quarrel over a captive woman divides the Achaean command; Achill…
Odyssey
Ten years of wandering and the return home
Twenty-four books on Odysseus’ long way home from Troy. While suitors consume his house and press his wife Pen…
Homer
The traditional author of the Iliad and the Odyssey
The name attached to the two great epics of ancient Greece. Almost nothing certain is known about him: seven c…
Achilles
The greatest Achaean warrior · hero of the Iliad
Son of Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis, and the strongest fighter on the Achaean side. His wrath at being depr…
Odysseus
King of Ithaca · hero of the Odyssey
King of Ithaca, husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, and the most resourceful of the Achaean leaders. Th…
Hector
Trojan commander · defender of Troy and its household
Son of Priam and Hecuba, husband of Andromache, father of Astyanax, and the commander of the Trojan forces. Mo…
Athena
Goddess of wisdom and war · patron of Odysseus and Achilles
Daughter of Zeus and a goddess of war, craft, and counsel. In the Iliad she is the Achaeans’ most active divin…
Zeus
King of the Olympian gods · guarantor of fate and hospitalit…
The king of the gods, lord of the sky, thunder, and justice. He is not a simple partisan: in the Iliad he gran…
Penelope
Queen of Ithaca · wife of Odysseus
Wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus. For ten years she has held off more than a hundred suitors by promi…
Agamemnon
High king of the Achaeans · commander at Troy
Son of Atreus, king of Mycenae, and the nominal commander of the Achaean coalition. His refusal to return Chry…
Patroclus
Achilles’ closest companion · the death that ends the wrath
Son of Menoetius and Achilles’ closest companion. He goes into battle in Achilles’ armour to save the Achaeans…
Troy
The city at the centre of the Trojan War
The city in the Troad, on the north-west coast of Asia Minor, whose abduction of Helen brought the Achaean coa…
Ithaca
Odysseus’ island kingdom · the goal of the Odyssey
The island kingdom of Odysseus, off the west coast of Greece. In the Odyssey it is both a real place—a house, …
Kléos
The glory that survives a hero’s death
The report, fame, or glory that a hero wins by great deeds and that continues after death. Kléos is the centra…
Nóstos
The return home · the goal of the Odyssey
The return home after war, and the poem’s name for what Odysseus is trying to achieve. Nóstos is not merely tr…
Xenía
The reciprocal obligation between host and guest
The ancient Greek institution of guest-friendship: a reciprocal bond of gifts, protection, and honour between …
Trojan War
The ten-year war between the Achaeans and Troy
The war fought by an Achaean coalition against Troy and its allies after Paris took Helen from Sparta. The Ili…
Iliad I · The Wrath of Achilles
Iliad · Book I
A plague sent by Apollo forces Agamemnon to return Chryseis, but the king takes Achilles’ prize Briseis in her…
Iliad II · The Dream and the Catalogue
Iliad · Book II
Zeus sends a false dream to Agamemnon, who tests the army’s morale and nearly loses it to a rush for home. Ody…
Iliad III · The Duel and the Oath
Iliad · Book III
Paris and Menelaus agree to settle the war by single combat. Menelaus wins, but Aphrodite carries Paris back i…
Iliad IV · The Broken Oath
Iliad · Book IV
Athena, urged by Hera, persuades the archer Pandarus to wound Menelaus and break the truce. The armies join ba…
Iliad V · The Aristeia of Diomedes
Iliad · Book V
Athena fills Diomedes with strength, and he dominates the battlefield, wounding Aphrodite and even Ares. Aenea…
Iliad VI · Hector Returns to Troy
Iliad · Book VI
Hector goes back into the city to arrange a sacrifice and to rebuke Paris for staying out of the fight. At the…
Iliad VII · Hector and Aias
Iliad · Book VII
Hector challenges the best of the Achaeans to single combat. The lot falls to Aias, and the two fight to a dra…
Iliad VIII · The Golden Scales
Iliad · Book VIII
Zeus forbids the gods to intervene, weighs the fates of the two armies, and lets the Trojans drive the Achaean…
Iliad IX · The Embassy to Achilles
Iliad · Book IX
Agamemnon admits that the war is going badly and sends Odysseus, Aias, and Phoenix to offer Achilles a huge co…
Iliad X · The Night Raid
Iliad · Book X
Unable to sleep, Agamemnon and Menelaus rouse the commanders. Diomedes and Odysseus go out to scout the Trojan…
Iliad XI · The Wounding of the Commanders
Iliad · Book XI
Agamemnon fights brilliantly until he is wounded and leaves the field. Diomedes, Odysseus, and others are woun…
Iliad XII · The Wall Breached
Iliad · Book XII
The Trojans attack the Achaean wall. Hector smashes the gate with a boulder, and Sarpedon and Glaucus lead the…
Iliad XIII · Battle at the Ships
Iliad · Book XIII
Poseidon disguises himself and rallies the Achaeans. Idomeneus fights brilliantly, Menelaus and Meriones hold …
Iliad XIV · The Deception of Zeus
Iliad · Book XIV
Hera borrows Aphrodite’s belt and puts Zeus to sleep on Mount Ida, allowing Poseidon to help the Achaeans. Aia…
Iliad XV · The Achaean Ships Burn
Iliad · Book XV
Zeus wakes and sends Apollo to restore Hector. The Trojans break through again, Hector reaches the ships, and …
Iliad XVI · The Death of Patroclus
Iliad · Book XVI
Patroclus borrows Achilles’ armour and leads the Myrmidons to save the ships. He kills Sarpedon but disobeys A…
Iliad XVII · The Fight for the Body
Iliad · Book XVII
Menelaus, Aias, and the Achaeans fight to recover Patroclus’ body and armour. Hector wears the armour of Achil…
Iliad XVIII · The Armour of Achilles
Iliad · Book XVIII
Achilles grieves for Patroclus and decides to return to battle, knowing that his own death will follow. Thetis…
Iliad XIX · Reconciliation and Arming
Iliad · Book XIX
Achilles and Agamemnon reconcile before the assembled army. Achilles refuses food and arms for battle, and his…
Iliad XX · The Return of Achilles
Iliad · Book XX
Zeus allows the gods to enter the battle, and Achilles goes on a rampage. Aeneas is saved by Poseidon, and the…
Iliad XXI · Achilles and the River
Iliad · Book XXI
Achilles kills Trojans without mercy and fights the river Scamander itself. The gods quarrel on Olympus, and A…
Iliad XXII · The Death of Hector
Iliad · Book XXII
Hector waits outside the walls and is deceived by Athena into facing Achilles. Achilles kills him and drags hi…
Iliad XXIII · The Funeral Games of Patroclus
Iliad · Book XXIII
Achilles buries Patroclus with a great pyre and funeral games. He drags Hector’s body around the tomb each day…
Iliad XXIV · The Ransom of Hector
Iliad · Book XXIV
Priam enters the Achaean camp by night, guided by Hermes, and begs Achilles for his son’s body. Achilles remem…
Odyssey I · Athena and Telemachus
Odyssey · Book I
Athena visits Ithaca disguised as Mentes and urges Telemachus to sail in search of news of his father. The sui…
Odyssey II · The Assembly in Ithaca
Odyssey · Book II
Telemachus calls the Ithacan assembly and denounces the suitors. Athena, disguised as Mentor, encourages him, …
Odyssey III · Nestor at Pylos
Odyssey · Book III
Telemachus reaches Pylos, where Nestor receives him and tells what he knows of the returns from Troy. The trai…
Odyssey IV · Menelaus and Helen
Odyssey · Book IV
In Sparta, Menelaus and Helen receive Telemachus and tell him about Odysseus’ presence in Egypt and among the …
Odyssey V · Calypso and the Raft
Odyssey · Book V
Athena persuades Zeus to order Odysseus’ release. Calypso gives him tools and provisions, and he builds a raft…
Odyssey VI · Nausicaa
Odyssey · Book VI
Athena sends Nausicaa to the river to wash clothes, where she finds the shipwrecked Odysseus. He supplicates h…
Odyssey VII · The Palace of Alcinous
Odyssey · Book VII
Odysseus is received by Arete and Alcinous in the Phaeacian palace. He tells the story of his shipwreck, and t…
Odyssey VIII · Demodocus and the Games
Odyssey · Book VIII
The Phaeacians hold games and feasts for Odysseus, and the blind bard Demodocus sings of Troy. Odysseus weeps …
Odyssey IX · The Cyclops
Odyssey · Book IX
Odysseus tells how he and his men entered the cave of Polyphemus, were trapped, and escaped after blinding the…
Odyssey X · Aeolus, the Laestrygonians, and Circe
Odyssey · Book X
Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag of winds, but his crew opens it and they are blown back. After the Laestrygonians …
Odyssey XI · The Underworld
Odyssey · Book XI
Odysseus visits the land of the dead to consult Tiresias. He meets his mother, Agamemnon, Achilles, and other …
Odyssey XII · The Sirens, Scylla, and the Cattle of Helios
Odyssey · Book XII
Odysseus passes the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis, losing men at each stage. His crew then slaughter the cattl…
Odyssey XIII · Return to Ithaca
Odyssey · Book XIII
The Phaeacians carry Odysseus to Ithaca and leave him asleep on the shore. Athena disguises him as an old begg…
Odyssey XIV · Eumaeus the Swineherd
Odyssey · Book XIV
Odysseus is welcomed by the loyal swineherd Eumaeus, who does not recognize him. Odysseus invents a Cretan ide…
Odyssey XV · Telemachus Returns
Odyssey · Book XV
Athena goes to Sparta and tells Telemachus to return home. He escapes the suitors’ ambush and lands at Ithaca,…
Odyssey XVI · Father and Son
Odyssey · Book XVI
Odysseus reveals himself to Telemachus, and the two plan the destruction of the suitors. Penelope, meanwhile, …
Odyssey XVII · The Beggar in the Hall
Odyssey · Book XVII
Telemachus returns to the palace and Odysseus enters as a beggar. Antinous abuses him, and Penelope asks to sp…
Odyssey XVIII · Irus and the Suitors
Odyssey · Book XVIII
A beggar named Irus challenges Odysseus to a fight, and Odysseus wins. Penelope appears before the suitors, an…
Odyssey XIX · The Scar
Odyssey · Book XIX
Penelope questions the beggar about Odysseus, and Eurycleia recognizes him by the scar on his thigh while wash…
Odyssey XX · The Last Night
Odyssey · Book XX
Odysseus lies awake planning revenge, while the suitors feast and abuse him. Omens warn of their destruction, …
Odyssey XXI · The Contest of the Bow
Odyssey · Book XXI
Penelope sets up the contest: whoever can string Odysseus’ bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axe heads win…
Odyssey XXII · The Slaughter of the Suitors
Odyssey · Book XXII
Odysseus shoots Antinous, reveals himself to the suitors, and with Telemachus and two loyal servants kills the…
Odyssey XXIII · The Recognition of Penelope
Odyssey · Book XXIII
Penelope tests the beggar by ordering the marriage bed to be moved. Odysseus reveals the secret of the olive-t…
Odyssey XXIV · Peace in Ithaca
Odyssey · Book XXIV
Hermes leads the suitors’ souls to the underworld. Odysseus visits his father Laertes, and the suitors’ relati…