Asked by: Atilano Giorgini
books and literature fiction

What is the origin of the word odyssey?

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odyssey (n.)
c. 1600, "Odyssey," title given to one of the two great epic poems of ancient Greece, from Latin Odyssea, from Greek Odysseia, the ancient name of the Homeric poem telling tales of the ten-year wanderings of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, seeking home after the fall of Troy.


Consequently, where does the word odyssey come from?

It comes from the name of Homer's Ancient Greek poem Oδυσσεία (meaning “the story of Odysseus”) It is the epic tale of how a Greek called Odysseus took the scenic route to get home to his wife after taking part in the destruction of Troy.

One may also ask, is an odyssey a journey? Odysseus, the hero of Homer's Odyssey, spends 20 years traveling home from the Trojan War. Thus, an odyssey is any long, complicated journey, often a quest for a goal, and may be a spiritual or psychological journey as well as an actual voyage.

Keeping this in consideration, what does the term Odyssey mean?

noun. Odyssey is a Greek epic poem written by Homer about the long journey of a man named Odysseus, or a long and eventual journey or experience. A spiritual quest is an example of an odyssey.

What is another word for Odyssey?

Words related to Odyssey trek, expedition, sojourn, quest, exploration, adventure, pilgrimage, excursion, voyage, tour, trip.

Related Question Answers

Houmad Genaro

Professional

Is the Odyssey a true story?

Evidence that the Odyssey and Iliad may be true after all
They believe that the 8th BC century palace which they have discovered in Ithaca, in the Ionian Seas west of mainland Greece, proves that he was a real historical figure. It is the only one of the palaces mentioned in Homer's epic poems that hadn't been found.

Luana Halutin

Professional

How does Odysseus die?

Having come to Ithaca, he drove away some of the cattle, and when Odysseus defended them, Telegonus 3 wounded him with the spear he had in his hands, which was barbed with the spine of a stingray, and Odysseus died of the wound. But others say that Odysseus died of Old Age, as Tiresias predicted.

Katrina Vidyasagar

Professional

What is the moral lesson of the Odyssey?

The moral values in the story include loyalty, compassion, self-control and perseverance. Each one has a tale or two associated with it. Loyalty is an important moral value in The Odyssey because Odysseus is devoted to his family. He is determined to return home to his wife despite all of the obstacles in his way.

Ainoa Mittermuller

Explainer

Is Odyssey a word?

odyssey. Ever since Homer's epic poem The Odyssey told the story of warrior Odysseus' ten-year journey home from Troy, odyssey has meant any epic journey. As with the word journey, odyssey has both a literal meaning and a figurative one.

Yonaida Ceveira

Explainer

How long is Homer's Odyssey?

The average reader will spend 2 hours and 48 minutes reading The Odyssey at 250 WPM (words per minute). "The Odyssey" is a classical epic poem about the events following the fall of Troy and the end of the Trojan War which is generally thought to have been written at the end of the 8th century BC.

Bolivia Avetyan

Explainer

Is Odysseus a God?

Odysseus was born on isle of Ithaca. Young Odysseus also liked to hunt with his dog, Argos, often going along with him. He is not a god, but he does have a connection with the gods on his mother's side of the family. While on one hunting trip, Odysseus was gored by a wild boar, an incident that left a scar.

Marharyta Vanykin

Pundit

How does Odysseus look like?

Odysseus is brave, strong, handsome, wily, loyal, pious—and did we mention handsome? He's basically begging for a "hey girl" meme. ("Hey girl. I may have spent seven years with a goddess, but you still look divine to me.)

Lourenco Titz

Pundit

When was the Trojan War?

The ancient Greeks believed that Troy was located near the Dardanelles and that the Trojan War was a historical event of the 13th or 12th century BC, but by the mid-19th century AD, both the war and the city were widely seen as non-historical.

Crystian Strucker

Pundit

What does Odysseus stand for?

Odysseus is renowned for his intellectual brilliance, guile, and versatility (polytropos), and is thus known by the epithet Odysseus the Cunning (Greek: μ?τις or mētis, "cunning intelligence"). He is most famous for his nostos, or "homecoming", which took him ten eventful years after the decade-long Trojan War.

Tanesha Roue

Pundit

What does the allusion Odyssey mean?

Allusion in The Odyssey. Homer alludes multiple times to characters and events from his other epic, The Iliad. Chronologically, The Odyssey takes place after The Iliad since Odysseus is on his return trip from the Trojan War. Allusions are made to connect the two epics together.

Ausencia Parkes

Pundit

Why is the odyssey important?

The Odyssey is such a timeless story not only for its terrifying monsters, rip-roaring action scenes, and wealth of information on Mediterranean geography and legends but also because it involves the irresistible plot line of a worthy hero trying desperately to get back to his city, his family, and his throne.

Elisei Verne

Teacher

What is the main idea of the Odyssey?

In the Odyssey by Homer, the main idea would be a life's journey that is filled with obstacles. Odysseus has been at war for ten years and now he has spent ten years trying to get home. The journey has been long and full of trials, tribulations and obstacles.

Mykhaylo Reves

Teacher

Why did Poseidon not like Odysseus?

Although he cannot kill Odysseus, as it is his destiny to return home, he makes every effort to make Odysseus suffer. Odysseus earned Poseidon's wrath by blinding Polyphemus. When Odysseus set sail away from Calypso's island, Poseidon spotted him and caused him to become shipwrecked.

Neusa Sukenik

Teacher

How do you spell the plural of Odyssey?

The plural form of odyssey is odysseys.

Bhrigu Frohn

Teacher

How old is the Odyssey?

The Odyssey, attributed to Homer, is commonly dated to around 800 BC, written on the author's home Iona, now the oceanside coast of Turkey. Interestingly, there are some who feel that the story actually comes from around 1170. That's almost 400 years older than previously thought.

Soumana Masague

Reviewer

How is the word odyssey related to Odysseus journey?

It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. In the English language as well as many others, the word odyssey has come to refer to an epic voyage. The Odyssey has a lost sequel, the Telegony, which was not attributed to Homer. It was usually attributed in antiquity to Cinaethon of Sparta.

Holger Balbuena

Reviewer

What is the setting of the Odyssey?

setting (place) · Odysseus's wanderings cover the Aegean and surrounding seas and eventually end in Ithaca, in northwestern Greece; Telemachus travels from Ithaca to southern Greece. falling action · Odysseus and Telemachus fight and kill the suitors; they put to death the suitors' allies among the palace servants.

Airong Gutala

Reviewer

How many pages is the Odyssey?

In Ancient Greek, it comprises 12,110 lines of dactylic hexameter (a poetic meter). I own three English translations: one has 270 pages, one has 332, and the last 324 (not including introductions and other things, just the text itself).

Aizhu Omarjanov

Reviewer

Was Ithaca a real place?

Ithaca is a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. The capital is Vathy (or Vathi). Modern Ithaca is generally identified with Homer's Ithaca, the home of Odysseus, whose delayed return to the island is the plot of the classical Greek tale the Odyssey.

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21st January, 2020

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