Thursday, May 14, 2009

The Odyssey online resources

Odysseus’ travels
Picture source

Muse, speak to me now of that resourceful man
who wandered far and wide after ravaging
the sacred citadel of Troy. He came to see
many people's cities, where he learned their customs,
while on the sea his spirit suffered many torments,
as he fought to save his life and lead his comrades home.

- Book One, lines 1 – 6 (translation by Ian Johnston)

Back to the ancient Greeks, this time the story continues after the Trojan War. I first read The Odyssey about five years ago (although I do remember reading a condensed version of some of the events in junior high school). I’ll be interested to see what changes in re-reading it. There is a wealth of information online regarding The Odyssey, so I’ll keep the list short but try to highlight sites that have additional links.

My post on The Iliad’s online resources

Ian Johnston has one of my favorite sites to visit. With his translation of The Odyssey, his lecture on the work, and his curricular material covering ancient Greece, I could end the post knowing the basics (and then some) have been covered.

Samuel Butler’s translation can be downloaded at Librivox

For those too busy to read or listen to the complete work, here is a 10-second adaptation of The Odyssey (by Greg & Myles McLeod, courtesy of the BBC)

Wikipedia’s page on The Odyssey

An ancient Greece index

Greek mythology at the Encyclopedia Mythica


Odyssey Convocation Lectures
at Reed College

A virtual Odyssey at ThinkQuest.org

Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute has two teacher’s guides to The Odyssey:
A View of The Odyssey by Anna K. Baker, and
The Odyssey: A Deeper Appreciation by Marie L. Fadus

And once again, links, links and more links at maholo.com

Tracy Marks has what looks to be a good index of Greek mythology and literature. Resources for The Odyssey are included.
Here is the beginning of his online journal on The Odyssey.

Robert Fagles talks about his translation of The Odyssey on PBS’ NewsHour and answers some questions in their online forum. He also had an interview with The Paris Review.

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