Valued Bloodline

It seems that bloodline is valued greatly during the time of The Odyssey. Whenever a character is addressed, more often than not, a title follow it in which their relationship to another character is explained. For example:

"Nausicaa, daughter of King Alcinous,
may Zeus the Thunderer, Hera's husband..."

From that, I observed that during Ancient Greece, family was important. They seemed to use the connections in place of last names. However, unlike last names, the connections would be different for everyone. For example, Nausicaa is the daughter of King Alcinous. Her daughter (if she were to bear one) would have the title: Daughter of Princess Nausicaa. It seemed rather long and difficult to remember who is the parent of everyone.

Odysseus and Calypso

After remembering the class discussion we had on Thursday, I went back to the part of The Odyssey when Odysseus was with Calypso. I felt upset when Odysseus stayed with Calypso for so long. I supposed he had no choice, since he didn't have any boats. Even though, wouldn't he still be commiting adultery towards Penelope? That would be an act of unfaithfulness. It surprised me that he still chose Penelope over Calypso at the end.

Odysseus in Kingdom of the Dead

After looking back at The Odyssey, I reviewed some parts that had interested me. I felt anxious when Odysseus and his crew entered the realm of the underworld. I was anxious to know what it was like when Odysseus entered it. He probably felt anxious but frightened as well. After all, Odysseus was a living man who was going into the kingdom of the dead to question the prophet. I was curious to know what the phrophet had to tell him that was so important that Circe directed Odysseus to the underworld just to hear from him. The travel down to the Kingdom of the Dead was one of the several parts during The Odyssey that intereted me the most.

Athena

After trying to search for some images of the goddess Athena, I've come to notice that many pictures showed her in war armor. That's understandable, considering that she is the goddess of wisdom and war. However, in Ancient Greece, men had more power and influence in the society. Warlords and philosphers were all men. It would seem resonable that warfare and intelligence were believed to be suitable for men only during that time. Thus it made me wonder: why is the deity of wisdom and war was chosen to be in the form of a woman?

Odysseus to Telemachus

There's a nice poem that I found on the internet. It's a poem from Odysseus to Telemachus. The way that the author of the poem writes reminds me very much of the way Homer writes. It's as if that poem had been in The Odyssey

Link: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15205

Youth in The Odyssey

In the time of The Odyssey, it seems that being young is considered differently than in our time. For example, in The Odyssey, Telemachus is counted only as a child. However, from the descriptions of his appearance and actions, he might probably be considered a grown man in the present day. After all, he was commanding the ship and during the beginning, and some of the suitors spoke to him as if he was the same age and had the same experience as them.

I Pray -Poem

I pray
-A poem in the view of Telemachus

I pray to the deathless gods,
Ones that holds the life of everything
To give me blessings
And answer my prayers

I plead to the ones of immortality
Ones whose hands our lives lie
To grant me a favor
To listen to my pleas

I ask the beings of great power
Ones we praise and worship
To show compassion towards I
To show me guidance

I beg the mighty deities who reigns
Ones I cry upon to
To understand my situation
And bring the Great Odysseus back

Versions Of The Odyssey

Although The Odyssey is originally written my Homer, there are many other versions of it published. The first time I read a version of The odyssey, it was written in a shorter form in my little brother's chapter books. Although it had the main events (such as how Odysseus injured the Cyclop) and the general idea of the whole story, it did not go into details (Such as when King Menelaus told Telemachus about how he was stuck in the Egyptian area after the Trojan War) It also looked at the brighter side of the events, as it was a version suitable for younger readers. It made me think that there must be more versions of the Odyssey, thus probably lead to the different ways that the characters in The Odyssey are portrayed by people.

Pallas

Athena seemed to have been described in many different ways. For example: the bright-eyed goddess.

However, in the book, she was also referred as 'Pallas'. What is that? Why is she referred to as that?