The Journey Of Odysseus

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The Journey of Odysseus The epic journey of Odysseus in the Odyssey by Homer has been of interest to people all over the world. Many have tried to trace the route he took, and there has been much debate over the location of several of his stops. That being said, the route I have outlined here is based on the consensus of many and not on a single person’s belief or opinion. In addition, I have also recorded Odysseus’ journey chronologically. If you were to actually read the Odyssey it would begin in year nine of Odysseus’ ten year journey home. It is not until Book 5 of the Odyssey that we actually meet Odysseus and we only learn about the previous 9 years when he recounts his adventures to the Phaeacians. There are several accounts of Odysseus prior to the Odyssey, including Homer’s Illiad. So with that being the case I decided to include a little background information on Odysseus. Odysseus was the King of Ithaca and his wife, Penelope, was the niece of the King of Sparta. Together they had a son named Telemachus. One story says that when Odysseus was called upon to enter the Trojan War he pretended to be crazy to avoid going. An oracle had told him that he would not return for 20 years and that he would return as a beggar. His ruse failed when he was forced to show his sanity in order to save his infant son’s life. With no choice he sets off for Troy where he spends the next 10 years. During the war his role was mainly that of an adviser and strategist. He became most famous for his idea to leave a huge wooden horse as a gift for the Trojans. The Trojans brought the horse inside their city walls not realizing that the horse was hollow and filled with Archaean soldiers. Ultimately, this plan leads to the fall of Troy. After 10 long years at war Odysseus is finally able to set off for home, and this is where the Odyssey begins. Odysseus

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