When did the Odyssey first appear in Homeric Greek?
The Odyssey first appeared in Homeric Greek during the eighth or seventh century BC. Scholars have debated its dating for centuries without reaching a consensus.
Questions about Odyssey
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who wrote the Odyssey and when was it composed?
Scholars do not agree on how the poems emerged from this tradition, but Robert Lamberton suggests the epics straddled the beginnings of widespread literacy from the middle of the fifth-century BC. Rudolf Pfeiffer argues they were probably written down, yet there is no evidence for their publishing or physical dissemination for consumption by a literate audience.
What happens to Odysseus after he leaves Calypso's island?
As Odysseus leaves Calypso's island, Poseidon destroys his raft with a storm. The sea nymph Ino protects Odysseus as he swims to Scherie, home of the Phaeacians, and Athena leads the Phaeacian princess Nausicaä to recover him.
How does Odysseus kill the suitors in Ithaca?
Odysseus successfully strings his bow and fires an arrow through a series of axe heads to win the contest. Having won the contest, he kills the suitors while Telemachus also hangs a group of slaves who had sex with them.
Why is nostos a central theme of the Odyssey?
Homecoming is a central theme of the Odyssey because the Greek word nostos signifies both a homecoming voyage by sea and narratives involving the homecoming. Classicist Agathe Thornton notes that nostos applies to the victorious Achaeans following the fall of Troy, but the narrator focuses on Odysseus and provides other Achaeans' homecomings as part of his narrative.