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Scylla and Charybdis
Scylla and Charybdis were monsters from Greek mythology thought to inhabit the Straits of Messina, the narrow sea between Sicily and the Italian mainland. Preying on passing mariners, Scylla was a terrible creature with six heads and twelve...
Definition
Diomedes
Diomedes is the king of Argos and a hero in Greek mythology. He was one of the leading warriors in the Trojan War, with the reputation of being gifted and strong in combat. He contributed 80 ships to the Greek forces in the Trojan War and...
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Odysseus and the Sirens (NAM, Athens, 1130)
NAM, Athens, 1130. Late 6th century BCE. This lekythos (perfume vessel) depicts the story of Odyssey, 12, where Odysseus is tied to his ship's mast in order to hear the music of the sirens, but to be restrained from straying into their danger...
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Odysseus Blinding the Cyclops
A polychrome Krater fragment (mid 7th century BCE) depicting the blinding of the Cyclops Polyphemus, one of Odysseus' many adventures on his long voyage home to Ithaka following the Trojan War. (Argos Archaeological Museum, Greece)
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Odysseus blinding the Cyclops
Attic black-figure skyphos depicting Odysseus blinding the sleeping Cyclops Polyphemus, by the Theseus Painter, from Boeotia (Greece), 490-480 BCE. (Altes Museum, Berlin)
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Zephyrus
Zephyrus was the god of the west wind and the messenger of spring in Greek mythology. He was known as one of the four Anemoi, or wind gods, each of whom represented a cardinal direction and, except for Eurus, a season. Zephyrus was often...
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Odysseus Escaping Polyphemos
A scene from a Greek black-figure pottery vase showing the hero Odysseus tied to a sheep as a means of escape from the cyclops Polyphemos. Unknown date. (Mykonos Archaeological Museum)
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Odysseus’ Ten-year Journey Home
A map illustrating the journey home of the Achaean warrior-king Odysseus after the Trojan war. His travel from Troy to Ithaca (and his wife Penelope) took innumerable twists and turns and lasted ten years. Ever since Homer's Odyssey was written...
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Odysseus and the Sirens
An Attic red-figure stamnos from Vulci c. 480-450 BCE depicting the myth of Odysseus tied to his ship's mast in order to resist the enchanting song of the Sirens. The episode occurs during the hero's long voyage home to Ithaka following the...
Definition
Iliad
Homer's Iliad describes the final year of the Trojan War, a legendary conflict between an alliance of Greek cities and the city of Troy in Anatolia. It was probably written in the 8th century BCE after a long oral tradition. The Greeks themselves...