Odysseus

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Arnold Bocklin: Odysseus and Polyphemus

A large wooden Trojan horse is labeled with a blue box reading "FICTION" and an arrow pointing to it, illustrating myth versus reality in Homer's Odyssey.

Interactive map introduction for Odysseus's Voyage, with instructions and a Start Journey button over a faded map of the Mediterranean region.

Hendrik Van Balen: Odysseus as a Guest of the Nymph Calypso

Ancient Roman mosaic showing Ulysses (Odysseus) tied to the mast of a ship with five crew members, from the House of Dionysus and Ulysses at Dougga, Tunisia.

Pieter Lastman: Odysseus and Nausicaa

Ancient Greek vase painting showing Odysseus seated between Eurylochos, who wears a helmet and cloak, and Perimedes, as they consult the shade of Tiresias.

Odysseus and the Sirens

Illustration of a Greek warrior in armor next to large text reading "Who's who in the ODYSSEY" on a blue background.

Matt Damon as Odysseus stands in Greek armor on a foggy encampment with ships in the background, in a publicity still from The Odyssey (2026), directed by Christopher Nolan.

At a Glance

Odysseus slaying the suitors, detail of a red-figure skyphos from Tarquinii, c. 450 bc; in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ger.

Odysseus summary

Odysseus: Media

Greek mythology

Videos

A large wooden Trojan horse is labeled with a blue box reading "FICTION" and an arrow pointing to it, illustrating myth versus reality in Homer's Odyssey.

Is Homer's Odyssey a True Story?

Fact or Fiction? This ancient Greek epic is less than historically accurate.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Illustration of a Greek warrior in armor next to large text reading "Who's who in the ODYSSEY" on a blue background.

Who Are the Characters of Homer's Odyssey?

And how do you really pronounce Telemachus?

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Engraved bust of Homer, a bearded man in a conical cap, overlaid on a painting of a galley with rowers and winged figures.

Telling the Story of Homer's Odyssey with Translator Emily Wilson

“Tell me, Muse…”

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

How has Odysseus (or Ulysses) been represented in literature, art, and cinema over the ages?

How has Odysseus (or Ulysses) been represented in literature, art, and cinema over the ages?

Learn how Odysseus (or Ulysses) has been portrayed in literature, art, and cinema.

Video: © Open University (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

Take a Seat at the Phaeacian Feast and Listen to Odysseus Tell of His Blinding Cyclops Giant Polyphemus

Take a Seat at the Phaeacian Feast and Listen to Odysseus Tell of His Blinding Cyclops Giant Polyphemus

At the feast of the Phaeacians, Odysseus relates the story of his blinding of Polyphemus,...

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The Odyssey: Odysseus Remembers Ithaca

The Odyssey: Odysseus Remembers Ithaca

Watch as Homer plunges the reader into the saga of Odysseus's return from the war.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Listen to Agamemnon's Ghost Telling Odysseus How He Was Murdered

Listen to Agamemnon's Ghost Telling Odysseus How He Was Murdered

Learn about the fate of Agamemnon, according to Homer's Odyssey, Book XI,...

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Images

Arnold Bocklin: Odysseus and Polyphemus

Arnold Bocklin: Odysseus and Polyphemus

Odysseus and Polyphemus (1896), by Arnold Bocklin (1827–1901); from a private...

© Fine Art Images/Heritage Images—Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Hendrik Van Balen: Odysseus as a Guest of the Nymph Calypso

Hendrik Van Balen: Odysseus as a Guest of the Nymph Calypso

Odysseus as a Guest of the Nymph Calypso by Hendrik Van Balen (1575–1632);...

© Leemage—Corbis/Getty Images

Ancient Roman mosaic showing Ulysses (Odysseus) tied to the mast of a ship with five crew members, from the House of Dionysus and Ulysses at Dougga, Tunisia.

Ulysses and the Sirens

Ulysses (also called Odysseus) tied to the ship's mast as he and his men are encountering...

© Fotokon/stock.adobe.com

Pieter Lastman: Odysseus and Nausicaa

Pieter Lastman: Odysseus and Nausicaa

Odysseus and Nausicaa, oil on wood by Pieter Lastman, 1619; in the Alte...

Courtesy of the Alte Pinakothek, Munich

Ancient Greek vase painting showing Odysseus seated between Eurylochos, who wears a helmet and cloak, and Perimedes, as they consult the shade of Tiresias.

Odysseus consulting the shade of Tiresias

Odysseus, seated between Eurylochus (left) and Perimedes, consulting the shade of...

Jastrow

Odysseus and the Sirens

Odysseus and the Sirens

Colored illustration of the three sirens calling Odysseus on his way back from Troy,...

© World History Archive/Alamy

Matt Damon as Odysseus stands in Greek armor on a foggy encampment with ships in the background, in a publicity still from The Odyssey (2026), directed by Christopher Nolan.

The Odyssey

Matt Damon as Odysseus in The Odyssey (2026), directed by Christopher Nolan.

© 2026 Universal Pictures/Syncopy

Odysseus slaying the suitors, detail of a red-figure skyphos from Tarquinii, c. 450 bc; in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ger.

Odysseus slaying the suitors, detail of a red-figure skyphos from Tarquinii,...

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin—Preussischer Kulturbesitz

Etching by Theodoor van Thulden showing Odysseus and his men blinding the giant Polyphemus with a stake as he lies on the ground, with sheep in the background.

Odysseus blinding Polyphemus

Odysseus blinding Polyphemus, from The Labors of Odysseus by Theodoor van Thulden,...

Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (RP-P-OB-66.741)

Etching by Theodoor van Thulden showing Odysseus receiving a sack from Aeolus, surrounded by armored men and figures aboard a ship, with classical architectural elements in the background.

Odysseus receives the bag of winds from Aeolus

Engraving after The Labors of Odysseus (Les Travaux d'Ulysse) by...

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (RP-P-OB-66.744)

Louis Gauffier: Odysseus Recognises Achilles Amongst the Daughters of Lycomedes

Louis Gauffier: Odysseus Recognises Achilles Amongst the Daughters of Lycomedes

Odysseus Recognises Achilles Amongst the Daughters of Lycomedes (1791),...

© Heritage Art/Heritage Images—Hulton Fine Art Collection/Getty Images

Etching by Theodoor van Thulden depicting Odysseus asleep as his companions open the bag of winds on a ship, with dramatic figures and swirling clouds.

Odysseus's companions open Aeolus's bag of winds

Engraving after The Labors of Odysseus (Les Travaux d'Ulysse) by...

Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (RP-P-OB-66.747)

Illustration of Odysseus in armor raising his hand to bid farewell to Penelope, who holds infant Telemachus, with their dog Argos lying at her feet and ships in the background.

Penelope and Odysseus

Odysseus bidding farewell to his wife, Penelope, and infant son, Telemachus, as his...

Drawing by Savage Steele

Black and white illustration of the blinded Cyclops Polyphemus standing on rocky cliffs, angrily hurling a large boulder toward Odysseus's sailing ship as Odysseus and his crew taunt him from the deck, referencing the Homeric legend.

Polyphemus hurling a rock at Ulysses' ship

The blinded Cyclops Polyphemus hurling a rock at Ulysses' ship as it sails away,...

Drawing by Steele Savage

Interactives

Interactive map introduction for Odysseus's Voyage, with instructions and a Start Journey button over a faded map of the Mediterranean region.

Map of Odysseus's journey from Troy

Follow Odysseus from Troy to Ithaca, exploring key moments from the Odyssey at each...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Timeline image titled "Life of Odysseus" with a section labeled "Early Life" describing Odysseus's birth to Laertes and Anticleia, and an illustration of two figures.

Timeline of Odysseus's life

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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