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Odysseus

Death of Semele, caused by the Theophany of Zeus without a mortal disguise, by Peter Paul Rubens (1640) (Public Domain)

Ancient Greek Theophanies, Ghosts And Hallucinations

Gods and goddesses revealed themselves rather remarkably often to the privileged and chosen ancient Greeks, even if it was in disguise to hide their blinding brilliance. Like English, Greek did not...
Beware the Greeks bearing gifts, by Henry Paul Motte (19th century) (Public Domain)

The Iliad And The Odyssey: Lessons From Humanities

The Humanities are by definition concerned with humankind’s life-chances and life-fates, and mortality captures humanness from one essential viewpoint – all humans inevitably die. All human life, and...
Ancient Greek archer. Source: Stanislav / Adobe Stock.

Could an Ancient Greek Bow Outperform a Modern One? (Video)

In a recent experiment two historians, Theodore, and Christos, decided to find out which is better an ancient Greek bow or its modern equivalent. Theodore wielded a replica of the legendary bow of...
Chania Lighthouse, Crete. Source: Matthew / Adobe Stock.

The Ancient Lighthouse of Chania was a Beacon for Greek Ships (Video)

The historic Lighthouse of Chania has proudly stood along the Cretan coast for centuries, serving as a vital beacon for Greek ships navigating treacherous waters. The Odyssey , an ancient epic,...
Souls of Heroic Warriors in Polynesia ( adrenalinapura/ Adobe Stock)

Hawaii: Paradise Location Of Homeric Mythical Elysian Fields

Over centuries explorers as well as ethnologists noting the myths, legends, customs and folklore of the cultures native to the Pacific Ocean islands, have accumulated enough evidence to attest to...
Ulysses (Odysseus) and the Sirens of Greek mythology in a painting dating to circa 1909 by Herbert James Draper. Source: Public domain

Seductive Sirens of Greek Mythology and How Heroes Resisted Them

Sirens are a type of creature found in ancient Greek mythology. Commonly described as beautiful but dangerous creatures , the sirens are remembered for seducing sailors with their sweet voices, and,...
The cyclopes were one-eyed mythological giants of ancient Greece. But did the myth originate from elephant skulls like this?   Source: Left; John Cummings, CC BY-SA 3.0, Right; bigjom/ Adobe Stock

Were Cyclopes Legends Inspired by Ancient Elephant Skulls?

Ancient Greek mythology is full of fantastic beasts and monsters. One of the most famous examples is the brutal one-eyed race of giants, the cyclopes. Several different cyclopes appeared in various...
Tiresias, the blind seer of Greek mythology. Source: matiasdelcarmine / Adobe Stock

Tiresias: The Blind Seer of Greek Mythology

Movies, video games, and comic books have made mythological figures like Zeus, Hercules, and Hades household names across the globe. These gods and heroes of ancient Grecian myth have carved out a...
A mosaic scene from Homer's Odyssey in the Bardo Museum, Tunisia.	 Source: Fotokon / Adobe Stock

Ten years in the Med? The Hunt for the Real Odyssey Locations!

The Odyssey's main sequence (except for Odysseus' travels) takes place in the Peloponnese and what is now known as the Ionian Islands (Ithaca and its neighbors). What’s more, incidental allusions to...
Representational image of Achilles. Source: Warpedgalerie / Adobe Stock

Achilles: The Greatest Hero of Greek Mythology?

“Sing Goddess, the rage of Achilles” is the very first line of The Iliad , Homer’s epic poem, as he introduces its main hero. The Greek hero Achilles was believed to have been the strongest, bravest...
Gods Throwing Dice: Cleromancy In The Trojan War

Gods Throwing Dice: Cleromancy In The Trojan War

Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses, hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls, great fighters' souls, but...
Rasiglia: Medieval Italian Village of Streams

Rasiglia: Medieval Village of Streams is Italy’s ‘Little Venice’

Rasiglia is a small village located in the province of Perugia, in the central Italian region of Umbria. The village, which traces its history all the way back to the Middle Ages, is known also as...
Polyphemus - Whose Prayer for Revenge Was the Origin of the Odyssey

Polyphemus - Whose Prayer for Revenge Was the Origin of the Odyssey

Polyphemus is the cyclops found in the famous Greek mythological tale found in Homer’s Odyssey . This one-eyed beast, arguably the most famous of his kind, is presented as a man-eating monster, and...
Odysseus mosaic at the Bardo Museum in Tunis, Tunisia. (2nd century AD) (Public Domain)

Homer in the Baltic: Odysseus a Fair-Haired Dane?

Described by Homer and Pindar as ‘fair haired’, one can ask the perturbing question: Was Odysseus a Dane originating from the Baltic Sea and is Troy located on the Gulf of Finland? Since ancient...
Odysseus and the Sirens by Otto Greiner  (1869–1916) (Public Domain)

The Itinerary of Odysseus, an Ancient Treasure Map

Did Homer’s Odyssey contain a secret code, that would guide the Greeks to gain complete control over the Black Sea and the North Atlantic and access to the riches of precious metals and other...
Odysseus, Off Course in the Baltic Sea

Odysseus, Off Course in the Baltic Sea

Homer’s Odyssey tells of the adventures of the ancient seasoned mariner, Odysseus, hero of the Trojan War, who offended Poseidon and as a result was cursed to sail the seas and prolong his journey...
Portrait of Emma Hamilton as Circe. This image was popular in illustrations for numerous books referring to Circe. (Public Domain) Circe’s cave is located at Mount Circeo, in Italy. Source: Association of Speleo-Archeological Research, Rome Sotterranea

Seductress’ Cave of Depravity from Homer’s Odyssey Found?

Italy's Mount Circeo or Cape Circeo is located about 60 miles (97 km) south of Rome and this promontory marks the southwestern limit of the former Pontine Marshes. This famous geological feature is...
Circe and her swine by Briton Rivière (1896)(Public Domain)

Searching for the Lost Location of the Isle of Circe, Enchantress of Odysseus

"They breathe slight auras into the night while the moon shines in the sky, and everything Under the tremulous light the sea sparks. They then shave the nearby coasts of the land of Circe, where the...
Helen of Troy

Helen of Troy, The Beauty Who Sparked the Trojan War

In Greek mythology, Helen of Troy is known as the woman whose beauty sparked the Trojan War. But Helen’s character is more complex than it seems. When considering the many Greek and Roman myths that...
‘Clytemnestra and Agamemnon’ (circa 1822) by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin. Nauplius told Clytemnestra that Agamemnon had replaced her with another woman, inciting her to kill her (wrongly accused) husband!

Nasty Nauplius: The Revenge-Seeking Sailor Who Ruined Trojan War Heroes’ Lives

The Trojan War cycle is replete with anecdotes of homewreckers and homecomings. Sure, everyone knows the sad stories of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra and Odysseus and Penelope , but there are a few more...
Tiresias transformed into a woman by Pietro della Vecchia (1626 – 1678)

Tiresias, Blinded by the Gods and Blessed with Second Sight

According to Greek mythology, Tiresias, the blind prophet of Apollo, was well-known as much for his clairvoyance as for being transformed into a woman for seven years. He was present for seven...
Sirens And The Night by William Edward Frost (1810–1877)

Identity Crises of the Sirens: Wise Women, Murderesses or Singing Prostitutes?

Ancient cultures around the world saw the sea as a dangerous place, filled with beings who preyed upon people - especially men. The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder, whose Natural History would serve...
The island of Es Vedra

The Legendary Isle of Es Vedra: Atlantis, The Odyssey and a Magnetic Attraction for UFO Sightings

Es Vedra is a small island situated off the Spanish island of Ibiza. Unlike Ibiza, which is a popular tourist destination, Es Vedra is uninhabited. This is one of the factors contributing to the...
Two sirens. (Aarrttuurr / Adobe)

Enchanting Women of the Odyssey: From Seductive Sirens to Wicked Witches

Of the monsters and mythological creatures Odysseus encounters during his long voyage from Troy to Ithaca, among the fiercest are female. Three of these are Circe, the Sirens and Calypso, who all...

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