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In ancient Greece , a rhapsode was an itinerant reciter who sang poems accompanied by a lyre. The best known rhapsode was Homer , considered the author of the two oldest Greek epics: The Iliad and The Odyssey . Originally, epic was an oral narrative that recounted the exploits of the heroes and the intervention of the gods in the life of man, among other topics.
The Odyssey narrates the return of Odysseus (whose Roman name was Ulysses) to the island of Ithaca, his homeland, after the end of the Trojan War . During the trip, the protagonist and his companions suffer various setbacks, while his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus wait for him and his city believes him dead.
Vocabulary of terms
Below are some terms of interest from The Odyssey , accompanied by a phrase that exemplifies their use in various fragments of the work.
Abominable. Very unpleasant or disgusting.
That is Scylla’s lair, where she barks abominably , the cry of a newborn cub, though it is huge and monstrous.
Acropolis. Highest part of the city.
Epeus built that machine that the divine Odysseus carried with his tricks to the acropolis , with a belly full of soldiers, who destroyed Troy.
aedo . Poetry reciter.
Shortly afterwards the vile suitors entered the hall, and after they had eaten their fill, Phemius, the divine aedus , sang a beautiful song.
Agora. Public square where assemblies are held.
Pay attention to what I am going to tell you: call a meeting in the agora tomorrow, and invite the suitors to leave your palace.
Achaeans. General name of the peoples that inhabit the Greek peninsula; in other words, the Greeks.
That I will appear in Ithaca to push his son — and put courage in his chest — to summon the long-haired Achaeans to an assembly…
Burning. Passion, enthusiasm, fervor.
The enchanting voices [of the Mermaids] burning appealing over the water made me want to listen, and I tried to say ‘Untie me!’ to the crew, shaking their eyebrows; but they leaned firmly to the oars.
Cunning. That he gets what he wants cleverly or deceitfully.
If cunning Odysseus ever made sacrifices to you within this palace, do not forget them and protect my son, and keep away from him the wicked and proud suitors.
Zephyr. Light and pleasant wind from the west.
On the contrary, he gave me a very valuable gift: a nine-year-old oxhide, in which he had enclosed the bellowing winds, with the exception of the Zephyr .
Disdainful. That manifests indifference and detachment; denotes contempt.
Disdainful , Odysseus smiled at him, and his paw hit the wall.
Right handed. Skillful and intelligent; able to do something quickly and accurately.
Just as a skilful goldsmith pours gold on silver , to whom Hephaestus and Pallas Athena have taught all kinds of arts, and completes gracious works.
Distant. Detached, cold, hard-hearted.
Who else in the world would stay as distant as you from her husband if he returned to her after years of trouble, cast out on her own land in the year twentieth?
Aegis. Goatskin adorned with the head of the Medusa monster. She is represented with the Aegis to the gods Zeus and Athena.
“Listen to me, daughter of Zeus, you who bear the aegis !…
Footstool. Small support that is placed in front of the chair to rest the feet of the person who is sitting.
And he took the footstool that was at his feet, threw it at Odysseus, hitting him on the right shoulder.
Jaws. Mouth of an animal; cavernous opening.
We crossed the strait wailing: on one side was Scylla and on the other, Charybdis, sucking up huge amounts of water and spewing it out violently from its horrible jaws .
Formidable. Impressive in excellence; amazing, impressive
This was Odysseus’s response… I am the son of Laertes, Odysseus. Men consider me formidable by deceit in peace and in war.
Glaucous. Light green, like the sea.
Athena, the glaucous- eyed goddess, answered him .
Herald. Delivery courier.
Immediately afterwards he ordered the heralds to call all the Achaeans to the agora, who soon began to come.
Libation. Ceremony in which milk, wine or other liquid was spilled in honor of the gods.
When they were already moving away from the coast, they made libations to the gods, especially Pallas Athena. And the ship followed the established course through the night and the following dawn.
Mortify. Making someone feel very embarrassed and foolish, to the point of humiliation and embarrassment. Deliberately punishing one’s own body.
O venerable wife of Odysseus! Do not mortify your beautiful body anymore, nor consume your spirit crying to your boldly rude or disrespectful insolent husband.
Presage. Predict, guess, forecast.
So I’m going to tell you an omen —because the immortals have put it on my chest and because I think it’s going to come true, not because I’m a fortune teller or understand a word of birds of omen.
Lavish. Give generously.
Thus [Athena] lavished beauty on the head and shoulders of Odysseus.
Restitution. Compensation, reimbursement, restoration, remuneration.
As for us, we will make restitution for the wine and meat consumed, and we will add, to each one, a tithe of twenty oxen with gifts of bronze and gold to warm your hearts.
Stealth. Secret, cautious, careful or furtive action or behavior.
Dear friends, there is no need for secrecy : here is a young weaver singing a pretty song to put a friendly air in these gardens and paved patios.
Shroud. Cloth or sheet in which a corpse is wrapped for burial; garment or covering cloth.
Young suitors of mine, since divine Odysseus is dead, wait for my wedding until I finish a veil, a shroud for the hero Laertes, for when the fatal fate of long-wailing death overtakes him.
Talent. Currency that circulated in the Greek world.
Let each one bring a cloak and a tunic and a talent of gold, so that his heart may be glad.
Tremulous. Trembling; throbbing.
As she heard it said, her cries became tremulous and weak, her heart failed her.
Tumult. Scandal, noisy disorder, confusion produced by a crowd.
But no sooner had that island [of the Mermaids] vanished in the blue air than I saw smoke and white water, with the sound of tumultuous waves , a sound that men heard, and it frightened them .
Threshold. Door frame; entrance to a house or building; any place or point of entry.
Odysseus was walking towards the famous dwelling of Alcinous, and his heart stirred various thoughts when he stopped before reaching the bronze threshold .
Yoke. A bar or frame attached to the head or neck of work animals, such as oxen, so that they can pull a plow or a heavy load; something that causes people to be treated cruelly and unfairly.
Outside they prepared the mule cart with good wheels, they brought mules and yoked them .
Vocabulary of main characters and places
Aphrodite. Goddess of love.
agamemnon. Head of the Greek army in the Trojan War.
Acheron. River that souls must cross to enter the world of the dead with the help of the ferryman Charon.
Achilles. Son of the goddess Thetis and Peleus, a mortal; he is the quintessential hero.
Argo. Famous ship from Greek mythology.
Artemis. Twin sister of Apollo , she is a goddess associated with the hunt and worship of the moon.
athena . She is the daughter of Zeus and Metis and goddess of wisdom, labor, intelligence and war.
Ajax. Bravest Greek warrior, after Achilles.
Cerberus. Three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the world of the dead.
Cyclops. Sons of Uranus and Gaia, giants with only one eye in the middle of their foreheads.
cycones. Tribe from the Thracian region.
Circe. Goddess daughter of the Sun and Perseis. She is credited with sorcery powers.
deiphobo One of the sons of Priam and Hecuba, the kings of Troy.
Aegisthus. Cousin of Agamemnon and Menelaus.
eos. Goddess of the Dawn.
Erebus. Place where the souls of the dead arrive.
Stygian. Main river of the Underworld; the gods swore oaths over its waters.
Erinyes. Divinities in charge of the revenge of family crimes.
Sparta. City in the south of mainland Greece.
Gea. Goddess representing Mother Earth.
Gorgons. Three monstrous sisters in Greek mythology, daughters of Typhon and Echidna. The most famous was Medusa, a monster whose head is populated with snakes.
Hades . King of the Underworld and god of the dead, brother of Zeus and Poseidon.
Hephaestus. God of fire, son of Zeus and Hera.
Hera. Daughter of Cronus and Rhea, sister and wife of Zeus. She is the most important of the Olympic goddesses.
Heracles . The son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, he is one of the main heroes of Greek mythology.
Hermes . God son of Zeus and Maya, inventor of the lyre and flute and messenger of the gods.
Ithaca. Greek island. It is the homeland of Odysseus, where he reigns with Penelope.
Menelaus. King of Sparta and brother of Agamemnon.
Muse. Any of the nine goddesses daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; they dealt with inspiring the arts, including music, drama, and singing.
Neleus. Son of Tire and Poseidon and founder of the city of Pylos.
Nestor. King of Pylos.
nymphs. Deities daughters of Zeus who inhabited forests, fields and waters. They represented feminine beauty and fertility.
Patroclus. Achilles’ best friend, his partner in battle.
Persephone . She is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter.
Polyphemus. Son of Poseidon and the nymph Toosa; he is a wild cyclops.
Poseidon. God of the sea, brother of Zeus, Hades and Hera.
Priam. During The Iliad, king of Troy; father of Paris and Hector.
Proteus. Maritime divinity who possesses the gift of prophecy.
sirens. Mythological sea creatures, half bird and half woman.
Telemachus. Son of Penelope and Odysseus.
Themis. Goddess who personifies Justice, mother of the Fates.
Theseus. Son of Aegeus and Etra, he is another of the heroes of Greek mythology.
Teiresias. Famous fortune teller from Greek mythology.
Zeus . Most important divinity, he leads the realm of the Greek gods: Olympus.
Sources
Homer. The Odyssey . Digital Library, s.f.
Royal Academy of the Spanish Language RAE. Dictionary of the Spanish language . sf
