-The Odyssey

The Odyssey follows the homecoming journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, immediately after the end of the Trojan war of Homer’s epic The Iliad. After being cursed by the gods, Odysseus’ short trip home is extended, with stops at imaginary islands along the way. The most famous are: Cyclopes Island, inhabited by large one-eyed creatures, Aiaiai, home of the sorceress Circe, Lotus-Eaters Island, where eating lotus blooms causes memory loss, and Scylla and Charybdis, home to fearsome sea monsters.

The city of Troy was once thought to be imaginary, however an archaeological site uncovered in the mid-19th century is now considered to be the historical area described in The Iliad. Scholars have unsuccessfully attempted to map Odysseus’ journey to real locations, leading to the conclusion that most are entirely imaginary. The Homeric epic is one of the most influential works in the Western literary canon, and the term “odyssey” has become generalized to mean any long or arduous journey.