The Trojan War and the Journey of Odysseus: Quiz 2

Answer: A strong west wind

Aeolus was known as the Keeper of the Winds and inhabited Aeolian Isle. Odysseus and his crew landed on his island and stayed there for about one month. He entertained and fed them and at their departure, he gave Odysseus and his crew the gift of a strong west wind to speed them on their way.

Then, he placed all of the other winds in a bag for Odysseus to release when he arrived at his home on the island of Ithaca. Yet, his crew saw the bag and believed it was filled with gold and silver and decided to open it.

The bagged up winds sent the ship in the opposite direction, and back to the island. Aeolus became angry and sent them off.

Answer: Pigs

Circe, the enchantress, changed all visitors to her island, into beasts. So she changed Odysseus's crew into swine. Hermes visited Odysseus and gave him an herb called moly that made him immune to her spell. He forced Circe to change his crew back into humans, and then they departed the island.

Answer: Teiresias

Circe told Odysseus to travel to the House of Hades to meet the spirit of a prophet named Teiresias. So he sailed to the world's edge, to the House of Hades, and met with the spirit. Teiresias told Odysseus of the hazards and ordeals he would have to face before he could return home.

But first Odysseus was not to slaughter any of the cattle on the Island of the Sun, where Helios the sun-god resided.

Answer: Tying him to the mast of the ship

The crew was told by Teiresias of the Sirens' song and prepared by placing wax over their ears, like ear-plugs. Yet, Odysseus wanted to hear the song for himself so he had the crew tie him to the mast of the ship so he wouldn't be tempted and fall overboard as they passed by.

Answer: A fig tree

After Odysseus passed the Sirens, they came to the lairs of the monsters, the Scylla and the Charybdis. The Scylla was a six-headed monster that lived in a cave on one side of the strait that Odysseus had to cross. The Charybdis was a water nymph that created a whirlpool every time she sucked in water, and resided in the water next to the other cliff, on which there grew a single fig tree.

Answer: Slaughtered his cattle

In the warning that the spirit Teiresias gave to Odysseus, he emphasized that they should not slaughter any of Helios', the sun-god's, cattle. Yet the crew had no food left and was at the brink of starvation, so they disregarded the words of Odysseus and slaughtered the cattle and ate them.

This angered the sun-god and he had Zeus send a hurricane to kill the crew; only Odysseus survived. He washed up on the island of Calypso, the water nymph.

Answer: Athena

Athena was the goddess of wisdom and she resided in the city-state of Athens. She disguised Odysseus as an old beggar because then he would go unnoticed and she knew of the suitors and warned him of them. This helped him have the element of surprise.

Answer: Eumaeus

When Athena changed Odysseus into the old beggar, he was invited to stay at the house of his old swineherd, Eumaeus, where he was given food and a warm bed. After Odysseus regained his household, he blessed Eumaeus for the compassion that he had showed him at the time.

Answer: Telemachus

Telemachus came down from his father's palace to the house of the swineherd to talk to Eumaeus about his father. At that time, Odysseus was staying there disguised as an old beggar, and eventually realized that the boy was his son, Telemachus, that he left at birth. Odysseus revealed himself to his son and together they planned to kill the suitors.

Answer: Shoot an arrow through twelve axe heads

Penelope gave them the challenge of shooting the bow of her husband, Odysseus, and shot an arrow through the holes in the back of twelve axe heads lined up together in a row. None of the suitors could pull back the bow of Odysseus, then Odysseus, still disguised as a beggar, pulled back the bow with ease and shot it through all twelve axe heads. Athena then lifted the disguise and Penelope realized that it was Odysseus. Telemachus and his father stood together and killed off all of the suitors.