Glossary

Achaeans

one of the names Homer uses to refer to the Greeks who fought at Troy

bard

a skilled singer and musician who improvised songs on mythical themes while performing them for a live audience

epic

in ancient literature, lengthy narrative poems (such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey), usually telling of the exploits of a hero or heroes, and often involving battles or difficult journeys as well as supernatural characters

epithets

in Homeric poetry, adjectives or short phrases used repeatedly to describe a particular character

Hellas

Greek term meaning ‘Greece’

nostos

(plural nostoi) Greek term meaning ‘homecoming’

nymph

one of several minor divinities, usually taking the form of a young woman and often associated with a particular location or natural feature. The nymph Calypso lives on the island of Ogygia in the Odyssey and rescues Odysseus when he is shipwrecked there

Pallas

one of the names given to the goddess Athena

simile

a figure of speech in which one thing is compared to something different. In English, these are usually introduced by the words ‘like’ or ‘as’

Sirens

mythical creatures, often depicted as half-woman and half-bird. In the Odyssey they lure sailors to their death with their singing