Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago
Discussion about how complete—or not—the ending of the Odyssey felt. Relevant scenes discussed in view of this question included the final reunion between Odysseus and his father, Laertes. Professor Nagy acknowledged that the scene was fitting for a sense of completeness since Odysseus' relationship with father is more intimate than his relationship with Penelope given the status of his father as an ancestor and the corresponding need for the identity of a hero to be defined by genealogy. The garden setting of the final reunion also seemed to be a fitting tribute to the totality of Mother Earth.
Participants also considered how there seems to be an abrupt transition from the Iliad to the Odyssey. Professor Nagy pointed out that while the transition may be abrupt, the Odyssey spends time filling in the missing pieces. By the time the reader finishes with the Odyssey they have a fuller picture of the Trojan War as a totality.
Other topics explored this week included the various versions and stories that the character of Odysseus appears in. Comparisons to Indic epic tradition were made as well as a singular reference to a version of Odyssey that contains Cyclopes as master sailors of the Mediterranean who chase Odysseus in search of revenge.
Mentioned in this discussion:
Gregory Nagy: "A Cretan Odyssey, Part 1," Classical Inquiries 2015.09.17
https://classical-inquiries.chs.harvard.edu/a-cretan-odyssey-part-1/
Gregory Nagy: "A Cretan Odyssey, Part 2," Classical Inquiries 2015.09.24
https://classical-inquiries.chs.harvard.edu/a-cretan-odyssey-part-2/
Olga Levaniouk. 2011. Eve of the Festival: Making Myth in Odyssey 19. Hellenic Studies Series 46. Washington, DC: Center for Hellenic Studies. https://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.ebook:CHS_Levaniouk.Eve_of_the_Festival.2011
Andrew T. Alwine: "The Non-Homeric Cyclops in the Homeric Odyssey"
https://grbs.library.duke.edu/article/view/1181
Recorded in Spring 2021 during v15 of the MOOC, The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours, focusing on Hour 11, and the Discussion Question.
With Gregory Nagy, Keith DeStone, and members of the HeroesX Team.
Discussion about how complete—or not—the ending of the Odyssey felt. Relevant scenes discussed in view of this question included the final reunion between Odysseus and his father, Laertes. Professor Nagy acknowledged that the scene was fitting for a sense of completeness since Odysseus' relationship with father is more intimate than his relationship with Penelope given the status of his father as an ancestor and the corresponding need for the identity of a hero to be defined by genealogy. The garden setting of the final reunion also seemed to be a fitting tribute to the totality of Mother Earth.
Participants also considered how there seems to be an abrupt transition from the Iliad to the Odyssey. Professor Nagy pointed out that while the transition may be abrupt, the Odyssey spends time filling in the missing pieces. By the time the reader finishes with the Odyssey they have a fuller picture of the Trojan War as a totality.
Other topics explored this week included the various versions and stories that the character of Odysseus appears in. Comparisons to Indic epic tradition were made as well as a singular reference to a version of Odyssey that contains Cyclopes as master sailors of the Mediterranean who chase Odysseus in search of revenge.
Mentioned in this discussion:
Gregory Nagy: "A Cretan Odyssey, Part 1," Classical Inquiries 2015.09.17
https://classical-inquiries.chs.harvard.edu/a-cretan-odyssey-part-1/
Gregory Nagy: "A Cretan Odyssey, Part 2," Classical Inquiries 2015.09.24
https://classical-inquiries.chs.harvard.edu/a-cretan-odyssey-part-2/
Olga Levaniouk. 2011. Eve of the Festival: Making Myth in Odyssey 19. Hellenic Studies Series 46. Washington, DC: Center for Hellenic Studies. https://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.ebook:CHS_Levaniouk.Eve_of_the_Festival.2011
Andrew T. Alwine: "The Non-Homeric Cyclops in the Homeric Odyssey"
https://grbs.library.duke.edu/article/view/1181
Recorded in Spring 2021 during v15 of the MOOC, The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours, focusing on Hour 11, and the Discussion Question.
With Gregory Nagy, Keith DeStone, and members of the HeroesX Team.
