THE ODYSSEY TIMELINE

THE CICONES

• Odysseus and his men plunder a coastal city.
• Against his orders, the men stay in the city,
• And are attacked by an army from further inland.
• Many die before they are able to flee.

LOTUS EATERS

• After leaving the Cicones, Odysseus and his men
• are blown off course by a storm. Odysseus sends
• a search party to see the natives. The men eat the
• lotus and it makes them want to stay, so they are
• forced aboard the ship and they home bound.

THE CYCLOPS

• Odysseus is curious and goes into the cave
• of the cyclops. The cyclops eats his men periodically
• and traps them there. Odysseus blinds the cyclops
• and they escape hidden among the sheep.
• The cyclops curses Odysseus to have a terrible journey.

ISLAND OF AEOLUS

• Aeolus, the god of wind gives Odysseus
• a bag of wind to help him get home.
• Against specific orders, the men open the bag
• which blows them to the island of the Laestrygonians.

THE LAESTRYGONIANS

• Giant cannibals ( Laestrygonians )
• destroy and eat the crews of all but
• Odysseus' ship, he continues homeward.

ISLAND OF CIRCE

• Circe turns a portion of Odysseus'
• men into pigs. Armed with a gift from
• Hermes to weaken her power Odysseus
• confronts her and she tells him to go to
• the land of the dead to hear his destiny.

LAND OF THE DEAD

• Odysseus travels to the land of the dead
• to learn his destiny from the blind prophet
• Teiresias.

CIRCE'S ISLAND (2)

• Odysseus receives warnings of the three
• obstacles he's about to face from Circe.

THE SIRENS

• Odysseus' men cover their ears with
• beeswax and tie Odysseus to the mast of their
• ship so he can listen to the sirens safely.

SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS

• Charybdis is a giant whirlpool that has to be
• completely avoided and Scylla is a six headed
• monster that eats six of Odysseus' men.

HELIOS' ISLAND

• Odysseus forbids his men to kill the cattle on the
• the Island of Helios, despite this, while Odysseus
• is sleeping they eat the cattle. For punishment
• all the men die in a shipwreck besides Odysseus.

CALYPSO'S ISLAND

• Odysseus washes up on Calypso's island
• where she keeps him prisoner for seven
• years.

THE LAND OF THE PHAEACIANS

• Odysseus recounts his journey to the
• Phaeacians, once he reveals his
• identity they send him home on a magically
• fast ship.