Odysseus Gallery

Polyphemus, the Cyclops, in his cave

Polyphemus (Polyphemos) the Cyclops, the gigantic one-eyed son of Poseidon and Thoosa, seen here in his cave with one of his sheep. In Homer's Odyssey he kills and eats several of Odysseus's men. Odysseus gives him wine which makes him sleepy, and when he passes out Odysseus and his surviving men drive a sharp stake through his one eye, blinding him. They then escape and sail away

© Mary Evans Picture Library

Odysseus entertained by Alcinous ruler of the Phaiacians

Odysseus entertained by Alcinous, ruler of the Phaiacians on the island of Scheria. Alcinous wife Arete and daughter Nausicaa listen while seated under a Thessalian-style umbrella. Odysseus wears a cap, mantle and tunic embroidered by Nausicaa. From an ancient vase depicted by Pierre-Francois Hugues d'Hancarville. Ulisse ed Alcinoo. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from Giulio Ferrario's Costumes Ancient and Modern of the Peoples of the World, Il Costume Antico e Moderno, Florence, 1842

© Florilegius

Corfu - Greece - Kanoni, The Island of Ulysses

Corfu - Greece - Kanoni, The Island of Ulysses'. In the mythical sea adventure of Homer's Odyssey, Kerkyra is the island of the Phaeacians, (Phaiakes) wherein Odysseus (Ulysses) meets Nausica, the daughter of King Alkinoos. The bay of Palaiokastritsa is considered to be the place where Odysseus disembarked. Date: circa 1910s

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection