Called Ulysses by the Romans, Odysseus was the main character in Homer’s Odyssey and also appeared in Homer’s Iliad as one of the top Greek leaders at the siege of Troy, noted for his courage and ingenuity.
Odysseus was king of Ithaca, the son of Laertes and Anticlea, husband of Penelope and father of Telemachus.
Odysseus went to the Trojan War, and Telemachus was raised by Penelope alone.
After the fall of Troy Odysseus commenced his homeward journey to Ithaca, this ten year voyage being the subject of the Odyssey.
Under Athena's protection, Odysseus overcomes impossible odds, encountering the cannibal Laestrygones, the narcotized Lotus-Eaters, the alluring Sirens, the witch Circe, the monster Scylla, the one-eyed giant Polyphemus (one of the Cyclopes), and the nymph Calypso.
After his descent into the Underworld, Odysseus finally makes it home, only to find his wife Penelope plagued by suitors demanding that she marries one of them. Disguised as a beggar and assisted only by two faithful serfs and Telemachus, Odysseus slays Penelope's suitors. After a separation of 20 years Odysseus and Penelope were finally reunited. So ends the Odyssey.
A later tradition adds to this story, saying that Telegonus, Odysseus’s son by the witch Circe (or the nymph Calypso), later came to Ithaca in search of his father.
During a struggle Telegonus killed Odysseus, after which Telemachus and Penelope returned with him to Aeaea, where Telemachus married Circe and Telegonus married Penelope.
This website is best viewed with the latest
versions of
Microsoft
Internet Explorer or
Firefox.
Occultopedia
makes extensive use of
Flash and Scripting in its pages and interface. Make certain your browser
permissions are set
accordingly and that you have the latest
Flash plug-in for the full experience, proper look and accurate
layout. You can do it with confidence. This site does not contain any viruses, malicious software
or scripts.
Occultopedia is the genuine article, the
original and the best internet index of the extraordinary and uncanny,
shamelessly copied by many, but never equaled. Online since 1995 — at first in a free web space provider
(Tripod.com), and in 1997 finally
with its own domain name and hosting — Occultopedia still is the
principal online resource for those looking for the unexplained, the
curious and the unusual.
Occultopedia respects your privacy. As
such, no cookies or any other tracking software will be installed as a
part of this website's original programming. I do not seek to obtain any personal information
beyond what is volunteered through electronic communications
(e.g. emails & forms).
Occultopedia may appear to be a for profit site, but my site is
not in reality a commercial one. All of the commercial links are from affiliate
programs, and the little revenue I get from these is to pay for hosting,
bandwidth — that can be quite costly if you have a lot of traffic, graphics and
pages — and any other expenses related to Occultopedia's upkeep, support, and maintenance.
For more details, visit my
ordering
information page.
Occultopedia is a
FREE online
resource available to the whole world. Usage of my word definitions and articles
by educational institutions, teachers and students alike, is here by granted.
Reproduction for profit, and for display in another web site is strictly
forbidden, and will be handled as copyright infringement and prosecuted to the
full extent of the law. However, if you follow
some simple guidelines,
I will grant permission for limited reproduction. For more information, please consult my
intellectual property rights, warranties and
disclaimers information page. Support Occultopedia and make it your
online shopping
destination. If you prefer, you can also make a donation.
HELP FOOT THE BILL: this website
is created and maintained by one guy, who also pays the hosting bill.
Please donate if you like and/or use Occultopedia.
Participate in Occultopedia and submit a word
definition or article for the occult encyclopedia at my
entry submission
page. If you would like to suggest a web site or page for
addition into Occultopedia's links database, please go to my
URL submission page.