Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey is out in cinemas now, and the fantasy action film offers a brand new adaptation of the ancient Greek epic poem.
Attributed to Homer, The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus (King of Ithaca and the story’s protagonist) and his decade-long journey home following the Trojan War.
The film has a star-studded cast, with Matt Damon playing protagonist Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as his wife Penelope, Tom Holland as their son Telemachus, Robert Pattinson as Antinous and Zendaya as Athena.
Charlize Theron also stars as Calypso, along with Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, plus Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, Samantha Morton, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, and Bill Irwin.
Given The Odyssey has been capitulated into pop culture as a result of the film, it has left many wondering about the historical context along with myth and legend surrounding the story – here’s what you need to know.
Is The Odyssey based on a true story?
Universal Pictures
There is no short answer for this question as arguably the story sits somewhere in between fact and fiction.
For a start we can rule out the existence of the cyclops, while there is no evidence of a Greek king going on a 10-year journey home after a war.
That being said, historians have noted how stories like The Odyssey would’ve been a cultural touchstone passed on from generation to generation via storytellers, with characters inspired by an amalgamation of historical figures of the time – the time being the late Bronze Age, turning them into legend along with weaving pieces of real historical events of the past.
Historical sources suggest ancient Greeks did believe the Trojan War was a real event that happened, with Herodotus, the so-called ‘Father of History’, believing it happened 800 years before he was born, while the mathematician Eratosthenes dated the war around 1184/3 BC, but modern historians are more sceptical about this, according to the BBC.
Meanwhile, in the 19th century German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann excavated a sight located in what is believed to be Troy in modern-day Turkey. While his excavations methods were flawed, later research confirmed a notable city had once stood in the location during the late Bronze Age and was destroyed repeatedly, as per History Extra.
Who is Odysseus?
Universal Pictures
Odysseus is played by Matt Damon in the film. In Greek and Roman mythology he is the King of Ithaca and the hero in Homer’s The Odyssey.
He’s the husband of Penelope and father of Telemachus, and he fought in the Trojan War. His strategic planning (with the help of the Goddess Athena) helps him win the 10-year-long war – he’s the one who devised the famous Trojan Horse plan to enter Troy.
Following this, Odysseus takes a decade to return home to Ithaca – as he has fight a cyclops and avoid being enticed by sirens, along with a nymph holding him captive at one point. Given the war itself lasted 10 years, he has away from home for 20 years.
Who is Penelope?
Universal Pictures
Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway in the film, is the wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus, and during her husband’s two decade absence (10 years fighting in the Trojan War and another 10 years to get back home to Ithaca), she has used delaying tactics to put off 108 suitors.
Who is Telemachus?
Universal Pictures
Telemachus, played by Tom Holland in the film, is the son of Odysseus and Penelope, and he leaves Ithaca in search of his father and visits Pylos and Sparta.
He’s told by the goddess Athena his father is alive but his being held captive by a nymph.
Was Achilles in The Odyssey?
Achilles died near the end of the Trojan War after he is killed by Trojan prince Paris who shoots him with an arrow. He does not actually feature in The Odyssey.
Before its release, there had been speculation that Achilles was the character of Elliot Page in the film version, but he instead played Sinon.
How long The Odyssey story?
Universal Pictures
Homer’s ancient Greek poem The Odyssey is divided into 24 books and overall is around 121,000 words long, and is a companion piece to Homer’s 24-book poem The Iliad which covers the events of the Trojan War.
Meanwhile, the runtime for Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of The Odyssey has a run time of 173 minutes (2 hours 52 minutes).
Was Circe in The Odyssey?
Universal Pictures
Circe the sorcerer who transforms Odysseus’ men into pigs does feature in Homer’s The Odyssey. The character features in the Christopher Nolan adaptation and was played by Samantha Morton.
What could have inspired the Cyclops?
Universal Pictures
We all know the Cyclops as the one-eyed mythical monster in Greek mythology, but what was the inspiration behind the creature?
It’s impossible to say for sure, but it is thought that the answer could be mammoth fossils.
During the Pleistocene, low seas levels resulted in land bridges across the Mediterranean Islands where mammoths and elephants could freely roam across.
However, this all changed at the end of the Ice Age where sea levels rose as a result of melting ice causing these land bridges to be destroyed and isolating animals stuck on the island and eventually dying out leaving their skeletons behind.
Given that the trunk of an elephant contains no bones, it makes the skull resemble a one-eyed-skull with a single eye socket.
Therefore, the Greeks who discovered these skulls may have theorised what the creature could have been based on the bones, and thus created the myth of the Cyclops.
Study researcher Marco Romano, a postdoctoral researcher at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin noted how it’s quite likely that the fossils came first and the story of the cyclops followed, as per Live Science.
Why not read…
Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
