| A | B |
|---|
| Odysseus | King of Ithaca, husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, Son of Laertes, protagonist |
| Penelope | Queen of Ithaca, wife of Odysseus, mother of Telemachus |
| Telemachus | King of Ithaca, son of Odysseus and Penelope |
| Calypso | Sea nymph, goddess, keeps Odysseus hostage for twenty years and forces him to be her lover |
| Pallas Athena | Goddess of Wisdom, mentor of the story, travels through the novel disguised as different characters, in order to help Odysseus and Telemachus |
| Poseidon | God of the Sea, father of Polyphemus, antagonist of the story, preventing Odysseus from going home |
| Circe | Loveliest of goddesses, drugs Odysseus' men and turns them into pigs, forces Odysseus to be her lover |
| Polyphemus | Son of Poseidon, cyclops, eats Odysseus' men, keeps Odysseus hostage, and is then poked in the eye by Odysseus using a burning stick |
| Lotus Eaters | Island of the Cicones, present the men with magical fruit that force them to never leave |
| Nausicaa | Princess of the Phaeacians, daughter of King Alcinous and Queen Arete, finds Odysseus naked in the forest, gives him food and clothing, and instructs him where to go |
| Eumaios | The swineherd of Ithaca, gives Odysseus food and shelter, life is spared in the battle against the suitors |
| Aeolios | King of Charybdis, gives Odysseus a magical bag of winds |
| Suitors | Guests of Ithaca that have overstayed their welcome, attempt to seduce Penelope, lead by Antinous |
| Scylla | Sea monster |
| Charybdis | Land around Sicily ruled by Aeolios |
| Antinoos | Leader of the suitors, plots the mutiny of Telemachus, gets stabbed in the throat in the final battle |
| Sirens | Singing cretans, compel sailors in so they can die |
| Teiresias | Seer, works for Hades in the Underworld, prophesies Odysseus will kill the suitors, reunite with family |
| Phaecians | Land on the island of Scheria, led by King Alcinous |
| Traits of an Epic | Epic hero, Epic simile, Epithet, Deus ex Machina, in medias res, invocation to the muse |
| Epic Simile | Much broader, uses just like or as such |
| Homeric Epithet | Name to describe the traits of a character |
| Deus ex Machina | Gods intervene at the end to solve a conflict, descend onto stage by some "basket", |
| In Medias Res | "In the middle of things", describes a narrative that begins in the middle of the story at a crucial point, makes story exciting, flashback, more suspenseful |
| Invocation to the Muse | Goddesses of the arts, nine daughters of Zeus, each one responsible for one artistic area, call on the muse to tell story correctly and well |
| Epic Hero | Noble, national or historical importance, great warrior, between man and a god, undergoes obstcales and trials, have a flaw |
| Eurycleia | Nurse of Odysseus and Telemachus |
| Amphinomos | Son of King Nisos, liked by Odysseus, gets his head chopped off by Telemachus |
| Helios | Island of the Sun-Cattle |
| Eurmakos | Suitor |
