Who are the gods and monsters in Christopher Nolan’s film
So you saw OdysseyOr are you planning to see it but can’t tell your Zeus from your Zeus*? Or do you think Scylla is some kind of hip-hop fusion band? Don’t worry, you don’t need an in-depth knowledge of Greek mythology to understand Christopher Nolan’s three-hour epic, but a little knowledge goes a long way. Consider this your beginner’s guide to this story of Troy, filled with gods, monsters, and mortals from Homer’s 3,000-year-old epic tale.
Odysseus (Matt Damon)
The king of Ithaca and a cunning and wise warrior. The journey home from the Trojan War (more on that later) should have taken about two weeks, but it turned into a 10-year epic that formed the basis of Homer’s story. Odyssey. He is married to Penelope, has a son named Telemachus and his faithful dog Argos. Vulnerable to witches, sea fairies, and long winding paths. In the movie, Odysseus is a loyal but forgetful husband; which pretty much matches the original story, but omits the part where he fathered a son by the witch Circe during his “lost weekend” on the island of Aeaea.
Penelope (Anne Hathaway)
Odysseus’ wife, who spent 20 years fending off suitors while her husband fought in the Trojan War, and then took a “shortcut” to return home. Essentially to deter suitors moving into the palace, she announces that she will marry only after she has finished weaving the shroud that she unties every night for her father-in-law. Clever! Penelope is also the cousin of Helen, whose affair with Paris started the Trojan War (she was sort of tricked into falling in love with Helen by Zeus and Aphrodite, but that story Iliad).
Telemachus (Tom Holland)
Son of Odysseus and Penelope. He is a young man in his 20s who wants to do the right thing for his mother but also has no idea who his father is. He’s a total nepo baby but overall a good guy.Odyssey -He goes with his mother to hang out with Circe and her half-brother Telegonus.
Antinous (Robert Pattinson)
A real jerk who takes advantage of Penelope’s hospitality while trying to woo her. A walking red flag.
Argos
Odysseus’ loyal hunting dog who waited 20 years for his master’s return. The original good boy.
Trojan War
Essentially, two countries, Greece and Troy, went to war because Helen (played by Lupita Nyong’o), widely considered the most beautiful woman who ever lived, left her husband, King Menelaus of Sparta (Jon Bernthal), for Troy’s beautiful child, Paris. Menelaus’ brother Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) then decided that war was the next best step. Odysseus got involved because he had made a pact with one of Helen’s former suitors that he would always defend her husband, whom he had chosen. The war, which lasted about 10 years, reached a bloody conclusion when the Greeks hid inside a giant horse statue and unknowingly dragged the Trojans through the city gates, giving rise to the saying “Never look a gift horse in the mouth.” After Paris was killed in battle, Helen, who by this point was married to Paris’ brother Deiphobus, was dragged to Menelaus, where they lived happily ever after.
Athena (Zendaya)
Daughter of Zeus (ruler of Mount Olympus, aka God #1) and goddess of wisdom and war. It had completely grown from Zeus’s head after he swallowed his mother Metis while she was pregnant. Inside OdysseyAthena acts as Odysseus’ protector and mentor. While she’s a bit down in the movie, in Greek myths, Athena was a total badass who also guided the demigods Perseus and Hercules, defeated a fire-breathing giant, and wore armor adorned with the head of Medusa.
Circe (Samantha Morton)
An independent woman living her best life on the island of Aeaea, she is also a powerful witch. The daughter of the sun god Helios fascinates Odysseus’ men, but Odysseus manages to talk his way out of it. In the movie, Odysseus and his men leave after lunch, but in Homer’s epic, Circe and Odysseus spend a year together after the messenger god Hermes convinces Odysseus that the best way to solve his problems is to sleep with Circe. Not! In another post-Odyssey shift – and the truth Housewives of Aeaea situation – Circe and Penelope begin living together on Circe’s island, and Circe and Telemachus eventually marry. Write more, Christopher Nolan!
Calypso (Charlize Theron)
A sea nymph and minor goddess, and possibly the daughter of the Titan Atlas (the Titans ruled before they were overthrown by Zeus). She bewitches Odysseus and keeps him as his (sex) slave on the island of Ogygia for seven years, while she cries on the beach and sleeps in a cave. I say again, this is not in the movie! In the movie, he eventually helps Odysseus on his way, but according to Homer’s account, Zeus and Hermes exchange a harsh word before letting Odysseus go.
polyphemus
A giant man-eating cyclops who lives in a cave in Sicily, herding his sheep and making special cheese (this is not in the original text). Polyphemus, son of the sea god Poseidon (brother of Zeus and Hades, god of the underworld), is blinded by Odysseus, who tries to steal his sheep (again, Odysseus is the hero of all this). Polyphemus prays to his father for revenge, and he curses Odysseus’ journey home. It works.
Laestrygonians
There are more giants who also enjoy eating humans. They apparently descended from one of Poseidon’s sons, which makes them nephews (sort of) of Polyphemus. They destroyed 11 of Odysseus’ 12 boats. He is not happy.
The Underworld and Tiresias
On Circe’s advice, Odysseus and his men travel to the Underworld, ruled by Hades, to honor the dead (including the Greek soldier Sinon, played by Eliot Page, a character Nolan borrowed from Virgil’s novel). Aeneid) and seek guidance from the blind prophet Tiresias. In Greek mythology, she is considered a bit of a gender bender, having spent seven years as a woman before returning. In the movie, it is Tiresias who gives Odysseus good but dangerous advice about returning home, while in the original text it is Circe who correctly points Odysseus in the right direction. #justicefortheapartment.
Charybdis, Sirens and Scylla
The ultimate triple threat. Charybdis is a sea monster/whirlpool, another child of Poseidon, who was sent to the bottom of the sea after angering Uncle Zeus. He spends his days guarding the Straits of Messina alongside Scylla, a once-beautiful sea nymph who angers Circe and, of course, turns into a man-eating monster. Sirens, meanwhile, are those who sing seductive songs that send people to their doom. Think of them as the original Sabrina Carpenters of the sea.
*Zelus is a grumpy little god, the son of the Goddess Styx, the enforcer not of Zeus and the shoe, but of his brother Nike, the God of Victory.
Odyssey is now showing in cinemas.
