Everything you need to know to read Homer's 'Odyssey' - Jill Dash

An encounter with a man-eating giant. A sorceress who turns men into pigs. A long-lost king taking back his throne. On their own, any of these make great stories. But each is just one episode in the "Odyssey," a 12,000-line poem spanning years of ancient Greek history and legend. So how do we make sense of this massive text? Jill Dash shares everything you need to know to read Homer's "Odyssey.”

Lesson by Jill Dash, animation by David Price.

[alexadimitriadou]

Here in Greece, in 7th grade the Odyssey is a subject like maths, geogrphy etc. To be honest, in my opinion it is the most enjoyable and fun subject of all !

[alexthelizardking]

how would Odysseus react if someone told him how small the Mediterranean Sea really was?

[ShawnRavenfire]

After the ruins of Troy were discovered, the descriptions turned out to be amazingly accurate.  It makes me wonder just how much of the rest of the stories were historically accurate.

[Dimetropteryx]

That moment when you realize that nothing you'll ever write will be remembered 2800 years from now.

[ricardomrv]

So in the Ancient Greece, I could just get in a house and they would treat me like a guest?

[persephone]

I love Greek culture, mythology, and history. Wish I were from there and wish I could go there. I am actually named after the goddess Persephone.

[turun_ambartanen]

i would recommend ancient Greek to start with.

[henrydavies]

The Iliad is not the story of the Trojan war! It is a story set during the Trojan war. It assumes the listener (reader) already knows the story of the Trojan war and it is just about Achilles dealing with the death of his friend during the siege of Troy.

[giorgoschiras]

I live in greece and in my school We do the oddysey as a lesson

[the_black_swordsman]

Even today, good hospitality and giving gifts is a big part of visiting someone’s home or celebrations. We take that stuff super seriously.

[kumatoraabomination]

I'll just play Super Mario Odyssey when it's released.

[theodoreandreou]

I'm Greek. So proud of my history.

[alfonsoparedes]

There are several approaches; fictional, historical, social, psychological, metaphysical all of them worth figuring out!!! Love it.

[Jaquan]

I'd like to see an in-depth analysis of H.P. Lovecraft's works.

[SheIsTristine]

Love the graphics and the breakdown of the story. We just got done reading the majority of the story before we had to return the book to the library.

[TalesfromWeirdland]

The animation in these videos is always so nifty and inventive.

[loobasim]

Never in my life have i been this fascinated by a narrator before!! Hope u r having a good day ma'am, you and your soothing voice ❤️

[beckettherbert]

“It helps to have some background before jumping in” tell that to my Freshman English teacher who assigned this immediately without explanation.

[George-xbey]

I had the chance and visited Homer's school on the island of Ithaki a few months ago. It was so peaceful and inspiring to walk amongst the ruins in which great minds shared knowledge. I can't wait to go back and spend more time.

[avevee]

We read the odyssey last year in my second year of high school. It is beautiful.