Homer’s Odyssey has a long and complicated history. For one, we have no idea when this epic was first created, and that’s due largely to the fact that it was around for centuries as an oral composition that was later written down. Neither date is known for sure, but most scholars date it to the 8th century B.C.E. Likewise, we do not know who Homer is; was he the initial creator of the oral poem? was he the poet who popularized the story? or was he the one who wrote it down? Both mysteries are part of what now is considered the Homeric question, which was debated even in ancient times by the likes of Herodotus and Plutarch. But that interest continued on through to modern times, as can be seen by the long printing history of Homer’s work. Homer’s Odyssey was used in ancient times as a moral story taught to young children; during the Renaissance it was revived as a connection to the past; in the 18th and 19th centuries it was studied by scholars; and in modern days it is influential to various works, and even to the fantasy genre as a whole. The Odyssey is an incredibly important work that has withstood the test of time, and will hopefully continue to do so.

Homer’s Odyssey tells the tale of Odysseus, the acclaimed hero of Troy who came up with the hollowed horse that led to the ‘rescue’ of Helen from her captor Paris. However, due to improper religious sacrifice to the god, Poseidon, and subsequent obstacles that appear, Odysseus and his crew spent ten years traveling back home to Ithaca. While facing the monstrous cyclops, Polyphemus, the cannibalistic Laistrygonians, the sorceress Circes, and the entrapping Calypso, Odysseus’ wife, Penelope is being pursued by a large host of suitors who want to take over the throne as they believe Odysseus to be dead. Penelope keeps her suitors at bay through various schemes, namely by promising to make a decision on who she will marry after she completes a shroud for her thought-to-be-dead husband; however, each night she unweaves the progress she had made during the day. During this time, Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, goes on his own journey, trying to determine whether or not his father is dead, while also trying to get to know more about his father, as Odysseus left to go to war when Telemachus was just a baby. With the help of Athena, Odysseus’ patron goddess, Odysseus eventually makes it back home, outwits the suitors, and is able to live his life with his wife and son.

In this exhibition proposal, there are 14 editions of Homer’s Odyssey that are presented and come from various New York City special collections. However, only three of these have detailed labels, as those are the ones I will be focusing on. The others do have more information listed in the blog post at the bottom of this website. Additionally, I have included artifactual objects relating to The Odyssey throughout as well as images of and links to my bibliographical sources (on the left of this website), works influenced by The Odyssey (on the right), and modern editions of The Odyssey that I personally collect (at the bottom).