"The Odyssey" English Translation by Samuel Butler
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From: Book · Samuel Butler · 1900

"The Odyssey" is a full transcript of the Odyssey hero myth by Samuel Butler in 1900. This myth is considered by many as a sequel to the Iliad, which was also translated by Butler. Butler translated the work into prose from the Homeric Greek for a broad audience. It contains all twenty-four books through 323 pages. Butler's version is readable for a layman audience. This work is attributed to a single man named Homer; however, many scholars do not accept this authorship claim.
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Text: Full Translation, Collation (partial)

Ancient Greek  ⟶  English a b

  • Book I—Athene visits Telemachus The Gods in council—Minerva's visit to Ithaca—the challenge from Telemachus to the suitors.
  • Book II—The Debate in Ithaca Assembly of the people of Ithaca—speeches of Telemachus and of the suitors—Telemachus makes his preparations and starts for Pylos with Minerva disguised as mentor.
  • Book III—King Nestor Remembers Nestor helps the young princes learn about the death of their father.
  • Book IV—The King and Queen of Sparta In Sparta, the king and queen celebrate the separate marriages of their son and daughter—they recount stories about Odysseus, including his cunning strategy with the Trojan Horse.
  • Book V—Odysseus-Nymph and Shipwreck The Gods meet and order Calypso to free Odysseus—after Odysseus sets sail, Poseidon learns of his freedom and stirs up a storm to wreck his ship.
  • Book VI—The Princess and the Stranger With help from Athena and the princess of Phaeacians, Odysseus sets out for the palace to speak to the queen.
  • Book VII—Phaeacia's Halls and Gardens With help from Athena's protective mist, Odysseus arrives at the palace where he meets and impresses the king and queen of the Phaeacians.
  • Book VIII—A Day for Songs and Contests The king calls an assembly of his Phaeacian counselors who approve providing a ship for Odysseus—after a feast, a Phaeacian athlete goads Odysseys into a discus toss.
  • Book IX—In the One-Eyed Giant's Cave Reluctantly, Odysseus tells the Phaeacians the sorry tales of his wanderings starting with flashbacks of the Lotus Eaters and the Cyclops.
  • Book X—The Bewitching Queen of Aeaea Odysseus continues to tell the Phaeacians the sorry tales of his wanderings—Odysseus recalls his encounters with the Aeolus, the ruler of the winds, and Circe, the witch-goddess.
  • Book XI—The Kingdom of the Dead Odysseus speaks to three souls of the dead: his former crew member, a prophet, and his mother—his ritual also attracts the souls of other heroes.
  • Book XII—The Cattle of the Sun After overcoming the Sirens, Scylla the six-headed monster, and Charybdis the whirlpool, Odysseus and his men reach the island of the Sun—Zeus punishes Odysseus and his men for the slaughter of the cattle of the Sun.
  • Book XIII—Ithaca at Last Zeus allows Poseidon to punish the Phaeacians for helping Odysseus—Odysseus return to his homeland, but Ithaca is not the same as before.
  • Book XIV—The Loyal Swineherd Odysseus finds Eumaeus, his swineherd, outside his hut—although Eumaeus doesn’t recognize Odysseus as his master, he invites him inside.
  • Book XV—The Prince Sets Sail for Home Telemachus departs from Sparta and returns to Ithaca—in Ithaca, Odysseus and Eumaeus swap stories.
  • Book XVI—Father and Son Telemachus reaches the hut of Eumaeus and finds the swineherd talking with a stranger—Eumaeus goes to the palace alone to tell Penelope of her son's return—Odysseus and Telemachus reunite and plot their revenge against the suitors.
  • Book XVII—Stranger at the Gates Telemachus returns to the palace and sits down to eat with Penelope—Odysseus sets out towards the town disguised as a beggar with Eumaeus where encounters the suitors—Eumaeus returns to his hut and hogs, leaving Odysseus alone with Telemachus and the suitors.
  • Book XVIII—The Beggar-King of Ithaca Another beggar saunters into the palace and challenges Odysseus to a boxing match—Odysseus defeats the beggar, and the suitors are both entertained and impressed by the match—Penelope makes an appearance before her suitors.
  • Book XIX—Penelope and Her Guest Penelope questions Odysseus (disguised as a beggar) about the whereabouts of her husband—Penelope decides she is going to choose a new husband.
  • Book XX—Portents Gather The suitors call off the murder of Telemachus when a portent of doom appears in the form of an eagle carrying a dove in its talons—at dinner, a suitor throws a cow hoof at Odysseus covering the wall with blood, another portent of doom.
  • Book XXI—Odysseus Strings His Bow Penelope retrieves Odysseus’s bow and announces that she will marry the suitor who can string it and then shoot an arrow through a line of twelve axes—the suitors fail to string the bow—Odysseus effortlessly strings the bow and shoots the first arrow he grabs through all twelve axes.
  • Book XXII—Slaughter in the Hall Odysseus shoots his second arrow through the throat of Antinous before the suitors realize what's happening—Odysseus kills the suitors while receiving only superficial wounds with help from Telemachus, Eumaeus, and Philoetius.
  • Book XXIII—The Great Rooted Bed Penelope doesn’t believe her husband has returned even after seeing him with her own eyes—She orders Eurycleia to move her bridal bed as a test, but Odysseus knows their bed is immovable because it was built on the foundation of an olive tree.
  • Book XXIV—Peace Odysseus has a tearful reunion with his father—the parents of the suitors seek out revenge against Odysseus—Athena makes the Ithacans forget the massacre of their children and recognize Odysseus as king. Peace is restored.
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Source(s) a Crane, "Scaife, urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.perseus-eng4. [Structured XML data] b Homer, Odyssey / Butler, 1-323 launch. [Original source]

Record notes

About these data

Data provider Perseus Scaife Viewer
Record no. urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.perseus-eng4 Odyssey, The Odyssey of Homer rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original Revised by Timothy Power and Gregory Nagy
Retrieval date Jul. 21, 2020
Copyright Perseus Digital Library @ Tufts

Background

The Odyssey (Samuel Butler translation) is a well-known and freely available translation of the Odyssey hero myth (first published in 1900). Samuel Butler, who also translated the Iliad in 1898, took a keen interest in Greek mythology and translated standard prose versions of the epics in order that they could be read by a wider audience. Like The Iliad, the Odyssey also has twenty-four books.

Cite this page

MLA Modern Language Association (8th ed.)

OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. ""The Odyssey": English Translation by Samuel Butler." OMNIKA – World Mythology Index, OMNIKA Foundation, 04 May. 2019, omnika.org/stable/133. Accessed 5 Jul. 2024.

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APA American Psychological Association (6th ed.)

OMNIKA (2019, May 04). "The Odyssey": English Translation by Samuel Butler. Retrieved from https://omnika.org/stable/133

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CMS Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.)

OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. ""The Odyssey": English Translation by Samuel Butler." Las Vegas, NV: OMNIKA Foundation. Created May 04, 2019. Accessed July 5, 2024. https://omnika.org/stable/133.

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Bibliography

Homer. The Iliad of Homer: Rendered Into English Prose for the Use of Those Who Cannot Read the Original. Translated by Samuel Butler. London, England: Longmans, Green, & Co., 1898.
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Homer. The Odyssey: Rendered Into English Prose for the Use of Those Who Cannot Read the Original. Translated by Samuel Butler. London, England: A.C. Fifield, 1900.
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About

The Odyssey Hero myth Myth icon
Ancient Greek Belief system
Zeus Main deity

After the Trojan war, Odysseus sails home with his men. During his long journey, he faces challenges such as the "cyclops," the Sirens, and other fantastical creatures. He hurries home because suitors are trying to take his wife's hand in marriage. When Odysseus gets home, he wins a challenge, reclaims his life, and kills all the suitors.

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