The Odyssey Odyssey
Tom Lee
Tom Lee retells the epic poem "The Odyssey" with diversions and excursions into the vast constellation of Greek myths surrounding the central story. The Odyssey describes a journey through time and against death, away from demons and towards home - if home is still there. Hear the story and the stories surrounding story while reflecting on how how humans have connected with this complicated hero for almost three thousand years.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 25, 2024 • 40min
SUMMER SPECIAL: IRON MAN
Send us a textIN WHICH: we delve into the life and stories of Hephaestus, the god of fire, bearer of culture, architect and blacksmith to the gods. The child of dysfunctional immortals, he struggles to find a home and a family.LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODEE-mail Tom Lee
Jul 18, 2024 • 44min
16: Storytime
Send us a textIN WHICH: Odysseus is entertained by the rhapsode Demodacus, who is inspired to tell our hero his own story. An athletic competition gives rise to tension, which another story dispels. The entertainment continues over roasted boar, where art and life collide in a third and final story.FOOTNOTES: More about this episode.
Jul 11, 2024 • 39min
15: Consider Yourself at Home
Send us a textIN WHICH: Odysseus casts an epic gaze over the palace of King Alcinous and Queen Arete, who demonstrate their hospitality and provide our hero with hope.VISUAL FOOTNOTES FOR THIS EPISODE CAN BE SEEN HERE
Jan 22, 2024 • 34min
EPISODE 14: We Have to Talk About the Giants...
Send us a textIN WHICH: We explore the lineage of King Alcinous, Odysseus's host, tracing his family line back to the notorious and ill-fated race of Giants.
Dec 21, 2023 • 49min
BONUS: Christmas With A Pope
Send us a textIN WHICH: We return from an unexpected hiatus with a "party piece" - a performance of an excerpt from Alexander Pope's 1726 verse translation of The Odyssey, Book V.
Sep 21, 2023 • 35min
EPISODE 13: Laundry Day
Send us a textIN WHICH: Odysseus is rescued by a young princess engaged in pursuits of domestic management. Athena returns him to a state of manly elegance, and the princess promises him a speedy return to his homeland on a magical ship.
Jul 13, 2023 • 36min
Summer Special - His Left Foot: Philoctetes
Send us a textIN WHICH: Odysseus uses guile and deceit to attain The Bow of Heracles from Philoctetes, the man he betrayed and abandoned ten years before.Watch a video of "The Speckled Bull" - an Irish folktale descended from the myth of Heracles and Achelous HERE.See artwork related to this episode HERE. Email Tom Lee HERE
Jun 15, 2023 • 39min
Summer Special - Achilles' (High) Heel
Send us a textIN WHICH: We recount the Roman story of the Achilleid, detailing how the immortal nymph Thetis tried to protect her all-too-mortal son Achilles from the perils of the Trojan War and how "wily Odysseus" contrived to foil her schemes.SEE ARTWORK RELATED TO THIS EPISODE HERE.E-MAIL TOM LEE HERE.
Apr 20, 2023 • 31min
12 - "Rosie, You're All Right"
Send us a textIN WHICH we explore the most repeated poetic line in all of the Odyssey and learn the tragic story of Eos, goddess of the dawn, who kindled the wrath of Aphrodite and was cursed ever after to a life of unrequited lust. Ouch.Also, we delve into the misty past of the great citadel of Troy and learn how gods helped to create it, and to (almost) destroy it.Notes, images and music for this episode can be FOUND HERE.E-mail Tom Lee HERE
Apr 6, 2023 • 33min
11 - "Here We Are, Living in Paradise"
Send us a textIN WHICH we encounter our hero, Odysseus, as the coddled prisoner of the sea nymph Calypso in her island hermitage. Hermes, the reluctant ambassador of Zeus, liberates the captive, who flees directly into the path of a wrathful Poseidon.Images and music referenced in this episode can be explored HERE.E-mail Tom Lee HERE.
