Odyssey Collection (Books V–XII Textual and Visual Materials)

Overview

The Odyssey Collection brings together two complementary groups of digital material related to Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. The first group, Odyssey Book Texts, consists of plain‑text transcriptions of Books V through XII (files book05.txt – book12.txt). The second group, Odysseus Wanderings Visual, is a single visual representation (map/diagram) of Odysseus’s journey, accompanied by a reference metadata file. Together they provide a continuous narrative of the latter half of the poem and a visual aid to the hero’s itinerary.

Background

The Odyssey is the second of the two major Greek epic poems traditionally attributed to Homer, composed circa 800–700 BCE. It narrates the protracted return of the Ithacan king Odysseus from the Trojan War, focusing on his encounters with gods, monsters, and foreign peoples. The textual files reproduce the English translation of the original Greek verses for Books V–XII, while the visual file offers a cartographic illustration of the mythic locations visited during these episodes. The collection is catalogued in the PINAX system (ID 01KCJ8RFC168GY66ESSFZHAAZ0) and is publicly accessible via the Arke Institute repository.

Contents

• Book V–XII Texts – Full transcriptions of the seven books covering Odysseus’s departure from Calypso, his rescue by Ino, the Phaeacian episode (Na­usicaa, Alcinous, Arete), the visits to Aeolus, the Laestrygonians, Circe, the Underworld, and the Sirens/Scylla–Charybdis/Helios cattle episode.
• Relationships JSON – A structured list of 94 mythic entities (gods, heroes, places, objects) referenced in the texts, enabling precise cross‑reference and digital analysis.
• PINAX JSON – Bibliographic metadata including creator (Homer), subject headings (Greek literature, epic poetry, Odysseus), language (English), and access URL.
• Odysseus Wanderings Visual – A map/diagram visualizing the hero’s route across mythic islands and realms, with accompanying reference file linking it to the textual narrative.

Scope

The collection covers the narrative arc from Book V (Odysseus leaves Ogygia) through Book XII (the loss of the Sun‑god’s cattle), omitting the earlier books (I–IV) that recount the Trojan War and the initial stages of the journey. Geographic coverage includes Ogygia, Scheria (Phaeacia), Aeolia, the Cyclops island, Aeaea, the Underworld, and Thrinacia. The materials are limited to English‑language transcriptions and a single visual illustration; no original Greek manuscripts or extensive scholarly commentary are included.