Odysseus

Odysseus (oh-DISS-ee-us) was one of the ancient Greeks' most famous and beloved heroes. The ancient Romans, who admired and eagerly copied Greek culture, were fond of him too. They called him Ulysses (yu-LISS-eez). Also beloved by the Greeks and Romans was the great Greek poet and story-teller Homer (HO-mer). He wrote at length about Odysseus in two superb epic poems. The first, the Iliad (ILL-ee-ud), tells about the tenth year of the siege of Troy, a wealthy city in western Anatolia (what is now Turkey). The rulers of several Greek kingdoms made war on and eventually captured Troy. Among those kings was Odysseus, who ruled the Greek island realm of Ithaca (ITH-uh-kuh). Homer called him a very ""capable man who journeyed across the world after seizing the proud fortress of Troy."" That fateful, ten-year-long sea voyage is the subject of Homer's other masterpiece, the Odyssey (ODD-iss-ee). During the journey, Odysseus ""endured numerous hardships,"" Homer said. He ""fought to stay alive and to bring his shipmates home."" In this retelling of some of the famous tales of Odysseus, author Don Nardo brings these myths to young readers.