The image above represents a replica of the wooden horse made by the Greeks during the
war against Troy. It was Odysseus' idea to hide soldiers inside the
horse. The horse was offered to the Troyans as a religious gift so that the
citizens of Troy could not refuse it. With the horse, the Greeks soldiers could
enter the city and win the war. The replica depicted above is conserved in
Turkey.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of Corel Corporation.
Odysseus
The legendary Greek hero, Odysseus was the king of Ithaca, a small island in the Ionian sea, where he lived with
his wife Penelope. He was known to Romans as
Ulysses.
After fighting the war against the city of
Troy with the Greeks, he started his journey home. His sailing journey was
obstructed by the sea god
Poseidon.
During his journey he had many incredible adventures, but his renowned intelligence helped him to survive the numerous difficulties, although his crew wasn't so lucky. After ten years of wandering, he finally reached his home.
During his long absence, many of his enemies tried to convince
his wife Penelope to get married again. When Odysseus arrived, he disguised himself as a beggar.
Only his old dog recognized him. Until that moment, Penelope remained faithful.
She had not seen her husband since the beginning of the war of
Troy, twenty years before. After so many years, she was presumed to
be a widow. Pressured by her suitors, she declared that she
would marry only the man who could bend an extremely hard bow that
belonged to Odysseus. All suitors attempted this, but only Odysseus
succeeded.
Because of Odysseus' long journey to reach his home, a NASA space mission has been named
after his better known Roman name:
The Ulysses mission.
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