The Odyssey Questions – Flashcards
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What is the purpose of the first ten lines of the poem?
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Homer is asking the muse, goddess of poetry, to inspire him and help him tell a good story
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Why had Odysseus not yet returned from the Trojan War?
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He had gotten lost along the way on his journey and also had been captured
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What does Athena do during the meeting on Mount Olympus?
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Asks Zeus why he is so against Odysseus
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At Odysseus' house in Ithaca, we are introduced to the suitors. What are they doing in the house?
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Playing with dice and sitting on fur from animals they have killed while the servants are serving them
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What words are used to describe the suitors?
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a. Mob b. Swagger c. Carousing d. Obscenely e. Lounge f. Gorging
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How does Athena present herself to Telemachus?
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As Mentes
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Athena tells Telemachus to seek information about his father from which men?
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Melelas and King Nestor????
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Athena gives Telemachus one piece of information about his father. What is it?
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His father is not dead
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What does Athena counsel Telemachus to do to the suitors?
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To find away to get back in control because the suitors are taking advantage of him and Penelope
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How has Telemachus changed since the beginning of Book I, and how does Penelope react?
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He has gained more confidence because Athena talked to him and willing to fight against the suitors; Penelope was "astonished" that he was more mature?????
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Why does Telemahus call the men to assemble?
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This is his way to tell them that he is in charge and is tired of the suitors taking advantage of him
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How has Penelope manage to hold off the suitors' demands for the past four years?
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Giving one hints that they will get married but never ends up doing anything about it
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What sign does Zeus send to the assembly, and what is its meaning?
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a. 2 eagles b. that there were people watching overhead?????
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What does Telemachus plan to do now?
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Get on his boat and sail to Sparta and Sandy Pylos
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What is Zeus' command to Calypso?
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To let Odysseus go
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What god or goddess brings Zeus' command to Calypso?
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Hermes
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What happens to Odysseus on the eighteenth day, just as he cites land?
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Poseidon gets mad because the gods let Odysseus go so he starts a storm; Odysseus' boat breaks and eventually has to swim
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What help does Ino give to Odysseus?
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A scarf, and tells him to swim to shore
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What happens to Odysseus at the end of Book V?
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He finally makes it to shore and sleeps in the woods
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Odysseus is insulted by Broadsea. What does he accuse Odysseus of being? Why?
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He was not very athletic so he feels intimidated by Odysseus; doesn't want to lose to Odysseus in the Olympic Games???
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With Athena's help, what athletic feat does Odysseus accomplish?
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Discus
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Odysseus brags that he is an accomplished athlete but allows one test where the Paeacians would likely win. To which test does he refer? Why?
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Sprinting; Odysseus is very tired and his legs have lost their spring because he has been on a boat for so long
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Why do you think Homer interrupts the narrative to have Demodocus sing about the love of Ares and Aphrodite?
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Show that Odysseus has a soft side when he cried????
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What is the ancient legend/tale to which (King) Alcinous refers?
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Story of the Trojan Horse
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Which encounter do Odysseus and his men have before Polyphemus?
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Alcinous
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Why is it necessary for Odysseus to take some of his men by force away form the land of the Lotus-Eaters?
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After one would eat the lotus they wouldn't want to come back to the boat so they could find their way home
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What kind of creature does Odysseus encounter in the next land?
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cyclops
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Why does Odysseus lead his men into Polyphemus' cave?
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To get information
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Why does Odysseus lead his men into Polyphemus' cave?
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Starts to eat them (Odysseus' men) two at a time
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How does Odysseus wound Polyphemus?
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Warms a spear and them puts it in the Cyclops's eye
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How do Odysseus and his remaining men escape from the cave?
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They tie themselves on the goat's bellies
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How is the craftiness and cunning of Odysseus revealed in this escape?
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The idea to tie themselves on the bottom of goats so when the Cyclops would open the door he would only think that the goats were going out
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Why does Odysseus reveal his name to Polyphemus after his escape?
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It won't matter then because Polyphemus won't be able to get him; and he wants to spite Polyphemus and get him annoyed
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What natural phenomenon does Aeolus control?
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winds
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How does Aeolus show goodwill when Odysseus is about to leave?
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given them a sack with winds in it
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Odysseus and his men come within sight of Ithaca. Why don't they land?
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They want to open the bag to see what is inside of it, but the bad had wind inside it so it pushed them back to Aeolus' house
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37. Odysseus asks Aeolus for further help. What is his reply?
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He will not help Odysseus because he is cursed and he needs to get out of his palace
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Describe the Laestrygonians.
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Very big strong monsters
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Who helps Odysseus outwit Circe?
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Hermes
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Why does Odysseus visit the house of Hades?
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Circe makes him, so he can consult the ghost of Tiresias
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How does Odysseus gain access to the underworld?
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Dug a hole for the people who died in the war??????
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What does Odysseus promise Elpenor?
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Odysseus will not forget him
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Why does Odysseus not let his mother come near the blood?
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He wanted to question Tiresias first ?????
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What does Tiresias tell Odysseus?
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What the rest of Odysseus' life will be
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Who comes to speak to Odysseus after all the souls of the women have departed? What does he tell him?
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Alcornis Odysseus will be murdered by his wife?
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Many other heroes speak to Odysseus, and he learns of their fates. What happens to Tantalus?
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Tantalus would try to get a drink of water but then the water would vanish and up above him were all these fruits
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What punishment is Sisyphus enduring?
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He is trying to get a bolder to stay on top of a hill but it just keeps rolling down
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How do the Sirens destroy men, and how do Odysseus and his men avoid destruction?
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Sirens: lure people over to their island by singing Odysseus avoids: tell his crew members to not let him go whatever he says and puts beeswax in his ears so not to hear the singing
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What are Scylla and Charybdis?
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a. Monsters b. Scylla- tries to get people to come to her cavern and then keeps them c. Charydbis- makes a whirlpool to get men
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What happens to Odysseus' companions? To Odysseus? In Book XVI
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a. Companions- they eat the animals of the sun god's island b. Odysseus- for ten days drifted on the island but finally was able to get onto Ogyia, Calypso's island
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Why does Telemachus not want to bring his gifts from Menelaus to his own house?
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a. If the suitors attack him he doesn't want them to take them i. He would rather have Menelaus have them
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Who is Eumaeus?
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Most treacherous of the suitors
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What happens when Eumaeus and the beggar meet Melanthius (one of the suitors)? List at least three things
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Taunted, kicked, and cursed at Odysseus
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Who is the first to recognize Odysseus and what happens?
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Swineherd?????
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Why does Athena want Odysseus to beg from the suitors?
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To test the suitors- "so we can tell the innocent from the guilty."
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Why does Penelope wish to see the beggar?
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Wants to get information on what happened to her husband
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What occurs between Odysseus and Irus? Why?
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Irus: beggar They fight by boozing because he was being rude to Odysseus and telling him to leave
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What reward does the still-disguised Odysseus give Amphinomus for helping him?
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wine
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What does Penelope do that makes Odysseus happy?
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she tricks the suitors by telling them that Odysseus told Penelope to marry another person when Telemachus started to grow a beard
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How does Odysseus come to be a target for the foot stool again?
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Eurymachus is mad at Odysseus because he said that he could beat him if working on a field and Eurymachus is not as good as he thinks he is
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What action does Odysseus take now? In book XIX
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He makes a plan for how to kill the suitors
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How does Euryclea discover Odysseus' identity?
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The scar on his leg from when he went boor hunting
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What contest does Penelope devise to test the suitors?
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Using a bow to hit 12 axes
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Using a dictionary, define "portent".
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something that foreshadows
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At the beginning of book XX, why is Odysseus so angry?
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????
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What two events give Odysseus hope that he is doing the right thing and that his efforts will be successful?
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a. Athena tells him when he is trying to go to go to sleep that everything will work b. Cristippus missed when he threw the horse shoe at him
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What is the difference between the goatherd and the cowherd?
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a. Goatherd- bad b. Cowherd-good ?????????
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Why does Theoclymenus call ("wail") out?
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He is mad that Cresippus threw a horse shoe at Odysseus
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Why does Athena "inspire" the suitors to act even worse, to continue their insulting behavior?
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So it'll be easier for them to get beat by Odysseus and Telemachus
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Who, other than Odysseus, had the power and strength to string the bow?
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Telemachus??
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To what men does Odysseus reveal his identity?
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Telemachus????
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What is Odysseus' plan? For killing the suitors
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Start killing the suitors with the help of the seine and pig herders through bribery while the nurse and Penelope are in their room; then have the women who were also loving on the suitors clean the blood and bodies up and kill them after they finish
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Which men does Odysseus spare for the slaughter? (Include name and job)
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a. Phemius-bard b. Medon-herald
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What happens to the disloyal serving women?
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They had to help clean up the bodies but were then killed by swards
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Why, at first, does Penelope not believe that Odysseus is who he says he is?
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thinks it may be a "fraud" so the person can become king
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How does Odysseus finally convince Penelope that he IS Odysseus?
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By telling her about the bed he made that no one knows about
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When do Odysseus and Penelope finally sleep?
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After they both tell of the hardships they had to overcome
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When Odysseus awakens, what is his plan for the day?
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Have Penelope stay and home and go and talk to his dad
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Where does Odysseus go next? In book XXIV
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his dad's (Laertes)
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Why does Laertes wear rags and not bathe?
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To not show his identity???????????
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What does Athena do when the families of the dead suitors attack Odysseus?
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make them forget about the killing of the suitors
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In the ORAL EPIC, there is much REPETITION. List some lines/phrases that have been repeatedly used by the poet?
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a. When dawn with her rose-read fingers shown again b. The long enduring Great Odysseys
