Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey through Homer’s The Odyssey

Grunt Work Podcasts
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Books
  • Updated Daily

Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey into Homer’s The Odyssey is a daily read-along podcast for anyone who’s ever thought, “I should really read The Odyssey someday.” Every day for one year, host Landen Celano reads one page from The Odyssey, (using Butcher & Lang English prose translation), then follows it with smart, spoiler-aware commentary: close reading, Greek mythology context, Homeric weirdness, and whatever tangents the text demands. If you’re here because you’re hyped for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Odyssey film: welcome. This show isn’t about the movie. It’s about finally experiencing the ancient story itself, in order, one page at a time.  Read along on YouTube (the text appears on screen), or grab the same Butcher & Lang translation from Project Gutenberg. Want a more traditional audiobook experience? Patreon subscribers get commentary-free audio at the end of each chapter. New episodes daily. Despite rain, sleet, snow, and hydra encounters.

  1. 5h ago

    Taunts Across the Water (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book IX – Part 16)

    Freedom is seized at last—but restraint slips away. Victory tempts the voice, even as danger still listens.   In this passage from The Odyssey, Book IX, Odysseus and his surviving men free themselves from beneath the rams and drive the Cyclops’ flock swiftly back to their ship. Though his companions are eager to mourn the dead, Odysseus urges haste instead, and they put out to sea with their prize. When the ship has gone just far enough for his voice to carry, Odysseus calls back to Polyphemus, mocking him and declaring that the gods have punished him for his cruelty and violation of hospitality.   This moment turns escape into provocation, where triumph gives way to pride—and the cost of words spoken too soon begins to gather.   ⸻   New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com   Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm   Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod   Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw   Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

    9 min

  2. 1d ago

    The Last Ram Out (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book IX – Part 15)

    Silence carries the living past grasping hands. What seemed impossible slips free at dawn.   In this passage from The Odyssey, Book IX, the blinded Polyphemus releases his flock at first light, feeling the backs of each animal as they pass. Unaware of the ruse beneath their wool, he fails to detect the men bound under the rams. Last comes the great ram bearing Odysseus himself. The Cyclops speaks to the animal in grief, lamenting his lost eye and cursing “Noman,” never guessing that the man he seeks is already beyond his reach.   This moment seals the escape, where patience and cunning carry Odysseus out of captivity at the very threshold.   ⸻   New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com   Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm   Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod   Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw   Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

    9 min

  3. 2d ago

    Bound Beneath the Flock (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book IX – Part 14)

    Cunning answers pain, and wit slips through the grasp of brute strength. Escape is stitched from patience, silence, and wool.   In this passage from The Odyssey, Book IX, Polyphemus cries out to his fellow Cyclopes that “Noman” is killing him by guile, and they depart, misled by the trick of his name. Blinded and raging, the Cyclops removes the stone and sits at the cave’s mouth, feeling for any man who might try to flee with the sheep. Odysseus devises a final stratagem, binding his companions beneath the bellies of the great rams and clinging himself to the finest of the flock. Thus they wait through the night, trusting their lives to silence and craft until dawn comes.   This moment shows ingenuity at its most desperate, where survival depends not on strength, but on the careful reading of an enemy’s weakness.   ⸻   New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com   Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm   Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod   Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw   Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

    10 min

  4. 3d ago

    The Blinding of the Cyclops (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book IX – Part 13)

    Sleep lowers the guard that strength could not, and courage hardens in the fire. What was planned in silence is carried out in terror and pain.   In this passage from The Odyssey, Book IX, Polyphemus collapses into a drunken sleep, and Odysseus brings his long-prepared plan to its brutal turning point. The olive-wood stake is heated in the fire, and with the help of his chosen companions, Odysseus drives it into the Cyclops’ single eye, twisting it like a shipwright’s drill. Blinded and maddened with agony, Polyphemus cries out across the hills, summoning the other Cyclopes to his aid.   This moment transforms helpless captivity into violent reversal, as wit, endurance, and timing finally strike back against brute force.   ⸻   New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com   Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm   Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod   Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw   Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

    7 min

  5. 4d ago

    Named No One (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book IX – Part 12)

    A gift is promised, and a name is asked—but the answer is a weapon. Wit slips where force cannot go.   In this passage from The Odyssey, Book IX, Odysseus offers the Cyclops more of the dark, honey-sweet wine, which Polyphemus praises above all earthly drink. Drunk and delighted, the giant demands Odysseus’ name so that he may give a stranger’s gift in return. With careful guile, Odysseus answers that his name is “Noman.” Polyphemus accepts the claim—and grants his gift with chilling clarity: Noman will be eaten last.   This moment seals the trap, where language itself becomes the instrument of survival.   ⸻   New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com   Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm   Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod   Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw   Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

    6 min

  6. 5d ago

    The Stake Is Made (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book IX – Part 11)

    Cunning replaces despair, and patience hardens into resolve. What cannot be overcome by force is shaped instead by craft.   In this passage from The Odyssey, Book IX, Odysseus devises his plan of escape and vengeance. He fashions a massive olive-wood club from the Cyclops’ own staff, hardens it in fire, and hides it within the cave. Lots are cast to choose the men who will stand with him in the attempt. When Polyphemus returns, seals the cave, and devours yet more of the crew, Odysseus approaches him with dark, potent wine, offering it as a gift and speaking boldly of his lawless cruelty.   This moment marks the turning of the tide, where intelligence, preparation, and timing become the only weapons left to the trapped men.   ⸻   New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com   Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm   Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod   Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw   Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

    10 min

  7. 6d ago

    A Choice Deferred, a Plan Begins (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book IX – Part 10)

    Vengeance tempts the hand, but survival demands restraint. In the darkness of the cave, thought overtakes fury.   In this passage from The Odyssey, Book IX, Odysseus weighs whether to kill the Cyclops as he sleeps, but foresight stays his hand: without the giant alive, the men could never move the immense stone sealing the cave. At dawn, Polyphemus resumes his grim routine, milking his flocks and devouring two more of Odysseus’ companions before leaving the cave, sealing it once again. Left behind with the remaining men, Odysseus turns his mind to cunning, devising a plan for vengeance and escape, trusting that Athene may yet grant him renown.   This moment marks the shift from helpless endurance to deliberate strategy, where patience becomes the only path to survival.   ⸻   New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com   Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm   Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod   Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw   Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

    10 min

  8. May 31

    The First Feast of Horror (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book IX – Part 9)

    Words fail, and law shatters in an instant. What was asked as hospitality is answered with brutality beyond imagining.   In this passage from The Odyssey, Book IX, the Cyclops reveals his utter contempt for Zeus and the gods, boasting that he fears no divine law. Feigning ignorance, Odysseus deceives him about the fate of his ship, but the ruse offers no mercy. Polyphemus seizes two of Odysseus’ men, smashes them against the ground, and devours them raw, drinking milk afterward like a beast. Trapped within the sealed cave, Odysseus and the survivors can only weep and pray as the Cyclops sleeps among his flocks.   This moment marks the full collapse of custom and restraint, as Odysseus confronts a foe who recognizes no justice, no gods, and no humanity.   ⸻   New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com   Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm   Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod   Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw   Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

    8 min
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Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey into Homer’s The Odyssey is a daily read-along podcast for anyone who’s ever thought, “I should really read The Odyssey someday.” Every day for one year, host Landen Celano reads one page from The Odyssey, (using Butcher & Lang English prose translation), then follows it with smart, spoiler-aware commentary: close reading, Greek mythology context, Homeric weirdness, and whatever tangents the text demands. If you’re here because you’re hyped for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Odyssey film: welcome. This show isn’t about the movie. It’s about finally experiencing the ancient story itself, in order, one page at a time.  Read along on YouTube (the text appears on screen), or grab the same Butcher & Lang translation from Project Gutenberg. Want a more traditional audiobook experience? Patreon subscribers get commentary-free audio at the end of each chapter. New episodes daily. Despite rain, sleet, snow, and hydra encounters.

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