Odyssey is the Word of the Week: What is the Greek epic that has inspired Christopher Nolan?

Three years after he regaled fans with Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan is back this week with a movie that’s bigger than anything he’s ever dreamed of. The Oscar winner is returning to the big screen with The Odyssey, an offering unlike anything he’s executed — and that says a lot because he’s the man who gave us Interstellar, Inception, and other such cinematic spectacles.

The movie, based on Homer’s ancient poem about warriors and kings, gods and monsters, has already created quite a buzz even before its release. And not all of it has been good. It has become the most contentious film of the year – a lightning rod for all kinds of political and cultural grievances.

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But what does the word Odyssey mean? Before you grab your ticket for Nolan’s movie, our weekly series ‘Word of the Week’ dives into the origins of this word and why this fantasy epic has become so upsetting.

The origins of Odyssey

Today, the word odyssey refers to a long, adventurous journey marked by changes in fortune. It is derived from the Greek word of the same name — one of the oldest pieces of literature written by Homer — and tells the story of fictional hero Odysseus, the king of the island of Ithaca, and his 10-year-long journey back home, following the 10-year-long Trojan War.

As Daniel Mendelsohn, author of An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic, told History.com, Odyssey became part of our lexicon thanks to the success of Homer’s story and is derived from the hero’s name. “The English word odyssey, which is used when we talk about someone going on an odyssey or an adventure, obviously comes from the title of the poem,” says Mendelsohn.

The tale of Odysseus

Homer’s Odyssey begins with the end of the Trojan War, a 10-year conflict in which the Greeks fought the people of Troy in what is now modern-day Turkey. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, has been fighting in the war the whole time, and now the Greeks have won.

The Greek writer, who is also the brains behind Iliad, starts the long journey home to reunite with his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. However, it doesn’t all go to plan. Along the way, Odysseus’s ships are destroyed by storms, he’s imprisoned for seven years, travels to the underworld, and fights various giants, monsters, and gods.

His most famous encounter in the Odyssey is with Polyphemus, a cyclops, who traps Odysseus and his men and takes them captive. Polyphemus starts to eat his men, and promises to devour them all. But Odysseus gets away through trickery. He gets Polyphemus very drunk, and when he’s passed out, Odysseus shoves a stake through his eye and blinds him.

Back home in Ithaca, wife Penelope and son Telemachus face their own challenges. Penelope is surrounded by suitors, all vying for Odysseus’ throne. Upon his return, Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar and wins Penelope’s hand against competitors, violently reclaiming his household in the epic conclusion.

Just as Odysseus’s travels were winding, so is reading it. The epic is made up of over 12,000 lines and roughly 121,000 words. Additionally, the original is divided into 24 books, and depending on your reading speed, it takes about eight hours to read.

Nolan embarks on his own Odyssey

Today, the word odyssey is doing the rounds thanks to the release of Christopher Nolan’s movie based on the Greek epic.

The director known for pushing the medium further — playing with form, storytelling, visuals — has brought to life one of the oldest surviving works of Western literature to a new generation of viewers.

Director Christopher Nolan, with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema on set of "The Odyssey." Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures/AP

He has travelled to far-flung locations, used real ships on real seas, and takes audiences into the cave with the Cyclops, inside the Trojan Horse, and to the bleak expanse of Hades. It’s also the first feature to be shot entirely on IMAX film.

Nolan’s Odyssey has been the toughest movie he’s made. Matt Damon, who stars as Odysseus, told the AP that Nolan warned him as much before they started filming. “He told me it was going to be hard, which I kind of, I blew off at first. I’m like, ‘Yeah, yeah, it’s going to be hard. And he said ‘no, no, this is going to be really hard,’” Damon said. “He did not disappoint.”

When asked, Nolan said, “I mean, it’s ‘The Odyssey’,” Nolan said. “This should be a difficult film to make, and it was.”

Matt Damon as Odysseus in a scene from "The Odyssey." Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures/AP

The anger over Nolan’s Odyssey

While many have lavished praise on Nolan for his epic, the movie isn’t without controversy. In the run-up to the release, it has created quite a furore over casting choices and accents.

Much of the grumbling has been over Nolan’s choice of Lupita Nyong’o to play Helen of Troy – described by Homer as “white-armed” — and transgender actor Elliot Page, playing a soldier in the Trojan War.

Many in the right-wing circles have accused Nolan of pushing a ‘woke’ agenda. Even Elon Musk waded into the controversy when he posted on X, “Chris Nolan desecrated Homer and grovelled on his knees just to meet the woke rules required to win an Oscar. What a worm.”

Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, and Samantha Morton attend the premiere of "The Odyssey" in New York City. Many of Christopher Nolan's casting choices has caused controversy. AFP

When asked about it, Nyong’o said, “This is a mythological story. Our cast is representative of the world.”

Another issue that has emerged is that of accents. The stars of the movie are heard using American accents and modern colloquialisms. For instance, one scene shows Tom Holland, who plays Odysseus’s only child — Telemachus — saying, “My dad is coming home.”

Some noted that the accents sounded out of place. “It sounds like they’re trying to have an epic conversation on the sidewalk outside the Starbucks,” said one viewer reacting to the trailer.

Controversy or not, there’s no hiding from the fact that Odyssey is on everyone’s mind this week. And it’s for this reason alone that it’s our Word of the Week.