Nekyia (Odyssey, Book 11)

E482463

Nekyia (Odyssey, Book 11) is the episode in Homer’s Odyssey where Odysseus journeys to the underworld to consult the dead and receive prophetic guidance.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf episode of an epic poem
katabasis narrative
mythological episode
appearsIn Book 11 of the Odyssey NERFINISHED
approximateDate 8th century BCE
etymology from Greek nekros meaning dead
featuresCharacter Achilles NERFINISHED
Agamemnon NERFINISHED
Ajax son of Telamon NERFINISHED
Anticleia NERFINISHED
Elpenor NERFINISHED
Minos NERFINISHED
Orion NERFINISHED
Sisyphus NERFINISHED
Tantalus NERFINISHED
Tiresias NERFINISHED
Tityos NERFINISHED
featuresDeity Hades NERFINISHED
Persephone NERFINISHED
followsInstructionFrom Circe NERFINISHED
hasAuthor Homer NERFINISHED
hasGreekName Νέκυια
hasTheme consultation of the dead
fate and mortality
journey to the underworld
memory and kleos
prophecy
includesMotif catalogue of heroines
heroic encounter with famous dead warriors
shades of the dead drinking blood to speak
includesRitual blood sacrifice to the dead
libations to the dead
influenced later katabasis narratives in Greco-Roman literature
language Ancient Greek
literaryGenre epic poetry
mainCharacter Odysseus NERFINISHED
narrativeFunction Odysseus learns about the situation in Ithaca
Odysseus learns how to appease Poseidon
Odysseus receives prophetic guidance for his return to Ithaca
partOf Odyssey NERFINISHED
precededBy Circe episode in Book 10 of the Odyssey
setting House of Hades NERFINISHED
Underworld
studiedIn classical philology
comparative literature
religious studies
timePeriodOfComposition Archaic Greece NERFINISHED
tradition Ancient Greek mythology

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Anticlea appearsInEpisode Nekyia (Odyssey, Book 11)
Misenus (mythological trumpeter of Aeneas) diesBefore Nekyia (Odyssey, Book 11)
subject surface form: Misenus
this entity surface form: Aeneas’ katabasis (descent to the Underworld)