The Land of the Dead
by Mary Pope Osborne
Grades 3-7; Genre - Mythology; GRL P; AR pts. 1.0
A retelling of part of the Odyssey in which Odysseus and his fleet continue their journey and encounter giant cannibals, a beautiful witch, and the Land of the Dead.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- What’s a vision? the act or power of seeing p.12
- What caused Odysseus to anchor his ship away from the others? He had a bad feeling p.14
- How did listening to his feelings save him? The other men were destroyed by the giants p.18
Chapter 2
- What gave Odysseus’s men hope in this chapter? The gods provided a large deer for food and Odysseus spoke encouraging to them p.25
Chapter 3
- What did Odysseus mean when he told his men to “harness their fears”? Control their fears and not panic p.29
- Why were the men following Eurylochus so anxious and frightened? They were terrified to come upon monsters p.30
- Describe Eurylochus’s adventure. He and his men came to a stone wall and went through the gate; they came upon wolves and lions that didn’t attack but were like pets; they came to the inner courtyard of a palace and heard a woman singing and saw her weaving at a loom in the window; she beckoned the men to come in and they all went in except for Eurylochus; she turned those men into pigs p.34
Chapter 4
- What responsibility did Odysseus feel toward the men that were pigs? They were his men, and he knew he needed to save them p.41
- Define courage. mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty p.43
- Describe the strange man and how he helped Odysseus. The god Hermes; he gave Odysseus an herb and told him how to protect himself from Circe the enchantress p.43
Chapter 5
- Why did Circe finally free Odysseus’s men? He demanded it p.53
- What softened Circe and persuaded her to host all of Odysseus’s men? The brotherly love the men had for him and each other p.54
- What did Odysseus decide at the end of this chapter? To linger with Circe until he and his men were strong enough to travel p.58
Chapter 6
- Why was Odysseus unhappy with Circe’s explanation of how to get home? He needed to go see Tiresias on the land of the dead p.62
- How did Circe assist Odysseus and his men at the end of this chapter? She filled the sails with wind and sent the boat flying over the waves p.67
Chapter 7
- Why was Odysseus horrified to see his mother in the land of the dead? If she was there, it meant she had died p.72
Chapter 8
- What instructions did Tiresias give to Odysseus? How to get home; they can’t touch any sheep or cattle as they come to an island, or they will perish p.76
- Describe Odysseus’s conversation with his mother? It was sad for him; he learned of her death from a broken heart and the status of his other family members p.81
Chapter 9
- Summarize what happens in this chapter? Odysseus allowed other spirits to drink from the trench and he saw and talked to great men of the past; then he went back to his ship and sailed for home p.83
- Describe two spirits Odysseus saw. Agamemnon-high king of the Greek forces during the Trojan war; Achilles-bravest of all Greeks; Tantalus-a king whose great pride shared the gods; Sisyphus-a cruel king whom the gods had condemned to forever roll a huge rock uphill; Heracles-a great warrior p.83
- Why was Odysseus grateful when he left the land of the dead? That he was still among the living p.92