Episode Ep 681 July 12, 2026 1 hr 4 min

Odyssey | Cyclops, Circe and Calypso

From The Ancients History Hit

What if the world’s most famous homecoming was really a nightmare of monsters, gods, and one very stubborn king trying to get back to Ithaca?

In our new series Tristan Hughes and classicist Dr. Emily Hauser dive into Homer’s Odyssey, an epic of shipwrecks, sorcery, giants and divine meddling, where Odysseus is never quite sure whether the next shore will save him or destroy him.

They trace his journey from the ruins of Troy to Calypso’s island, the Phaeacians, Circe, the Cyclops, and even the Underworld, asking what kind of hero Odysseus really is, and why his story has lasted for more than 2,500 years.

Ahead of the release of Christopher Nolan's new epic film, get across the story and all the key characters and plot lines, including rich historical context.

MORE

The Iliad

Homer

We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here.

The Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcast

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Natasha Hughes. The producer is Joseph Knight. Video producer is McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.