The Cunning One, Ten Years Wandering Home
The chief strategist of the Greek army and inventor of the Trojan Horse. Ten years of war done, he wandered ten more years to get home: Cyclops, Sirens, witches, whirlpools — a gauntlet run to the end. He is the hero of Homer’s Odyssey, whose title is now the English word for any long, adventurous journey.
Troy, unbreachable in ten years of siege, was ended by a wooden horse. The Greeks feigned retreat, leaving behind a giant horse packed with elite soldiers. Ignoring the warnings of their priest and of Cassandra, the Trojans dragged it into the city, and it fell that night. A "Trojan horse" is still the name for a computer virus today.
Trapped in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus as future food, Odysseus got the giant drunk, called himself "Nobody," and drove a red-hot stake into his single eye. The giant cried out, "Nobody is hurting me!" — so the neighbors left. Escaping, he could not resist shouting his real name — and the giant’s father Poseidon made sure he could never go home.
The Sirens’ song drove every sailor to leap into the sea. Odysseus had his crew seal their ears with wax and had himself lashed to the mast — he meant to be the only man to hear the song and live. As the ship passed he howled to be untied, and by prior agreement the crew only bound him tighter. The way to beat temptation: chain yourself down in advance.
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
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