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Some stories are so old it feels like they have always been part of human civilisation, created long before new technologies helped them spread around the world over the centuries.
Homer’s Odyssey is undoubtedly one such almost ancestral tale. The great Greek epic poem has been around for over two millennia; initially recounted orally by the minstrels and composers who travelled around the ancient world, then written down and, when the modern era arrived, printed in books. The Odyssey remains one of the publishing industry’s biggest sellers, and since the twentieth century it has also been turned into various films.
The latest of these, Christopher Nolan’s eagerly anticipated adaptation of the Odyssey for the big screen, is due for release in the coming days, and we couldn’t miss the opportunity to describe some of the story’s key episodes, characters and symbols – elements that have been ingrained in our collective imagination since time immemorial.
And – as always – we wanted to link Odysseus’ adventures to the world of printing.
So here are some of the most intriguing and interesting book covers created for the Odyssey: a vast array of graphic designs that have accompanied one of western literature’s most important works on its travels around the world.
Covers for the Odyssey and its hero Odysseus
Odysseus is the ultimate multidimensional character. He has myriad adventures to recount, many sides to his personality and numerous roads to travel, and he also crops up in countless literary and film reincarnations.
As a result, the covers for the Odyssey are incredibly varied too!
Where else to start our round-up of graphics than Greece? Here are four covers from the country where the poem was first created. As you’ll see, they include many of the most common themes the publishing industry has used to ‘dress’ this story, showing Odysseus either on his own or in some of the work’s key moments. And not forgetting his boat, of course!
From L-R: editions published by Στρατίκης, Χάρτινη Πόλη, Michail I. Saliveros and ΓΡΗΓΟΡΗ. Images: mybook.gr; book-stop.gr; e-library.iep.edu.gr; alfeiosbooks.com
Although maritime elements are central to many of the Odyssey‘s covers, we wanted to show you one that goes against the grain, where the hero Odysseus is identified by his bow instead.
Odysseus’ bow has a starring role in an important episode in the poem’s final section: having landed in Ithaca after his travels, Odysseus finds the Proci engaged in a special competition to win Penelope’s hand in marriage. The task is to use Odysseus’ bow to shoot an arrow through 12 perfectly aligned rings. Nobody even manages to draw the bow, until Odysseus – who takes part in the competition disguised as a beggar – finally succeeds.
Another wonderful edition of the Odyssey is the Folio Society’s version with illustrations by Grahame Baker Smith. The cover, embellished with an embossed golden wave pattern, depicts Odysseus with a woman.
The woman in question probably isn’t Penelope – Odysseus’ wife and the hero’s final destination on his return journey – but rather Circe: just look at her bewitching hand! The sorceress seduces Odysseus’ crew and turns them into pigs, and falls in love with Odysseus, keeping him on her island for a whole year.
The cover of the Odyssey featuring its exceptional author Homer
Before we describe some of the most iconic episodes in Odysseus’ journey that appear on many of the Odyssey‘s covers, we’d first like to mention a distinctive cover dedicated to the poem’s author, Homer.
How many writers are important enough to be known by just one name? It’s worth mentioning that Homer is a figure shrouded in myth; for centuries, scholars have debated whether the Greek poet and minstrel really existed, or whether he is a legendary character, in whose name a collectively created oral work was assembled.
That’s why we are so fond of this 1960s German edition of the Odyssey , with a cover that – like works by many of today’s bestselling authors – features a headshot of the iconic writer. The image is a Greek statue from the second century BC showing how the sculptor imagined Homer looked like: even at the time of the ancient Greeks, his appearance was mostly grounded in fantasy.
The covers of the Odyssey featuring Odysseus’ adventures
We’ve finally reached the best bit about the Odyssey: its myriad adventures! One of the reasons this work is still so popular among modern readers is the exploits of its roguish lead character.
The mermaid scene is one of the most iconic and popular parts of the story, and it also features on plenty of covers. Here, for instance, is a very rare vintage cover from a 1945 edition of the Odyssey.
Mermaids are best known for their bewitching nature; they attract sailors with their irresistible song before leading them to their death. Odysseus forced his travel companions to block their ears with wax, while having himself tied to the ship’s mast: a cunning plan that allowed the hero – who symbolises knowledge – to listen to the song of these fantastic beings without being enticed to join them.
The famous scene also appears on two other covers of the Odyssey, from Serbia and Brazil…
… and in the artwork from versions from Russia and Oman.
Here, meanwhile, is a Spanish cover of the Odyssey that presents the mermaid episode in a cartoon style.
Covers featuring the savage Polyphemus
Another unforgettable episode from the Odyssey‘s plot features a very special character: Polyphemus. Children often learn about this one-eyed giant from a young age, and his menacing appearance terrifies and intrigues them in equal measure.
Our hero Odysseus is just the same: he heads into the monster’s lair just out of curiosity, and has to rely on his cunning to get out alive.
Two Odyssey covers depict this episode in contrasting ways. The one on the left, from Russia, uses a classic piece of art – Odysseus and Polyphemus, an 1896 oil painting by Swiss artist Arnold Böcklin.
The French cover on the right, meanwhile, drawn by French cartoonist Bruno Heitz in a comic-book style, shows Odysseus saving himself and almost all his crew by clinging to the bellies of Polyphemus’ sheep after blinding the giant.
We really like another French Odyssey cover that shows Polyphemus in another light: as an essentially solitary monster. Polyphemus is isolated even from his fellow Cyclopes and survives by drinking the milk of his sheep, since he is not particularly hospitable to those who decide to pay him a visit. In the context of Greek mythology the monster is seen as violating the rules of coexistence, but to modern eyes he seems to display a certain degree of humanity and fragility, as this cover shows clearly.
Covers for the Odyssey featuring the sea
But as well as Odysseus, the Odyssey has another key protagonist. The immense expanse of salt water that allows him to travel to all corners of the known world: His Majesty the Sea!
It is thought that Homer’s poem was in part devised as a way for sailors to memorise and pass on useful geographical information – don’t forget, the poem was originally an oral composition. This makes the Odyssey a sort of poetic nautical map.
With this in mind, here is a selection of covers that bring something that usually remains in the background in the Odyssey to the fore, with its powerful waves and fish!
On the left is the edition from the exquisite Penguin Clothbound Classics series, with a cloth cover by designer Coralie Bickford-Smith. The image on the right is a Polish edition with an embossed cover.
In this French cover for the Odyssey, the choppy sea and imposing waves remind us of something else: the intertwined threads of fate held by the gods that ultimately guide Odysseus on his laborious journey through countless adventures back to Ithaca.
And talking of Ithaca, we really like this Italian cover. It’s the only one we’ve found showing the thing that Odysseus longs for most throughout his journey: to return home to Ithaca. Here we see the jagged profile of the island; a bird’s eye view rather than a sailor’s perspective.
Finally, a modern American cover for the work shows the vastness of the sea compared to Odysseus’ tiny boat.
The Odyssey covers featuring Odysseus’ legendary ship
This brings us to another vital element of Homer’s poem: the ship Odysseus travels in.
Perhaps people hearing the story in ancient times wouldn’t have seen the boat as particularly important: it is not even given a name in the poem. But in subsequent versions of the Odyssey – books and then films – the ship took on an increasingly central role, and many cover designers have opted not to depict Odysseus, but instead focus on his boat on the waves.
Here are two examples: a Dutch book on the left, and a Brazilian one on the right.
A Spanish cover repeats Odysseus’ ship to produce a modern pattern.
The next two covers show that modern readers see Odysseus’ boat as much more than just a means of transport. In both cases, the ship is transformed into something else: a fish and a space shuttle! The designs are from India and France respectively.
Here, meanwhile, is a cover of the Odyssey from South Korea: the ship has the trademark eye added to many Greek ships to protect them from the perils of being at sea.
We’ll end our long round-up of Odyssey book covers from all over the world with another two designs published a long way from the poem’s origins, this time in China. One thing’s for sure: books have ensured that Odysseus’ story has travelled even further than its lead character did!
What do you make of our collection of the most interesting covers created for Homer’s Odyssey? Is there one you particularly like, or is your favourite cover missing? And which of these images do you think might also appear in the upcoming film?