map of ulysses journey

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Follow James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ With This Interactive Map of Dublin

Today marks a very important day in literary history for two separate, but wildly related reasons: February 2nd is both Irish author James Joyce’s 136th birthday and the 96th anniversary of the publication of Joyce’s magnum opus, Ulysses.    Ulysses was published on February 2, 1922 and was received with very mixed reviews. Some hailed the book as being a sheer masterpiece, while many others found it to be lewd, crude, and pornographic, going so far as to have the book banned until a trial entitled The United States v. One Book Called Ulysses lifted said ban in 1934. Today, it continues to top the charts as being …

Today marks a very important day in literary history for two separate, but wildly related reasons: February 2nd is both Irish author James Joyce’s 136th birthday  and  the 96th anniversary of the publication of Joyce’s magnum opus,  Ulysses . 

Ulysses  was published on February 2, 1922 and was received with very mixed reviews. Some hailed the book as being a sheer masterpiece, while many others found it to be lewd, crude, and pornographic, going so far as to have the book banned until a trial entitled The United States v. One Book Called Ulysses  lifted said ban in 1934. Today, it continues to top the charts as being one of the most important novels of the 20th century, and possibly of all time. 

Throughout the novel, our two main characters: Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus, find themselves exploring the city of Dublin throughout the course of a single day. Each chapter of the book recalls a new hour of the day (paralleling and retelling Homer’s The Odyssey,  of course), and also takes us to a new section of the city.

Joyce had been living in Paris for years during the writing of this novel, and his ability to recount specific details of his home city (right down to street intersections!) is beyond impressive, because each location mentioned actually exists within the city. June 16th, known as “Bloomsday,” is the day our characters find themselves venturing out. On that same day, all of these years later, Joyce lovers flock to Dublin and tour the famous locations seen in  Ulysses.

You too can visit Dublin with or without a tour guide, and follow Dedalus and Bloom’s odyssey by following this comprehensive map! Each location is marked with a helpful pin, and provides details on the novel’s chapters that correspond to said pins.

So grab yourself a Guinness, and celebrate the birth of James Joyce coupled with the anniversary of  Ulysses  in a way that might make even the most cantankerous of literary geniuses proud!

Feature Image Via Open Culture

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Ulysses’ Decade Long Journey from Troy to Ithaca

Today, an intrepid yachtsman can trace Ulysses’ almost mythical journey around the western Mediterranean. Odysseus, Ulysses’ Homeric name, derived from ‘The Wolf’, implying he was a man nimble with words and cunning in action.

Ulysses Mythical Journey

Ulysses, immediately after the destruction of Troy c.1,200 BC set sail north-west of Troy, with his 12 ship squadron, to plunder the land of the Cicones who were allies of the Trojans. Each ship with twenty oars, ten to each side, carried at least forty men. His twelve ship squadron consisted of 500 crewmen.

Ulysses men delayed too long and lost 72 men, 6 from each ship, when the Cicones gathered allies and attacked them on the shore.

The Land of the Lotus Eaters

Ulysses’ squadron set sail and a terrible gale from the north drove them southward down the Aegean, past Cythera and for nine days they were swept along until they reached the coast of modern day Libya. The landed on Jerba, the Land of the Lotus Eaters. Three men were sent ashore and consumed the Lotus, desiring to remain on land, they were brought on board ship and chained. Ulysses set sail with his squadron east of north.

Goat Island

Modern Favignana off the west coast of Sicily was Ulysses squadron’s next landfall. 9 goats fell to each ship. Ulysses intended to sail across the sea to investigate the fires on the land to the east.

The Cave of Polyphemus

Ulysses picked his twelve best men and ordered his squadron to remain on guard until their return. The Cave of Polyphemus remains extant. Cyclopes means round head, they may have had a tattoo of an eye on their foreheads as a clan mark, they were not giants. Ulysses and his men were trapped by Polyphemus when he closed his cave with boulders. Ulysses gave his name as Ouedis – the Greek for Nobody. Ulysses blinded Polyphemus and escaped with 6 of his men under his sheep. Ulysses rejoined the other eleven vessels of his squadron.

The Island of the Winds

Ulysses set sail for north and east hoping to regain Ithaca and home. Ulysses reached Ustica, 100km north east from Favignana. The island was inhabited by Aeolus his wife and twelve children. Aeolus gave Ulysses the gift of a westerly wind in a bag. After twelve days of sailing north-east they sighted Cephallonia, the island sheltering Ithaca. Ulysses content, slept. His crew opened Aeolus’ gift of winds, a storm blew up and pushed them south of Sicily. All memory of Ulysses’ homeland faded.

The Laestrygonians

Both the Cyclops, Polyphemus and the Leastrygonians, emerge as anthropophagoi – cannibals. Modern day Port de Bonifacio, Corsica was the cove where the Laetrygonians rained rocks down on Ulysses fleet. Only Ulysses ship’s company escaped.

Circe’s Island

Ulysses sailed to Cape Circeo off the coast of Italy where his men encountered Circe. Circe was an enchantress and a goddess. Ulysses left Eurylochus in charge of 22 men, they entered Circe’s glade and were turned into animals. Hermes intervened and gave Ulysses a sacred plant to protect him from Circe’s spell. The surviving Greeks stayed on Circe’s island for a year. The youngest crew member, Elpenor died. Ulysses never expected to see Circe’s island again. A northerly wind drove Ulysses between Sardinia and Corsica.

The Pillars of Hercules

Ulysses ship sailed to the end of the known world, the Straits of Gibraltar, where Ulysses met the God of the Underworld, Hades, who was related to Circe. Ulysses pours libations to the Underworld in a trench. This was an unreal, poetic episode. Ulysses fate was revealed, he was destined to return to Circe’s island. Should his crew slaughter the Sun God’s cattle they would perish.

The Sirens and the Wandering Rocks

Ulysses’ ship returned to Circe’s island ensuring Elpenor’s spirit was buried. Circe directed Ulysses sailing route. Ulysses’ ship sailed south to the Siren’s Rocks at the entrance to the Straits of Messina, he ensured his crew plugged their ears and he was lashed to the mast. The Sirens lured sailors to their doom. Their ship then faced the wandering rocks of volcanic, Stromboli Island and the whirlpool of Scylla and Charybdis in the Straits of Messina. Scylla snatched six men from Ulysses’ ship.

The Sun God’s Island

Taormina, Sicily, fits the description of the Sun God Hyperion’s Island tending his healthy cattle and sheep. Ulysses repeated Circe’s warning that if the cattle or sheep were harmed, the ship would be lost and everyone drowned. Ulysses’ forty strong crew endured a month long lack of favourable winds when his crew went hungry. Eurylochus killed the sacred cattle while Ulysses slept. Ulysses ship set sail due east, during the winter storms, attempting to escape their fate. The ship was wrecked in the whirlpool of Chaybdis with only Ulysses clinging to the fig tree of life above the boiling sea.

Ortygia, Calypso’s Island

Ulysses drifted alone on his driftwood raft for nine days landing on fair Calypso’s Island. The Dingli region of Malta fits the description for Calypso’s Island where Ulysses was detained for seven years. Neesos Kalupsous (Greek) – The Island of the Hiding Place. Ulysses withered slowly at the quiet limit of the world. Calypso was forced to let him go. Calypso directed Ulysses to build a strong pine log raft and told him to keep the Plough to his left hand side. Within eighteen days Ulysses landed on Corcyra (Corfu) where the Phaecians returned him to Ithaca where he slew Penelope’s suitors with his son Telemachus.

Ulysses Wanderings Inspired Many Writers

Ulysses odyssey, favoured by the Gods, inspired James Joyce’s Ulysses. Leopold Bloom, the anti-hero, was an uninspiring figure, yet he returned home a hero after a night of wandering around Dublin in 1904.

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In the footsteps of giants: the ultimate Ulysses walk around Dublin

On the centennial of James Joyce’s modernist masterpiece, we offer a pilgrimage you can fit into a single day

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses, by Paris bookshop Shakespeare and Company. It’s also James Joyce’s birthday; he was born on 2 February 1882 – 140 years ago.

Ulysses is contemporary with the Irish Free State, established on 6 December 1922; historians love to pore over its dense, riddling text for clues about the national psyche at the time. The novel and the year have come to be seen as key turning points in Modernism; TS Eliot, whose The Waste Land appeared in December 1922, called Ulysses “a book to which we are all indebted, and from which none of us can escape”.

Joyce signed off his text with the words, “Trieste-Zurich-Paris, 1914-1921”. But it is to Dublin we best go if we want to celebrate Ulysses, which put the Irish capital on the map of premier cities of the imagination – beside the likes of Paris and London – and offered readers a detailed plan of the Irish capital in its perambulating plot, which unfolds over a single day.

Since 1929, Joyce fans have celebrated Bloomsday on 16 June – the fictional date on which the novel’s events take place, in 1904 – with readings, talks, breakfasts, singing, jigs, reels and fancy dress. In 2020 and 2021, the event, forced to go virtual, was dubbed Zoomsday . This year there will no doubt be a bigger than usual Bloomsday – new films and radio productions are already in train and a themed film festival ( bloomsdayfestival.ie ) returns for a third time – but there’s also a lot happening in the build-up.

There are many ways of taking a Joycean tour around the city. Close readers who like a challenge and a wander set off to trace the book’s clues, shadowing the route taken by protagonist Leopold Bloom, despite the fact many buildings and even entire streets have been demolished. Others follow actual maps prepared by others, tag along behind seasoned tour guides or take bus and bike tours. Some have even taken up Bloom’s challenge: “Good puzzle would be cross Dublin without passing a pub”.

There are 14 brass plaques – laid in the pavement in 1988 – marking out the walk taken by Bloom during the course of the novel; there’s a geocache linked to these. But the other central character, Stephen Dedalus – Joyce’s alter ego – also spends much of the book walking, and the suggested stops below contain some of his route.

The Martello Tower, Sandycove

Ireland’s 50 or so Martello towers, likely named after a tower at Cape Martella in Corsica, were built by the British during the Napoleonic wars. This tower, now a Joyce museum , appears on the first page of Ulysses, with Buck Mulligan having a wet shave while testing his banter on Stephen. The opening lines of the novel are repeated over and over in the film Opening Ulysses , created by Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Museum of Literature Ireland in collaboration with 40 Irish embassies and consulates – a project that perhaps acknowledges many readers don’t get much further than the enigmatic opening.

Sandymount strand

“Am I walking into eternity along Sandymount strand?” wonders Stephen in one of the early stream-of-consciousness sections. Later the same day, Bloom masturbates from the prom while ogling young Gerty MacDowell. This long, broad beach is a place to clear your head before plunging into the labyrinthine novel/city.

James Joyce Centre

In the early 1900s this fine Georgian townhouse at 35 North Great George’s Street gave home to a dance academy run by Prof Denis J Maginni, a character who turns up a few times in Ulysses. The building was saved from the wrecking ball by a Joyce scholar. Leopold Bloom’s fictional house at 7 Eccles Street wasn’t so lucky, but the front door of the property is on display here. Due to Covid-19, the centre is currently closed; reopening date tbc.

No need to choose too carefully; Ulysses allows plenty of scope for “arsing around from one pub to another”. None of the pubs mentioned in the novel looks anything like they would have done back in the day. Davy Byrnes , which Leopold Bloom deems a “moral pub”, is OK for a pint, though the menu doesn’t feature the gorgonzola sandwich he enjoys with a “good glass of burgundy”. Kennedys on Westland Row, formerly Conways, has hosted Bloomsdays, and claims associations with Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett, as well as Joyce. The Oval feels kind of time-honoured and lived-in – though the original was destroyed in the 1916 Easter Rising .

O’Connell Bridge

This famous bridge over the River Liffey – built between 1791 and 1794 as Carlisle Bridge and renamed in 1882 after Irish political leader Daniel O’Connell – has a starring role in The Dead, the long, final story in Joyce’s Dubliners. The character Gabriel has an epiphany here, realising he must embrace his country’s quest for independence. In Ulysses, Bloom pauses on the bridge to feed seagulls Banbury cakes (currant-filled pastries similar to Eccles cakes).

National Library of Ireland

This classical building on Kildare Street, designed by Cork-born Thomas Newenham Deane, dates from 1877. In the Scylla and Charybdis episode, Stephen – who has just given some scholars a lecture on his “biographical” theory about Shakespeare’s Hamlet – and Bloom almost meet in the library entrance. The coffered ceiling of the main reading room, stained glass, reliefs and mosaic floor are worth a look.

Museum of Literature Ireland

Branded MoLI for 2022 in homage to Molly Bloom, Joyce’s heroine in Ulysses, and recently reopened to the public, the museum is hosting Love, Says Bloom (2 Feb-3 Jul), an exhibition curated by Nuala O’Connor dedicated to Joyce’s relationship with his wife, Nora Barnacle, their children, Lucia and Giorgio, and grandson Stephen. Until June 2022, the museum is also hosting Suzanne Freeman’s Ulysses, a Treasure Hunt: the episodes of the novel are depicted in a series of small wooden cases dotted around the museum. Copy No. 1 of Ulysses is kept here. Full details of all events can be found at ulysses100.ie .

Booksupstairs

You can’t pay homage to Joyce without popping into a bookseller’s; this independent bookshop at 17 D’Olier Street has itself gone walkabout since opening in 1978, passing from a site above a furrier’s on South King Street, George’s Street Market Arcade and 36 College Green – opposite Trinity College – before settling here. The shop stocks new and secondhand editions of Joyce’s works and has a cafe. Consuming Joyce (Bloomsbury), a new book by John McCourt, analyses, among other things, why we go on pilgrimages instead of reading James Joyce.

Glasnevin cemetery

Death is a key motif in Ulysses. Stephen is mourning his mother’s passing. Bloom is on the way to Paddy Dignam’s funeral at this large cemetery north west of the city centre. The tomb of drowning victim Matthew F Kane says he was the “model for Patrick Dignam” and four other people in the novel. While Joyce was writing Ulysses, the great influenza pandemic of 1918-1920 was slaying millions. In the Hades episode of the novel, Bloom muses: “Whooping cough … Only measles … Scarlatina, influenza epidemics. Canvassing for death. Don’t miss this chance”. Thinking as an advertising agent, he imagines the rival plagues as travelling salesmen, bidding for business (ie bodies).

This beautiful peninsula to the north east of Dublin has special significance in Ulysses. Bloom proposed to Molly here. Howth is also a prompt in Molly’s final soliloquy, when she recalls why she loves him (“yes he said I was a flower of the mountain yes”). Dublin is where Bloom is forced to confront the fact he is a cuckold. For hope and faith, you have to leave the metropolis behind, go to the edge, study the sea.

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The Dublin spots featured in James Joyce's "Ulysses"

Trace the steps of leopold bloom, the main character of james joyce's "ulysses," around dublin this bloomsday, june 16..

Bloomsday is celebrated in Dublin and further afield every June 16, the same date that James Joyce's Ulysses takes place.

If you're lucky enough to be spending this Bloomsday in Dublin, chances are you'll want to visit all the top places mentioned in James Joyce's iconic "Ulysses."

To help you on your way, IrishCentral has compiled a list of Dublin landmarks that are featured in James Joyce’s 1922 masterpiece, which follows protagonist Leopold Bloom on his day-long journey through the streets of Dublin. 

Joyce’s work is so beloved by his fans that is it celebrated around the globe annually on Bloomsday, June 16, the very same date that Dedalus set out into Dublin in 1904.

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You can retrace the steps of Leopold Bloom by taking your own tour of Dublin's following sites:

Martello Tower, Sandy Cove

This spot is now home to The James Joyce Tower and Museum . The first chapter of "Ulysses," Telemachus, features this landmark.

The museum showcases Joyce’s possessions and other memorabilia associated with the novel, including an empty pot of Plumtree’s Potted Meat. The tower has been restored to resemble the rooms as they would have been in 1904. The museum was created through the efforts of artist John Ryan. Ryan is responsible for the first Bloomsday in 1954.

Martello Tower (Getty Images)

Clifton School, Dalkey

Located in a seaside suburb of Dublin , some eight miles southeast of the city center, the Clifton School is today the site of the Summerfield Lodge. Joyce himself taught history here for one term in this setting for the Nestor episode.

Sandymount Strand

This beach is situated on the east coast of Ireland, next to the village and suburb of Sandymount in Dublin. Considered the most famous beach in Irish fiction , it makes up the south side of Dublin Bay.

Sandymount Strand serves as the setting for both the third episode Proteus and the 13th episode Nausicaa in the book. The most controversial scene in the novel takes place here as Leopold Bloom pleasures himself to a young Gertie lifting her skirt. This scene led to Ulysses being banned in the USA for obscenity .

Sandymount Beach (Ireland's Content Pool)

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Glasnevin Cemetery

Ireland’s largest non-denominational cemetery is 120 acres and dates back to 1832. The setting for the Hades episode is marked by high walls and watchtowers that were originally built to deter body-snatchers in the 18th and 19th centuries. Such prominent Irish figures as Daniel O’Connell , Micheal Collins,  Éamon de Valera , Christy Brown, and Luke Kelly of The Dubliners are all buried here.

Princes Street, Dublin

The street is a major thoroughfare and urban center in Dublin. The Aleous episode was set here. It runs off O’Connell Street and was the site of the old Capitol Theatre.

• WATCH: Explore James Joyce's Dublin, the city that inspired the great writer

National Library of Ireland, Dublin

The building, designed by Thomas Newenhan Dean, dates back to 1877. Located on Kildare Street, this Irish institution is a reference library housing Irish-related books, manuscripts, music, newspapers, periodicals, and photographs. It provides genealogy services as well. The library is featured prominently in the Scylla and Charybdis episode.

The National Library of Ireland (Getty Images)

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Grafton Street, Dublin

The famous street is one of the major thoroughfares of Dublin, running from St. Stephens Green to College Green. Lined with high-end shops it is considered the fifth most expensive main shopping street in the world.

Grafton Street is also famed for the Trinity College Provost's House, the Molly Malone statue, and street performers. Famous entertainers such as Glen Hansard (from the movie “Once,”) Damien Rice, and Rodrigo y Gabriela have plied their musical craft on Grafton Street as street buskers.

It acts as the setting for The Wandering Rocks chapter.

Grafton Street (Ireland's Content Pool)

Ormond Hotel, Dublin

The hotel is located in Dublin on Ormond Quay on the River Liffey. The hotel, the setting for the Sirens episode, has been completely remodeled since Leopold Bloom stayed there in 1904. It was originally one building and not the five that occupies the site today. The hotel tries to keep Joyce’s legacy alive with a plaque commemorating the spot and a Sirens Lounge.

Barney Kiernan's, now the Claddagh Ring, Little Britain Street

The famous setting of The Cyclops episode takes place in the pub Barney Kiernan's. This watering hole, located on 8-10 Little Britain Street in Dublin, is now known as the Claddagh Ring.

How do you celebrate Bloomsday? Let us know in the comments!

* Originally published in June 2014. Updated in 2023.

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• Description

Overview Welcome to the Virtual Flanuer

An interactive map of the Odyssey that’s easier to follow than NYC’s or London’s subway maps

ESRI | Fair Use

After spending ten years waging war, Ulysses finally embarked on his return to Ithaca. A trip that should have lasted only a few weeks, traveling across the Aegean, the Mediterranean and the Ionian Sea until he reached the west coast of Greece, however, ended up being, strictly speaking, an odyssey. We all know the story. Kind of.

Thanks to this map, published by ESRI , following Ulysses’ convoluted journey trying to get back home is a bit easier (although it lacks the aesthetic pleasure of reading Homer, sure).

You can visit the map here . It’s quite fun indeed.

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• " Ulysses  Notes" Home Page Michael Groden's Home Page Contact Michael Groden

EPISODES 1. Telemachus 2. Nestor 3.   Proteus 4.   Calypso 5.   Lotus   Eaters 6.  Hades 7.   Aeolus 8.   Lestrygonians 9.   Scylla   &   Charybdis 10.   Wandering   Rocks 11. Sirens 12. Cyclops 13.   Nausicaa 14.   Oxen   of   the   Sun 15.   Circe 16.   Eumaeus 17.   Ithaca 18.   Penelope

OTHER PAGES Map of Ulysses Sources Bibliography Joyce on the Web

A MAP OF ULYSSES

Source: Jack McCarthy with Danis Rose, Joyce's Dublin: A Walking Guide to "Ulysses." Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 1986, 1988, pp. 8-9

Key to Locations: 1. Martello Tower, Sandycove 2. Garrett Deasy's School, Dalkey 3. Sandymount Strand 4. No. 7 Eccles Street 5. South Dublin Streets 6A. No. 9 Newbridge Avenue, Sandymount 6B. Glasnevin Cemetery 7. The Freeman's Journal, Prince's Street 8. Lunch at Davy Byrne's, Duke Street 9. The National Library, Kildare Street 10A: Phoenix Park 10B: R D S. Ballsbridge 10C: Presbytery, Gardiner Street 10D: O'Brien Institute, Artane 10E: Joyce's Home, No. 7 St. Peter's Terrace 10F: Sundial, James's Street 11: Ormond Hotel on the Liffey, Upper Ormond Quay 12. Barney Kiernan's Pub, Little Britain Street 13. Sandymount Strand (as in 3) 14: Holles Street Hospital 15: Nighttown, Railway Street 16. Cabman's Shelter, Custom House Quay 17. Home, No. 7 Eccles Street 18: Molly's Bed, No. 7 Eccles Street

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Due to inclement weather, the Morgan will be closed

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One hundred years of james joyce's ulysses.

Set on one day, 16 June 1904, James Joyce’s Ulysses follows the young poet Stephen Dedalus and the unlikely hero Leopold Bloom as they journey through Dublin. The groundbreaking novel links the epic to the ordinary, connecting characters and motifs from Homer’s ancient Greek poem the Odyssey with life in the Irish city that created Joyce. Written in self-imposed exile between 1914 and 1921, Ulysses expanded the limits of language and genre—and not without controversy. Censored and banned in America and England for obscenity, its publication in Paris a century ago was the catalyst for new legal standards of artistic freedom.

One Hundred Years of James Joyce’s “Ulysses” explores Joyce’s trajectory from lyric poet to modernist genius. It considers key figures in his career; artists and writers who responded to the novel; and the family who shaped him as a man and writer. At the exhibition’s heart is Joyce’s imagination as he created his masterpiece, explored in manuscripts, plans, and proofs, with major contributions from the James Joyce Collection, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.

This presentation celebrates a significant gift to the Morgan by Sean and Mary Kelly, who over several decades accumulated one of the foremost Joyce collections in private hands.

Explore the exhibition

Berenice Abbott (1898–1991), James Joyce, 1928. The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, gift of Sean and Mary Kelly, 2018; 2018.20. © Berenice Abbott via Getty Images

Publications:

Ulysses Mapped

A typographic map of extraordinary detail, created purely from all the places and premises mentioned in Ulysses that were real and existed on the day.

Leopold’s Day is a collection of beautifully designed pieces inspired by Leopold Bloom’s journey through Dublin on 16 June 1904. The carefully designed range is centred around a beautifully crafted typographic map formed purely from the people, premises and places cited in Ulysses .

This is the first time a map of Dublin city has been created which captures the landmarks and actual people who featured in the famous text. Every detail has been carefully selected to capture the essence of the day when Bloom ventured through the city; the main typeface of the map is a digitised version of the typeface used in Ulysses ’ first edition. The map’s directory features over four hundred landmarks and businesses, which formed the backdrop to Ulysses and were in existence in Dublin on that monumental day when Leopold Bloom journeyed through the city.

Find out more: https://www.leopoldsday.com/

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A map of Odysseus’s journey

The Odyssey

Odysseus--soldier, sailor, trickster, and everyman--is one of the most recognizable characters in world literature. His arduous, ten-year journey home after the Trojan War, the subject of Homer's Odyssey , is the most accessible tale to survive from ancient Greece, and its impact is still felt today across many different cultures.

• June 26 th 2014

Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey is a classic adventure filled with shipwrecks, feuds, obstacles, mythical creatures, and divine interventions. But how to visualize the thrilling voyage?

The map below traces Odysseus’s travel as recounted to the Phaeacians near the end of his wandering across the Mediterranean. Odysseus’s ten-year trek began in Asia Minor at the fallen city of Troy (the green marker) following the end of the Trojan War. His ultimate destination: his home in Ithaca (the red marker). Click the markers for information on each step of his journey. It is important to note that the 14 locations plotted on this map have been widely debated by both ancient and modern scholars.

Barry Powell, translator of a new edition of The Odyssey , asserts that the currently agreed upon location of the Island of the Sun (#11) is in fact modern-day Sicily. However, the characters in The Odyssey are in “never-never land,” and consequently, the locations plotted cannot be deemed entirely accurate.

Headline image credit: Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse, 1891. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons .

Barry B. Powell is Halls-Bascom Professor of Classics Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His new free verse translation of The Odyssey was published by Oxford University Press in 2014. His translation of The Iliad was published by Oxford University Press in 2013.

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Recent Comments

There is NO ‘republic of Macedonia! There’s only a so-called Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Please amend your map. You of all to make such mistake?! It’s disgraceful.

Well, your work is an excellent one and enjoyed it. However, I would like to point out that your map has a huge mistake.Does not exist a state named “Republic of Macedonia”, it is FYROM. So if you want to be accepted by Greeks “Hellines”, you have to correct that name at once. FYROM did not exist at the times of Odysseus, they appeared in that territory many-many centuries later from the NE Slaves.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

The map above was created using Mapbox, which sources its geography from Open Street Map. All countries and locations named on the underlying map are modern. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is commonly referred to as ‘Republic of Macedonia’ in English for brevity (as ‘Italy’ instead of ‘Italian Republic’). This is reflected in the Open Street Map data and is not the direct work of the authors or editors.

Alice Northover OUPblog Editor

Thank you of your reply. In any case any official organization must not accept to participate to the propaganda game of Scopia.Their real old name was and is “Vardaska”. So we, Hellines, will never accept to play their game.In any case, if they want to belong to the Hellenic recent history, they have to ask their union with Hellenic state. Regarding “brevity” this is another of their games…..

Since you are interested of Greek/Hellenic history, please see/read new articles regarding recent discovery at ancient Amphipolis of Macedonia.This is the real history and not the constructed one.

Please do not seek in the Mediterranean!

Homeros was not a fanciful poet.

I say: explorations for Homeros should also be in the Netherlands, where in the ever sinking delta formerly was situated the land Phtia, twice a day inundated by the sea. Clay soils it had, with coarse clods, and the king was married to a sea goddess. Maps have recently been reconstructed.

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• June 26, 2020

Discover Ulysses’ journey: Visit Italy in 5 itineraries.

Stefania Macrì

Trips and excursions to mythological places, to discover the places of ulysses., 5 ideas for excursions and trips to legendary places..

Traveling in central and southern Italy to discover the Travels of Ulysses. Lazio, Campania, Calabria, Sicily are united by Homer’s epic poem and we show you the places where Ulysses and his crew traveled.

Mythology, cultural treasure

Mythology has always been a fascinating subject that tells the reality lived by ancient peoples that has been handed down to the present day. How can we forget the Latin and Greek myths ? Classical literature, art, music, ancient history have told of distant worlds, traditional cultures that have become more and more rooted in the collective imagination, leaving us a legacy of a precious cultural treasure to preserve, enhance and continue to pass on. A tangible and intangible heritage that Life Beyond Tourism makes you discover today.

You are ready? Let’s leave immediately.

Before talking about the 5 mythological places related to Homer’s Odyssey , let’s briefly review. We are around in 1184 a. C. at the end of the Trojan War between the Achaeans and the Trojans. In this context, the Homeric poem that narrates the return journey of Odysseus (in Latin Ulysses) and his warriors to return to his homeland, in Ithaca (Greek island of the Ionian Sea) comes to life. From here begins a long series of adventures that bring our hero home, meeting some legendary characters who, somehow, try to prevent and / or help the protagonists to find the right way back.

The mythical places where Ulysses stopped on his long journey.

1 – the legendary cyclops island.

It is a group of islands in Sicily at the foot of Etna Volcano that are part of a protected marine area. They are located in the municipality of Aci Trezza and the largest is that of Lachea . According to the legend Ulysses lands on the Island of the Cyclops, mythological inhabitants of the territory, divinities of gigantic dimensions and with one eye, man-eaters. Here Odysseus, driven by curiosity, enters the discovery of the island together with a part of his men.

The Cyclops Islands are an enchanting place full of mythological tales that go beyond the Homeric myth. Suggestive is the landscape that can be seen from the beach of Aci Trezza where the stacks dominate. Since 1989 the complex of the Cyclops Islands have been part of a protected marine area which takes its name from the meeting between Ulysses and the Cyclops.

2 – The myth of Polyphemus and Mount Etna

On his way into the Island of the Cyclops, Ulysses arrives at the cave of one of the most feared Cyclops: Polyphemus . Here everyone is captured; some have a terrible fate while others manage to escape thanks to Ulysses’ cunning that makes Polyphemus get drunk, pierces his eye with a red-hot rod and, the next day, does not see the fugitives in the midst of the sheep of his flock. When the cyclops realizes that Ulysses and his followers have fled, in anger, he throws rocks from his cave and invokes his father, the divine Zeus, cursing the journey of Ulysses.

The cave mentioned by Homer is nothing that Mount Etna , the Sicilian volcano still active today that offers beautiful landscapes and where it is allowed on guided tours . And probably the stones that are thrown by Polyphemus are the result of a volcanic eruption.

3 – Travel on the Island of Eea, the Circeo

Another important place in the Odyssey is the meeting of Ulysses and part of his crew with Circe . After a vicissitude on the Island of Lestrigoni (probably located in southern Corsica) Odysseus’ ship arrives in this place dominated by the Circe palace, from where a harmonious melody is heard and wild animals of all kinds can be seen. Here the Achaeans find shelter and welcome but after having refreshed themselves, they immediately turn into animals and are locked up in the stables, prisoners of Circe. Ulysses, after hearing about one of his men, decides to go and save the unfortunate ones by listening to the advice of the god Hermes . Arriving from Circe he drinks from a chalice in which, as a precaution, he mixes a divine herb ( moly ) which prevents him from transforming and threatens Circe with death. This, recognized the defeat frees the companions of Ulysses and shows them the direction to take to go home.

According to some scholars, the Island of Eea is identified with the current territory of the Circeo and the surrounding territory which, precisely from the epic poem, takes the name of Riviera di Ulisse. The Riviera di Ulisse is located in southern Lazio and encompasses the territories of Gaeta, Formia, Minturno, Itri and Sperlonga .

4 – The descent in the Averno and the Sirens’ song

Continuing his journey according to Circe’s advice, Ulysses and his warriors arrive at the gates of the underworld in the Averno’s Lake to speak with the soothsayer Tiresias who confirms to them that they would return to Ithaca. Lake Averno, identified with the place of entry of the underworld, is a volcanic lake located in the municipality of Pozzuoli, in Campania. Being near the Vesuvius volcano, the fumes of the lake prevent the proliferation of fauna and consequently Greek and Latin mythology identified this place as the gateway to the Underworld.

Ulysses continues his sailing adventure and arrives in the current Gulf of Naples where the famous encounter with the Sirens takes place, mythological creatures known to be able to enchant sailors and destroy their ships, making them run aground among the spikes of the territory. The territory in question could coincide with the Isle of Capri and its faraglioni . The epic story tells that Ulysses, on Circe’s advice, gets himself chained to the master tree in order to be able to listen carefully to their song while making the rest of the crew’s ears shut with wax.

5 – The sea monsters of Scylla and Charybdis. Excursion on the Strait of Messina

Currently in the province of Reggio Calabria there is the town of Scilla together with Chianalea , also called the Venice of the South, where according to the epic poem lived the homeric monster of the same name. The legend also tells that Chianalea was built by the Trojan exiles. On the Sicilian side, Charybdis is geographically located in Capo Peloro , that is to say the extreme north-eastern tip of Sicily, in the municipality of Messina . Homer inserts the two monsters in this place probably because of the known marine currents that are in the waters of the Strait of Messina.

Author: Stefania Macrì

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Odyssey ">An Interactive Map of Odysseus’ 10-Year Journey in Homer’s Odyssey

in Literature , Maps | June 13th, 2019 8 Comments

The Odyssey , one of Home­r’s two great epics, nar­rates Odysseus’ long, strange trip home after the Tro­jan war . Dur­ing their ten-year jour­ney, Odysseus and his men had to over­come divine and nat­ur­al forces, from bat­ter­ing storms and winds to dif­fi­cult encoun­ters with the Cyclops Polyphe­mus, the can­ni­bal­is­tic Laestry­gones, the witch-god­dess Circe and the rest. And they took a most cir­cuitous route, bounc­ing all over the Mediter­ranean, mov­ing first down to Crete and Tunisia. Next over to Sici­ly, then off toward Spain, and back to Greece again.

If you’re look­ing for an easy way to visu­al­ize all of the twists and turns in  The Odyssey , then we’d rec­om­mend spend­ing some time with the  inter­ac­tive map cre­at­ed by Gisèle Moun­z­er .  “Odysseus’ Jour­ney”  breaks down Odysseus’ voy­age into 14 key scenes and locates them on a mod­ern map designed by Esri, a com­pa­ny that cre­ates GIS map­ping soft­ware.

Mean­while, if you’re inter­est­ed in the whole con­cept of ancient trav­el, we’d sug­gest revis­it­ing one of our pre­vi­ous posts:  Play Cae­sar: Trav­el Ancient Rome with Stanford’s Inter­ac­tive Map . It tells you all about  ORBIS , a geospa­tial net­work mod­el, that lets you sim­u­late jour­neys in Ancient Roman. You pick the points of ori­gin and des­ti­na­tion for a trip, and ORBIS will recon­struct the dura­tion and finan­cial cost of mak­ing the ancient jour­ney.

If you would like to sign up for Open Culture’s free email newslet­ter,  please find it here . Or fol­low our posts on Threads , Face­book , BlueSky or Mastodon .

If you would like to sup­port the mis­sion of Open Cul­ture, con­sid­er mak­ing a dona­tion to our site . It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your con­tri­bu­tions will help us con­tin­ue pro­vid­ing the best free cul­tur­al and edu­ca­tion­al mate­ri­als to learn­ers every­where. You can con­tribute through Pay­Pal , Patre­on , and Ven­mo (@openculture). Thanks!

Note: An ear­li­er ver­sion of this post appeared on our site in Decem­ber, 2013.

Relat­ed Con­tent:

Hear Homer’s Ili­ad Read in the Orig­i­nal Ancient Greek

What Ancient Greek Music Sound­ed Like: Hear a Recon­struc­tion That is ‘100% Accu­rate’

Dis­cov­er the “Brazen Bull,” the Ancient Greek Tor­ture Machine That Dou­bled as a Musi­cal Instru­ment

Learn­ing Ancient His­to­ry for Free

by OC | Permalink | Comments (8) |

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Comments (8), 8 comments so far.

The name of the coun­try north of Mace­do­nia (i.e. the region of Greece) is North Mace­do­nia (Sev­er­na Make­doni­ja). Please, change your map accord­ing to the inter­na­tion­al agree­ments.

Not to worry…Macedonia is north of Greece..so is west,east,north and south Mace­do­nia.

No need to change any maps at this time as this fic­ti­tious coun­try will self-destruct and cease toex­ist in a very short time except as absorbed by its sur­round­ing coun­ties.

Circe’s loca­tion is usu­al­ly thought to be Mount Circeo, south of Rome…never heard of it been iden­ti­fied with the Balear­es

I could­n’t get the map to load. It said it had a fatal error. :-(

Same prob­lem for me

The link appears bro­ken, map fails with “Fatal error”, bit like in a Greek tragedy ..

I also got a fatal error. Is the map pos­si­bly restrict­ed in which coun­tries it can be viewed?

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Novodevichy Convent and cemetery in Moscow: tickets, cemetery map

• August 26, 2023

Novodevichy Convent and cemetery in Moscow is one the places to visit in Russia, if you wish:

• first, to see “one of the brightest examples of Russian architecture”, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site ,
• then take a break from your hectic journey in the Russian capital;
• and finally discover the faces of famous Russian men and women.

In order to prepare for the visit to this place, I suggest that you see the history of Novodevichy together, then discover the information and practical elements that will be useful to you once there. Novodevichy Convent is one of the most interesting things to do in Moscow .

Good to know ! The Novodevichy Convent is under renovation until the end of October 2022. Work is progressing little by little, but most of the exterior is done in early 2020.

Why should you visit the Novodevichy convent and cemetery?

The convent has gone through different eras in the history of Russia. Therefore, its architecture, interiors and cemetery will not leave you indifferent.

The history of Novodevichy Convent

When and why.

The convent was built in 1524 by the Vassili III ukaz, to celebrate the conquest of Smolensk and his return to Moscow.

In which purpose?

Surrounded by walls and thus built like a fortress, the Novodevichy convent had the function of defending the city of Moscow in the event of an invasion. Several neighboring villages were then dependent on the convent. For centuries, its walls welcomed women and girls (dievouchki: girls in Russian) from the Russian aristocracy and even members of the dynasty, who, for the most part, were sent here rather by force than by the will. A donation accompanied entry to the convent. The Novodevichy Convent was considered at that time to be one of the richest and the most prestigious monastery in Russia.

Why this name?

Before the convent was built, during the Mongol invasion, it was here that we looked like all the beautiful young girls ( dievouchki : young women in Russian) from Moscow in order to send them as “offerings” to the Golden Horde .

During the USSR

Under the USSR, religious buildings took on new functions (Karl Marx: “Religion is the opium of the people.”). The Novodievichi Convent could not escape it. The place has been transformed into the Women’s Liberation Museum.

The calm, architecture and richness of the interiors

The architecture of the whole blends perfectly with nature. The white walls of the convent are reflected in the water. The convent park is huge. The place is calm and relaxing. This is a real breath of fresh air after the Moscow center! Behind the walls, there is an exceptional architectural ensemble, as well as the magnificent icons and frescoes.

Novodevichy Cemetery

The convent is also known for its cemetery. Here we find famous personalities from Russia. Many compare it to Père-Lachaise in Paris and even find that the cemetery is worth the detour than the monastery. For my part, I find that the cemetery of the Alexandre Nevsky convent in Saint Petersburg is also interesting.

Everyone has their preferences, but in any case, the cemetery adds an additional attraction for visiting Novodevichy. Later in this article you will find more information about the cemetery.

Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery: Practical Information

Here is some practical information to know before you get there.

How to get there?

The convent is quite far from downtown Moscow: 1 hour and 15 minutes on foot from the Moscow Kremlin. The best way is to take public transport. Several options are available to you:

• Bus M3. The route of this bus is very practical to go to the Novodevichy Convent and cemetery. In addition, it is always more pleasant to stay on the surface and not get on the metro (even if it is very beautiful). From Teatralnaya ploschad (just opposite the Bolshoi theater) to the convent, it will take 25 minutes; 30 – if you come from Kitaï Gorod. The route is pretty nice and the bus stop is right next to the entrance! The only risk is traffic jams (office hours to avoid: before 9 a.m., after 5 p.m.).
• Sportivnaya (line 1, red) is the nearest metro station (fyi: post about metro stations: Most beautiful metro stations in Moscow ). It will take less than 20 minutes from Kitai Gorod, which is on the same line, and 10 minutes on foot from Sportivnaya station at the entrance to the convent. The path on foot is therefore not unpleasant: fairly quiet, among mostly residential buildings.
• Find out more about transport in this blog post: Public transport (metro, bus) in Moscow .

Walking around. The former Tolstoy house is more or less in the same area, a few stops from M3 before Novodevichy (stop: Ulitsa Lva Tolsotogo). The interior and furniture of this house, transformed into a museum, are original. There are some guided tours in English to Novodevichy Convent and cemetery that could be interesting.

Where are the entrances to the convent and the cemetery?

There is an entrance for the convent and another for the cemetery. Normally, you can also access the cemetery from the territory of the convent, but the last time we went there this access was closed (because of renovation). To get to the cemetery, it’s best to go through the main entrance to the cemetery.

What are the opening hours of the Novodevichy Convent and cemetery?

• Access to the monastery is daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (depending on the end of the liturgies), except in exceptional cases.
• Entrance to the monastery museum is daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Tuesday and the first Monday of the month.
• Access to the cemetery. From May to September: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. October to April: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Every day of the week.

Good to know! Liturgies are daily. Usually in the morning – at 7.40 a.m. and in the evening – at 5.00 p.m. Sundays and days of major celebrations – at 6:20 am and 8:40 am. In order to be able to attend the morning liturgies, I know of no other solution than being orthodox practitioners. On the other hand, for the evening ones – I think it’s possible, discreetly, of course. Smolensk Cathedral, the main cathedral, is closed from early October to mid-May.

As the monastery’s official website is in Russian, here is the link to TripAdvisor .

How to buy entry tickets?

Access to the Novodevichy Convent Cemetery is normally free. But since July 2019, the cemetery has paid entry only for foreign tourists (300 RUB / person). It is not cool, but it is working like that for the moment.

Access to the convent area is free, but it costs 300 RUB for exhibitions and a visit to Smolensk Cathedral, 100 RUB – for taking photos and 200 RUB – for videos. If you are a student (proof required): 100 RUB.

Novodevichy convent and cemetery: what to see?

I will describe below what you can discover during your walk in the Novodevichy Convent. However, unfortunately, the official site of the Novodevichy ensemble is in Russian only.

The Novodevichy Convent

Here is the map of the Novodevichy Convent and cemetery fro m the official website in Russian, to give you an idea of ​​the whole.

Novodevichy cemetery: what to see and Novodevichy cemetery map

As noted above, many famous Russian figures rest in this cemetery. Very different personalities, moreover, who perhaps would never have appreciated this proximity. Nevertheless, this is one of the reasons why I find the visit to the cemetery interesting. Always from my point of view: I do not think it is a good idea to come to see the tombs (they remain fairly sober overall).

Buried personalities in Novodevichy cemetery

Here are some names of the personalities buried in Novodevichy:

• Mikhail Bulgakov, author of the famous novel Master and Margarita
• Nicolas Gogol, writer
• Anton Chekhov, author of numerous literary works, some of which are staged even today, such as La Mouette
• Sergei Prokofiev, Russian composer, pianist and conductor
• Sergei Eisenstein, Russian filmmaker from the Soviet period
• Nikita Khrushchev
• Boris Yeltsin, first president of the Russian Federation right after the collapse of the USSR

Other Moscow travel tips:

• Bolshoi Theatre: how to buy tickets?
• Red Square: all you need to know
• Where to stay in Moscow?
• Things to do in Moscow in winter

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