Leave a comment and share your thoughts: https://open.firstory.me/user/cln9oxg7r007d01xyhd0fadj5/comments

CostasNarrativeXP 2026 July feature 
"The Odyssey" by Homer
Published in 700-800 BCE

Translated by Robert Fagles

A profound exploration of human identity and resilience. True homecoming is not a matter of geographic travel, but a grueling psychological journey to reclaim one’s self and humanity through the restoration of vital relationships.

Book IX-X
00:29 IX In the One-Eyed Giant's Cave
36:41 X The Bewitching Queen of Aeaea

Characters
Odysseus - The battle-hardened and incredibly cunning king of Ithaca whose twenty-year struggle to return home serves as the ultimate test of human resilience and identity.

Telemachus - Odysseus's coming-of-age son who transforms from a passive, fatherless prince into a courageous and essential brother-in-arms to reclaim his household.

Penelope - Odysseus’s brilliant and fiercely loyal queen who uses her exceptional wit and psychological grit to stall a hundred aggressive suitors for years.

Athena - The goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare who acts as the divine architect of the entire story, constantly orchestrating and protecting the family's survival.

Antinous - The cruel, arrogant, and politically ambitious leader of the suitors who serves as the primary antagonist by plotting to murder Telemachus and usurp the throne.

Costa's Wordbook
Letup n to diminish, slacken, or completely stop, regarding unpleasant situations like bad weather

Neriton - famous leaf-quivering mountain on Odysseus's home island of Ithaca

Dulichion - wealthy, fertile island kingdom

Aeaea - mythical island home of the goddess-sorceress Circe

Ilium - another name for the city of Troy

Ismarus - semi-mythical ancient coastal city-port in Thrace (northeastern Greece)

Cicones - Thracian tribe, the very first group Odysseus attacked after leaving Troy

Cythera - an actual Greek island, direct south of Peloponnese

Comber n a long curling ocean wave (Cummer)

Heady wine -  very high in alcohol, strongly aromatic, and intoxicating or rich on the palate (Head dee)

Euanthes - father of Maron, the priest of Apollo who gifted Odysseus the legendary sweet wine used to intoxicate the Cyclops Polyphemus

Bellwether n lead sheep in a flock; indicator, trendsetter

Vaunted adj much praised, boasted about, or highly publicized

Telemus - son of Eurymus, a master prophet who grew old among the Cyclopes

Eurymus - father of Telemus, a master prophet and seer who grew old among the Cyclopes

Meted - meted out, past tense of mete, to hand out, give, or share punishment or justice

Aeolian - relating to the wind; Aeolian Islands: A volcanic archipelago off the northern coast of Sicily, named after the mythical wind god Aeolus

Hippotas - mortal father of Aeolus, the ruler and keeper of the winds

Aeolus - keeper of the winds who helps Odysseus by giving him a bag of winds

Laestrygonian - fictional race of monstrous, cannibalistic giants who rule the city of Telepylos in the land of Lamos

Lamus - mythical founder and king of the Laestrygonians

Antiphates - king of the Laestrygonians

Artacia - fresh-water fountain or spring located in the land of the Laestrygonians

Aeetes - powerful king of Colchis and the brother of the witch Circe

Eurylochus - second-in-command of Odysseus' ship during the return to Ithaca, unpleasant, cowardly

Polites - a loyal companion and one of Odysseus’s most trusted crew members

Pramnian n famous strong, dark, and dry ancient Greek wine

Cornel n any deciduous tree or shrub belonging to the genus Cornus, widely known as dogwood

Sere adj arch. dry, withered, or lacking moisture

Persephone - fearsome Queen of the Underworld alongside her husband Hades

Tiresias - famous blind prophet whom Odysseus meets in the underworld

Acheron - the entrance to the underworld and the oracle of the dead near the waters of the Acheron

Erebus - the primordial god of darkness and the gloomy, misty subterranean region through which souls pass on their journey into the underworld

Elpenor - the youngest crewman of Odysseus, dying a foolish death

Selections of 2026
Brave New World, The Little Prince, Songs of a Dead Dreamer, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Anne of Green Gables, Wuthering Heights, East of Eden, The Stranger, The Godfather, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The Odyssey, Inferno, The Two Towers, Den of Thieves, Winnie the Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner.

Milestones
2021: 0 Full soundtrack, no editing, wife commentary, summary outline, irregular release
2022: 2.0 DaVinci editing, wordbook, book intro, AI voice + thumbnail, chapter summary, scheduled release
2023: 2.1 Descript, CapCut, Suno score, character intro, weekly release
2024: 2.2 Standard condenser mic, Audacity, ChatGPT annotation + illustration, timestamp, 1-hour content
2026: 2.3 Gemini definition, JP, CN, PT subtitles on selected YouTube videos

Platforms
YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Reddit, Amazon Music, Firstory, Pocket Casts, KKBOX, Castbox, Noice, Podcast Addict, SoundOn, Castro, Player FM

Powered by Firstory Hosting