Podcast
Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey through Homer’s The Odyssey
Hosted by Grunt Work Podcasts · EN
Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey into Homer’s The Odyssey is a daily read-along podcast for anyone who’s ever thought, “I should really read The Odyssey someday.”
Every day for one year, host Landen Celano reads one page from The Odyssey, (using Butcher & Lang English prose translation), then follows it with smart, spoiler-aware commentary: close reading, Greek mythology context, Homeric weirdness, and whatever tangents the text demands.
If you’re here because you’re hyped for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Odyssey film: welcome. This show isn’t about the movie. It’s about finally experiencing the ancient story itself, in order, one page at a time.
Read along on YouTube (the text appears on screen), or grab the same Butcher & Lang translation from Project Gutenberg. Want a more traditional audiobook experience? Patreon subscribers get commentary-free audio at the end of each chapter.
New episodes daily. Despite rain, sleet, snow, and hydra encounters.
124episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Production Update: Returning August 1st!
3d ago00:07:38Tap to summarizeAnnouncement! We will be returning our daily episodes starting August 1st, 2026. Listen to this episode for announcements and updates.
Transcribe →Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey - First Impressions
6d ago00:24:49Tap to summarizeChristopher Nolan's The Odyssey has finally arrived, and after seeing it, I sat down for an hour to gather my thoughts while everything was still fresh. In this preview of the Patreon-exclusive bonus episode, I discuss my initial impressions of the film, covering the performances, casting, writing, themes, spectacle, adaptation choices, and how it compares to Homer's epic. It's not a formal review so much as an extended conversation about what worked, what surprised me, what I found myself wrestling with, and where I think the film succeeds—or falls short. If you've seen The Odyssey and want to spend another hour thinking through it with someone who has lived with the poem for years, I hope you'll enjoy the discussion. To listen to the full episode subscribe over at https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod!
Transcribe →Production Update: Back Recording
2w ago00:03:20Tap to summarizeWe’ve got a quick programming update. Both the show and our companion series are taking a short hiatus while we get a few things in order behind the scenes. Everything is okay, we’re simply taking a little time to catch up on life, tackle a few larger projects, and make sure we can return at the level of quality you expect from us. We’ll be sharing updates on our timeline as we have them. If you’d like to stay in the loop and support the show while we’re away, our Patreon is the best place to do that: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod Thank you, as always, for listening, reading along with us, and making these shows part of your routine. We appreciate your patience, and we look forward to being back with new episodes soon.
Transcribe →Production Update: Short Hiatus
4w ago00:06:11Tap to summarizeWe’ve got a quick programming update. Both the show and our companion series are taking a short hiatus while we get a few things in order behind the scenes. Everything is okay, we’re simply taking a little time to catch up on life, tackle a few larger projects, and make sure we can return at the level of quality you expect from us. We’ll be sharing updates on our timeline as we have them. If you’d like to stay in the loop and support the show while we’re away, our Patreon is the best place to do that: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod Thank you, as always, for listening, reading along with us, and making these shows part of your routine. We appreciate your patience, and we look forward to being back with new episodes soon.
Transcribe →Elpenor’s Fall and the Bitter Departure (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book 10 – Part 19)
4w ago00:15:28Tap to summarizeMorning comes with motion — and with loss. Even as the way forward is revealed, death claims one more without warning. In The Odyssey, Book 10 draws toward its close as Circe prepares Odysseus for departure and he rouses his men to leave her halls. Yet one companion, Elpenor, lies drunken and forgotten on the roof. Startled by the noise of departure, he falls to his death, his spirit passing unseen to Hades. Odysseus reveals to the crew the grim truth of their next voyage: not homeward yet, but toward the realm of the dead to seek Teiresias. Grief answers the news, though it offers no escape. This passage binds preparation and tragedy together, reminding us that even moments of transition carry irrevocable cost. ⸻ New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw ⸻ Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.
Transcribe →The Instructions for the Journey Below (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book 10 – Part 18)
Jun 2800:07:47Tap to summarizeThe unthinkable voyage is given form at last. What was terror without shape becomes a path marked step by step. In The Odyssey, Book 10, Circe answers Odysseus’ despair by laying out the precise route to the realm of the dead. She promises that the North Wind itself will guide his ship across Oceanus to the groves of Persephone, and she gives exact instructions for the rites he must perform to summon the spirits. Only after these offerings, she tells him, will the shade of Teiresias appear to speak the truth Odysseus seeks. This passage transforms dread into duty, turning the journey to Hades from an impossibility into a grim, deliberate task. ⸻ New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw ⸻ Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.
Transcribe →The Road Turns Toward the Dead (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book 10 – Part 17)
Jun 2700:09:49Tap to summarizeAt last, the thought of home rises again — only to be checked by a darker command. The way forward demands a journey no living sailor has ever sought. In The Odyssey, Book 10, Odysseus asks Circe to release him and his men to continue their homeward voyage. She agrees, but reveals the price of departure: before Ithaca, Odysseus must travel to the house of Hades and Persephone to seek counsel from the blind seer Teiresias. At this decree, Odysseus’ resolve collapses into despair, for the path now leads not across the sea, but into the realm of the dead. This passage marks a grave turning point, where the longing for return is answered with the most fearful voyage yet. ⸻ New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw ⸻ Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.
Transcribe →A Year Lost to Comfort (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book 10 – Part 16)
Jun 2600:14:49Tap to summarizeReunion gives way to rest, and rest quietly becomes delay. Healing is real — but time slips away unnoticed. In The Odyssey, Book 10, Circe restores the remaining crew fully, bathing and clothing them before welcoming all to a generous feast. Grief gives way to nourishment and ease, and what begins as recovery stretches into a full year of comfort in Circe’s halls. Only when the seasons have turned do the men remind Odysseus of Ithaca and the home still waiting beyond the sea. This passage reveals one of the journey’s quietest dangers: not violence or magic, but forgetting the road itself. ⸻ New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw ⸻ Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.
Transcribe →Eurylochus’ Fear and the Forced March (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book 10 – Part 15)
Jun 2500:08:12Tap to summarizeRelief curdles into doubt, and unity fractures just as safety seems near. Fear speaks loudly when memory of violence is still fresh. In The Odyssey, Book 10, Odysseus’ command to return to Circe’s hall is challenged by Eurylochus, who warns the men that they are being led once more into destruction. He recalls past horrors and accuses Odysseus’ boldness of bringing ruin on them all. Rage nearly answers fear, but the crew intervenes, choosing movement over paralysis. In the end, even Eurylochus follows — not in trust, but in dread. This passage exposes the fragile bond between leader and companions, where obedience is won not by certainty, but by the terror of standing still. ⸻ New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw ⸻ Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.
Transcribe →The Call to Return Together (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book 10 – Part 14)
Jun 2400:07:40Tap to summarizeReunion brings relief, but the journey pauses only briefly. Safety must be secured before rest can truly begin. In The Odyssey, Book 10, Circe urges Odysseus to return to his ship, secure his goods, and bring his companions back to her halls. Odysseus finds his remaining crew on the shore, overcome with grief and joy at his return, welcoming him as though he had brought them home to Ithaca itself. He calms their fears and calls them not to dwell on loss yet, but to follow him back, where their restored companions wait in warmth and plenty. This passage bridges despair and recovery, as the scattered company is drawn together once more under the promise of shelter and renewal. ⸻ New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw ⸻ Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.
Transcribe →