Experience the OriginalOdyssey
Before you see it on the screen, hear the epic poem that started it all , with a full cast of voices, every word ablaze as it's spoken.
Listen to Book I FreeRead the Odyssey Before You See It
The film The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, arrives in IMAX theaters. It is the most ambitious adaptation of Homer's epic ever attempted , a story of war, wandering, and the long voyage home.
But the Odyssey existed for nearly three thousand years before it reached a sound stage. The monsters, the gods, the cunning hero trying to return to his family , every scene in the film traces back to Homer's original poem. Knowing the source material does not spoil the movie. It deepens every frame.
A New Way to Experience the Odyssey
Full Cast of Voices
Over 50 distinct voices bring every character to life. Odysseus, Athena, Penelope, the Cyclops, Circe, and dozens more , each with their own sound.
Word-by-Word Highlighting
Each word glows with fire as it is spoken, so you can read along with the narration. Never lose your place in Homer's flowing prose.
All 24 Books Complete
The full Odyssey from the councils of the gods to the peace restored in Ithaca. Every book of Homer's epic, unabridged, in Samuel Butler's classic translation with Greek names restored.
Free in Your Browser
No app to install, no account to create. Open the reader on any device and Book I begins immediately. The complete Odyssey unlocks for just $6.99.
Hear How the Odyssey Begins
Tell me, O Muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy. Many cities did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs he was acquainted; moreover he suffered much by sea while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home; but do what he might he could not save his men, for they perished through their own sheer folly in eating the cattle of the Sun-god Hyperion; so the god prevented them from ever reaching home. Tell me, too, about all these things, O daughter of Zeus, from whatsoever source you may know them.
These are the opening lines of the Odyssey. In the reader, every word ignites as you hear it spoken aloud.
The Best Way to Read the Odyssey in 2026
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The perfect companion to the film
The Odyssey is not a spoiler , it is context. Knowing Homer's original sharpens every choice Christopher Nolan makes. Read the source, then see what Nolan does with it.
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Easier than reading alone
Homer's Odyssey can feel daunting on the page. Hearing the story read aloud, with synchronized text, transforms it from homework into an experience. The epic was originally performed, not read silently , this is closer to how the Odyssey was always meant to be heard.
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Greek names, as Homer intended
Odysseus, not Ulysses. Zeus, not Jupiter. Athena, not Minerva. Butler's 1900 translation Latinised the names; we restored every one to the original Greek , just as the film uses them.
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No ads, no tracking, no account
Open the Odyssey reader in your browser and start listening. No sign-up. No data collection. Just Homer's story and your attention.
Samuel Butler's 1900 Prose Odyssey
The Voices of Old audiobook uses Samuel Butler's 1900 prose translation, one of the most widely read English renderings of the Odyssey. Butler chose prose over verse to capture the natural storytelling quality of Homer's Greek. The result reads more like a novel than a poem, making it remarkably accessible to modern listeners.
Butler was an unconventional classicist. He believed the Odyssey was written by a young woman from Sicily, a theory he laid out in his book The Authoress of the Odyssey. While most scholars disagree, his deep affection for the poem shines through in a translation that is clear, warm, and free of the stiffness that plagues many Victorian renderings of Homer.
One change we have made: Butler Latinised the Greek names, writing "Ulysses" for Odysseus, "Minerva" for Athena, and "Jove" for Zeus. We restored every name to the original Greek. You will hear Odysseus, Athena, and Zeus, just as Homer's audiences would have known them. The text is otherwise faithful to Butler's translation.
For readers who want to compare translations, our guide to the best Odyssey translations covers the major options, from classic verse and prose translations to Emily Wilson's landmark 2017 version.
Start the Odyssey Today
Book I is free. Listen now and discover why this three-thousand-year-old story still holds you the way it held the ancient Greeks , and why it was chosen for the biggest IMAX film of the year.
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Explore the Odyssey
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