The Odyssey

Homer's ancient Greek epic poem following Odysseus's 10-year journey home from Troy — encountering Cyclops, Sirens, Circe, and the underworld — which established the quest narrative and the archetype of the clever, enduring hero as templates for Western literature.

Established the quest narrative — the journey, the obstacles, the transformation, the homecoming — that underlies the structure of virtually every adventure and hero story in Western literature, and created Odysseus as the enduring archetype of intelligence and endurance over brute force.