The Odyssey Is Finally Here-And So Is Our Journey Into the Women, History, and Myths of Ancient Greece

The wait is over.

The Odyssey has officially arrived in theaters, and if you're anything like me, you've been counting down the days. I'll be walking into the theater with popcorn in one hand, a notebook in the other, ready to experience one of history's most influential stories brought to life on the big screen.

But as excited as I am for the film, I'm even more excited for the conversations it's about to inspire.

For nearly 3,000 years, The Odyssey has captivated audiences with heroic adventures, dangerous monsters, powerful goddesses, and one unforgettable journey home. Yet beneath the action lies something even more fascinating—a glimpse into how the ancient Greeks understood their world.

One of the first questions many people ask is:

Is The Odyssey history or mythology?

The answer is more complex than you might expect, which is exactly why I made it the first article in our new Greek history series. "Is The Odyssey History or Mythology?" is now live on History It Girls, where we explore how historians approach Homer's epic, what archaeology tells us about the world behind the story, and why mythology can be an incredibly valuable historical source.

But we're just getting started.

The Women of The Odyssey

If you've followed History It Girls for any length of time, you know where my attention naturally goes—the remarkable women whose stories deserve a closer look.

Over the coming weeks, we'll be exploring the women who shaped one of the world's greatest epics, asking questions that go far beyond the surface of the story.

We'll look at Athena, not simply as the goddess of wisdom, but as one of the most important deities in Greek religion and what her worship reveals about ancient Greek society.

We'll explore Hera, Aphrodite, and Artemis, examining how these goddesses reflected different ideals of power, femininity, family, love, and independence.

We'll take a closer look at Penelope, whose intelligence, patience, and political skill made her one of literature's most enduring heroines.

We'll also dive into the stories of Circe and Calypso, asking whether these legendary women reveal deeper truths about how the ancient Greeks viewed female knowledge, power, hospitality, and the unknown.

Most importantly, we'll ask what these stories can—and cannot—tell us about the lives of real women in ancient Greece.

Why Mythology Still Matters

One of my favorite things about studying history is discovering that mythology isn't simply fantasy.

Ancient myths preserve the hopes, fears, beliefs, and values of the people who created them. They tell us what civilizations admired, what they warned against, what they considered heroic, and how they understood the relationship between humanity and the divine.

No, mythology doesn't always record events exactly as they happened.

But it often preserves something equally valuable: the worldview of an entire civilization.

That's why historians continue to study these stories thousands of years later.

They aren't just entertaining tales—they're historical sources that help us better understand the ancient world.

Join Me on This Journey

I'll be sharing my thoughts on the new film soon, but what excites me even more is diving into the history behind the legend with all of you.

If you haven't already, be sure to read our newest article, "Is The Odyssey History or Mythology?", now available on History It Girls. It's the perfect starting point as we explore the people, places, women, religion, and historical questions behind one of history's greatest epics.

Whether you're discovering Homer for the first time or you've loved Greek history for years, I hope you'll join me for this series.

Because sometimes the greatest adventures don't begin when the credits roll.

They begin when we ask the questions history has been waiting thousands of years to answer.