Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
W explained
This chapter provides brief definitions and mythological references for terms beginning with the letter 'W', including the constellation Wain, the Rhine-daughters Wellgunda and Woglinda, the Norse god Woden (Odin), the story of the Wooden H
What happens
This chapter provides brief definitions and mythological references for terms beginning with the letter 'W', including the constellation Wain, the Rhine-daughters Wellgunda and Woglinda, the Norse god Woden (Odin), the story of the Wooden Horse at Troy, and the Old High German form Wotan.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional peak of Tristram’s brief reunion with…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Heroism and the Quest
The Wooden Horse stratagem exemplifies the cunning and risk-taking central to heroic quests.
Characters to notice
- Odin
Referenced as Woden, the chief god in Norse mythology, and as Wotan in Old High German.
Key passages
“Wooden Horse (Wooden Horse), the, filled with armed men, but left outside of Troy as a pretended offering to Minerva when the Greeks feigned to sail away; accepted by the Trojans (see Sinon and Laocoön ), brought into the city, and at night emptied of the hidden Greek soldiers, who destroyed the town.”
The Greeks built a large wooden horse, hid soldiers inside, and left it at Troy as a false gift to Minerva. The Trojans brought it into the city, and at night the Greek soldiers emerged and destroyed Troy.
This summarizes the famous Trojan Horse stratagem.
