WANT A SHORT VIDEO? This assignment cannot be completed with a video, but a video can help you understand and remember key moments in the story. Plus, some of these videos are just fun. An entertaining and fairly accurate 4-minute cartoon is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PglAFdKSJ_M and another cartoon is at http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/the-odyssey-greek- epic.html#lesson; they are both recommended, but you’d need to register for a free trial if you want to view the full “education-portal” cartoon. Or, if you are tired of proper vocabulary and polite discourse, you might like the irreverent and wittily foul-mouthed “THUG NOTES” (WITH DECENT ANALYSIS INCLUDED!) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf3XrZW2o4I (Warning: Foul language, snap judgment, and lots of it.)

AUDIOBOOK? A reading by Ian McKellan (yes, the actor who plays Gandalf) is worth a bit of your time. Listen to him read the first lines (the invocation) and other excerpts, as if you and a bard are sitting at a fire 4,000 years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IiP74_5Mnc

Table of Contents These are “The Wanderings of Odysseus”---the middle part of The Odyssey---arranged in chronological order without the framing narratives and flashbacks of the full story. Thus, please note that we are actually skipping over the first four books, which focus on Odysseus’s family and the “haughty suiters” afflicting their home---these are “the good parts” in terms of adventure, but I highly recommend you read the entire epic sometime; it’s a fascinating read!

-The Trojan Horse (a story told in The Iliad, though The Odyssey includes mention of it). -The Journey Home Begins: Detour to Cicones -Land of the Lotus Eaters -Island of the Cyclopes: Polyphemus and Hubris -Aeolian Shores: Keeper of the Winds -Land of the Laestrygonians -Circe -Hades (the Underworld) -The Sirens (Or…A Terrible Beauty?) -Charybdis (the Whirlpool) and Scylla -Cattle of the Sun -Phaeacia (and the king who likes his story; flashbacks) -Calypso’s Island -Return to Ithaca (and…what is this, Game of Thrones?) -Slaughter of the “Haughty Suitors” -Penelope and Odysseus (the aftermath)

The Odyssey is sequel to The Iliad of Homer; The Iiad is an epic about the Trojan War (the war between the Greeks and the city of Troy, during which Achilles and many other heroes die). The Odyssey actually has three overlapping stories: (1) that of Odysseus’s son, Telemachus, who seeks his father and tries not to get ambushed by pretenders to the throne; (2) that of Odysseus’s smart and incredibly faithful wife, Penelope, who resists her many uncouth suitors; and (3) “The Wanderings of Odysseus”---his long journey home---from which we have derived the word “odyssey” for OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 2 an adventure or journey that is circuitous or arduous. In this synopsis we focus mainly on the odyssey of Odysseus’s journey home. (Note: We use the name “Odysseus” here, but the name “Ulysses” is used in some translations.)

The Trojan Horse (The “horse” brought into Troy---to burn) The Trojan War came to an end after 10 bloody years, when Odysseus conjures the idea of the Trojan Horse: The Greeks build a gigantic horse of wood and fill it with a squad of elite warriors. Leaving the Trojan Horse on the sand, the rest of the massive Greek army pretend to sail away, conceding

victory to the Trojans. The defenders, thinking the horse a “free gift” and peace offering, drag the massive shape into the city. After the Trojans have celebrated a bit too much, Odysseus leads the group of Greek warriors out of the belly of the horse. They attack the guards and open the gates to the rest of the Greek invasion force. A slaughter and the sack of Troy ensue.

OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 3

The Journey Home (The Odyssey itself) Begins

The Odyssey begins with a bard’s invocation of the Muse: Or, if you wish to compare, here is a different translation: Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns, driven time and again off course, once he had plundered, Tell me, Muse, of the man of many ways, who was driven the hallowed heights of Troy. far journeys, after he had sacked Troy’s sacred citadel. Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea, Many were they whose cities he saw, whose minds he learned of, fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home. many the pains he suffered in his spirit on the wide sea, But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he struggling for his own life and the homecoming of his strove— companions. the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all, Even so he could not save his companions, hard though the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun, he strove to; they were destroyed by their own wild recklessness, and the Sungod blotted out the day of their return. fools, who devoured the oxen of Helios, the Sun God, Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus, and he took away the day of their homecoming. From some point start from where you will—sing for our time too. here, goddess, daughter of Zeus, speak, and begin our story.

With Troy sacked and the spoils of war divided, the Greeks set sail for their respective kingdoms. In an attempt to further appease his men, however, Odysseus decides to do a little more pillaging.

Odysseus and his crew land at Ismarus, which is controlled by the Cicones (Kikonians, or Hittites). They destroy the city, kill the men, and capture the women. According to Odysseus’s later account of this event, Odysseus cautions that they should all leave, yet his men get drunk and pass out instead.

(Note: Odysseus recounts many of these adventures himself, in his own voice; he seems quick to heap scorn on his supposedly foolish men---and many readers thus join Odysseus in mocking his men but extolling their leader’s virtues and abilities. But can we trust Odysseus’s version of events? And even if he is telling the truth, should he take no responsibility for the foolishness of his men?)

While the foolish Greek crews sleep the Cicones then gather reinforcements in chariots, launch an attack, and chase the Greeks to the seashore. Their army kills several of Odysseus’s men.

OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 4

As Odysseus and his men flee from the Ciconian shores, Zeus plagues them with a storm which blows for nine or ten days. They are thus swept far westward, past their island home of Ithaca.

The Lotus Eaters (Dazed and Confused, or just Addicted to YouTube?) They arrive at the land of the Lotus Eaters. The inhabitants offer them Lotus, which causes the men to lose all thought of home and long for nothing more. (The “eating” of lotus meant, apparently, the taking of opium, a powerfully lethargic drug.) Seeing that his men only want to sit and eat more lotuses, Odysseus is displeased. He rounds up his crew and forces them onto the ships again. He locks them in so they cannot return to their “medicinal” ways.

(The “Lotus Eaters” incident has influenced many a cautionary tale since, from Earth to the stars.)

Island of the Cyclopes Cyclopes are one-eyed giants. They are not too bright but they are strong. Perhaps even the gods are wary of them. Odysseus and his men have no idea what’s in store for them when they land here. OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 5

They are hunting for food on the island when they see smoke from a fire. Odysseus and some men go to see if someone there can offer them hospitality. They don’t find anyone.

They do find a huge cave full of livestock and food. Odysseus relates (Book 9, lines 224-230):

“From the start my companions spoke to me and begged me to take some of the cheeses, come back again, and the next time to drive the lambs and kids from their pens, and get back quickly to the ship again, and go sailing off across the salt water; but I would not listen to them---it would have been better their way---not until I could see him, see if he would give me presents. My friends were to find the sight of him in no way lovely.”

(It’s interesting, by the way, that they help themselves. Is this unethical behavior for a potential guest?)

Soon the cave’s owner returns: a Cyclops named Polyphemus. The Cyclops herds his flock of sheep into the cave and seals its entrance. Trapped, Odysseus calls on Polyphemus to honor Zeus by respecting his “rights” as a houseguest. The amused Cyclops says that he owes no allegiance to the gods. Then he grabs two of the men, smashes their brains (“…like killing puppies…”), cuts them up, and eats them.

He sleeps, then kills and eats more men when he wakes. Odysseus fools the Cyclops by telling him his name is 'Nobody' (‘Noman’). He then helps the Cyclops get drunk, and while the monster sleeps his doom is sealed. Odysseus and his men fetch a red-hot pole from the fire and jam it into his one eye. As Polyphemus shrieks and thrashes about in pain, he attracts other concerned Cyclopes. But when his neighbors ask if he’s harmed or under attack, Polyphemus screams 'Nobody! Nobody is attacking me!' The confused Cyclopes feel like he is joking with them---or crying wolf perhaps---and they depart.

Odysseus and his men then trick the Cyclops again by fixing themselves to the undersides of his giant sheep. When Polyphemus opens the cave in the morning to let sheep out---an action which hints, by the way, that despite monstrosity this giant is a responsible shepherd.

Here is an excerpt from Project Gutenberg (with a few changes). Text that I have skipped is marked with ellipses (…). http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13725/13725-h/13725-h.htm#Illus5 Meanwhile Odysseus had been hard at work, taking measures to escape with his comrades from the cave. Among the flocks of Polyphemus were several big rams, with fleeces of remarkable thickness and beauty. Of these he took three at a time, and lashed them together, side by side, with osiers, which served Polyphemus for a bed. Each middle ram bore one of the men firmly bound with osiers under his belly; while the two outside rams served to conceal that living burden. Last of all Odysseus provided for his own safety. There was one monster ram, the leader of the flock, with a grand fleece which trailed on the ground, like the leaves of the weeping ash. Him Odysseus reserved OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 6

for himself, and creeping under his belly hauled himself up until he was entirely hidden by the drooping fleece, and so hung on steadfastly, waiting for the day.

At last the weary vigil was over, the huge stone portal was rolled aside, and the male sheep and goats went forth to pasture…. As the rams went past Polyphemus felt their backs, to see if the men were there; but the simple monster never thought of feeling under their bellies. Last in the train came the big ram, with Odysseus clinging underneath. Then said Polyphemus, as his great hands passed over his back: "Dear ram, why are you the last to leave the cave? …Surely you are heavy with sorrow for your master's eye, which the villain Noman and his pitiful mates have blinded. Would that you had a voice, to tell me where he is skulking from my fury! Then would I pour forth his brains like water on the ground, and lighten my heart of the woe which has been brought upon me by the hands of this nithering Noman."

So saying he let the ram go, and as soon as he was clear of the courtyard Odysseus dropped to the ground, and ran to loose his comrades. With all speed they made their way down to the ship, driving the rams before them, with many a fearful backward glance. Right glad were their friends to see them again, though their faces fell when they saw their numbers reduced by half. But there was no time for regrets, for Polyphemus was already close upon them, groping his way painfully from rock to rock. So they flung the sheep on board, shoved off the vessel, and took to their oars.

Hubris (Prof’s note: This is a word that All Leaders Really Should Learn) Yet Odysseus is too proud. His hubris is his downfall. Having escaped the Cyclops, he turns about and taunts the monster by calling out his name, hoping Polyphemus will tell others who had blinded him.

Here is an excerpt from Project Gutenberg. Text that I have skipped is marked with ellipses (…). http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13725/13725-h/13725-h.htm#Illus5 While they were still within earshot Odysseus bade his men cease rowing, and standing up in the stern called aloud to the Cyclops in mocking tones: "How likest thou my gift for thy hospitality, my gentle host? Methinks thou art paid in full, and canst not complain that I have not given thee good measure." When he heard that, Polyphemus bellowed with rage, and tearing up a great boulder from the side of the cliff he flung it with mighty force in the direction of the voice. It fell into the sea right in front of the ship, and raised a billow which washed her back to the shore. Odysseus pushed her off with a long pole, and signalled to his men to give way. They rowed for dear life, and had attained twice the former distance from the shore when Odysseus stopped them again, though they besought him earnestly to forego his OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 7

rash purpose, and to refrain from provoking Polyphemus more. But he, being exceeding wroth for the murder of his men, would not be persuaded; and lifting up his voice he spoke again: "Cyclops, if anyone ask thee to whom thou owest the loss of thine eye, say that it was Odysseus, the son of Laertes, who reft thee of sight, and his home is in rocky Ithaca." (Polyphemus cursed) “…I have been outwitted, made drunk, and blinded, by this little, paltry wretch.” After a pause he spoke again, thinking to fight that man of many wiles with his own weapons. "Come hither, Odysseus," he said, softening his big voice as well as he could, "that I may entertain thee with loving-kindness; and afterwards I will pray to Poseidon, whose son I am, to send a fair breeze for thy homeward voyage. And he also shall heal my hurt, and give me back my sight." Odysseus laughed aloud at the poor monster's simplicity, whereupon Polyphemus lifted up his hands to heaven, and prayed to his sire, the lord Poseidon: "Hear me, thou who holdest the earth in thine arms, if I am indeed thy son. Grant me that Odysseus may never reach his home, or if that is fixed beyond repeal, let him come home in evil plight, with the loss of all his men, on a strange ship, to a house of woe." Such was the curse of Polyphemus, to be fulfilled, as we shall see, to the letter. And having uttered it he flung another rock, which fell just short of the vessel's stern, and raised a wave which washed her towards the island. Soon they reached the harbor where the rest of the fleet lay moored. Joyful were the greetings of their comrades, who had given them up for lost; and a merry feast they made on the flesh of the fat sheep, though their mirth was checkered by sadness when they thought of the brave six who had come to so horrible an end in the Cyclops' cave.

Aeolus and the Aeolian Bag (Keeper of the Winds)

Thus Odysseus and his men sail onward, until they happen across a strange “floating island, the whole enclosed by a rampart of bronze, not to be broken.” The king known as Aeolus, who is “dear to the immortal gods,” is in command of this floating island. He gives Odysseus a bag full of the winds, leaving only the helpful West Wind (the wind blowing from the west) out, so that it can help the Ithacans return home quickly. With Ithaca in sight, however, Odysseus falls asleep and his crew begin grumbling--- imagining that the bag is full of treasure. They are jealous that Odysseus would keep so much treasure for himself when they are returning home with comparatively little. They cut open the bag and let out all the winds at once. Of course, the ship is blown far off course and away from Ithaca again.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13725/13725-h/13725-h.htm#Illus5 "Aeolus entertained me for a whole month asking me questions all the time about Troy, the Argive fleet, and the return of the Achaeans. I told him exactly how everything had happened, and when I said I must go, and asked him to further me on my way, he made no sort of difficulty, but set about doing so at once. Moreover, he flayed me a prime ox-hide to hold the ways of the roaring winds, which he shut up in the hide as in a sack—for Zeus (Jove) had made him captain over the winds, and he could stir or still each one of them according to his own pleasure. He put the OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 8

sack in the ship and bound the mouth so tightly with a silver thread that not even a breath of a side-wind could blow from any quarter. The West wind which was fair for us did he alone let blow as it chose; but it all came to nothing, for we were lost through our own folly.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13725/13725-h/13725-h.htm#Illus5 "Nine days and nine nights did we sail, and on the tenth day our native land showed on the horizon. We got so close in that we could see the stubble fires burning, and I, being then dead beat, fell into a light sleep, for I had never let the rudder out of my own hands, that we might get home the faster. On this the men fell to talking among themselves, and said I was bringing back gold and silver in the sack that Aeolus had given me. 'Bless my heart,' would one turn to his neighbor, saying, 'how this man gets honored and makes friends to whatever city or country he may go. See what fine prizes he is taking home from Troy, while we, who have travelled just as far as he has, come back with hands as empty as we set out with—and now Aeolus has given him ever so much more. Quick—let us see what it all is, and how much gold and silver there is in the sack he gave him.' "Thus they talked and evil counsels prevailed. They loosed the sack, whereupon the wind flew howling forth and raised a storm that carried us weeping out to sea and away from our own country. Then I awoke, and knew not whether to throw myself into the sea or to live on and make the best of it; but I bore it, covered myself up, and lay down in the ship, while the men lamented bitterly as the fierce winds bore our fleet back to the Aeolian island. "When we reached it we went ashore to take in water, and dined hard by the ships. Immediately after dinner…I found him feasting with his wife and family; so we sat down as suppliants on the threshold. They were astounded when they saw us and said, ‘Odysseus, what brings you here? What god has been ill-treating you? We took great pains to further you on your way home to Ithaca, or wherever it was that you wanted to go to.' "Thus did they speak, but I answered sorrowfully, 'My men have undone me; they, and cruel sleep, have ruined me. My friends, mend me this mischief, for you can if you will.' "I spoke as movingly as I could, but they said nothing, till their father answered, 'Vilest of mankind, get you gone at once out of the island; him whom heaven hates will I in no wise help. Be off, for you come here as one abhorred of heaven.' And with these words he sent me sorrowing from his door. OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 9

Thus, they are blown all the way back to Aeolus’s floating island, but this time the keeper of the winds rejects Odysseus, saying that he is “Vilest of mankind” and one “whom heaven hates.” Maybe he had reason to be upset at the squandered gift.

Land of the Laestrygonians: Telepylos

Next Odysseus’s fleet travels to the Land of the Laestrygonians, a race of giants. Their queen turns Odysseus’s scouts and several other crew members into dinner for her subjects.

As the Greeks flee the ogre-like Laestrygonians hurl boulders at their ships and spear some men “like fishes” and take them home to eat them.

In this shocking encounter Odysseus loses 11 of his 12 ships. Only Odysseus’s flagship survives.

Here is an excerpt from Project Gutenberg. Text that I have skipped is marked with ellipses (…). http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13725/13725-h/13725-h.htm#Illus5 "Thence we sailed sadly on till the men were worn out with long and fruitless rowing, for there was no longer any wind to help them. Six days, night and day did we toil, and on the seventh day we reached the rocky stronghold of Lamus— Telepylus, the city of the Laestrygonians, where the shepherd who is driving in his sheep and goats [to be milked] salutes him who is driving out his flock [to feed] and this last answers the salute. In that country a man who could do without sleep might earn double wages, one as a herdsman of cattle, and another as a shepherd, for they work much the same by night as they do by day.

"When we reached the harbour we found it land-locked under steep cliffs, with a narrow entrance between two headlands. My captains took all their ships inside, and made them fast close to one another, for there was never so much as a breath of wind inside, but it was always dead calm. I kept my own ship outside, and moored it to a rock at the very end of the point; then I climbed a high rock to reconnoitre, but could see no sign neither of man nor cattle, only some smoke rising from the ground. So I sent two of my company with an attendant to find out what sort of people the inhabitants were. OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 10

"The men when they got on shore followed a level road by which the people draw their firewood from the mountains into the town, till presently they met a young woman who had come outside to fetch water, and who was daughter to a Laestrygonian named Antiphates. She was going to the fountain Artacia from which the people bring in their water, and when my men had come close up to her, they asked her who the king of that country might be, and over what kind of people he ruled; so she directed them to her father's house, but when they got there they found his wife to be a giantess as huge as a mountain, and they were horrified at the sight of her.

"She at once called her husband Antiphates from the place of assembly, and forthwith he set about killing my men. He snatched up one of them, and began to make his dinner off him then and there, whereon the other two ran back to the ships as fast as ever they could. But Antiphates raised a hue-and-cry after them, and thousands of sturdy Laestrygonians sprang up from every quarter—ogres, not men.

They threw vast rocks at us from the cliffs as though they had been mere stones, and I heard the horrid sound of the ships crunching up against one another, and the death cries of my men, as the Laestrygonians speared them like fishes and took them home to eat them. While they were thus killing my men within the harbour I drew my sword, cut the cable of my own ship, and told my men to row with all their might if they too would not fare like the rest; so they laid out for their lives, and we were thankful enough when we got into open water out of reach of the rocks they hurled at us. As for the others there was not one of them left.

Island of Circe (and lots of “animals”) The goddess-sorceress named Circe has an island populated by large numbers of pigs and other animals.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13725/13725-h/13725-h.htm#Illus5 "Thence we sailed sadly on…and came to the Aeaean island, where Circe lives—a great and cunning goddess …. I took my spear and my sword, and went away from the ship to reconnoitre…. Climbing to the top of a high look-out I espied the smoke of Circe's house rising upwards amid a dense forest of trees, and…in the end I deemed it best to go back to the ship, give the men their dinners, and send some of them instead of going myself. OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 11

"When I had nearly got back to the ship some god took pity upon my solitude, and sent a fine antlered stag right into the middle of my path. …and as he passed I struck him in the middle of the back … I hung him round my neck and walked…. As I threw him down in front of the ship, I called the men and spoke cheeringly man by man to each of them. 'Look here my friends,' said I, 'we are not going to die so much before our time after all, and at any rate we will not starve so long as we have got something to eat and drink on board.' On this they uncovered their heads upon the sea shore and admired the stag, for he was indeed a splendid fellow. Then, when they had feasted their eyes upon him sufficiently, they washed their hands and began to cook him for dinner. "… I called a council and said, 'My friends, we are in very great difficulties; listen therefore to me. We have no idea where the sun either sets or rises, so that we do not even know East from West. I see no way out of it; nevertheless, we must try and find one. We are certainly on an island…but towards the middle I saw smoke rising from out of a thick forest of trees.' “…They wept bitterly in their dismay, but there was nothing to be got by crying, so I divided them into two companies and set a captain over each; I gave one company to Eurylochus, while I took command of the other myself. Then we cast lots in a helmet, and the lot fell upon Eurylochus; so he set out with his twenty-two men, and they wept, as also did we who were left behind. "When they reached Circe's house they found it built of cut stones, on a site that could be seen from far, in the middle of the forest. There were wild mountain wolves and lions prowling all round it—poor bewitched creatures whom she had tamed by her enchantments and drugged into subjection. They did not attack my men, but wagged their great tails, fawned upon them, and rubbed their noses lovingly against them. …Presently they reached the gates of the goddess's house, and as they stood there they could hear Circe within, singing most beautifully as she worked at her loom … Odysseus’s scouts hear Circe singing and go to her. They all accept her invitation to enter her house except for Eurylochus. Circe now places the men under a spell with the help of some potion or poison, and she turns them into swine. Eurylochus returns to the ships to inform Odysseus.

"They called her and she came down, unfastened the door, and bade them enter. They, thinking no evil, followed her, all except Eurylochus, who suspected mischief and staid outside. When she had got them into her house, she set them upon benches and seats and mixed them a mess with cheese, honey, meal, and Pramnian wine, but she drugged it with wicked poisons to make them forget their homes, and when they had drunk she turned them into pigs by a stroke of her wand, and shut them up in her pig-styes. They were like pigs—head, hair, and all, and they grunted just as pigs do; but their senses were the same as before, and they remembered everything. "Thus then were they shut up squealing, and Circe threw them some acorns and beech masts such as pigs eat, but Eurylochus hurried back to tell me about the sad fate of our comrades. … OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 12

"Then I took my sword of bronze and slung it over my shoulders; I also took my bow, and told Eurylochus to come back with me and shew me the way. But he laid hold of me with both his hands and spoke piteously, saying, 'Sir, do not force me to go with you, but let me stay here, for I know you will not bring one of them back with you, nor even return alive yourself; let us rather see if we cannot escape at any rate with the few that are left us, for we may still save our lives.' "'Stay where you are, then,' answered I, 'eating and drinking at the ship, but I must go, for I am most urgently bound to do so.' "With this I left the ship and went up inland. …I met Hermes with his golden wand, disguised as a young man in the hey-day of his youth and beauty with the down just coming upon his face. ‘…I will protect you and get you out of your difficulty. Take this herb, which is one of great virtue, and keep it about you when you go to Circe's house, it will be a talisman to you against every kind of mischief.

"'And I will tell you of all the wicked witchcraft that Circe will try to practice upon you. She will mix a mess for you to drink, and she will drug the meal with which she makes it, but she will not be able to charm you, for the virtue of the herb that I shall give you will prevent her spells from working. …’

"… I fared onward to the house of Circe, and my heart was clouded with care as I walked along. … 'There now,' she cried, 'be off to the pigstye, and make your lair with the rest of them.'

"But I rushed at her with my sword drawn as though I would kill her, whereon she fell with a loud scream, clasped my knees, and spoke piteously, saying, 'Who and whence are you? from what place and people have you come? How can it be that my drugs have no power to charm you? Never yet was any man able to stand so much as a taste of the herb I gave you; you must be spell-proof; surely you can be none other than the bold hero Odysseus, who Hermes always said would come here some day with his ship while on his way home from Troy; so be it then; sheathe your sword and let us go to bed, that we may make friends and learn to trust each other.'

OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 13

Here is another translation of that famous speech:

"'Odysseus then you are, o great contender, of whom the glittering god with the golden wand spoke to me ever, and foretold the black swift ship would carry you from Troy. Put up your weapon in the sheath. We two shall mingle and make love upon our bed. So mutual trust may come of play and love.'"

"And I answered, 'Circe, how can you expect me to be friendly with you when you have just been turning all my men into pigs? And now that you have got me here myself, you mean me mischief when you ask me to go to bed with you, and will unman me and make me fit for nothing. I shall certainly not consent to go to bed with you unless you will first take your solemn oath to plot no further harm against me.'

"So she swore at once as I had told her, and when she had completed her oath then I went to bed with her.

…A maid servant then brought me water in a beautiful golden ewer and poured it into a silver basin for me to wash my hands, and she drew a clean table beside me; an upper servant brought me bread and offered me many things of what there was in the house, and then Circe bade me eat, but I would not, and sat without heeding what was before me, still moody and suspicious. … "And I said, 'Circe, no man with any sense of what is right can think of either eating or drinking in your house until you have set his friends free and let him see them. If you want me to eat and drink, you must free my men and bring them to me that I may see them with my own eyes.'

"…and they became men again, younger than they were before, and much taller and better looking. They knew me at once, seized me each of them by the hand, and wept for joy till the whole house was filled with the sound of their halloa-ballooing, and Circe herself was so sorry for them that she came up to me and said, 'Odysseus, noble son of Laertes, go back at once to the sea where you have left your ship, and first draw it on to the land. Then, hide all your ship's gear and property in some cave, and come back here with your men.'

"I agreed to this, so I went back to the sea shore, and found the men at the ship weeping and wailing most piteously. When they saw me the silly blubbering fellows began frisking round me as calves break out and gambol round their mothers, when they see them coming home to be milked after they have been feeding all day, and the homestead resounds with their lowing. …'Sir,' said the affectionate creatures, 'we are as glad to see you back as though we had got safe home to Ithaca; but tell us all about the fate of our comrades.' OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 14

"I spoke comfortingly to them and said, 'We must draw our ship on to the land, and hide the ship's gear with all our property in some cave; then come with me all of you as fast as you can to Circe's house, where you will find your comrades eating and drinking in the midst of great abundance.'

"On this the men would have come with me at once, but Eurylochus tried to hold them back and said, 'Alas, poor wretches that we are, what will become of us? Rush not on your ruin by going to the house of Circe, who will turn us all into pigs or wolves or lions, and we shall have to keep guard over her house. Remember how the Cyclops treated us when our comrades went inside his cave, and Odysseus with them. It was all through his sheer folly that those men lost their lives.'

"When I heard him I was in two minds whether or no to draw the keen blade that hung by my sturdy thigh and cut his head off in spite of his being a near relation of my own; but the men interceded for him and said, 'Sir, if it may so be, let this fellow stay here and mind the ship, but take the rest of us with you to Circe's house.'

"On this we all went inland, and Eurylochus was not left behind after all, but came on too, for he was frightened by the severe reprimand that I had given him.

"…As soon as the men saw each other face to face and knew one another, they wept for joy and cried aloud till the whole palace rang again. Thereon Circe came up to me and said, 'Odysseus, noble son of Laertes, tell your men to leave off crying; I know how much you have all of you suffered at sea, and how ill you have fared among cruel savages on the mainland, but that is over now, so stay here, and eat and drink till you are once more as strong and hearty as you were when you left Ithaca; for at present you are weakened both in body and mind; you keep all the time thinking of the hardships you have suffered during your travels, so that you have no more cheerfulness left in you.'

"…We stayed with Circe for a whole twelvemonth feasting upon an untold quantity both of meat and wine. But when the year had passed…my men called me apart and said, 'Sir, it is time you began to think about going home, if so be you are to be spared to see your house and native country at all.'

"Thus did they speak and I assented. …I, however, after I had got into bed with Circe, besought her by her knees, and the goddess listened to what I had got to say. 'Circe,' said I, 'please to keep the promise you made me about furthering me on my homeward voyage. I want to get back and so do my men, they are always pestering me with their complaints as soon as ever your back is turned.' … ‘When your ship has traversed the waters of Oceanus, you will reach the fertile shore of Proserpine's country with its groves of tall poplars and willows that shed their fruit untimely; here beach your ship upon the shore of Oceanus, and go straight on to the dark abode of Hades. You will find it near the place where the rivers Pyriphlegethon and Cocytus (which is a branch of the river Styx) flow into Acheron, and you will see a rock near it, just where the two roaring rivers run into one another. ‘ OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 15

… "It was day-break by the time she had done speaking, so she dressed me in my shirt and cloak. As for herself she threw a beautiful light gossamer fabric over her shoulders, fastening it with a golden girdle round her waist, and she covered her head with a mantle. Then I went about among the men everywhere all over the house, and spoke kindly to each of them man by man: 'You must not lie sleeping here any longer,' said I to them, 'we must be going, for Circe has told me all about it.' And on this they did as I bade them. … "When I had got the men together I said to them, 'You think you are about to start home again, but Circe has explained to me that instead of this, we have got to go to the house of Hades and Proserpine to consult the ghost of the Theban prophet Teiresias.'

"The men were broken-hearted as they heard me, and threw themselves on the ground groaning and tearing their hair, but they did not mend matters by crying. …”

Thanks to the help Odysseus received from Hermes (Mercury), he is able to resist Circe’s magic, become her lover, and reinstate his men to human form. Yet he still spends a year on the island. Circe tells him he must travel to Hades (the Land of the Dead) to see the blind seer Teiresias (also spelled Tiresias). So they go to the underworld to ask for help from the dead prophet.

Hades: Land of the Departed With a favorable wind conjured by Circe, they sail to Oceanus and the edge of the underworld. After dealing with a lot of hungry and/or angry shades, as well as some pleasant ones that just want some information about their living loved ones, Odysseus has the ghost of Tiresias give him directions.

An excerpt from Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13725/13725-h/13725-h.htm#Illus5 As they peered through the gloom they saw what seemed a grove of dusky trees, in shape like the poplar and willow, fringing the shore. "It is the sign which Circe gave me," whispered Odysseus to his awestruck comrades; "we are at the very gates of Hades." … Odysseus called in a loud voice to the spirits of the dead, and waited in breathless expectation with his men.

Presently a rustling sound was heard, like the sound of the autumn wind in the dry leaves of the forest; it grew louder and louder, and out of the gloom the ghosts came flocking, youths and maidens cut off in their bloom, old men with all their burden of sorrow, and warriors slain in battle, still wearing the bloodstained armour. With a wild unearthly cry they came crowding to the trench…. But Odysseus, though quaking with fear, stood his ground firmly, and held his drawn sword over the trench to keep off the multitude, until he had seen and spoken with Teiresias. …

At last came one with tottering footsteps, leaning on a golden sceptre, and halted on the farther edge of the trench. It seemed a very aged man, with flowing white beard, and sightless eyes; and Odysseus knew by these signs that he was in the presence of Teiresias, the famous prophet of Thebes, who alone among departed spirits preserves his understanding, while the rest are flitting phantoms, with no sense at all. "What wouldst thou of me, Odysseus, son of Laertes," said the spectre in faltering OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 16 tones, "and wherefore hast thou left the glad light of day to visit this drear and joyless realm of the dead? Draw back from the trench, and put up thy sword in its sheath…."

Thereupon Odysseus fell back, and sheathed his sword; and Teiresias… spoke again in firmer and clearer tones: "Thou art fain to hear of thy home-coming, illustrious hero; but thy path to Ithaca shall be beset with sorrows, because of the wrath of Poseidon, whose son, Polyphemus, thou hast blinded. Nevertheless thou and all thy company shall return safe to Ithaca, if only ye leave untouched the sacred flocks and herds of Helios, when ye come to the island of Thrinacia. But if harm befall them at your hands, from that hour thy ship and all her crew are doomed and forfeit to destruction: and though thou thyself escape, yet thou shalt return after many days, in evil plight, to a house of woe. …."

When he had thus spoken Teiresias vanished into the darkness; and one by one the spirits came up to the trench, as Odysseus suffered them, and having drunk of the blood obtained strength to speak and answer his questions. First among them was the spirit of his mother, Anticleia, daughter of Autolycus, who had been hovering near during his conference with Teiresias. When she had drunk she said: "Whence comest thou, my son? Art thou still wandering on thy long voyage from Troy, or hast thou been in Ithaca, and seen thy wife?"

"Nay, mother," answered Odysseus, "I am wandering still, still treading the path of woe, since the day when I followed Agamemnon to Troy. But tell me now, and answer me truly, what was the manner of thy death? Came it slowly, by long disease, or did Artemis lay thee low in a moment with a painless arrow from her bow? And tell me of my father and my son whom I left in Ithaca; do they still hold my possessions, or hath some other thrust them with violence from my seat? Tell me also of Penelope, my wedded wife, whether she abides steadfast and guards my goods, or whether she is gone to cheer some other man's heart."

"Steadfast indeed she is," replied Anticleia, "and wondrous patient of heart; all her thoughts are ever of thee. No one has yet usurped thy place in Ithaca, but Telemachus still reaps thy fields and sits down to meat with the noblest in the land. …." …

When the spirit of Anticleia was gone, a shadowy throng pressed forward to the trench, all the ghosts of noble dames, wives and daughters of princes. And Odysseus kept his place, sword in hand, suffering them only to drink one by one, that he might question them and learn their story. …

… and another ghostly band succeeded, the souls of great captains and mighty men of war. Foremost among these was seen one of regal port, around whom was gathered a choice company of veteran warriors, all gored and gashed with recent wounds. He who seemed their leader stretched out his hands towards Odysseus with a piteous gesture, and tears such as spirits weep gushed from his eyes. Instantly Odysseus recognised in that stricken spirit his great commander Agamemnon, once the proud captain of a thousand ships, now wandering, forlorn and feeble, with all his glory faded.

"Royal son of Atreus," he said, in a voice broken with weeping, "is it here that I find thee, great chieftain of the embattled Greeks? Say, how comest thou hither, and what arm aimed the stroke which laid thee low?" "Not in honour's field did I fall," answered Agamemnon, "nor yet amid the waves. It was a traitor's hand that cut me off, the hand of Ægisthus, and the guile of my accursed wife. OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 17

He feasted me at his board, and slaughtered me as one slaughters a stalled ox; and all my company fell with me in that den of butchery. …"

…Meanwhile other familiar forms had drawn near, the spirits of warriors renowned, whose very names were as a battle-cry when they dwelt on earth: Achilles, Patroclus, and Antilochus, and farther off, looming dimly in the darkness, the gigantic shade of Ajax. Achilles was the first to speak. "Son of Laertes," he said, "thou man of daring, hast thou reached the limit of thy rashness, or wilt thou go yet further? Are there no perils left for thee in the land of the living that thou must invade the very realm of Hades, the sunless haunts of the dead?"

“I came to inquire of Teiresias," answered Odysseus, "concerning my return to Ithaca. All my life I am a bondslave to toil and woe; but thou, Achilles, wast happy in thy life, honoured as a god by all the sons of Hellas; and now thou art happy, even in death, for honour waits on thy footsteps still."

"Tell me not of comfort in death," replied Achilles. "Rather would I breathe the air of heaven, yea, though I were thrall to a man of little substance, than reign as king over all the shades of the dead. …” …

So one by one the spirits came up, and inquired of Odysseus of their dear ones at home. Only the soul of Ajax, son of Telamon, stood sullenly aloof; for between him and Odysseus there was an old quarrel. After the death of Achilles a dispute arose among the surviving chieftains for the possession of his armour. It was decided to refer the matter to the Trojan captives in the camp, and they were asked who of all the Greeks had done them most harm. They answered in favour of Odysseus, who accordingly received the armour. Thereupon Ajax fell into a frenzy of rage, and slew himself. When Odysseus saw him, and marked his unforgiving mood, he was filled with remorse and pity, and strove to soften his resentment with gentle words. "Ah! son of Telamon," he said, "canst thou not forgive me, even here? Sorely the Argives mourned thee, and heavy was the loss brought on them by thy rash act. Thou wast a very tower of strength to the host, and we wept for thee as for a second Achilles. Draw near, great prince, subdue thy haughty spirit, and speak to me as thou wast wont to speak before the will of heaven set enmity between us."

Thus earnestly Odysseus pleaded, but there was no reply, and the angry spirit passed away into the gloom of Erebus. …

Before Odysseus leaves the underworld, Teiresias warns him about the Sirens, creatures who lure sailors into deadly rocks with beautiful music.

The Sirens (A Terrible Beauty…Terrible Beauties?) Odysseus and his men briefly return to the island of Circe and then sail into harm’s way again. As they approach the Sirens Odysseus orders his crew to bind him to the mast so he can listen to the sirens' song, yet he orders them to fill their ears with wax---whether selfishly or wisely, you can decide---thus keeping the sublime and awesome experience to himself. As the sirens attempt to draw Odysseus and his men to a watery grave he begs to be set free, but his men keep laboring onward. They sail on. OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 18

Excerpts from Project Gutenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13725/13725-h/13725-h.htm#Illus5 Once more they were afloat, and the brave little vessel bounded gaily over the waves, her canvas bellying in the wind. For some hours they sailed on thus, and Odysseus recited to his men all that he had heard from Circe. Then suddenly the wind dropped, and the sail hung idly to the mast. Having furled and stowed the sail, they took to their oars, while the sea went down, and at last sunk to a level calm. In the distance a low-lying coast appeared, which Odysseus knew to be the island of the Sirens, Forthwith he began to make his preparations to meet the danger which lay before them. Taking a ball of wax he cut it into small pieces, and having worked each piece in his hand until it was soft and plastic he carefully stopped the ears of all his men with the wax. Then two of the crew, to whom he had already given his orders, bound him hand and foot to the mast of the vessel. All being ready, they rowed forward until they came within full view of the island. And there, in a low-lying meadow hard by the sea, sat the Sirens; lovely they were of aspect, and gracious of mien; but all around them were piled the bones of men who had fallen victims to their wicked wit, fleshless ribs, from which the skin still hung in yellow shreds, and grinning skulls, gazing with eyeless sockets at the sea.

As the ship drew near, the whole choir lifted up their voices and began to sing a sweet and piercing strain, which thrilled the very marrow of Odysseus as he listened. The winds hovered … the sea lay locked in deep repose, and all nature paused with attentive ear, to catch the SONG OF THE SIRENS.

"Mighty warrior, sage renowned, But he paused, and left our bound Turn, O turn thy bark this way! Filled with wisdom from his stay. Rest upon this holy ground, All we know, whatever befell Listen to the Sirens' lay. On the tented fields of Troy, Never yet was seaman found All the lore that Time can tell, Passing our enchanted bay, All the mystic fount of joy."

It was a strain cunningly calculated to flatter a deep, subtle spirit like that of Odysseus. To know all! to read all secrets, and unravel the tangled skein of human destiny! What a bribe was this to this restless and eager mind! Then the voices of the witch-women were so liquid, and the music so lovely, that they took the very air with ravishment, and melted the hearer's soul within him. Odysseus struggled to break his bonds, and nodded to his men to come and loose him. But they, who had been warned of this very thing, rose up and bound him with fresh cords. Then they grasped their oars again, the water roared under their sturdy strokes, and soon they were out of hearing of that seductive melody.

Now they must sail through a strait warded by a pair of dooms: Scylla and Charybdis. OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 19

Charybdis the Whirlpool and Scylla (i.e., “Caught between the ______and the deep blue sea?”) It is said that to avoid one calamity you must confront the other: The crew avoids Charybdis (the whirlpool) but is forced to confront the six-headed monster Scylla, which devours six of Odysseus’s men.

They had not long lost sight of the Sirens' Rocks when they heard the booming of breakers, which warned them that the fearful strait between Scylla and Charybdis was close at hand.

A strong current caught the galley and whirled her with appalling swiftness towards the point of danger. The water boiled and eddied around them, and the blinding spray was dashed into their faces. Then a sudden panic came upon the crew, so that they dropped their oars, and sat helpless and unnerved, expecting instant death. In this emergency, Odysseus summoned up all his courage, and strode up and down between the benches, exhorting, entreating, and calling each man by name. "Why sit ye thus," he cried, "huddled together like sheep? Row, men, row for your lives! And thou, helmsman, steer straight for the passage, lest we fall into a direr strait, and be crushed between the Wandering Rocks. We have faced a worse peril than this, when we were penned together in the Cyclops' cave; and we shall escape this time also, if only ye will keep a stout heart." … So on they sped, steering close to the tall cliff under which Scylla lay hid, and gazing fearfully at the boiling whirlpool on the other side. Just as they passed, a huge column of water shot into the air, belched up from the vast maw of Charybdis, and the galley was half swamped under a fountain of falling water. When that ended, a black yawning chasm appeared, the very throat, as it seemed, of Charybdis, into which the water rushed in a roaring torrent.

Odysseus was gazing intently at this wondrous sight when he heard a sharp cry, and, looking back he saw six of his men, the stoutest of the crew, dangling high in the air, firmly clutched in the six sharklike jaws of Scylla. There they hung for a moment, like OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 20

fishes just caught by the angler's hook; the next instant they were dragged into the black mouth of the cavern, calling with their last breath on their leader's name. This was the most pitiful thing that Odysseus had ever beheld, in all his long years of travel on the sea.

Having survived these encounters, Odysseus is now finally close to home. Yet his crew refuse to cooperate. They want to rest on the island of Thrinacia, where the sun god Helios raises his cattle. The dead prophet Tiresias had warned that these Cattle of the Sun were not to be touched, so Odysseus tries to persuade his men to leave the island untouched, but they obstinately land there.

Cattle of the Sun (not the “Children of the Sun”… or?)

Odysseus warns his crew not to eat the Cattle of the sun. Odysseus’s crew eats the Cattle of the Sun.

"…While still at sea in my ship I could bear the cattle lowing as they came home to the yards, and the sheep bleating. Then I remembered what the blind Theban prophet Teiresias had told me, and how carefully Aeaean Circe had warned me to shun the island of the blessed sun-god. So being much troubled I said to the men, 'My men, I know you are hard pressed, but listen while I tell you the prophecy that Teiresias made me, and how carefully Aeaean Circe warned me to shun the island of the blessed sun-god, for it was here, she said, that our worst danger would lie. Head the ship, therefore, away from the island.'

"The men were in despair at this, and Eurylochus at once gave me an insolent answer. 'Odysseus,' said he, 'you are cruel; you are very strong yourself and never get worn out; you seem to be made of iron, and now, though your men are exhausted with toil and want of sleep, you will not let them land and cook themselves a good supper upon this island, but bid them put out to sea and go faring fruitlessly on through the watches of the flying night. It is by night that the winds blow hardest and do so much damage… Now, therefore, let us obey the behests of night and prepare our supper here hard by the ship; to-morrow morning we will go on board again and put out to sea.'

"Thus spoke Eurylochus, and the men approved his words. I saw that heaven meant us a mischief and said, 'You force me to yield, for you are many against one, but at any rate each one of you must take his solemn oath that if he meet with a herd of cattle or a large flock of sheep, he will not be so mad as to kill a single head of either, but will be satisfied with the food that Circe has given us.'

"They all swore as I bade them, and when they had completed their oath we made the ship fast in a harbour that was near a stream of fresh water, and the men went ashore and cooked their suppers. As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, they began talking about their poor comrades whom Scylla had snatched up and eaten; this set them weeping and they went on crying till they fell off into a sound sleep. OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 21

… "'My friends,' said I, 'we have meat and drink in the ship, let us mind, therefore, and not touch the cattle, or we shall suffer for it; for these cattle and sheep belong to the mighty sun, who sees and gives ear to everything.' And again they promised they would obey.

"…As long as corn and wine held out the men did not touch the cattle when they were hungry; when, however, they had eaten all there was in the ship, they were forced to go further afield, with hook and line, catching birds, and taking whatever they could lay their hands on; for they were starving. One day, therefore, I went up inland that I might pray heaven to show me some means of getting away. When I had gone far enough to be clear of all my men…I washed my hands and prayed to all the gods in Olympus till by and by they sent me off into a sweet sleep.

"Meanwhile Eurylochus had been giving evil counsel to the men, 'Listen to me,' said he, 'my poor comrades. All deaths are bad enough but there is none so bad as famine. Why should not we drive in the best of these cows and offer them in sacrifice to the immortal gods? If we ever get back to Ithaca, we can build a fine temple to the sun-god and enrich it with every kind of ornament; if, however, he is determined to sink our ship out of revenge for these homed cattle, and the other gods are of the same mind, I for one would rather drink salt water once for all and have done with it, than be starved to death by inches in such a desert island as this is.'

"Thus spoke Eurylochus, and the men approved his words. Now the cattle, so fair and goodly, were feeding not far from the ship; the men, therefore, drove in the best of them, and they all stood round them saying their prayers, and using young oak-shoots instead of barley-meal, for there was no barley left. When they had done praying they killed the cows and… meats were being grilled… pieces upon the spits.

"By this time my deep sleep had left me, and…. As I drew near I began to smell hot roast meat, so I groaned out a prayer to the immortal gods. 'Father Zeus,' I exclaimed, 'and all you other gods…you have done me a cruel mischief by the sleep into which you have sent me; see what fine work these men of mine have been making in my absence.' … "As soon as I got down to my ship and to the sea shore I rebuked each one of the men separately, but…the cows were dead already. And indeed the gods began at once to show signs and wonders among us, for the hides of the cattle crawled about, and the joints upon the spits began to low like cows, and the meat, whether cooked or raw, kept on making a noise just as cows do.

"…As soon as we were well away from the island, and could see nothing but sky and sea, the son of Saturn raised a black cloud over our ship, and the sea grew dark beneath it. We did not get on much further, for in another moment we were caught by a terrific squall from the West that snapped the forestays of the mast so that it fell aft, while all OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 22

the ship's gear tumbled about at the bottom of the vessel. The mast fell upon the head of the helmsman in the ship's stern, so that the bones of his head were crushed to pieces, and he fell overboard as though he were diving, with no more life left in him.

"Then Zeus let fly with his thunderbolts, and the ship went round and round, and was filled with fire and brimstone as the lightning struck it. The men all fell into the sea; they were carried about in the water round the ship, looking like so many sea-gulls, but the god presently deprived them of all chance of getting home again.

Zeus, enraged (as he often is), destroys Odysseus’s ship, killing his crew and terrorizing Odysseus.

…"[The gale from the West had now spent its force, and the wind got into the South again, which frightened me lest I should be taken back to the terrible whirlpool of Charybdis. This indeed was what actually happened, for I was borne along by the waves all night, and by sunrise had reached the rock of Scylla, and the whirlpool. She was then sucking down the salt sea water, but I was carried aloft toward the fig tree, which I caught hold of and clung on to like a bat. I could not plant my feet anywhere so as to stand securely, for the roots were a long way off and the boughs that overshadowed the whole pool were too high, too vast, and too far apart for me to reach them; so I hung patiently on, waiting till the pool should discharge my mast and raft again—and a very long while it seemed. A jury-man is not more glad to get home to supper, after having been long detained in court by troublesome cases, than I was to see my raft beginning to work its way out of the whirlpool again. At last I let go with my hands and feet, and fell heavily into the sea, hard by my raft on to which I then got, and began to row with my hands. As for Scylla, the father of gods and men would not let her get further sight of me—otherwise I should have certainly been lost. OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 23

"Hence I was carried along for nine days till on the tenth night the gods stranded me on the Ogygian island, where dwells the great and powerful goddess Calypso. She took me in and was kind to me..."

Odysseus miraculously survives and is washed up along on Calypso’s Island of Ogygia. (Note: Calypso may seem similar to Circe in some ways, but this is a different goddess.)

Calypso’s Island (Wow… is this Star Trek or ancient Greece?) On Calypso’s island, Odysseus is cared for but kept a prisoner. Though a goddess, Calypso apparently cannot resist falling in love with our hero, Odysseus.

After a while, Athena (Athene, also called Minerva) speaks with Zeus, who agrees to send Hermes (Mercury) to obtain the hero’s release from Calypso’s grasp. Calypso is not happy about this.

Project Gutenberg excerpts: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1727/1727-h/1727-h.htm Odysseus, and he, though he was longing to return to his wife and country, was detained by the goddess Calypso, who had got him into a large cave and wanted to marry him. But as years went by, there came a time when the gods settled that he should go back to Ithaca… …Then Athena said, "…it is for Odysseus that my heart bleeds, when I think of his sufferings in that lonely sea-girt island, far away, poor man, from all his friends. It is an island covered with forest, in the very middle of the sea, and a goddess lives there, daughter of the magician Atlas, who looks after the bottom of the ocean, and carries the great columns that keep heaven and earth asunder. This daughter of Atlas has got hold of poor unhappy Odysseus, and keeps trying by every kind of blandishment to make him forget his home, so that he is tired of life, and thinks of nothing but how he may once more see the smoke of his own chimneys. You, sir, take no heed of this, and yet when Odysseus was before Troy did he not propitiate you with many a burnt sacrifice? Why then should you keep on being so angry with him?"

And Zeus said, "My child, what are you talking about? How can I forget Odysseus than whom there is no more capable man on earth, nor more liberal in his offerings to the immortal gods that live in heaven? Bear in mind, however, that Neptune is still furious OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 24

with Odysseus for having blinded an eye of Polyphemus …. Still, let us lay our heads together and see how we can help him to return; Neptune will then be pacified, for if we are all of a mind he can hardly stand out against us."

And Athena said, "Father…we should first send Mercury to the Ogygian island to tell Calypso that we have made up our minds and that he is to return. …."

Hermes (Mercury) is sent to inform Calypso that Odysseus must be freed to return home.

Phaeacia and Nausicaa (Washed up but not out) Despite help from Athena (Minerva) and Hermes (Mercury), Odysseus is tossed about the sea some more by Poseidon, and he washes up on the shore of Phaeacia. There he encounters the young noblewoman Nausicaa, who decides it is her duty to help him, though she asks that he be careful of not ruining her reputation. (She doesn’t want the locals to see them walking together, because their ensuing gossip could ruin her chances to marry well.)

…The girl, therefore, threw a ball at one of the maids, which missed her and fell into deep water. On this they all shouted, and the noise they made woke Odysseus, who sat up in his bed of leaves and began to wonder what it might all be.

"Alas," said he to himself, "what kind of people have I come amongst? Are they cruel, savage, and uncivilized, or hospitable and humane? I seem to hear the voices of young women, and they sound like those of the nymphs that haunt mountain tops, or springs of rivers and meadows of green grass. At any rate I am among a race of men and women. Let me try if I cannot manage to get a look at them." OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 25

…He looked like some lion of the wilderness that stalks about exulting in his strength and defying both wind and rain; his eyes glare as he prowls in quest of oxen, sheep, or deer, for he is famished, and will dare break even into a well fenced homestead, trying to get at the sheep—even such did Odysseus seem to the young women, as he drew near to them all naked as he was, for he was in great want. On seeing one so unkempt and so begrimed with salt water, the others scampered off along the spits that jutted out into the sea, but the daughter of Alcinous stood firm, for Athena put courage into her heart and took away all fear from her. She stood right in front of Odysseus, and he doubted whether he should go up to her, throw himself at her feet, and embrace her knees as a suppliant, or stay where he was and entreat her to give him some clothes and show him the way to the town. In the end he deemed it best to entreat her from a distance in case the girl should take offence at his coming near enough to clasp her knees, so he addressed her in honeyed and persuasive language. … "And now, O queen, have pity upon me, for you are the first person I have met, and I know no one else in this country. Show me the way to your town, and let me have anything that you may have brought hither to wrap your clothes in. May heaven grant you in all things your heart's desire—husband, house, and a happy, peaceful home; for there is nothing better in this world than that man and wife should be of one mind in a house. It discomfits their enemies, makes the hearts of their friends glad, and they themselves know more about it than any one."

To this Nausicaa answered, "Stranger, you appear to be a sensible, well-disposed person. There is no accounting for luck; Zeus gives prosperity to rich and poor just as he chooses, so you must take what he has seen fit to send you, and make the best of it. Now, however, that you have come to this our country, you shall not want for clothes nor for anything else that a foreigner in distress may reasonably look for. I will show you the way to the town, and will tell you the name of our people; we are called Phaeacians, and I am daughter to Alcinous, in whom the whole power of the state is vested." OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 26

Then she called her maids and said, "Stay where you are, you girls. Can you not see a man without running away from him? Do you take him for a robber or a murderer? Neither he nor any one else can come here to do us Phaeacians any harm, for we are dear to the gods, and live apart on a land's end that juts into the sounding sea, and have nothing to do with any other people. This is only some poor man who has lost his way, and we must be kind to him, for strangers and foreigners in distress are under Zeus's protection, and will take what they can get and be thankful; so, girls, give the poor fellow something to eat and drink, and wash him in the stream at some place that is sheltered from the wind." … "Stranger," said she, "rise and let us be going back to the town; I will introduce you at the house of my excellent father, where I can tell you that you will meet all the best people among the Phaeacians. But be sure and do as I bid you, for you seem to be a sensible person. As long as we are going past the fields and farm lands, follow briskly behind the wagon along with the maids and I will lead the way myself. Presently, however, we shall come to the town, where you will find a high wall running all round it, and a good harbor on either side with a narrow entrance into the city, and the ships will be drawn up by the road side, for every one has a place where his own ship can lie. You will see the market place with a temple of Neptune in the middle of it, and paved with large stones bedded in the earth. Here people deal in ship's gear of all kinds, such as cables and sails, and here, too, are the places where oars are made, for the Phaeacians are not a nation of archers; they know nothing about bows and arrows, but are a sea- faring folk, and pride themselves on their masts, oars, and ships, with which they travel far over the sea.

"I am afraid of the gossip and scandal that may be set on foot against me later on; for the people here are very ill-natured, and some low fellow, if he met us, might say, 'Who is this fine-looking stranger that is going about with Nausicaa? Where did she find him? I suppose she is going to marry him. Perhaps he is a vagabond sailor whom she has taken from some foreign vessel, for we have no neighbors; or some god has at last come down from heaven in answer to her prayers, and she is going to live with him all the rest of her life. It would be a good thing if she would take herself off and find a husband somewhere else, for she will not look at one of the many excellent young Phaeacians who are in love with her.' This is the kind of disparaging remark that would be made about me, and I could not complain, for I should myself be scandalized at seeing any other girl do the like, and go about with men in spite of everybody, while her father and mother were still alive, and without having been married in the face of all the world. OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 27

After some time spent at court, telling his story, competing in a show of skill, etc., Odysseus is granted aid by the king, and before long he reaches Ithacan shores.

Return to Ithaca (and… time to take a bath… in blood? Hey, is this Game of Thrones or ancient Greece?) After about 20 years Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca. Athena helps him disguise himself as a beggar.

Odysseus dines with Eumaeus, a swineheard who does not recognize Odysseus but tells him about events in the palace, specifically the suitors’ disrespectful ways. Odysseus reveals himself to Telemachus (his son), and the two plot against the suitors.

Odysseus’s loyal and now aging dog, Argos, has no trouble recognizing him and welcoming him home. People, can we please start naming our dogs ARGOS? It’s a good name for a dog. Or even a very loyal cat (yes, the do exist)! ☺

Slaying of the Suitors: (Ithaca “…covered with blood from head to foot”) In disguise, Odysseus enters the palace and is scorned. Antinous even throws a chair at him---an act that disturbs many in the hall, for even the most callous of hearts fear that on occasion, a god may take the form of a beggar in order to provoke or test mortals. OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 28

Penelope devises a contest. She says she will marry the suitor who can string Odysseus’s bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axe handles. Each one fails. Then Odysseus, in disguise, asks for a chance to attempt to string the bow…

Excerpt from Project Guttenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13725/13725-h/13725-h.htm#Illus5 …When Penelope had withdrawn, Eumaeus took the bow, and was about to carry it to Odysseus, but paused half-way, in doubt and alarm, for a perfect storm of threats and abuse assailed his ears. "Halt, thou dog! Put down the bow! Art thou tired of thy life?" …

…Eumaeus came and placed the bow in the hands of Odysseus; then, calling Eurycleia, he bade her make fast the door of the women's apartments. Meanwhile Philoetius secured the gates of the courtyard, and returning to his place sat watching the movements of Odysseus. With anxious eye the hero scrutinized the great weapon, turning it this way and that, to see if it had been injured by worms or natural decay. To his great joy he found that it was sound and untouched. Then, easily as a minstrel fastens a new cord to a lyre, without effort he strung the bow, and bending it made the string twang loud and clear, like the shrill voice of the swallow.

A hundred mocking eyes and sneering faces had been turned towards him, as he sat fingering the bow and weighing it in his hands; but pale grew those faces now, and blank was that gaze. To add to their terror, at this moment a loud peal of thunder shook the house. Filled with high courage by the happy omen, Odysseus took an arrow, and, fitting it to the string, sent it with sure aim from the place where he sat along the whole line of axeheads, from the first to the last.

"Telemachus," he said, "…Now let us give these fair guests their supper, and afterwards entertain them with music and with dancing, which are the fit accompaniment of a feast."

Then he beckoned to his son to draw near; and Telemachus made haste, and came and stood by his father's side, armed with sword and lance.

The Slaying of the Suitors

Stripping off his rags, and girding them round his waist, Odysseus took the quiver, and poured out all the arrows on the ground at his feet. "Now guide my hand, Apollo," he cried, "and make sure mine aim, for this time I will shoot at a mark which never man hit before."

Therewith he bent his bow again, and pointed the arrow at Antinous, who just at that moment was raising a full goblet of wine to his lips. Little thought that proud and insolent man, as the wine gleamed red before him, that he had tasted his last morsel, and drunk his last drop. He was in the prime of his manhood, surrounded by his friends, and in the midst of a joyous revel; who would dream of death and doom in such an hour? Yet at that very instant he felt a sharp, sudden pang, and fell back in his seat, pierced through the throat by the arrow of Odysseus. The blood poured from his nostrils, he let fall the cup, and spurning the table with his feet in his agony he overset it, and the bread and meat were scattered on the floor. OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 29

Then arose a wild clamor and uproar among the suitors, and starting from their seats they sought eagerly for the weapons which were wont to hang along the walls; but not a spear, not a shield, was to be seen.

(Book 22, Lines 32-41): …they had not yet realized/ how over all of them the terms of death were now hanging. But looking darkly upon them resourceful Odysseus answered: "You dogs, you never thought that I would any more come back from the land of Troy, and because of that you despoiled my household, and forcibly took my serving women to sleep beside you, and sought to win my wife while I was still alive… Now upon all of you the terms of destruction are fastened.”

Like beaten hounds, that dastardly crew cowered before the man whom they had wronged, and every heart quaked with fear. Presently Eurymachus stood forward, and tried to make terms for them all. "If thou be indeed Odysseus," he said, "thou speakest justly concerning the evil doings of the suitors. And there lies the cause of the mischief, Antinous, struck down by thy righteous hand. He it was who sought to slay Telemachus, that he might usurp thy place, and make himself king in Ithaca. But now that he is gone to his own place, let us, the rest, find favor in thy sight. And as for thy possessions which have been wasted, we will pay thee back out of our own goods, as much as thou shalt require."

But there were no signs of relenting on that stern, set face. "Talk not to me of payment," he answered, with a brow as black as night; "ye shall pay me with your lives, every one of you. Fight, if ye will, or die like sheep. Not one of you shall escape."

Thus driven to extremity, Eurymachus drew his sword and shouting to the others to follow his example he picked up a table to serve him as a shield, and raising his war-cry rushed at Odysseus. In the midst of his onset an arrow struck him in the liver, and he fell doubled-up over a table, smiting the floor with his forehead. Then he rolled over with a groan, and his eyes grew dim in death.

…Odysseus continued showering his arrows among the huddled troop of terrified men; and at every shot one of the suitors fell. At last Melanthios, the goatherd, made a desperate effort to save his party. Assisted by several of the suitors, he climbed up the wall of the banquet-room, and made his exit through the open timbers at the top into a narrow passage which gave access to the inner part of the house. Presently he returned, laden with spears and shields and helmets, which he had found in the chamber where they had been stored away by Telemachus.

What was the dismay of Odysseus when he saw his enemies arming themselves with spear and shield, and brandishing long lances in their hands! "Telemachus!" he cried, "we are betrayed! The women have sold us to the suitors." "Alas! I have erred," answered Telemachus, "for I left the door of the armory open, and one of them has observed it."

While they thus debated, Eumaeus saw the goatherd making his way out of the hall again by the same exit. "It is the traitor Melanthius," he whispered; "now have we need of prompt action, or we are all undone." OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 30

…At the side of the hall…they waited on either side of the door for Melanthius, whom they heard moving within. Before long he came out, bearing in one hand a helmet, and in the other an old battered shield, once the property of Laertes. Together they fell upon him, dragged him down by the hair, and having bound him tight with a long cord they hauled him up to a beam of the roof and left him hanging. "Long and sweet be thy slumbers, goatherd!" said Eumaeus as he contemplated his work. … Agelaus now took the lead, and at his command six of them advanced and hurled their spears. But they were all dazed with drink, and weakened by long habits of loose indulgence, and not one of their weapons took effect.

"Now hurl ye your spears!" shouted Odysseus, and the four lances flew, and four suitors bit the dust. At the next discharge from the suitors Telemachus received a slight wound on the wrist, and Eumaeus was similarly injured on the shoulder…

And so the great fight went on, and at every cast of the spear Odysseus and his men added another to the list of the slain. Seeing their numbers dwindling fast, the wretched remnant of the suitors lost heart altogether and huddled together like sheep at the end of the hall. …Forthwith they all sprang down from the platform and charged the suitors, of whom some dozen still remained alive. What followed was not a battle, but a massacre. …like a flock of small birds scattered by the sudden swoop of a falcon—the panic-stricken suitors fled hither and thither through the hall, seeking shelter behind pillars and under tables from the blows which rained upon them. … OGL 360, “Odyssey synopsis” (2018), Page 31

(Book 22, Lines 306-309): “…nor was there any escape, and men are glad for the hunting; so these men, sweeping about the palace, struck down the suitors, one man after another; the floor was smoking with blood, and the horrible cries rose up as their heads were broken.”

Odysseus then kills the diviner, Leodes, who had helped the suitors: “…he cut through the neck at the middle, and the head of Leodes dropped in the dust while he was still speaking.” But he spares the lives of the singer Phemios and the herald Medon. (At this point, the fallen suitors are said to look “like fish whom the fishermen have taken in their net…but Helios, the shining Sun, bakes the life out of them.”) Odysseus is “spattered over with gore and battle filth, like a lion who has been feeding on an ox in the fields, and goes off covered with blood…a terrible thing to look in the face.”

After the slaughter, Odysseus cautions: “It is not right to glory in the slain. The gods’ doom and their reckless deeds destroyed them; for they respected nobody on earth, bad man or good, who came among them. So through their own perversity they met a dismal doom. But name me now the women of the hall, and tell me who dishonor me and who are guiltless.”

Then he has twelve of the “slave-maids” of the house rounded up and hanged to death as well, in retribution for aiding the suitors or having “gone the way of shame” with them.

A horrid death was reserved for the traitor Melanthios (Book 22, Lines 473-476): “They took Melanthios along the porch and the courtyard. They cut off, with the pitiless bronze, his nose and his ears, tore off his private parts and gave them to the dogs to feed on raw, and lopped off his hands and feet, in fury of anger.”

Penelope and Odysseus: Home Near the end of the tale, Odysseus returns to Penelope. At first she doesn’t believe it is him---it’s been two decades!---but he passes a test regarding a specially carved bed, and she welcomes him back. Ithaca is not at peace yet, however; further violence looms between factions until the gods put a stop to it. (And they all lived happily ever after?)

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QUOTATIONS / THE TEXT: Some of the quotations above are from Richmond Lattimore’s translation of The Odyssey of Homer (Harper & Row, 1967); these also show Book and Line numbers from the original work. Other quotations are from Samuel Butler’s translation (with some words changed, e.g., “wooers” changed to “suitors”) accessible via Project Gutenberg at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13725/13725-h/13725-h.htm#Illus5. George Herbert Palmer’s translation, edited by Robert Squillace, was also consulted (Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003). A NOTE ABOUT ILLUSTRATIONS: Some images and cartoons are from the “public access” (non-copyrighted) files of Project Gutenberg, at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13725/13725-h/13725-h.htm#Illus5. Other illustrations are from http://greekmythcomix.com/odyssey-comix/ and misc. websites. Many depict ancient Greek works of art (e.g., pottery, murals), and others are Renaissance and Romantic-period paintings.