THE

IttU'TRATED

ODY''EY

Itr- Jtr- J@FROtvt THE CREATORT OF MYTHWEB

CONTENTS

I . ) Introduct ion

I I ) Background

III.) The Odyssey

IV.) Notes

V.) Pronounciation Key

Text by Joel Skidmore

Illustrations bv Mark Fiore

O copyr ight 1997, 1998 Mythweb

This material is protected by copyright but may be duplicatedfor classroom and homework distribution.

In t roduc t ion

The Greek myths were first passed on by r,vord of

rnouth, down through the violence of a dark age. The

two or th ree centur ies beg inn ing about 1125 B C.E.

were marked by str i fe and turmoil . The course of civi-

l izat ion was set back by centuries. Later Creeks, look-

ing back through the dim prism of the centuries of vio-

Ience, spoke of a t ime when heroes waiked the earth.

These exceptional men and women fought monsters,

performed superhurnan feats and consorted with the

gods themselves.

The Ancient Greeks were polytheists and bel ieved

in a mult i tude of immortal deit ies. The greatest of

these l ived on the remote heights of Mount Olympus

but were by

no means aloof frorn the mortals below.

The Otympian gods communicated with

their subjects by omens and oracles. Spokespersons for

the divine, oracles answered questions, often in rid-

dles. The greatest was at Delphi. The gods decided the

outcome of athlet ic contests and batt les. They even

took up arms themselves. And they aided or hindered

the heroes in their quests.

A hero's lot was out of the ordinary from the very

outset. He or she might be the offspring of an immor-

tal deity. Some heroes were abandoned in the wilder-ness as babies. Oedipus and the heroine Atalanta werethrown to fate in this way. Oedipus was saved fromcertain death by the kindness of a shepherd. Atalanta

\ \ /as nursed by a bear. When she grew up, she could outrun,

outshoot and outwrestle most rnen, fel low heroes included.

Heroes often received an unusual education. Some were

tutored by Chiron, greatest of the centaurs. The centaurs

r.vere half man, half horse. Notoriously uncivi i ized, they were

prone to such behavior as disrupting wedding feasts by trying

to carry off the bride. Chiron was dist inguished from the

other centaurs by his civi l i ty and cult ivat ion of the healing

arts. Among other ski l ls, he taught younB heroes the medici-

nal value of herbs and plants.

Back before the Dark Age, kingdoms had produced glori-

oLrs arts and crafts, typified by the golden masks found on the

site of ancient Mycenae. The myths go back at least as far as

this era, known as the Mycenaean. I t is also known as the

Heroic Age-

As the t ime of the heroes gave way to the dirn centuries of

violence, ruins and abandoned dwell ings lay scattered upon

the land. The kingdoms that had seen the exploits sung about

by bards l ike Homer now Iay in shambles. Some speculate

that Dorian invaders from the north with iron weapons laid

waste the Bronze Age culture. Others look to internal dissent,

uprising and rebel l ion. Or perhaps some combination brought

the era to an end.

One thing is certain-civi l izat ion

had taken a giant backward step.

Material cuiture and the life of the

rnind were reduced to a lower com-

mon denominator. And when the

flame of learning and the aspiring

spir i t was kindled anew, people

Iooked back across the t ime of

darkness to what seemed a golden

age. Then i t was, they thought, that

a special breed of men and women

had trod the earth-not quite gods

but not quite human either. They

made up stories about them, some

based perhaps on faint recol lec-

t ions of real individuals.

These were the heroes of Greek mytholog/.

Background

The Tro;an War was over. The clever Creek Odysseus

had tr icked the enemy into bringing a colossal wooden

horse within the walls of Troy. The to;ans had no

idea that Creek soldiers were hidden inside, under the

command of Odysseus.

The Creeks had been been laying siege to Troy for

nine long years, but suddenly i t looked l ike their whole

army had departed, leaving the horse behind.

That night, while the Trojans slept, Odysseus and his

men emerged from the horse's bel ly. Opening the ciry

gates, they admitted their comrades, who had snuck

back in the dark.

Troy was sacked and the Trojans utterly vanquished.

Now it was time for Odysseus and his fellow warriors

to return to their kingdoms across the sea. Here begins

the tale of the Odyssey, as sung by the blind minstrel

Homer.

was nursed by a bear. When she grerv up, she could outrun,

outshoot and outwrestle most rnen, fel low heroes included.

Heroes often received an unusual education. Some *ere

tutored by Chiron, greatest of the centaurs. The centaurs

rvere half man, half horse. Notoriously uncivi l ized, they were

prone to such behavior as disrupting wedding feasts by trying

to carry off the bride. Chiron was dist inguished from the

other centaurs by his civi l i ty and cult ivat ion of the healing

arts. Among other ski l ls, he taught young heroes the medici-

nal value of herbs and plants.

Back before the Dark Age, kingcloms had produced glori-

ous arts and crafts, typified by the golden masks found on the

site of ancient Mycenae. The myths go back at least as far as

this era, known as the Mycenaean. I t is also known as the

Hero ic Age.

As the t ime of the heroes gave way to the dim centuries of

violence, ruins and abandoned dwell ings lay scattered upon

the land. The kingdoms that had seen the exploits sung about

by bards l ike Homer now lay in shambles. Some speculate

that Dorian invaders from the north with iron weapons laid

waste the Bronze Age culture. Others look to internal dissent,

uprising and rebel l ion. Or perhaps some combination brought

the era to an end.

One thing is certain-civi l izat ion

had taken a giant backward step.

Material culture and the life of the

mind were reduced to a lower com-

mon denominator. And when the

flame of learning and the aspiring

spir i t was kindled anew, people

Iooked back across the time of

darkness to what seemed a golden

age. Then i t was, they thought, that

a special breed of men and women

had trod the earth-not quite gods

but not quite human either. They

made up stories about them, some

based perhaps on faint recollec-

t ions of real individuals.

These were the heroes of Greek m)^holog/.

Book One

"Oh Coddess of Inspirat ion, help me sing of wi ly

Odysseus, that master of schemesl" So Homer

begins his epic, though the hero himself is st i l l off-

stage. We are treated to a gl impse of l i fe among

the supreme gods on Mount Olympus.

Crey-eyed Athena, the goddess of war, is addressing an assem-

b ly headed l '>y Zets , lhe k ing o f gods .

Athena (uh-THEE-n"h)

7-eus (ZOOS or ZYOOS)

Hermes (HER--eez)

Telemachus ( te l -EM-uh-kus)

Cyclops (SY-t<tops)

"Even though we al l love Odysseus, he alone of the Creek

heroes has been waylaid on his journey home from Troy. When

he put out the eye of the giant Cyclops, he provoked the wrath

of the Cod of Earthquakes."

The Olympians know she refers to Poseidon, the Ruler of the

Sea, who is off enjoying a banquet elsewhere.

"And now Odysseus languishes on the lonely island of the

nymph Catypso, pining for home. ]s that your wil l , Zeus?"

"You know very weil i t isn't ," repl ies the god of gods.

"Then send your herald, Her.nes, f lying to Calypso. Make her

let Odysseus go. I myself wi l l inspire the hero's son." Athena

departs to fulfill this vow.

Adopting a mortal guise, she appears at the gate of Odysseus'

mansion on the island of Ithaca. Odysser-rs' son, Telemachus,

does not recognize the goddess in her human form but invites

the stranger in as a guest. Over food and wine they discuss the

Poseidon (porr-SYE dun)

Penelope (peh-NEL-uh-pee) fact that Telemachus and his mother Penelope are plagued bysuitors for Penelope's hand in marriage.

Att the eligible young nobles of Ithaca and the neighboring

islands, assuming that Odysseus is dead, are wying for

Penelope. And while they wait to see wir ich orie of them shewil] choose, they help themselves to her hospitality, feasting

through her herds and g:uzzling her wine. Telemachus is power-

less to do anything about it.

"Warn them off," counsels Athena. "Then fit out a ship that willcarry you to the mainland. There you must seek t idings of your

father. "

Book Two

Inspired by Athena, Telemachus calls a council of all the rnen of

]thaca. He asks them how they can stand idly by and al low his

mother's hospital i ty to be abused. Antinous, one of the r inglead-

ers of the suitors, brazenly puts the blame on Penelope, for not

choosing one of them as husband.

"She has even resorted to tr ickery," claims Antinous- "At f i rst she

said she'd choose among us just as soon as she f inished her

weaving. But she secretly unraveled i t every night."

Hot words are exchanged, and Zeus sends an omen. Two eagles

swoop down on the congregation, tearing cheeks and necks with

their talons. A wise man interprets this as impending doom for

the suitors.

In closing, Telemachus asks his countrymen to f i t him out with a

ship so that he might seek news of his father.

Back in his own hal l , Telemachus is greeted by Antinous, who

suBgests that they share a feast togetherjust as they did when

Telemachus was st i l l a boy. Telemachus repl ies that he' l l see him

dead first. The other suitors mock the young man for his fighting

words.

Seeking out his aged nursemaid, Eurycleia, Telemachus

instructs her to prepare barley meal and wine for the crew of his

ship. He makes her swear an oath that she wil l not tel l his moth-

er of his departure unti l he is ten days gone.

That night a sleek black vessel crewed by tvventy oarsmen puts

out to sea, with Telemachus and Athena, his godly patron in dis-

guise, seated in the stern,

Book Three

Dawn finds the travelers at Pylos, in the kingdom of

Nestor, who at the age of ninety led a contingent in the

tojan War. Telemachus asks the wise old king to tell

him how and where his father died, for he cannot help

but assume the worst. In reply, Nestor tel ls what he

knows of the Greeks' return from Trov.

"]t started out badly because of Athena's anger. Sh"

Ant inous (an-TIN-on- us)

Eurycleia (yoo-rih-KLY-uh)

Pylos (PYE-toss)

Agamemnon

(ag-uh-MEM-non)

Mene laus (men-e l r -LAY-us)

Orestes (oh-RESS-teez)

caused dissension between our leader Agarnernnon and

his brother Menelaus. Menelaus was for sett ing sai l

immediately, while Agamemnon insisted that a

sacri f ice be held f irst to pacify the Boddess. In the end,

half the army left whi le the others remained with

Agamemnon.

"Those of us who sai led with Menelaus made good

speed at f i rst, but then we were at each other's throats

again- One group, under Odysseus, broke off and

rejoined Agamemnon. I 'm st lre that even in I thaca

you ve heard what eventual ly happened to him."

"To Agamemnon? Yes," responds Telemachus. He

knows that the great king s wife fel l in love with

another. Together they murdered Agamemnon upon

his homecoming. Then, seven years later, he was

avenged by his son, Orestes.

"But tel l me, Nestor, i f you wil l , why did Menelaus

not slay his brother's ki l ler with his own hand and

throw his body to the dogs?"

Nestor explains how the fair winds that brought that

first party of Creeks safely home from Troy failed

Menelaus. A storm blew him al l the way to Egyp,

There he l ingered, unable to return home unti l i t was

too late.

"Journey to Sparta," suggests Nestor. "Seek further

news from Menelaus. I will loan you a chariot and one

of my sons to accompany you.

And so in the morning, after participating in a sacrifice

to Athena, Telemachus sets out for the kingdom ofMenelaus.

Book Four

Telemachus and Nestor's son are welcomed by King

Menelaus with great hospitality. Quee.t Helen

immediately recognizes Telemachus as the spitting

image of Odysseus.

"You must be the boy he left behind when he took ship

for Troy -- all because of me and my mad passion for

Trojan Paris. Aphrodite's curse was already wearing

off when last I saw your father. What a man ! I ' l l neverforget his daring and his gui le.

"He had beaten himself black and blue and dressed upin a beggar's rags to sneak into Tioy. But I recognizedhim when he spoke to me there in the house of Paris. Ibathed him and gave him a fresh robe, and he made hisescape, ki l l ing many a Trojan on his way. I rejoiced,for I missed my home and the blameless husband I hadforsaken."

"And remember, my dear, how you suspected that wewere hiding inside the wooden horse?" asks Menelaus."Oc-lysseus was in command. I t was everything hecould do to keep us quiet when you started cal l ing outto us, imitat ing the voice of each man's w.i fe."

These reminiscences are rnixed with tears for fal len

comrades, and at length Telemachus seeks respite insleep. In the morning, Menelaus relates what he can ofOdyrse'.,*.

"As you know, I was held down for seven long yearsin E,gypt. And when at last the gods reiented and sent ahomeward breeze, I oniy made it as far as an island offthe mouth of the Nile before I was becalmed. Agoddess took pity on me as I paced the beach indesperation.

" 'My father is the Old Man of the Sea,' she said. 'You

and three picked men of your crew must catch him andpin him down.' She helped us with disguises, thehides of seais which stank to high heaven. She evenrubbed ambrosia under our noses aRainst the stench.

"And when the Ancient came for his midday napamongst the seals, as was his custom, we jumped himand held on for dear life. He had an awesome power,you see, to change his form -- to lion, to snake, toboar, to gushing fountain and towering tree. But whenhe saw that we weren t about to let go, he reverted tohis original shape and began to speak.

"He said that Zeus himself was furious because wehad failed to sacrifice before setting sail. We'd have toslog back up the Nile and start al l over. And as he was

frplJ E J@ fFl

J E

an a l i -knowing god, I asked

which of our com-

rades

had perished on the

journey home from Troy.

" 'Only two high off icers, ' he repl ied. 'And

one of

them might have l ived but for his insolence. E.re.t

though he had been the cause of Athena's wrath in the

first pl:rce, Alax made it safely ashore on a

promontory. At which point he had the audacity to

brag that he had beaten the gods. His boast was heard

by Poseidon, and the Lord of Earthquakes swung his

mighty trident and knocked the earth right out from

under Ajax, who fel l into the sea and perished. '

"And the other?" we asked, for he had spoken of twoL : ^ L ^ F C : ^ ^ - ^r r r B r I u t r r L E r s .

" 'Odysse,lr l ives st i l l , though marooned, without a

crew of oarsmen to stroke him home.'

And so Telemachus received the news that he had

sought. But meanwhile his situation had become st i l l

more peri lous. For back at home on Ithaca, the suitors

had gotten wind of his departure. Spurred on by

Antinous, they plotted to ambush him at sea upon his

return.

Book Five

Soon after dawn breaks on Mount Olympus, Athena puts the case of

Odysseus once more before the gods. At her prompting, Zeus dis-

patches Hermes with a message for Calypso.

Binding on his magic sandals, Hermes skirns over the waves to the

island paradise where the nymph has detained Odysse,-rs. He finds her

at her hearth in the midst of a forest redolent with cedar smoke and

thyme.

1 0

She's surprised by the visit but extends hospitality before asking its

cause. Seating Hermes, she puts before him nectar and ambrosia, the

sus lenance o f the gods .

"I 'm not here because I enloy crossing the desolate sea, says Hermes. " l

br ing a message from Zeus: Send Odysseus home.

"You jealous gods! Can't you bear to see one of us keep a mortal of her

owr,?" cr ies Calypso. "On very well , there's no arguing with Zeus.

Hermes r i ses to take h is leave. "And nex t t ime, do Cod 's b idd ing w i th a

better grace."

Calypso knows where to f ind Odysreus. Every day for the last seven

years he's sat on the same rock gazing out to sea, weeping for home and

Pene lope.

"]f I tota you that there's heartbreak and shipwreck in store," asks the

goddess, "would you trade immortal i ty and me for that mortal wench?"

"Yes, though she's nothing in comparison to your radiant self , I 'd gladly

endure what the sea deals out."

"Very well then, you may go.

"What kind of tr ick is this?" asks Odysseus, who is famous for tr icks

himself. "You' l l understand i f I 'm suspicious."

"No tr ick. ] swear by Styx."

And so the next morning she leads him to a pine wood and gives him

tools to bui ld a raft . Five days later, provisioned with food and drink, he

sets sai l . Instructed by Calypso, he keeps Orion and i ts companion con-

stel lat ions on his left and sai ls for seventeen days without sight of land.

Then, just as an island appears on the horizon, Poseidon notices what is

afoot.

"So, my fel low gods have taken pity on Odyssetrs. I f Zeus wil ls i t , then

he's headed home. But not before I give him a voyage to remember."

Taking his trident in both hands, Poseidon stirs the sea into a fury and

lashes up rain and squall . Mast and sai l are torn away, Odysseus is

thrown overboard and buried under a wall of water. When he emerges

gasping and sputtering, he somehow manages to clamber back aboard.

A goddess, Leucothea, appears to him in the form of a bird. She coun-

sels him to swim for i t . ' 'Take

my vei l , t ie i t around your waist as a

Styx (STIX)

Orion (oh-RYE-un)

Leucothea

(ioo- COH - tnee- ah)

J@

1 1

lrp-l I@

charm against drowning. When you reach shore, be sure tothrow it back into the sea."

Odysse,s doubts. Surely i t is safer to keep ro the boat. ButPoseidon soon solves his di lemma by smashing i t to bits.Satisf ieci, the Sea God drives off in his chariot. Odysseus swimsand dri f ts for two days, unti l he hears surf breaking on a rock-bound coast.

A strong wave bears him in, straight onto the rocks.Desperately he clings to a ledge, until torn off by the undertow.He has the presence of mind to swim back out to sea. It is thenhe sees a break in the reefs, the mouth of a river just up thecoast. He prays to the deity of this stream to take him in. Andthe god has mercy on him.

Battered and half-drowned as he is, he remembers to throw theveil back to Leucothea. Then he staggers ro the bank and fallsface down in the mud. Still he can't rest, for he knows thatriver air grows deathly coid at night and anywhere he'll be easyprey to beasts.

Then he finds a clump of olive trees, so thickly tangled as tomake a cage. And, drawing leaves up over himself for a blan-ket, he sleeps the sleep of the dead.

t2

( ,

Book S*

Odysser.rs had washed up in the land of the Phaeacians. Athena

now intervened to make these people foster his journey home. She

went by night to the palace of their king and appeared in a dream

to the princess, Nausicaa.

The goddess prompted her to give thought to her wedding day.

Shouldn't she journey to the pools down by the r iver and wash her

bridal gown?

In the morning Nausicaa awoke with this idea in mind. But being

modest, she asked her father instead i f she might launder the family

l inen. Could she have the mule cart for the day? This was ordered

and Nausicaa departed with her serving maids.

At the r iver, they soaked and thrashed the l inen and laid i t out to

dry. Then they bathed in the river and anointed themselves with oil.

After lunch they began to toss around a bal l .

] t wa. while they were playing that Odysseus woke to the sound of

their laughter. Tearing off an ol ive branch to cloak his nakedness,

he approached the group.

The maids ran away at the sight of the brine-encrusted stranger,

but Nausicaa stood her ground. Odysseus had to choose between

touching her knees in the gesture of a suppliant or staying back and

trusting to words. He decided that words were the safer course.

"Are you a goddess or a mortal?" he inquired. " l f the latter, your

parents must be proud. I 've never seen your l ike in beauty. I don't

dare embrace your knees. Could you just tel l me the way

to town?"

In her candid way, Nausicaa sized him up and saw

that he meant no harm."As strangers and beg-

gars are in the hands

o f Z e u s , l ' l l n o t

refuse comfort to a

Phaeacians (fee-AY-shunz)

Naus icaa (naw-SI K-ay-uh)

13

castaway." She cal led back her maids and told them to feed and cloth

Odysse,-rs. They gave him oi l to rub on after he had bathed in the

rlver.

And now Athena added further luster to the hero's freshly anointed

skin and rnade him seem almost a god. So the princess wished that her

own husband might in some way resemble Odysselrs.

"Now here is what you must do , " she to ld h im. "On the way to my

father's palace we wil l pass between the boatyards. The last thing I

want is for some shipwright to see you fol lowing along behind my cart

and think that there is something going on between us.

"But just before town is a roadside grove, sacred to Athena. Wait there

unt i l you ' re sure ] 'm Bone, then en ter lhe c i ry ga te . Ask d i rec t ions to

the palace, and when you',re found i t do not hesitate. Come straight

in to the ha l l and seek ou t my mother .

"Sf 'e' t t be seated by the f ire. Clasp her knees. I f she accepts your sup-

pl icat ion, you re as good as home.

Book Seven

Odysseus waited in the grove as instructed and then

entered the city of the Phaeacians. When he asked

directions to the palace, i t was Athena in the form of a

l i t t le gir l who showed him the way.

Odysseus stopped on the threshold, dazzled. The

very walls of the interior were covered in shining

bronze and tr immed with laois lazul i .

The king and his court iers were banqueting in this

splendor, but Athena wrapped Odysse,.,s in a mist so

that he passed by unseen. Straight up to the queen he

went and wrapped his huge arms around her knees.

"Blessings upon you and this company, he said, " i f

you but grant my plea -- safe passage to my

homeland." Wlth this he rose and sat down asain in

the ashes of the f ire.

lrprli l p l

I 4

t|prl

"A supplicant with honorable inten-t ions, humbled in

the ashes!" exclaimed a wise counselor

to the king."My lord, this wi l l not do."

At which King Alcinous himself aroseand took

Odysseus by the hand, raising him tohis feet. Next to

the king's throne sat his eldest son,who now moved

aside. Odysseus was guided to this

place of honor.

Alcinous (a l -SIN-oh-us)

"Tomorrow shall be a hoi iday," declared the king."And when we have made sacri f ice to the gods andentertained our visi tor, we wil l give thought tospeeding his journey home.

"Who knows, he might even be a god, although in thepast the gods haven't bothered with disguise in visi t ingour realm. They',re always appeared to us in al l theirglory, since we are their kin."

Odysseus assured him that he was no god, but amortal man, and a hungry one at that. When the otherguests had left , the queen asked him how it came to bethat he was wearing clothes that she herself hadt r immed.

Odysseus related the events since his departure fromCalypso's island, sparing no detai l but one. Hedescribed how he had approached the princess and hermaids by the r iver, and how Nausicaa had kindlygiven him clothing. But he said rhat i t had been hisown idea to enter town separately.

That night he slept on a deep pi le of rugs beneath cleansheets and f leeces.

Boot< Eight

The next morning King Alcinous addressed anassembly of his people: "My guest 's name is st i l l

Dernodocus

(rtee MAH-aun-cus)

Ach i i l e s ( uh -K ILL -eez )

unknown to me, but I have promised him passagehome. Therefore prepare our fastest ship. When al l isdone, let the crew join me and my nobles for a banqueta t the pa lace . "

To entertain the banqueters, Alcinous summoned hisminstrel, Demodocus. This bard could sing of al l l i fehad to offer, having himself been favored with the gif tof song but cursed with bl indness. And Demodocus'chosen theme that day was the tojan War.

He began by singing of Achi l les and Odysseus, andthis brought tears to that hero's eyes. He managed tohide them by burying bis face in his cloak, though theking heard his sobs.

He spoke up a t once: "Demodocus, pu t as ide yourharp for now. I t is t ime for athlet ics."

And so the Phaeacians did their best to impress thei,rguest with the discus, foot races and wrestl ing. Andindeed their feats were prodigious. At length theynoticed that Odysseus himself was well-muscled andfi t . Perhaps he would care to join their contest?

Odysse,,rs repl ied that he had other things than sport onhis mind. But one of the competitors, a sai lor l ike al lthe Phaeacians, took this as an excuse. "No doubt he'sbeen to sea," he sneered, "but onlv as a Durser.

The hero's eyes went cold. He picked up a discus andthrew it with such a rush of wind that the Phaeacianshit the deck. I t landed far beyond their own best shots.

Alcinous acknowledged that the guest had proven his

l 6

point. "Perhaps there's another way we can rmpresshim." He cal led for Demodocus to play a tune, andvanous dances were performed, cuiminating in onefeaturing a carved wooden bal l .

This was tossed high in the air, and a dancer Ieapt upand deflected l t . Then two dancers passed i t back andforth, keeping i t low to the Bround. Odysseus wasindeed impressed.

Now the king proposed that each of his senior lords gohome and bring back a bar of gold for thesti l l -nameless guest. The sai lor who had tauntedOdysseus earl ier gave him his own sword in apology.The gold was brought and the queen herself stored ir ina chest for Odysseus.

That evening, on his way to the banquet hal l ,Odysseus passed Nausicaa in the corr idor. "When youare safely home," she said, "you might remember me."

"Princess," repl ied Odysseus, "I wi l l give thanks toyou, as to a goddess, each day unti l I die."

At table the minstrel was cal led upon once more, and

this t ime i t was Odysseus himself who suggested thetheme. Demodocus began to sing of the Trojan Horre,how the men of Troy had brought i t within their wallsand then debated what to do. Should they smash i t topieces with axes, or push i t over a cl i f f Or shouldthey preserve i t as an offering to the gods? Fate, ofcourse, made them choose the latter course.

Once more Odysseus cried into his mantle, and oncemore the king ordered a halt to the entertainment.

"Enough! Our guest is weeping. He came to us as asuppliant, and his conduct was proper in al l respeccs.So we are doing as he asked. Now it is his turn. Tel lus your name, stranger, and tel l us your home. Afteral l , our ship wil l need to set a course.

hElllci-Jtr.

t 7

Isnrarrrs (17--muh-russ)

C jco."s (s ih-COHN-eez)

Cyclo l>es (sy- l (LOH peez)

Book N ine

"I am Odysseus of I thaca. And here is my tale since

sett ing out from Troyi

Our f irst landfal l was Ismarus, in the land of the

Cicones. We sacked the town, ki l led the men and took

the women captive. I was for putt ing out r ight t l -ren,

bu t my men wou ld no t hear o f i t .

Carousing on the beach, they feasted and dawdled

while survivors oi our plundering raised the

hinterlands. The main force of the Cicones swept

down on us in a b lack t ide . These were f igh t ing men,

and i t was al l we could do to hold the ships unti l ,

outnumbered, we cut our losses and put back out to

s e a .

And while we st i l l gr ieved for our fal len comrades,

Zeus sent a storm that knockecl us to our knees. We

rode i t ou t as bes t we cou ld . I m igh t even then have

rounded the southern cape and made fo r home had no t

a new gale driven us across seventeen days of open

We found ourselves at last

in the land of the

Lotus-eaters. These folk are

harmless enough, but the

plant on which they feast is

insidious. Three of my

men tasted i t and al l they

wanted was more. They lost

al l desire for home. I had to

force them back to the

ships and t ie them down

while we made our Bet-away.

Next we beached in the

iand of the Cyclopes. We'd

put in at a iittle island off

their coast. And since they

don't know the f irst thing

about sai l ing they'd left i t

uninhabited, though i t

teamed with wildl i fe.

t 8

We made a pleasant meal of wi ld goat, then next day I

left everyone else behind and took my own crew over

to the mainland. The f irst thing we saw was a big cave

overlooking the beach. Inside were milking pens for

goats and b ig cheeses ag ing on racks

My men were for making off with the cheeses and the

lambs that we found in the cave' but I wanted to see

what manner of being made this his lair.

When the Cyclops -- Polyphemus was his name --

came home that afternoon, he blotted out the l ight in

the doorway. He was as tal l and rugged as an alp' One

huge eye glared out of the center of his forehead'

He didn't see us at f i rst, but went about his business'

The f irst thing he did was drag a huge boulder into the

mouth of the cave. Twenry teams of horses couldn't

have budged i t . Then he milked his ewes, separating

out the curds and sett ing the whey aside to drink with

his dinner. I t was when he stoked his f ire for the meal

that he saw us.

'Who are you?' asked a voice l ike thunder'

'We are Greeks, blown off course on our way home

from Troy, ' I explained. 'We

assume you' l l extend

hospital i ty or suffer the wrath of Zeus' protector of

gues ts . '

'Zews? We Cyclopes are stronger than Zeus I ' l l show

you hospital i tY. '

With that he snatched up rvvo of my men and bashed

their brains out on the f loor. Then he ate them raw,

picking them apart and poking them in his mouth'

bones and guts and al l .

We cried aloud to Zeus, for al l the good i t did our

comrades. The Cyclops washed them down with great

slurps of milk, smacked his l ips in satisfact ion and

went to sleep. My hand was on my sword, eager to

stab some vital spot. But I real ized that only he could

unstopper the mouth of the cave.

Polyphemus(po l- ih- F E E- muss)

i lptl-tpl

l 9

i l p l

We passed a miserable night and then watched the

Cyclops make breakfast of two more of our

companions. When he went out to pasture his f lock,he nr r l led thc hnr r l c lc r c losed beh ind h im.

It rn'as up to me to make a plan. I found a tree trunk

that the Cyclops intended for a walking st ick. We cut

off a six*foot section, skinned i t , put a sharp point on

one end and hardened i t in the f ire. Then we hid i t, r n r l n t a r r i l o n f

When the Cyclops came home and made his usual

rnea l , ] spoke to h im 'Cyc lops ,

you migh t as we l l take

some of our l iquor to savor with your barbarous

feas t . '

I 'd brought along a skin ol wine that we'd been given

as a gif t . I t was so strong that we usually di luted i t in

water twenty to one. The Cyclops tossed i t back and

then demanded more .

' l l i ke you, Creek , ' he sa id .

' l 'm go ing to do you

favor. What s your name?'

'My name is Nobody, ' ] to ld h im.

It turned out that the favor he intended was ro ear melast. But when the wine had knocked him out, I put

my plan into effect. Heating the end of the pole unti l i t

was glowing red, we ran i t toward theCyclops l ike a

bar te r ing ram, a iming i t fo r h is eyea n d d r i r r i n o i t d o p n

The thins sizzled l ike hot meral

dropped in water while

I twisted i t l ike an auger.

Polyphemus came

awake with a roar,t n r p t l r e < n i l z a

from his eye andt r e o a n o r n n -' - b - " b ^ - r

ing for us in

nrs

bL indness

20

-f l , is screams of frustrat ion and rage broughtthe neighboring Cyclopes to rhe mouth of the cave.

'What is i t , brother?' they cal led inside.

' Is someone

harming you?'

' l t ' s Nobody! ' be l lowed Po lyphemus.

'Then for the love of Poseidon pipe down in there! '

They went away, and Polyphemus heaved the boulderaside and spent the night by the open door, hopingwe d be stupid enough to try to sneak past him.Cett ing past him was the problem alr ight, but bymorn ing ] 'd worked ou t a so lu t ion .

Tying goats together with ropes of wi l low, I hid a manunder each group of three. When it was t ime to letthem out to pasture, the Cyclops ran his hands overtheir backs but did not notice the men underneath.Myself, I clutched to the underbel ly of the brggest ram.

'Why aren't you leading the f lock as usual?' askecl

Polyphemus, detaining this beast at the door andstroking i ts f leece.

' I wish you could talk, so you

could point out those Creeks. '

He let the ram go, and we bear i t down to the ship asfast as our legs would carry us. When we were a goodway out to sea, I could not resist a taunt. I cal led ouc,and Polyphemus came to the edge of the seaside cl i f f .In his fury he tore up a huge boulder and f lung ir at us.

It landed in front of our bow, and the splash almostdrove us back onto the beach. This t ime I waited unti lmy panicked men had rowed a good bit further beforeI put my hands to my mouth to cal l out again. The mentried to hush me, but I was aqulver with tr iumph.

' I f someone asks who did this, the name is Odysseus! '

That brought another boulder hurt l ing our way, butthis one landed astern and only hastened our departureThe Cyclops was left howling on the cl i f f , cai l ing ourto his father Poseidon for vengeance.

hpl

z1

J@ mJ H

Aeo lus (EE-oh - l r r ss )

Laest rygon lans

( tees- r r ih - G OH-nee- rnz)

Book Ten

"We next put in at the island of Aeolus. Zeus had made himKeeper o f the Winds . So when ] 'd en ter ta ined Aeo lus fo r amonth with tales of Troy, he was kind enough to provide asteady breeze to blow us home. He even gave me an assot-tmentof storm winds to stow on board, t ied up in a Ieather bag.

Nine days later we were just off I thaca, so close that peoplecould be seen ashore going about their work. I had dozed off,exhausted by manning the sai l myselF the whole way. Now my

men noticed the bag that Aeolus had given me.

'Why does the captain get al l the booty?' they wanted to know.

'What have we got to show for our searoving?'

So they opened i t and let loose a hurr icane that blew us al l rheway back to Aeolus's island. Hangdog, I appeared once more

before him and asked i f he would send us home again. Hek icked me r iph t ou t o f there .

Back at sea, six days and nights we were becalmed. Then wefetched up in the iand of the Laestrygonians. There i t 's dayl ightaround the clock. A shore patrol was dispatched to scout thecount rys ide .

They came upon a husky young gir l who directed them to hermother, the queen of those people. She proved to be hideous

and huge as a mountain, and her husband was hot for blood.F-le grabbed the f irst man, tore him in half and chomped himdown. The others made a break for i t .

They came screaming back to the shore, fol lowed by the entire

clan of Laestrygonians. As the men scrambled to cast off , theywere bombarded by boulders pelted from the heights. I t wasl ike shooting f ish in a barrel. The Laestrygonians smashedships and men and gorged on lumps of Greek.

I 'a frad the presence of mlnd to cut away the hawser with mysword, and I urged my men to row for their l ives. We made i t ,the only ship to escape. Our rel ief was overwhelmed in grieffor the comrades left behind.

When we came to Circe's island, no one was eager to goexploring, but I divided the company in two and we drew lots.

(^,"." /sTR-"-.\

t ,

My group stayed behind while the other set out under my kinsman

Eurylochus to reconnoiter.

Before long they came to a stone house in the middle of a tangled

wood. Strange to tel l , i t was surrounded by l ions and wolves of extra-

ord.inary meekness. Hearing singing from within, the men saw no

harm in making their presence known.

Circe came out and welcomed them inside. AII but Eurylochus accept-

ed the invitat ion. He had a premonit ion. And sure enough, after she

had given them food and honeyed wine mixed with a pinch of some-

thing, she waved her wand and turned them into swine.

Eurylochus came running back to the ship and spread the alarm. I

now shouldered the burden of command and set out to investigat.e.

Fortunately I met Hermes along the way. Zeus's herald warned me

that I too would be transformed by Circe's witchery unless I fol lowed

his instruct ions. I was to accept the potion that she gave me, knowrng

that I would be protected by a godly charm -- a sprig of herb cal led

moly that mortals dare not harvest. Then when she raised her wand I

was to draw my sword.

Hermes gave me the moly, then departed. i made my way to the house

in the clearing and Circe bade me enter. I downed the potion. Then

just as she showed her wand, I unsheathed my sword and held i t to

her throat.

She fainted to the ground and clutched my knees. 'You

can only be

Odysseus. Hermes warned me that this day would come. Let me be

your fr iend and lover- '

First I made her swear an oath.

.. --7L, + Later we feasted splendidly and her servantsLr': danced attendance. But she could see that I was

8 . . - , r ^ - L . , -

[u oo-RI LL-u fr- cuss)

ZLl . oanceo a t t

\ l in no mood for levity. Di.r ining the cause, she

\\ waved her wand once more and restored my

\\ shiomates to human form. She even senr me ro

\\ summon the men from the\\ , , 1hl ly shiP' who never thought

)\\ya .6: they'd see me again al ive.' \ - - - ' r w(t --<-e:-

When many months had

passed, the crew remind-

ed me of home. Now it

\rf,

?3

Tiresias ( ty-RI iE-se"- us)

was my turn to take Circe's knees in supplication. The goddess

was wil l ing to let me go, but i t was not as simple as that.

'You w i l l never see your home aga in , she sa id ,

'by sa i l ing there

direct ly. You must detour to the lancl of Death, there to consult the

bl ind propl-ret Tiresias. He alone can chart your course.

Book Eleven

"At the fur thest edse of Ocean's stream is the land to- - D - -

which a l l journey when they d ie . Here the i r sp i r i t s

endure a f leshless existence. They can't even talk

unless re-animated with blood.

Accordingly, I did as Circe instructed, bleeding a

sacri f iced lamb into a pit . Tiresias, the bl ind Prophetwho had accompanied us to Troy, was the soul I had

to talk to. So I held al l the other shades at bay with my

sword un t i l he had drunk f rom the p i t .

He gave me warnings about my journey home and told

me what I must do to ensure a happy death when my

time came. I met the shades of many famous women

and heroes, including Achii les, best f ighter of the

Greeks at Troy.

52

24

Book Twelve

"At sea once more we had to pass the Sirens, whose

sweet singing lures sai lors to their doom. I had

stopped up the ears of my crew with wax, and I alone

Iistened while lashed to the mast. Dowerless to steer

toward shipwreck.

Next came Cnar5zbdis, who swallows the sea in a

whir lpool, then spits i t up again. Avoiding this we

skirted the cl i f f where Scyl la exacts her tol l . Each of

her six slavering maws grabbed a sai lor and wolfed

him down.

Flnal ly we were becalmed on the

island of the Sun.

My men disregarded al l warnings

and sacri f iced his

catt le, so back at sea Zeus sent a

thunderbolt that

smashed the ship. I alone survived,

washing up on thei ^ r ^ ^ i ^ f , / - ^ r . , ^ ^ ^ "l s l a r l u u t v d r y P 5 u .

Charybdis (t<atr-RI B-ars)

Scyl la (SILL-uh)

Book Thirteen

When Odysseus has f inished his tale, the king orders

hirn sped to I thaca. A rug is spread on the deck of the

ship, and he sleeps the whole way.

The sai lors put him down on the beach st i l l sleeping,

together with the magnif icent gif ts of the Phaeacians.

upon awakening he spends a good deal of t ime

wondering how he is going to protect this treasure.

Athena casts a protective mist about him that keeps him

from recognizing his homeland. Final ly the goddess

reveals herself and dispels the mist. In joy Odysseusk i < s e s t ' l - \ A o r n r r n r l

Athena transforms him into an old man as a disguise.

Clad in a f i l thy tunic, he goes off to f ind his fairhful

swineherd, as instructed by the goddess.

L O

Book Fourteen

Eurnaeus the swineherd welcomes the bedraggled stranger.

He throws his own bedcover over a pi le of boughs as a seat

for Odysseus, who does not reveal his identi ty.

Observing Ze.-,s's commandment to be kind ro guesrs,

Eumaeus slaughters a prime boar and serves i t with bread

and wine. Odyssetls, true to his fame as a smooth-talking

schemer, makes up an elaborate story of his origins.

That night the hero sleeps by the f ire under the swineherd's

spare cloak, while Eumaeus I ' r imself sleeps outside in the rain

with his herd.

Book Fifteen

Athena sLrmmons Telemachus home and te l ls h im how

to avoid an ambush by the sui tors. Meanwhi le back on

I thaca, Odysseus l is tens whi le the swineherd Et lmael ls

recounts the story of h is l i fe.

Eumaeus was the chi ld of a prosperous

mainland king,

whose reaim was visited by

Phoenician traders.

His nursemaid, a

Phoenician herself,

had been carried off

by pirates as a girl

and sold into slav-

ery. In return for

homeward passage

with her country-

men, she

kidnapped Er.,maeus

He was bought by

Odysseus'father, whose queen raised

him as a member of the famiiy.

I@Jtr.J@

Eumaeus (yoo-MEE-us)

Phoenic ian (r in-NISH-un)

\\

II

27

7

Book Sixteen

' felemachus ewades the suitors' ambush and, fol lowing

Athena's instruct ions, proceeds to the farmstead of

E,umaeus. There he makes the acquaintance of the

tattered guest ancl sends Eumaeus to his mother to

announce his safe return.

Athena restores Odysseus' normal appearance,

enhancing it so that Telemachus takes him for a

god-"No god am I, ' Odysseus assures him,"but your own

father, returned after these twenfy

years. They fall

in lo each o ther s a rms.

Later they piot the suitors' doom. \ \

\might need reinforcements.

"Aren't Zeus and Athena rein-

forcement enough?" asks

Odysseus.

\II

bJ1

z8

Book Seventeen

Disguised once more as an old beggar, Odysseus journeys to town. On

the trai l he encounters an insolent goatherd named Melanthius, who

curses and tr ies to kick him.

At his castle gate, the hero is recognized by Argos, a broken-down old

dog that he had raised as a pup.Having seen his master again, the

faithful hound dies.

At Athena's urging Odysseus begs food from the suitors. On" rnun,

Antinous, berates him and refuses so much as a crust. He hurls a foot-

stool at Odysseus, hit t ing him in the back. This makes even the other

suitors nervous, for sometimes the gods masquerade as mortals to test

the i r r igh teousness .

Melanrhius(meh- LAN - thi h- us)

Arg"s (AR g"ss)

Ant inous (an-TIN-oh-us)

Irus (EYE rus)

'..-=-if

- ' . € ' . :

- "v4=r{L,,

Book Eighteen

Now a real beggar shows up at the palace and warns

Odysse,.,s off his turf. This man, Irus, is always

running errands for the suitors. Odysseus says that

there are pickings enough for the tvvo of them, but Irus

threatens fisticuffs and the suitors egg him on.

Odysset.,s rises to the challenge and rolis up his tunic

into a boxer's belt . The suitors goggle at the muscles

revealed. Not wishing to kili Irus with a single blow,

Odysseus breaks his jaw instead.

Another suitor, Eurymachus, marks himself for

revenge by trying to hit Odysseus with a footstool as

Antinous had done.

J@.fFlJ|':

?s

i lH l

Eulvc le ia [zoo- r ih -KLY-uh)

P a r n a s s u s ( p a r - N A S S - u s )

Book Nineteen

Oclysseus has a long ta lk r t , i th h is queen Penelope but

does not revea] h is ident i ty . Penelope takcs k indly to

the stranger and orders her maid Eurycle ia to bathe his

feet and anoint them with o i l .

Eurycle ia, who was Odyss. t ls ' nurse when he was a

chi ld, not ices a scar above the hero 's knee. Odysset ls

had been gored by a wi ld boar whi le hunt ing on Mount

Parnassus as a young man. The maid recognizes her

master at once, and her hand goes out to h is chin. Br. r t

Odysse,-rs s i lences her lest she give away his p lot

n r o m a f r r r p l r r

30

Book Twenty

The next morning Odysseus asks for a sign, and Zeus

sends a clap of thunder out of the clear blue sky. A

servant recognizes it as a portent and prays that this

day be the las t o f the su i to rs ' abuse.

Odysseus encounters another herdsman. Like the

swineherd Eumaeus, this man, who tends the realm's

catt le, swears his loyalry to the absent king.

A prophet, an exi led murderer whom Telemachus has

befr iended, shares a vision with the suitors: "I see the

walls of this mansion dripping with your b]ood." The

suitors respond with gales of iaughter.

31

Book Twenty-One

Penelope now appears before the sui tors in her

g l i t t e r i ng ve i l . I n he r hand i s a s t ou t bow l e f t beh ind by

Odysser-rs when he sai led for Troy. "Whoever str ings

this bow," she .says, "and sends an arrow stra ight

t l - r rough the socl<ets of twelve ax heacls l ined in a rorv

that man r . r , i l l I marry.

The sui tors take turns t ry ing to bend the bow to str ing

i t , but a l l of them lack the strcngth. Odyss. , . ,s asks i f

he might t ry. The sui tors refuse, fear ing that they' l l be

shamed i f the beggar succeeds. But Telemachus insists

and his anger d ist racts them into laughter.

As easi ly as a bard f i t t ing a new

st r ing to h is l y re ,

Odysseus str ings the bow and

sends an ar row th rough

the ax heads. At a sign from his

father, Telemachus

arms himself and takes up a

stat ion by his.side.

{ , , ,

3R1

32

BookTwenty-Two

Antinous, r ingleader of the suitors, is just l i f t ing adrinking cup when Odysseus puts an arrow throughhis throat.

The goatherd sneaks out ancl comes back with shieldsand spears for the suitors, but now Athena appezrrs.She sencls the suitors' spearthru.sts wit le, as Odysserrs,Telemachus and the two faithfui herdsmen str ike withvol ley after vol ley of larnces.

They f inish off the work with swords. Those of thehousemaids who had consorted with the suitors arehung by the neck in the courtyard, while thetreacherous goatherd is chopped to bits.

33

Book Twenty-Three

J'he n"ransion is purged wi th f i re and br imstone.

Or iysseus te l ls everyone to dress in their f inest and

dance, so that passers by won' t suspect what 's

happened. E,ven Odysseus could not hold vengeful

k info lk at bay.

Penelope st i l l won' t accept that i t 's t ru ly her husband

returned unless he gives her some secret s ign. She te l ls

a servant to make up his bed in the hal l .

"In the hal l !" storms Odyssetrs. "Who had the craft

to

move my bed? I carved t l-re bedpost myself from the

l iving trunk of an ol ive tree and bui l t the bedroom

around i t .

Penelope rushes into his arms. Theloy they share is

l ike that of a drowning man who feels sol id grouncl

beneath his feet once more .

34

Book Twenty -Four

The r-rext morning Odysseus goes upcountry to the vineyard

where his father, old King Laertes, labors l ike a peasant. Ever

since his wife died of heartbreak for Odysseus, the miserable

man has l ived with l ' r is f ieldhands. Odysseus cannot resist test-

ing his father with a tal l tale before their fond reunion.

Meanwtri le, the kin of the suitors have borne off their dead and

gathered at the assernbly grouncl. The father of the suitor

Antinous f ires them up for revenge. Odysseus, Telemachus, the

loyal herdsmen, ]-aertes and the f ieldhands arm themselves to

meet the cha l lenge.

Inspired by Athena, Laertes casts a lance through the helmet of

Antinous' father, who fal ls to thc p.round in a clatter of armor.

But at the command of Zeus, the f ighting stops r ight there.

Athena, in the guise of an old family fr iend, tel ls the contending

::::.t

to live together in peace down through the years to

Laer tes ( lay -UR- teez)

.il_slm

35

Its

NOTES

1 Trojan War The to jan War began when a pr ince of

Troy eloped wi th the wi fe of a Greek k ing. The

rvoman's name was Helen and she became infamous

as F{elen of Trov. "Hers was the face that launcheci a

thousand ships," accordir - rg to rhe poer Shel l "y,

because a l l t he k i ngs o f C reece ra l l i ed t o ge t he r back .

Sai l ing to Troy, they besieged the c i ty for n i r re .years.] l omer ' s o the r ep i c ,

' f he I l i aa , conce rns t h i s s i ege and

the many indiv idual bat t les that were fought betweerr

hr : roes on both s ides. ] t a lso chronic les the involve-

rnent of the supreme gods, who descended i rom

Mount Olymp,rs to take s ides in the contest .

2 Florner At l we know wi th comparat ive certa inty

about the author of the Odyssey is that he (or she or they) l ived some 2700 years ago. By t ra-

di t ion in ancient t imes, Flomer was a bl ind bard, one of the minstre ls who reci ted long poems

about heroes of a bygone age,

3 Goddess At though Home. invokes only one, there were nine goddesses of ar t is t ic inspira-

t ion, known col lect ively as the Muses. They were rarely worshipped but of ten cal led upon by

poets, part icular ly bards, s ince they aided memory as wel l as creat ive spark-

4 epic An epic is a long poem recount inB the adventures of a i rero in a grand or e levateci

sty le.

5 Olyt tpus is a mountain in northern Greece, r ising to mult iple peaks of over 9000 feet. Inmythology, i t is the home of the supreme gods, who l ived there in a beauti ful castle. Theywere known as the Olympians in consequence.

6 alone Since the immortals know everything, Athena doesn't have to tel l them that al l the

other Greek heroes of the Tiojan War have long since returned to their homes-except forthose who died on the homeward voyage because they had angered Athena herself.

7 Cyclops The Cyclops was the son of the Cod of

Earthquakes. He was a one-eyed giant of the race that

built Olympus for the gods. His story is told in Book 9 of

the Odyssey.

8 Poseidon In addit ion to being Cod of Earthquakes,

Poseidon was supreme Ruler of the Sea. He was Zeus's

brother. Together with a ihird brother, Hades, they

divided up creation. Zeus ruled over Mount O1ympus

and the heavens, Poseidon ruled the sea and Hades had

dominion over the l jnderworld of the dead beneath the

earth.

' fhe Cor inth jan' fenrple of

. , , , ,t h { ' B o c l A p u l ) o , w h o s i r i e , l

w i th Troy in the ' f ro jan War .

A Cyclops.

36

9 counci l Such a formal assembly of the males of a community was marked by certain r i tualsand customs. For instance, when he addressed the assembly Telemachus held a staff, whichindicateci that i t was his turn to speak. Brought almost to tears by his own indignation, hethrows this to the ground after he has chastised the people for not coming to the aid of theirking's family.

10 Eurycleia This faithful slave, purchased by Odysseus'father for twenty oxen, was treatedas a member of the family.

l l sacr i f ice When Telemachus and Athena f i rs t arr ived

Poseidon was in progress. l - ]omer goes into c leta i l

abr>ut the number of bul ls t re ing of fered, an incl ica-

t ion of Nestor 's weal t l ] and piety. The Wvo srrangers

are asked to jo in in an invocat ion to the god, and

Athena, speaking through her morta l d isguise, makes

wishes on behal f of a l l present. What is more, being a

goddess she is able to make them come true.

I2 Nestor real izes that one of h is v is i tors is a dei ty,

ancl he even knows which one. Accordingly, he

orders that a sacr i f ice to Athena be held on Lhe mor-

row. This t ime Homer goes into even greater detai l ,

descr ib ing how a goldsmith is cal led for to g i ld the

horns of a hei fer that has never known the plow.

Pr ime cuts are doused wi th wine and burned on the

in Pylos an impressive sacr i f ice to

f i re in offering to the goddess. Only then do the men of the household put meat on long forksand hold them in the f ire for themselves.

13 hospital i ty Telemachus and Nestor 's son are spotted at the castle gate by one ofMenelaus' retainers. This man comes running to the king for instruct ions. Should he admitthe strangers or send them on to another estate, since this one is in the midst of DreDarationsfor a double wedding?

"ldiot l" says Me.telaus. "Do you think I 'd have ever made i t home from Troy i f I 'd beenrefused hospital i ty?" Before even asking their names or their errand, Menelaus sits the tvvodown at table and places before them the king's own cut of beef.

Such was the sacred obl igation of hospital iry during the Heroic Age as conceived of byHomer, and such was i ts practical underpinning. The Greek Dark Age intervened betweenHomer's t ime and the era when the Trojan War was thought to have taken place, so Homercan only imagine what i t must have been l ike. But the experience of a court bard, rel iant onfavor for survival, would have colored his view.

14 ambrosia in Creek mythology, ambrosia was the sustenance of the gods. Some say that i twas made of honey, water, fruit , cheese, ol ive oi l and barley. In The Odyssey ambrosia hasother uses, as in the Present instance. Hermes' magic sandals, which enable him to f ly, arereferred to as ambrosial".

37

In addi t ion to h is winged sandals,

He.-es is rarely depicted wi thout

his helmet and his specia l snake-

cntwinecl staf f , cal led the caduceus

15 rnagic In other Creek mythology, Hermes' san-

dals are general ly referred to as "wir lged", but

I l omer ca l l s t hem "ambros ia l " . I n any case , i t

seems clcar in The Odyssey that they give Flermes

the abi l i ty to f ly . Elscwhere, Athena's robe is a lso

referred to as ambrosia l . L ike al l gods, she t rans-

ports hersel f wi th ease f rorn place to p lace, mater i -

a l iz ing wherever she chooses and then vanishing

again. (When s l re ta lks to Nestor in morta l d is-

gu i se , she uses t h i s me thod o f l eav i ng t he scene ,

t he reby d i spe l l i ng any doub t i n t he o l d r nan ' s n r i r r d

that l - re has been consort inB wi th a dei ty. ) Perhaps

i t can be sa id t ha t A t f r ena does no t exac t l y " f l y '

l ike L lerrnes.

16 Styx The gods customari ly invoked this r iver of the lJnderworld when swearing their

most solemn and bindinq oaths.

l7 Or ion In Creek mythology, Or ion was a great hunter who was turned into a starry cor)-

ste l lat ion upon his death.

18 home Nausicaa assumes that home is what any castaway wants most- Toward th is end,

Odysseus cal ls on Athena to help h im engrat iate h imsel f wi th the gi r l 's parents. "Even i f you

saw l i t to stand back and let Poseidon almost k i l l me," he prays, "p lease make these people

help me." The goddess intends to do just that , a l though she can' t reveal hersel f to Odysseus at

th is point out of respect for Poseidon.

19 queen Queen Arete (a-RE,E,-tee) was a granddaughter

of Poseidon, the Cod of the Sea. She had married her

father's brother.

20 blindness Legend has it, of course, that Homer himself

was bl ind.

21 Achil les was the greatest f ighter of the Creeks besieging

Troy. His mother, a Boddess, had made him invulnerable,

either by holding him in a fire as an infant or dipping him

in the River Styx. But she had neglected to protect the heel

by which she held him. Aided by the god Apollo, Trojan prince Paris ki l led the hero with anarrow in this weak point, his proverbial Achi l les' heel.

ZZ cried Homer compares the hero's weeping to that of a woman whose husband has beenfel led on the batt lef ield "on the day when his chi ldren learn the meaning of wrath". As he laysthere gasping his last breath in her arms, she feels spear points prodding her from behind andgoes grieving into slavery.

38

23 course Being Phaeacian ships, however, they won' t require a steersman once that course is

sr : t , They' i l s imply read the crews' rn ind. Elsewhere in th is book, the supernatural seafar ing

abi l i ty of the Phaeacians and their vessels is indicated in a story to ld by Alc jnous- On one

occasion, according to the k ing, they took some passengers to the fur thest end of the Creek

rnainland and returned the same day. Poseidon, however, the god of storms at sea, is of fended

by the Phaeacians' safety record. Alc inous has heard a prophesy that someday a Phaeacian

vr:ssel wi l l be lost at sea and the k ingdom's harbors cut of f by an upthrust ing r ing of moun-

ta ins.

24 cape Odysseus refers to Cape Malea (mah-LI IE-un) , tne southernmost point of the Greek

n ra rn l ; t nd .

25 tana ' i 'h is

would have been somewhere to the south, s ince the gale that drove Odysseus

there was a norther ly. The basic geographic or ientat ion of The O. lyss.y begins wi th Troy,

which was on the coast of the country krrown today as Turkey. Mort ag.ee that the wander-

ings of C)dysser. ts took him to thc v ic in i ty of I ta ly and Sic i ly , a l though speculat ion has carr ied

him as far af ie ld as Icelanci . His home is land of Jthaca was of f the western coast of ( ] reece.

26 Death "Death" is Hades, the god who rules over the dead. His k ingdom is general ly

referrecl to as the lJnderwor ld, being thought of as beneath the eart l r . Homer makes several

rcfcrences in The Odyssey to Lhe deceased t ravel ing down to the realm of F]ades and his

queen, Persephone (per-SEH-fot ,e-ee) . But the land of Death to which Odysseus is about to

journey would seem to be locateci on the earth s surface-

27 Ocean was conceived ol ' as a r iver runninp around the c i rcumference of the f lat wor ld.

28 shades This is the term most often applied to the

insubstantial wraiths of the l jnderworld.

29 Sirens Although Homer describes the treacherous

-sweetness of their singing, he does not descrlbe the

physical appearance of the Sirens. Later writers visu-

al ized them in various combinations of woman and

bird. One source also had them playing the lyre andflute in addit ion to singing.

30 Scyl la and Charybdis have become proverbial as achoice between equally dreadful alternatives.

Hades. Ruler of the Dead- The

Ljnderwor ld was also cal led

Hades, after its king.

31 tate Odysseus tel is his audience that there's no point continuing the tale past his arr ivai onCalypso's island since he'd recounted that episode the night before. But the previous

evening's narrat ion had begun at the departure from Troy, so in fact he hadn't mentionedanything about Calypso. Such minor mistakes on Homer's part gave r ise in classicai t imes tothe expression even Homer sometimes nods".

39

32 Athena Whlte i t 's c lear that Athena intends to f ighr on the s ide of Odysse,- ts, dramat ic

necessi ty d ictates that the exact nature of her involvement be lef t unclear ' Telemachus may be

forgiven for d ist inguishing between the godly power to annihi late legions of morta i foes and

mere div ine inspirat ion of a favored hero '

33 Ant inous As one of the r ingleaders of the sui tors, i t was Ant inous who accused odys="t- ' t '

wi fe of dupl ic i ty in unravel ing her weaving every n ight so that she would not have to marry

one o f t he su i t o r s uPon i t s comp)e t i on '

34 l . , rs was the sui tors ' n icknanre for the beggar, a pun or) the goddess I r is . This dei ty was

the ra inbow and, l ike Hermes, a rnessenger of the gods'

35 rnu r t l e re r ' f he murde re r . s . ame was Theoc l y r renus ( t nee on -K l - IM -en -us ) . l l e had k i l l e c i

l - r i s o w n c o t l s i n a n d w a s r t r n n i n g f r o m t h e v e n g e a n c e o f t h e m a n ' s k i n w h e n h e m e t

Telemachus in Pylos. Telemachus did not th ink twice about grant ing hinr refuge'

36 t . rw ' l 'he

bow had been a gi f t t rom a young pr ince named Iphi tus ( ip- i f t - t "s) ' He and

odyrr"r_,s had exchanged gi f ts , but never hospi ta l i ry . For before odysse"s could welcome his

fr iend in h is home, lp l i t . l r . -*o, k i l led by Heracles ' That t i r is rnurder occurred whi le Iphi tus

was the great hero 's guest arouses Homer 's indignat ion'

37 shie lds and spears At l ' r is father 's inst igat ion, Telemachus had takcn the Precaut ion of

r e m o v i n g t h e d e c o r a t i v e a r m a m e n t s f r o m t h e w a l l s a n d s t o r i n g t h e m a w a y .

3B t i t<e This is one of Homer 's rnany v iv id s imi les, which evoke gl impses of l i fe in ancient

days. (A s imi le is a f igure of speech general ly using " l ike" o. " t ' " to compare two diss imi lar

th ings.) Dur ing the l {eroic Age, seafar ing was a per i lous af fa i r '

39 Zeus Despite Odysserrs' earl ier predict ion to his

son, this is the only direct involvement of Zetrs in the

fighting on Ithaca.

40 peace Thanks to the advice given to him in Hades

by the seer Tiresias, the last years of Odysseus are

indeed peaceful. In events which take place after the

close of The Odyssey, but which are foretold by the

prophet, Odysreus travels to the mainland and seeks

out a community so far from the sea that the people

lack al l knowledge of i t . As instructed, he carr ies an

oar on his shoulder and walks inland unti l a passing

stranger asks i f i t is some sort of agricultural implement. Here he Plants the oar in the Bround

and makes a sacri f ice to Poseidon.logether with another offering back on Ithaca to al l the

gods, this guarantees Odysselts a peaceful death'

Zeus

40

PRONUNCIATION KEY

Ach i l les (uh-KILL-eez)

Aeolus (EE-oh-luss)

Agamemnon (ag-uh-MEM non)

A lc inous (a l -S IN-oh-us)

Antinous (an-TIN-oh-us)

Argos (AR-goss)

Athena (uh-THEE nuh)

Charybdis (tarr-RIB-ais)

Cicones (sih-COHN-eez)

C i rce (S IR see)

Cyclopes (sy-KLOFI-peez)

Cyclops (SY-ttops)

Demodocus (aee-MAH-duh-cus)

Eumae,.,s (yoo MEE,-"s)

Eurycleia (yoo r ih-KLY uh)

Eurylor:hus (yoo-RI LL-uh-cus-s)

Hermes (HER-meez-)

I rus (EYE-rus)

Isrnarus ( lZ-muh-russ)

Laertes (tay-UR-teez)

Laestrygonians ( l .es tr ih-GOH-nee-unz)

Leucothea (too-COFi-thee-ah)

Melanthius (meh-LAN-thih-us)

Menelaus (men-eh-LAY-us)

Nausicaa (naw-SIK-ay-uh)

Orestes (oh-RESS-teez)

Orion (oh-RYE-"n)

Parnassus (par-NASS-us)

Penelope (peh-NEL-uh-pee)

Phaeaciarrs (fee-AY-shunz)

Phoenician (r in-NISH-un)

Polyphemus (pol- ih-FEE-mr.,,ss)

Poseidon (poh-SYE-Oun)

Pytos (PYE-loss)

Scyl la (SILL-rr ')

Sty< (STIX)

Telemachus (tet-EM-uh-kus)

Tiresias (ry-REE-see-as)

Zeus (ZOOS or ZYOOS)

4T