Odyssey

• The Voyage Home

• Return to Ithaca

The Voyage Home

Odyssey

Odyssey is an epic poem, written by Homer, about the adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus (Ὀδυσσεύς).

Odysseus was the son of Laërtes (Laertes) and Anticleia. Odysseus had married Penelope, a daughter of Icarius and the cousin of Helen of Sparta. Penelope bore Odysseus a son, whom they named Telemachus.

Odysseus was the king of the island of Ithaca. With twelve ships, he sailed to and fought in Troy for ten years. He was one of the Greeks' best warriors who masterminded the fall of Troy with the stratagem of the Wooden Horse.

Odysseus would suffer another ten years of wandering before the gods allowed him to set foot on his small but beloved island of Ithaca.

To read more about this hero, read Odysseus in Heroes II.

I would like to leave some notes to the visitors about this page.

Here you will find that the story begins with Odysseus arriving at Ismarus, after the Fall of Troy. So beginning at Ismarus, I have listed all of Odysseus' other adventures in chronological fashion until the end, without any break in the timeline.

But if you were to actually read the Odyssey from start to finish, the story begins on the ninth year of Odysseus' wandering, with Athena intervening on Odysseus' behalf in the assembly of the gods, then at Ithaca, where the goddess leads Telemachus, son of Odysseus on a short quest to find news about his father from Odysseus' former comrades in Pylos and Sparta.

You won't meet Odysseus until Book 5 of the Odyssey, on Calypso's island. From there, Odysseus left the goddess and arrived in Scherië, island of the Phaeacians. From Books 9 to 12, Odysseus recounted his adventures to his Phaeacian hosts, from his departure from Troy to the island of Calypso, until his arrival to their island. From there, the Odyssey returned to its normal timeline, from Odysseus' departure from Scherië to his homecoming in Ithaca.

• Odyssey

• Ismarus

• Lotus-Eaters

• Polyphemus

• Aeolus

• Laestrygonians

• Circe

• Underworld

• Sirens

• Scylla and Charybdis

• Cattle of the Sun-god

• Calypso

• Phaeacia

Ismarus

Odysseus' twelve ships were untroubled by the storm that Poseidon used to wreck most of the Greek fleet and killed the Lesser Ajax, because Odysseus did not incur Athena's enmity at the fall of Troy.

Odysseus stopped and sacked the city of Ismarus. Ismarus was a Cicone city in Thrace. It would seem that Odysseus and his men took the city by surprise without a single loss of any men. They had their plunder, including women, but his men weren't satisfied. Odysseus gave the order to his men to return to the ships, but the men wanted to stay longer and began drinking and feasting.

As a result, Cicones from neighboring towns gathered and sent an army against the Ithacans. Their gain from the looting was offset by Odysseus losing 72 men – killing six men from each ship.

Lotus-Eaters

As they were about to round the southern tip of Peloponnesus, nine days of squally wind (sent by Zeus) drove Odysseus' ships southward, where they met the Lotus-eaters. Considering that Odysseus' ships were near Cythera when the storm hit, being driven south would mean that the land of the Lotus-eaters had to be located somewhere in Libya.

The plant Lotus caused anyone who ate the flower or seeds (or fruit) to forget who he was, and his only interest would be to eat more of the plants. Odysseus sent a small group of men to investigate the land. They encountered the Lotus-eaters and ate the fruit and flowers, forgetting the reason why they were there and even forgetting their home.

Odysseus had to find his men and force them back to the ships before he left the land of the Lotus-eaters.

Polyphemus

Odysseus' ships sailed for an unknown period of time before arriving at the land of the Cyclops, which could be Sicily as indicated by later traditions. Here, Odysseus and twelve of his men went in search of supplies.

They come across a cave that was obviously inhabited by a giant. Odysseus insisted on meeting the inhabitant in the hope of exchanging gifts with his host. Polyphemus (Πολύφημος), a Cyclops and son of Poseidon, drove his giant herd of sheep into the cave and then blocked the huge cave entrance with a huge boulder. Finding intruders in the cave, he immediately killed and ate two of Odysseus' men. Then Polyphemus lay down and slept, not fearing attack from his intruders.

Knowing he would never be able to leave the cave if they killed the Cyclops, since the Ithacans were not strong enough to move the boulder that blocked their exit, Odysseus devised a plan. He and his men began sharpening a huge log of wood into a stake during Polyphemus' absence the next day.

Two more of his men were killed upon Polyphemus' return. Odysseus gave the Cyclops some wine to wash down his meal. Odysseus brought this wine with him from Ismarus, given to him by Apollo's priest, Maron, as a gift or reward for saving his wife and children. Odysseus had brought this wine-skin from Maron with him when he entered Polyphemus' lair.

Enjoying the wine, Polyphemus promised him some gift in return for some more wine. Asking for Odysseus' name, the hero replied that it was Outis (which means "Nobody" in Greek). Polyphemus promised to eat "Nobody" last.

Drunk, the Cyclops went wearily to bed. Odysseus and his men hardened the huge stake point in the fire pit before driving the stake into Polyphemus' single eye, blinding the Cyclops. His cry caused the neighbouring Cyclopes to gather outside his cave, asking him what was wrong. Polyphemus replied was that "Nobody is killing me". The other Cyclopes returned to their own caves.

When Polyphemus had to let his herds to graze in the pasture the following day, Odysseus had tied each of his men to the bellies of three sheep, while he himself hung on to the belly of a huge ram.

Freed from the clutches of the Cyclops, Odysseus returned to the ships with his men and the giant's herds of sheep.

As they sailed away, Odysseus couldn't suppress his rage over the death of his companions. He shouted to Polyphemus, revealing his identity to the Cyclops that he, Odysseus, has put out his eye. Polyphemus had heard from a prophecy that he would lose his eye to a hero, but Polyphemus thought that hero would be larger in size.

Blinded and unable to kill Odysseus, Polyphemus prayed to his father Poseidon for vengeance upon Odysseus. Thereafter, Odysseus incurred Poseidon's enmity, who made him wander the sea for ten years before he was allowed return to Ithaca.

According to the Aeneid, the Trojan hero Aeneas would rescue Achaemenides, an Ithacan, who was left behind when Odysseus and his men escaped from Polyphemus.

Aeolus

Odysseus arrived on the island of Aeolia, ruled by the god Aeolus, Keeper of the Winds. There, he was a guest for a few days. Aeolus lived on the island with his wife, as well as his six sons and six daughters. Each of his sons was married to one of his daughters.

Upon leaving, the wind-god gave Odysseus a bag made of ox-hide, trapping all the strong winds within. Aeolus warned Odysseus not to open the bag. Aeolus caused a favorable west wind to blow Odysseus' ships towards Ithaca.

Odysseus sailed for nine straight days without sleep. The wind was fair and he sighted his island. Tired, Odysseus went below deck for short sleep. His men were greedy, and were curious to see what valuables were hidden in the bag, causing all the strong winds to escape.

The sudden storm drove his ships off course, and it lasted for several days. Odysseus was driven all the way back to Aeolia. Aeolus realised that he must be cursed by some gods. Aeolus refused to help Odysseus again.

According to Parthenius, Odysseus had seduced one of Aeolus' daughters named Polymela. When Aeolus found out, he would have punished Odysseus, but the hero had already left the island, so Aeolus would have punished his daughter. Diores, however, intervened on his sister's behalf, and persuaded his father to let him marry Polymela.

Laestrygonians

After sailing for seven days, they arrived at the Laestrygonian city of Telepylus. Telepylus had an excellent harbour which was enclosed on all sides by cliffs, with only a small channel in the middle. Where Telepylus was located is not known.

The Laestrygonians were giants ruled by their king, Antiphates. Not much is known about the Laestrygonians, apart from the Odysseus' myth. Jason and the Argonauts never encountered the Laestrygonians.

All but Odysseus' own ship entered the harbour. A party of Ithacans was sent to find if the people in Telepylus were hospitable or not. The party first met Antiphates' daughter, who directed them to her father's palace. Before they met Antiphates, they met his wife, and realised to their horror that she was taller than the men. Antiphates' wife immediately called out to her husband, where they immediately attacked the Ithacan party and ate the unfortunate Ithacans. Only two of the Ithacans managed to escape back to the ship. But by this time, the whole city was roused. Thousands of Laestrygonians chased them to the harbour, surrounding the harbour, all around the cliff. The safe harbour became a death trap.

The Laestrygonians hurled large rocks at the Ithacan fleet, destroying and sinking eleven ships that entered their harbour, killing and feasting on Odysseus' men.

Only Odysseus' own ship escaped from being attacked and slaughtered. Odysseus watched helplessly before ordering his men to row away from the horrible island.

Circe

The men were tired and demoralised by the deaths when they arrived on the island of Aeaea, ruled by Circe (Κίρκη). Circe was the daughter of sun god Helius and the Oceanid Perse. She was a sorceress and immortal herself. Men, whom she had transformed into animals, guarded her island.

When Odysseus sent twelve men to investigate the island, only one returned. The other eleven men, who became guests of Circe, were transformed into swine. Eurylochus, the one who escaped Circe's enchantment, returned to Odysseus with the news; Eurylochus was the hero's brother-in-law, for he had married Ctimene, Odysseus' sister. Odysseus himself went to Circe's palace.

On his way there, he met the god Hermes who gave him some berries from the plant "moly", which would make the eater immune to sorcery.

When Circe tried to cast the spell upon Odysseus and it failed, Odysseus threatened to kill her with his sword. Circe had learned from a prophecy earlier that she would become the mistress of the one who was immune to her magic. Thus, Circe readily surrendered to Odysseus.

At his request, Circe changed Odysseus' men back to human. Odysseus became her lover and he stayed with the sorceress for one year. Circe bore Odysseus three sons – Agrius, Latinus and Telegonus.

Even though Circe knew of Odysseus' longing to return home, she offered him immortality if he would stay with her as her husband. Odysseus politely refused such an offer. It was never Odysseus' desire to leave his kingdom, his wife and his infant son when he joined the war. He had no desire to trade what he had at home for immortality and an ageless, beautiful wife like Circe.

Underworld

When Odysseus decided it was time to sail home, Circe advised him to go the Underworld and talk to the shade of the seer Teiresias. Odysseus had to sail until he came to the shore where the grove of Persephone was. This shore was off the stream Oceanus.

Odysseus was to give the seer a drink from the blood of a black sheep, so the ghost could talk to him. The seer told him, if he and his men wished to return to Ithaca, they must not eat the herd of cattle belonging to the sun-god Helius on the island of Thrinacia.

Teiresias told him after he returned home, he must make a new journey to appease the sea-god Poseidon as well as foretelling his death from old age would calm the sea.

Odysseus talked to his mother Anticlea, who had died of grief when he did not return home after the Trojan War. Odysseus was also surprised to see Elphenor, the youngest member of his crew, in the Underworld. Elphenor was sitting on the roof of Circe's house when he had fallen asleep and fell to his death.

Odysseus also talked to Greek leaders who had fought with him in Troy: Agamemnon, who was killed by his wife and her lover upon his return home; Achilles who ruled that part of the Underworld; and the hero Telamonian Ajax, who refused to talk to him. Even dead, Ajax was still angry with Odysseus and had not forgiven him (see armour of Achilles for the reason why Ajax refused to talk to Odysseus).

He met and conversed with other heroes and rulers, famous women, and finally the mortal half of Heracles (the other half lived on Olympus with the gods). The shade of Heracles still looked as impressive then as he did when he had been alive.

Odysseus panicked and fled back to his ship, as he was overwhelmed by so many ghosts around him, because they wanted to drink the blood from the sacrifice so they could talk to him.

Returning to Aeaea, Circe gave further instructions to Odysseus about the Sirens and Scylla and Charybdis. Before he left the island, Odysseus recovered Elphenor's body and buried the young Ithacan.

Sirens

The Sirens (Σει&rhoἣνες) were either nymphs or monsters with bodies that were half-bird and half-woman. Their song for centuries had lured sailors to their death. They lived on an island called Anthemoessa, off the Italian coast.

The Argonauts had managed to pass safely past the island because their bard Orpheus sang in a voice that drowned out the Sirens' deadly song. Odysseus had no such singer on board his ship.

Following Circe's instructions, he filled his crew's ears with melted wax, while he had the crew tie him to the mast. Odysseus was curious about what song the Sirens would sing. Homer didn't give us any detail of the song that they sang.

Any time that Odysseus tried to order his crew to release him, they would instead bind him more tightly to the mast. They only released Odysseus once they had sailed safely past the island.

When the Sirens failed to lure a single sailor to his death, one or all of them drowned themselves.

Scylla and Charybdis

After passing the Sirens, they were moving towards the Strait of Messina, where lay Scylla and Charybdis. On one side of the strait was Charybdis (Χάρυβδις), a giant whirlpool, whereas Scylla was the six-headed monster that resided on the other side of the strait.

Scylla (Σκύλλη) was originally a maiden, whom a minor sea-god named Glaucus had fallen madly in love with. Circe was in love with Glaucus, but the sea-god did not return his love to the jealous sorceress. In a jealous rage, Circe had turned the unfortunate girl into a hideous monster with six heads.

About a generation or two ago, Argonauts had safely sailed through the Scylla and Charybdis because the goddess Thetis aided them.

Circe advised Odysseus that he couldn't avoid both. If he sailed near Scylla he would lose only six of his men, but if he sailed near Charybdis, the force of the whirlpool would destroy the entire vessel. Circe also told them not to waste their time fighting Scylla; otherwise he would lose twelve men instead of six.

So Odysseus followed Circe's prudent advice, and chosen to sail near Scylla, who snatched and killed six of his men, one for each head. Odysseus urged his men to row for their lives; not stopping to fight Scylla. Not too far away was the island of Thrinacia.

Cattle of the Sun-god

Bad weather prevented Odysseus' ship from sailing on. They took refuge on the island of Thrinacia. Odysseus warned them not to kill and eat the cattle of the sun god Helius. Though they were stocked with plenty of supply from Circe's island, after a month or more of bad wind, their foods were soon gone.

When Odysseus went to pray to the gods for a break in the weather, Eurylochus, Odysseus' brother-in-law, told the crew that it was better to die at sea instead of starvation, so they should eat the cattle of Helius and appease the sun god by sacrificing some of the cattle. The crew agreed with Eurylochus, so Odysseus' crew killed some of the cattle and ate them during his absence. The crew also sacrificed to the sun god, but the offerings were in vain.

The sun god Helius appealed to Zeus that Odysseus' men who had eaten his cattle must be punished. Zeus had no choice but to agree. Odysseus returned to the ship and discovered what his crew had done, and berated them. They protested that they would rather drown in the sea than starve to death.

The next day, the weather calmed and a favourable wind blew. They immediately departed from the island. An hour or so after having left the island, a sudden, violent storm broke out, driving the ship back towards Charybdis. A thunderbolt from Zeus wrecked the ship. Those who did not drown were sucked into the whirlpool of Charybdis.

Only Odysseus survived, clinging to a broken keel. For several days, the hero drifted in the sea until he arrived at the island of Ogygia.

Calypso

The minor goddess Calypso resided on the island of Ogygia. Calypso was the daughter of the Titan Atlas.

Here, the hero lived with the goddess as her lover for about eight years. Calypso became the mother of Nausinoüs and Nausithoüs. Odysseus was often homesick, looking towards the east and wondering if he would ever return to his home and family.

On the tenth year after Odysseus had left Troy, Athena acted on the hero's behalf during Poseidon's absence from Olympus. Athena declared to the assembled gods and Zeus that Odysseus had suffered enough, and asked that he should return home to his little kingdom Ithaca, to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. On Ithaca, Penelope had had trouble with suitors for the past three years. Zeus agreed and sent Hermes to Ogygia to inform Calypso of his decision.

Calypso, who wanted to make Odysseus her husband, was planning on making the hero immortal. Reluctantly Calypso consented to help Odysseus return home. Odysseus then built a boat. He left Ogygia and sailed in fair weather for seventeen days.

Then Poseidon on his way back to Olympus saw his mortal enemy in the sea; Poseidon sent a violent storm. The storm destroyed Odysseus' boat.

Odysseus would have drowned had not a minor sea-goddess named Leucothea (formerly known as Ino) taken pity on him. She gave Odysseus her magic veil that would keep him afloat. Odysseus swam for two days before arriving on the island of Scherië (Scherie).

(Please note that the actual epic of the Odyssey began with the council of the gods, on the tenth year since Troy had fallen to the Greeks. The order of the Odyssey by Homer is different from my account of the Odyssey.)

Phaeacia

Scherië (Scherie) was ruled by Alcinoüs (Alcinous, Ἀλκίνοος), king of the Phaeacians, and his queen (and niece), Arete (Ἀρέτη). They ruled together as equals. A generation ago, the Argonauts had come to their island, and Jason and Medea were married there.

Their daughter Nausicaä (Ναυσικάα) decided to wash some clothes and have a picnic with her companions. She discovered Odysseus, who was naked after having washed ashore. Giving him some clothes, she directed him to the city and palace. Nausicaä (Nausicaa) also advised him to go to her mother as a suppliant. Her parents took pity on him; he was fed and given a room to sleep as a guest.

The next day, they honoured him with a banquet and asked him how he had reached their island. Odysseus revealed his identity, told them of his part in Troy, and finally of his long journey to reach home in the hope of being reunited with his family.

The Phaeacians, being descended from Poseidon, were the finest seamen. Alcinoüs offered to send him home. The Phaeacian hosts and their guests gave him many gifts. He sailed on the next day to Ithaca.

For days as they rowed to Ithaca, Odysseus stood on the bow of the ship, refusing to sleep until he reached Ithaca. Before he arrived home, Athena made the hero fall asleep. The Phaeacians put the sleeping hero along with his gifts on the beach of Ithaca.

Return to Ithaca

• Penelope

• Telemachus

• Ithaca: Father and Son

• At the Palace: Suitors

• Guest and Old Scar

• Battle in the Hall

• Recognition

Penelope

Penelope was the daughter of Icarius, who was cousin or brother to Tyndareus, king of Sparta; therefore, Penelope was the cousin of Helen. As a suitor of Penelope, Odysseus had won her in a foot-race. She had married Odysseus and borne him a son named Telemachus. When Odysseus had left his home for Troy, Telemachus had been only an infant.

When Odysseus did not return home after the Trojan War, which had ended seven years ago, the palace began to fill with unwanted suitors who were living off Odysseus' wealth. They arrogantly refused to leave Penelope alone until she chose one of them as her husband.

Her son Telemachus was still too young to oppose the suitors, and her father-in-law Laërtes (Laertes) was too old to support Penelope. Though Laërtes, according to some accounts, had sailed as an Argonaut with Jason, Laërtes could not oppose the numerous suitors who frequented the palace, so the old hero lived a private life, tending to his garden.

Not long after the war in Troy, her mother-in-law, Anticlea, daughter of Autolycus, had died in grief when she heard no news of her son. But Anticlea did meet her son when Odysseus had to consult with the shade of the blind seer, Teiresias.

Penelope tried to stall the suitors by pleading that she needed to weave a shroud for her old father-in-law, Laërtes (Laertes), but at night she secretly unraveled her weaving.

For three years, this ruse worked until one of her maids, Melantho, who was a mistress to one of the suitors, betrayed the queen. Penelope was forced to finish the shroud.

Telemachus

Though Telemachus (Τηλέμαχος) has grown to manhood, he was still not strong enough to remove the suitors from his father's palace, and was desperate for some news about his father. The few men who were loyal to Odysseus were mostly old men and servants; they were not strong enough to resist the nobles either.

There were 108 suitors for his mother. Most of the suitors were nobles, and Telemachus had no one as powerful as they were to support him. Telemachus had been only an infant when his father left for Troy.

One day, the goddess Athena was disguised as Mentor, and she advised the young prince to seek news from Nestor in Pylus. Together with Mentor (Athena), Telemachus secretly slipped out of the palace and sailed to Pylus.

At Pylus, Nestor told them how some from the battle of Troy had returned home safely, while others were either driven off course or were killed by the storm sent by Poseidon. Nestor told him that he had not seen nor heard news of Odysseus since they had left Troy, when the war ended.

According to a fragment attributed to Hesiod, during his short stay in Pylus Telemachus slept with Polycaste, Nestor's daughter, and became the father of Persepolis.

The old king sent Telemachus with his son Pisistratus to Sparta, where Telemachus spoke to Menelaüs (Menelaus) and met Helen. Helen and Menelaüs recognised Telemachus as the son of Odysseus, since the young man looked so much like his father. Telemachus asked if the Spartan king had any news of his father.

Menelaüs told Telemachus how he had left Troy without honouring the gods with sacrifices. His ships were driven off course, finally arriving in Egypt. For seven years, unfavourable winds kept them shore bound in Egypt.

To return home to Sparta, Menelaüs and his men had to capture the sea-god Proteus and find out why he could not return home.

Like many sea-deities, Proteus had the gift to foresee the future, as well as the ability to change his shape into different animals. If Menelaüs could hold Proteus, as the god underwent various transformations in order to escape, the god would eventually surrender and agree to tell him how he could return home.

Menelaüs and his men had captured Proteus and had held him until the god surrendered to him. Proteus told Menelaüs that he was being kept in Egypt as punishment for not honouring the gods with sacrifices. After Troy fell, Menelaüs was angry at how long the war had lasted and how many of his comrades had fallen. Proteus told him that he was to give proper sacrifices to Zeus and the other gods to appease their anger, and pray that he would have a safe journey home.

Menelaüs asked news of his other comrades. Proteus told him many were killed before they reached home. Few leaders reached home safely. Menelaüs' brother Agamemnon was killed by their cousin, Aegisthus. Proteus also told him that Odysseus was still alive, but was trapped on the island belonging to the nymph named Calypso.

As Telemachus was taking his leave, Menelaüs gave him some gifts to take home. Telemachus travelled back to Pylus where his ship was anchored.

Back in Ithaca, some suitors plotted to ambush Telemachus' ship on his return trip. But Athena aided Telemachus in reaching Ithaca undetected.

Ithaca: Father and Son

Meanwhile, the Phaeacians left Odysseus on the beach of Ithaca, still asleep, while they quietly unloaded Odysseus' rich gifts on the shore.

When Odysseus woke from his sleep, he thought that the Phaeacians had abandoned him on an island other than his own kingdom. Odysseus could not recognise the island because it was shrouded in heavy fog (sent by the goddess Athena).

Odysseus then encountered a man he didn't recognise, and he cautiously lied to the stranger in order to find out where he was.

The stranger delightfully laughed at Odysseus' clever tale. Then he shed his disguise and transformed back to her true form, revealing to the hero his long-time patroness – Athena. Far from being offended by Odysseus' lies, the goddess of wisdom warmly admired the hero's prudence and cunning.

Athena dispersed the fog, revealing to Odysseus his home. The goddess told him that his home was being overrun with Penelope's suitors and advised Odysseus that it would be prudent to first assess the situation at the palace before deciding on a plan to resolve the situation. Athena used her powers to disguise him as an old man. Odysseus then met a swineherd named Eumaeus who entertained his guest in his hut.

Then Athena guided Telemachus' ship to avoid an ambush set up by the suitors, returning him safely home. Telemachus then went the swineherd's hut. While Eumaeus quietly went to inform the Queen of her son's return, Odysseus revealed his identity to his son, and together they planned how to dispose of the suitors. Odysseus would go to the palace in his disguise as an old beggar to assess and judge the situation for himself, before taking any action.

At the Palace: Suitors

Returning to the palace, Telemachus began secretly hiding the suitors' weapons while Odysseus talked to the suitors. He tried to warn to suitors to leave before Odysseus' return. Some suitors were uneasy by the beggar's pronouncement. Some suitors insulted him, while one suitor actually threw a footstool at Odysseus.

A young beggar named Irus challenged the hero to a boxing match. Though he was disguised as an old beggar, the suitors were quite impressed with his physical form as he stripped off his cloak. Odysseus knocked out Irus with one blow to the ear.

Only Odysseus' faithful hound Argus recognised him before the old dog died at his master's feet.

Guest and Old Scar

Soon, Penelope heard that a beggar was in her palace and sent for Odysseus. As a beggar, Odysseus introduced himself as Aethon, son of Deucalion and brother of Idomeneus. Odysseus inventively fabricated a story of meeting her husband (Odysseus). Disguised as a beggar, Odysseus told her how he met her husband and he reassured her that he would return soon.

Penelope also confided to the beggar about her dream about a flock of twenty geese, but an eagle came and ate all the geese. The beggar advised Penelope that her husband's return was imminent.

Penelope decided to hold a contest of strength in the morning to decide which suitor would take her husband's place. Seeing this opportunity, Odysseus agreed that the trial should go ahead as she planned it. (This was also in her dream last night, when Athena advised her to use the bow to test the suitors.)

Not convinced about his tales but nevertheless grateful to the beggar, Penelope sent Odysseus' old nurse Eurycleia to wash the beggar's feet.

The author then wrote about the time Odysseus was born. Eurycleia had placed the infant (Odysseus) on his grandfather's lap. Odysseus' grandfather was none other than Autolycus, the mythical master thief. The nurse asked Autolycus to give a name to the newborn child. Autolycus called him Odysseus, because Autolycus said that:

"In the course of my lifetime I have made enemies of many a man and a woman up and down the wide world. So let this child be called Odysseus, 'the victim of enmity...'"

Homer, The Odyssey,
translated by E. V. Reiu

A very strange name to give to a grandson, but it proved true. Odysseus did have many enemies.

When Odysseus had grown into a young man, he had visited his grandfather (Autolycus), and went on a hunting trip with him. Odysseus had killed his first wild boar, but that beast had wounded him in his thigh. From this hunting trip Odysseus received a recognisable scar.

Homer then returned to the story.

Odysseus realised that if there was anyone who could recognise his old scar, it would be his old nurse Eurycleia, even though he was disguised as an old beggar. For the first time since entering the palace, Odysseus felt uneasy.

So, Eurycleia washed the beggar's feet and legs. The moment Eurycleia felt the scar, the old nurse immediately recognised it. Eurycleia was on the point of revealing his identity in joy.

Odysseus stopped her with his hand gripping her throat. Odysseus knew that to expose his true identity to anyone would jeopardize plan for revenge against the suitors. Odysseus warned her not to tell anyone, threatening her with death, even though he loved the old nurse dearly. Eurycleia silently agreed to keep her king's secrets, even from her Queen.

Battle in the Hall

Though Penelope was comforted with the news of the beggar, she still dismissed such hope.

The next day in the banquet hall, Penelope decided to take one of the suitors as her husband if that suitor could string Odysseus' bow and shoot an arrow through rings of twelve axes in a row.

According to Homer, Iphitus had given the bow to Odysseus when the hero was a young man. The bow had belonged to Iphitus' father Eurytus, the king of Oechalia. Eurytus had been killed by Apollo. But according to the story of Heracles, Heracles had killed Iphitus after the twelve labours, but Homer said that Zeus had killed Iphitus. Later, in his battle against Oechalia, Heracles killed Eurytus before Heracles' own death. Odysseus never took this bow with him to the war in Troy. See Death of Iphitus and the Death of Heracles.

Telemachus saw the advantage of taking his revenge upon the suitors, and said that he would see if he was strong enough to string his father's bow. His excuse was to test his manly strength. Telemachus failed to string the bow, but he was closer than anyone to being successful. Failing this, Telemachus handed the bow for each suitor to try.

While the suitors were unsuccessfully trying to string the bow, Odysseus revealed himself to two faithful servants, Eumaeus the swineherd and Philoetius the cowman. Odysseus told them of his plan for revenge. The two servants secretly barred the doors within the hall to prevent the suitors from escaping. They also secretly removed the rest of the weapons from the hall.

When all the suitors had failed the test to string the bow, Odysseus offered to try stringing the bow. The suitors protested, but Penelope insisted that all would be allowed and try their hands on the bow. Telemachus sent her mother back to her apartment while the servants began locking the doors to the courtyard.

Receiving the bow, Odysseus effortlessly strung the bow, plucking the string as if he was tuning the lute. Then without stirring from his position, Odysseus unerringly shot the arrow through the twelve axes. The suitors were astonished at the beggar's strength and marksmanship. Athena immediately removed Odysseus' disguise and restored Odysseus' face. After revealing his identity to the suitors, his next arrow killed Antinous and then Eurymachus.

The suitors panicked, as Odysseus shot down the suitors with his deadly arrows. Some of the suitors managed to find weapons, because the treacherous goatherd Melantheus had revealed the location of the hidden weapons. Eumaeus and Philoetius discovered the goatherd's treachery; they caught and bound Melantheus so that Odysseus could deal with him later.

Even when Odysseus ran out of arrows, he killed them with spear, sword or axe. Together with his son and his two loyal servants, they fought against the unruly suitors, until all 108 suitors were killed to the last man.

Two men threw themselves on the ground before Odysseus' feet. One of them was a priest named Leodes, while the other was a minstrel named Phemius. Odysseus killed the priest with his sword because he knew of Leodes' treachery, but the hero spared the bard because the suitors had forced Phemius to entertain for them.

Twelve other servants who had betrayed him and his family were hanged. Among those who were hanged were the brother and sister, the treacherous goatherd Melantheus and maidservant Melantho, children of Dolius. Penelope had brought Melantho up with her son Telemachus, but she betrayed the Queen by becoming the mistress of the suitor Eurymachus. Dolius and his other sons were loyal to both Odysseus and Penelope.

Then, Odysseus ordered the other servants to clean the hall, while he cleaned himself before seeing Penelope.

Recognition

When the battle was over, his old nurse rushed to Penelope's chamber with the news; Eurycleia told her mistress that Odysseus had returned home and that her suitors were all dead. Penelope doubted Eurycleia, thinking the nurse was insane.

Even though she then went to meet her husband, Penelope was not convinced until Odysseus told them of the secret that only she and her husband knew. In their bedroom, she asked Odysseus to move the bed for her. Odysseus told her the bed couldn't be moved because he had carved the bed out of a tree trunk when they had married over twenty years ago.

What he had told her was the truth. Penelope was finally convinced that the man who stood before her was her long lost husband. The hero was reunited with his wife. Odysseus then told Penelope of his adventure and hardship.

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The next day, news spread of the suitors' deaths. All of the suitors were noblemen with powerful families from Ithaca and other islands. At the town, Eupeithes, the father of the suitor Antinoüs, aroused the townspeople, urging them to gather together and arm themselves to remove Odysseus from his throne.

Meanwhile, Odysseus went to visit his aged father Laërtes (Laertes), who was living in a hut and tending his garden. Odysseus falsely told his father that his son was dead, but he relented when he caused unnecessarily grief upon Laërtes. Odysseus revealed his identity to his father. Dolius, a faithful subject to Odysseus, also joined the king.

The townspeople met Odysseus and his father at the farmhouse. Laërtes was once a notable hero and according to some authors had sailed with But Laërtes had been powerless to aid his daughter-in-law when Odysseus' palace had been overrun with suitors. But once again, the ancient king Laërtes wielded a weapon of war.

Laërtes hurled his spear and killed Eupeithes. Athena sent the others fleeing in panic by shaking her aegis at the townspeople. Odysseus and Telemachus would have chased and killed them all, had not Zeus sent a thunderbolt to dissuade him.

Disguised as an Ithacan elder named Mentor, Athena reestablished peace between Odysseus and the townspeople.

So ends the Odyssey.

If you wish to read more about Odysseus' life after his return to Ithaca, then I would suggest that you read Odysseus in Heroes II.

Genealogy

House of Odysseus

Related articles

• The Trojan War

• Heroes