The Odyssey and Sequels

See also Homer's Odyssey

Overview

As Aristotle says. This is story about a man kept away from is home for many tears. Poseidon is watching him. The wealth is being squandered by his wife's suitors and plots laid against his son. After being buffeted by storms he returns home, eventually reveals his identity and kills the suitors.

Altogether Odysseus is away from Ithaka for 20 years. Homer says there were over 100 suitors. Penelope clings to the hope that he will return and as a delaying strategy agrees to mary a suitor once she completes a shroud, which she undoes every night until the suitors uncover her ruse.

The 1st four books focus on Telemakhos. Books 5-12 focus on the journey home. 9-12 are narrated by Odysseus his self in flashbacks. Books 13 to 24 are located in Ithaka. The story begins with an evocation that he could not save his companions who presisged due to their own recklessness. Odysseus is not a drifter even though Tennyson calls him a vagabond. Odysseus is often at loggerheads with his crew but still strives to get them home. There are two levels to the story

1. A personal story of one man's journey home 2. A social tale of a king who returns and eradicates his usurpers

So it is a tale about the function of society and problems of an individual

Odysseus story is preceded by the Council of the Gods minus Poseidon, where Athena pleads that Odysseus should be allowed to sail back home. Zeus agrees but before the story starts we get Homer narrating the Telemachy or the education of Telemakhos.

The Tale

Books 1-4

Athena or Athene disguises herself as a man and goes to Telemakhos and tells me to go to Sparta and search for his father, where he visits with Menelaos and Helen.

Books 5-12

In book 5 we arrive at at the island of Ogygia where Kalypso (meaning I conceal -Daughter of Atlas has kept Odysseus for seven years. We should not forget that later we will learn through flashback what other adventures he has been on. Despite being offered immortality he builds a raft and leaves and is shipwrecked by a storm sent by Poseidon. The goddess Ino called Leukothea saves him. So does Athena and he shipwrecked on Skherie

Odysseus still does not reveal his identity. He stays with Alkinoos who asks him where he has been and Odysseus recounts his Odyessy (some of which sound as if they have come from Jason and the Argonauts.

After leaving Troy after the war he sails to the city of Kikones in Thrace. He pillages it (it is almost piracy).

From there they go to the Land of the Lotus Eaters. There they forget everything and Odysseus has to drag his crew back to the boat and sail off.

Now he travels to the Land of the Cyclopes (modern Sicily) where he meets Polyphemos. This adventure emphasizes his attribute of Metis cunning and Polymetis much cunning, wily, resourceful. Polyphemos immediately violates the rules of hospitality. After eating a few of the crew, he is drugged by wine and falls asleep. Odysseus tells Polyphemos that his name is Nobody. While asleep they blind him in his one eye and strap themselves to the underside of the cyclops rams. The cyclops moves the big stone from the wall and tries to pat the sheep to make sure the crew dont escape. Still in pain and panic Polyphemos cries out for help saying he has been hurt. When they ask him who has hurt him he says Nobody. Thinking it is a false alarm they dont come to his aid. As they escape, Odysseus tells him his true identity. Polyphemos prays to his father Poseidon to make his homecoming impossible.

Next stop is Aiolia. Here they meet Aiolos (Aeolus)) - keeper of the winds. Aiolos provides Odysseus with an oxhide of West Wind which gives him the winds he needs to get back to Ithaka. The crew think it has treasure and insight of Ithaka they open it and are blown to the other side of the world.

Sailing on they reach they land of the Laistrygones. They are cannibals and eat some of the crew. Few escape and are pursued. Odysseus back at the ship see this and severs the rope leaving the crewmen to their fate. Some say this was uncourageous or sensible by saving the rest of the crew.

The next island is the Aiaian isle the home the enchantress Kirke. Several crew go to investigate and they are changed in to swine by Kirke. After some of the crew report back Odysseus goes off and his met by Hermes who tells him to eat moly, which makes him impervious to the enchantments. He subdues her and his men are chnage back in to humans. He stays there one year and prior to departure Kirke tells him to go to Hades and consult Teiresias (Book 11). Here Odysseus is elevated above mankind. Here he also meets his mother Antikleia who was alive when he left for Troy. He tries to embrace her soul but slips through his fingers. He also meets Agamemnon, who tells of his death and the hands of Aigisthos and Akhilleus who asks for news of Peleus and sees Great Aias who refuses to speak to him after they fell out over a dispute over who should have Akhilleus' armour. We read about the fates of Kink Minos - sitting in judgment on the dead. Orion in a meadow of asphodel; Tityos - who livers are constantly devoured by two vultures; Tantalos - hungry and thirsty but tantalised; Sisyphos rolling a stone up hill and Herakles who sympathizes with Odysseus.

After a brief stop back at Kirke's island they have a test at the isle of Sirens He tells his crew to plug their ears while he is tied to the mast to stop him being seduced by their voices.

More destruction of his crew happens at Kharybdis and Skylla where more crew are eaten alive and then at Thrinakia His crew are warned about eating oxen but starving they ignore it and blasted by a bolt from Zeus and storm that create a storm. Odysseus narrowly avoids being sucked down with the wreckage when he hangs on the branch of a fig tree.

He is washed up on the shore of Kalypso when the story started in book 5

Books 13-24

Athena advises his to conceal his identity although in parts he reveals himself to his man servant and then Telemakhos. Still dressed as beggar they go back to the palace and in time Eurykleia recognizes a scar on his foot and is revealed to her. Meanwhile Penelope decides to marry the suitor who can string Odysseus' bow and shoot through the axe handles. The suitors fail. They then laugh as the old beggar tries and is successful and then reveals himself and locking the doors, massacres the suitors. Antinoos, Eurymakhos, the pleading Lieodes also die. Amphinomos is struck down by Telemakhos. None are spared. The serving maids who have been sleeping with the suitors are forced to take the bodies and them are executed. The final horror is the mutilation of serving maid Melanthios. Then follows the reunion of Penelope and Odysseus.

There are those who say that the rest of the Odyssey was written by someone elseThe rest of the story is taken up by taking the suitors down to Hades; the reunion of Odysseus and his father Laertes and the revenge of the suitor's families which is finally ended Zeus throws a thunderbolt at Athene that terminates the fight and pledges given on both sides.

The end of the Odyssey

The Epic Cycle is completed by a work known as the Telegony in 568bce. Telegonos, son of Kirke is told that he is the son of Odysseus and sails in search of him. He goes to Ithaka and ravages the island. When Odysseus goes to confront the invaders he is mistakenly killed by Telegonis. When he realises what he has done he transports Odysseus, Penelope and Telemakhos to Kirke's island where they are made immortal.

Other variants talk to Penelope succumbing to Antinoos and being banished or seduced by Amphinomos and killed by Odysseus. Or in another Odysseus goes to Thoas in Aitolia and retires.

The death of Odysseus marks the end of Greek Mythology from a chronolgical perspective.