Odyssey

Book V

Next morning, Athena again plead Odysseus’ case to Zeus

Zeus sends Hermes to Calypso

Zeus tells Athena that Odysseus, along with many gifts, will be taken home by the Phaecians.

Hermes flew over the ocean to Calypso’s cave

Hermes tells Calypso that Odysseus is fated to return home

Calypso is furious that a double standard exists among the gods.

She has cherished Odysseus, and hoped to keep him with her

Still, she cannot disobey Zeus. She has no ship or rowers, but she will do what she can to see him safely off.

Calypso went to the beach to find Odysseus.

She found him staring out to sea

Calypso tells him to build a raft and she will give him provisions.

Odysseus fears Calypso is tricking him.

Calypso swears a great oath, then lunches with him in her cave

Calypso offers to make him immortal and ageless if he stays with her

Surely, she points out, she must be more attractive than old Penelope

Odysseus answers VERY carefully, and insists he must go home

They cuddle one last night

Odysseus builds his raft.

Calypso provides fine clothing and provisions

He sailed for 18 days until he saw the Phaecian coast

Angry at seeing Odysseus close to land, Poseidon brews up a storm.

Sea goddess Ino comes to the rescue

She tells Odysseus to get naked

Then put on her veil of immortality

Odysseus swims for his life

He barely makes it to shore

Ino needs her veil, Odysseus returns the veil.

Odysseus had to decide between spending the night on the cold beach or braving beasts and

sleeping in the woods

He chose the woods

Odyssey Book VI

Athena goes into the bedroom of Nausicaa, daughter of King Alcinous

She chides Nausicaa about all the dirty laundry on the floor, and suggest a washing day

Nausicaa asks her dad for a cart so she can do the family wash

As the laundry dries, the girls play ball

Athena makes sure Odysseus is wakened

Odysseus holds a branch in front of his package

He compliments and reassures Nausicaa

Nausicaa gives him something to wear

She devises a plan to get him into the city and palace

For both their sakes, she cannot be seen with him

She gives him directions to the palace, and tells him to go straight to her mother Arête

Odysseus prays to Athena for help, then heads after Nausicaa

Odyssey Book VII

Nausicaa returns with the laundry and goes up to her room

Odysseus arrives at the palace

The palace was splendid, and the gardens magnificent and magical

Hidden in Athena’s fog, Odysseus enters the palace and kneels at the feet of queen Arête

He asks her for help getting home

Then he sits in the ashes

All were in shock until an elderly servant reminded Alcinous of his duties as host

Odysseus was seated properly and brought food and wine

Alcinous promises to have a feast and then send this stranger, who might be a god, home in style

Odysseus protests that he is only a mortal man who has suffered much

Arête, who notices Odysseus is wearing family clothing, asks him who he is and where he is from

Odysseus tells of his 7 years on Calypso’s island, the raft, the storm, and his gift of clothing from Nausicaa

When Alcinous criticizes his daughter for poor hosting, Odysseus lies to take the blame

Alcinous would like the stranger to stay and marry his daughter, but will provide a ship gladly

A bed is provided for Odysseus in the palace

Odyssey Book VIII

At dawn, Odysseus and Alcinous meet at the place of assembly

Athene urged the citizens to come see the marvelous stranger

Alcinous calls for a ship and 52 men to be got ready

Then, a feast

Demodocus, the blind singer, sang of the quarrel between Achilles and Odysseus

The song made Odysseus weep

Alcinous notices his sorrow and begins sporting events

Footraces first, then wrestling

Jumping,

Discus, and boxing

Prince Laodamus invites the stranger to participate

When Odysseus declines, Euryalus accuses him of being a mere merchant

Odysseus scolds him, then picks up a disc

He throws it the furthest of all

Odysseus boasts of his sport skills

Alcinous calls for music

And a display of dancing

The Phaecians excelled at dance

The singer returned

He sang a comic song about Ares and Aphrodite

Aphrodite and Ares were infamous for their adultery

Aphrodite was the wife of Hephaestus, but had lots of sex with Ares

Aphrodite was in bed with Ares when the sun told her husband Hephaestus what was going on

Hephaestus forged a special net of chains and hung it over the bed

Hephaestus feigned a trip, and Ares lured Aphrodite into bed

The net fell, and Hephaestus called all the gods to witness the infidelity

The male gods laughed and made crude jokes

Hephaestus demanded payment, which Poseidon guaranteed

Hephaestus let the pair go

Next, Alcinous had his sons dance for Odysseus

When Odysseus complimented the Phaecians as the best dancers in the world, Alcinous asked each

of the 12 elders to donate gifts to the stranger

Arête arranged a warm bath and a chest of gifts

Nausicaa bids him farewell

He thanked her for saving his life

At the feast, the singer again performs

Odysseus gives the singer food, and asks him to sing of the Trojan Horse

Again, Odysseus weeps

Alcinous stops the singer, and urges the stranger to identify himself

He asks if the stranger is sad because he lost some dear one at Troy

Odyssey IX

Odysseus introduces himself by name to Alcinous, and describes Ithaca

He mentions that two goddesses, Circe and Calypso, desired him

After Troy, he took his 12 ships to Ismarus, the city of the Cicones

They sacked the city, and Odysseus would leave, but his men wanted to stay and enjoy

their takings

They were ambushed, and Odysseus lost 72 men

A series of strong storms took them next to the land of the Lotus-eaters

Odysseys sent 3 men to check out the local inhabitants

The men were given lotus to eat

The lotus made the men forget home, and Odysseus had to go and get the men and drag them onto the ship

They hurriedly sailed away

They came to the land of the Cyclops

The land was fertile, but the Cyclops had no civilization

No cultivation, no buildings, no ships, no organized governing system

The Cyclopes lived in caves

Odysseus and his men stay on an island in the harbor, killing goats for food and drinking Circonian wine

Odysseus decides to take one ship, 12 men, and a jar of exquisite wine to the land of the Cyclops

They enter a cave, find it empty except for lambs and cheese, and help themselves to

cheese

A huge Cyclops entered the cave and rolled a boulder to block the entrance

Odysseus tells the Cyclops they return as victors from Troy and asks for Zeus ordered hospitality.

Polyphemus picks up two men and eats them

The Cyclops drank milk and went to sleep

Next morning, he ate two more men for breakfast

Then he went out with his sheep and goats, trapping Odysseus in the cave

But Odysseus had a plan, involving putting out the Cyclops’ eye

He had his men sharpen a club into a sharp stake and draw lots for the four who would help him.

When the Cyclops returned, he milked his animals and ate 2 more men

Odysseus offered him wine

The Cyclops enjoyed the wine and asked for more

Odysseus kept refilling the cup

Odysseus told the Cyclops his name was Noman

When Polyphemus fell into a drunken sleep, the plan went forward

The spear was of olive wood.

His neighbors heard screams of pain, and asked who was hurting him

When he answered “Noman,” they went back to their caves

When Polyphemus rolled the stone away from the entrance, Odysseus devised a plan for

escape

The men hung under the bellies of the sheep

Odysseus clung to a ram

They got away and raced to the ship

Polyphemus threw rocks after them

Enraged, he tried to smash the ship

Odysseus boasted, revealing his name and homeland

Polyphemus called on his father Poseidon, cursing Odysseus with a late and pathetic

homecoming

Odysseus makes it back to the island, and all feast

Beware! Groan-producing cyclops cartoons follow