By Homer

Homer did a cool thing with this story. Instead of starting where he left off in the Iliad, he started in the middle of Odysseus’

journey home. “In medias res” is what I call it.

Back on Ithaca, Odysseus’ home, his wife is still waiting for Odysseus to come home.

Telemachus grew up

Men that want to marryPenelope for Odysseus’ title

and money

The suitors made themselves

at home.

The key to all the of Odysseus’ power and money is to wait.wait. Not to mention, Penelope is a “hottie”! I I

know that Odysseus is dead.know that Odysseus is dead. I’ll just wait here and enjoy

myself until Penelope realizes her husband is dead and picks a new husband.

Where does Telemachus fit into all of this? He has grown up without a father

and he is watching all his family’s wealth being eaten away by the suitors

that are after his mom.

The closer to manhood he gets, the more dangerous life becomes. After all, if Telemachus starts ruling in his father’s place, what power would it

leave for the suitor who marries Penelope?

It is time that I started acting like a man. I know. I’ll go on a

journeyjourney (mini odyssey) and try to find out what

happened to my dad. That way mom and I will

know how to get on with our lives. Living like this really stinks.

Telemachus visits

Dead Dead DadDad

Dead Dead

**Both Nestor and Menelaous fought at Troy

Do you know what happened to my

dad?

I don’t know

I knew he was in trouble but I don’t

know for sure. I bet he is still alive.

Did you know you look just like him?

Do you know what happened to my

dad?

Tel got a gossipgossip news flash while visiting Menelaous:

Helen and Menelaous are back together!Helen and Menelaous are back together!

Can you believe it? After she ran off with Paris? How did she manage that? She must have him wrapped around her little finger. After all, she spent 10 years living with another man in Troy. She was the reason for the war and now she is living as his wife again! It is surprising that he did not kill her as soon as she was found.

As Tel started home, Athena told him of a plot. The suitors were planning to kill him on his way home. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, helped him avoid the trap. Athena helped Odysseus many times throughout the Trojan War. Now it seems that she is helping his son.

Cool! I’ve got a goddess on my side!

There are all sorts of signs that Telemachus is growing up. He is compared to his

father a lot. He looks like him and he thinks like him and he even asks a lot of questions

like Odysseus.And, it is making the suitors mad!

Athena went to Mt. Olympus, where the gods live, to beg Zeus to help Odysseus. He had been on Calypso’s island for 7 years. He was stranded there after a nasty run in with the god of the sea, Posiedon.

“It’s time for Odysseus to go home.” begged Athena. She is Zeus’ favorite child and it is hard for him to refuse her anything.

“Zeus, I love Odysseus and want to make him immortal so that I can marry him and he’ll

live forever”

“No, I’m sorry. send Odysseus on his way home.” (Zeus is king of the

gods and what he says goes.)

CalypsoZeus

“Not fair! Not fair! You gods are always messing around with

mortal women but if a goddess wants a mortal man, then the answer is NO WAY. It isn’t

fair!”

Calypso has a little fit but then gives in and allows Odysseus to leave.

So, where is Odysseus? Isn’t this story about him?

So far we’ve learned all about his home, war buddies, wife and son. So where is this super famous Odysseus?

All we know is that he is on an island with a goddess and that he has been there for seven years.

Meanwhile…

Odysseus is shocked when Calypso tells him he can leave. She offers to give him supplies for his trip. He doesn’t believe her until she swears by the River Styx.

*When a god/goddess swears by the River Styx, they can not lie.

He was on the ocean for many days. Then a storm came up.

Oh no!

Jump! Jump off the raft Odysseus. It will be

okay.

Ino is a minor Ino is a minor goddess who goddess who shows up to help shows up to help Odysseus.Odysseus.

I’m getting water logged

Odysseus woke up Odysseus woke up in the jungle next in the jungle next to the seashore.to the seashore.

Odysseus was water-logged, salt encrusted, sick and very weak from being in the water for so long. In short, he was an ugly scary, hairy mess.ugly scary, hairy mess.

Down the beach, girls Down the beach, girls were doing laundry. were doing laundry.

Odysseus needed help Odysseus needed help but he was scary but he was scary

looking and naked. He looking and naked. He didn’t want to freak out didn’t want to freak out

the girls.the girls.

Odysseus went and begged the girls for help. They gave him soap to wash with and new clothes to wear. One of the girls doing wash was the princess of the land. She told Odysseus,“Ask my mom and she will make sure you get home safe.”

Odysseus

Old art work showing Odysseus meeting princess Nausicaa Nausicaa on the beach

Once Odysseus was cleaned up,Once Odysseus was cleaned up, NausicaaNausicaa thought he was a real thought he was a real

cutie. Athena had zapped cutie. Athena had zapped Odysseus gorgeous.Odysseus gorgeous.

“I believe the gods who live in heaven have sent this man to the Phaeacians. When I first

saw him I thought him unattractive, but now his

appearance is like that of one of the gods who dwell in heaven. I should like my

future husband to be just such a one as he is, if he would only stay here and not want to go

away.”

Nausicaa’s parents, the king Nausicaa’s parents, the king and queen, welcomed and queen, welcomed Odysseus with open arms. Odysseus with open arms. The Phaeacians are well The Phaeacians are well known sailors. They offered known sailors. They offered to take Odysseus home. to take Odysseus home. But But firstfirst, they asked Odysseus to , they asked Odysseus to tell his story and how he had tell his story and how he had come to their land.come to their land.

From Troy, I left with 13 ships.

We went to the land of the Cicones. We beat them up but we stayed too long and their reinforcements came. We lost 6 men lost 6 men from every shipfrom every ship. It was sad. Those poor men, they survived a 10 year war and then died on the first stop on the way home.

Next we landed on the island of Cythera where the Lotus-eaters live. When you eat lotus, you forget everything. It is like doing drugs. We had to drag some of our sailors “kicking and screaming” away from them.

Have you ever heard the expression, “Out of the “Out of the frying pan and into the frying pan and into the fire”fire”? After the next island we landed on, I know what it means.

We landed on the island of the Cyclops

Odysseus and some of his men go and meet the Cyclops. They made themselves at home in his cave. When he returned he was cranky cranky cranky. He ate 6 men before the rest escaped.

Yum, tastes like

chicken.

They couldn’t kill the Cyclops because then they would be trapped in his cave with the huge boulder for a door. That would not be the death of a warrior.

Odysseus give him wine, got him drunk and then blinded him.

Not being able to see the men, they snuck out of the cave when the Cyclops let his animals out.

Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky…

In order to get the glory and credit for defeating the Cyclops, Odysseus had to let him know who had defeated him.

He told the Cyclops his name.

In response, the Cyclops ripped the top off of a nearby mountain and threw it at Odysseus’ shop. It was a very close call.

Telling the Cyclops his real name was a

big big mistake that haunts Odysseus for the rest of his journey. The Cyclops’ dad is the ruler of the seas. He makes Odysseus’ journey home very difficult.

Notice the rock almost hitting the ship

Oohhhh! My eye!I’m going to tell my daddy, Poseidon, on

you.

Odysseus blinded the Cyclops and that is why Poseidon hates him and tried to keep him from getting home.

Wind-keeper

Hi, my name is Aeolus. Odysseus and his men stayed with me for a whole month. When they were leaving, I gave Odysseus the best gift I could think of. I gave him 3 out of 4 of the winds in a bag. It should have

been a piece of cake for him to get home. I guess one of the gods had other plans. He ended up right back at my door. I kicked him out because I don’t want to get

in trouble with the gods.

We were almost home. We could see the cooking fires of Ithaca burning. Then, I fell asleep and my *&#@*&%$# men opened the bag Aeolus had given me. The great winds that were contained in the bag blew. They blew us all the way back to Aeolus’ island. Words cannot explain my heartbreak.

When Odysseus and his men came back to my island, I told them to leave. I did all I could to help. After my island they went to the island of the Laestrygonians. They are not as nice as I am.

Odysseus’ ship out here at the end

The Laestrygonians were giantsgiants who smashed 12 ships12 ships and speared the men like fish. Only Odysseus’ ship escaped.

MMMmm! Small ones taste like

chicken.

Our luck seemed to go from bad to worse.

We found ourselves on an island with an evil witch. Whenever any man goes to visit her, she turns them into animals. It amuses her.

While exploring the island several of my men met up with Circe and were changed into pigs.

Rescuing them might be interesting…

Most men are pigs, so I turn them INTOINTO pigs. I’m a goddess. I can do what I want.

Elpenor fell off the roof and died

Hermes flew in and told Odysseus how to avoid Circe’s trap. They became friends and Odysseus and his remaining crew stayed with Circe for a year. Circe was the second goddess who wanted to marry our stud Odysseus.

There must be something pretty special about Odysseus. Two goddess, Calypso and CirceCalypso and Circe both wanted to marry Odysseus. Plus, princess Nausicaa wanted to marry him.

Odysseus and Penelope must Odysseus and Penelope must have had an unbelievably have had an unbelievably strong love. He kept trying strong love. He kept trying to get back to her despite the to get back to her despite the fact he figured she would fact he figured she would assume him dead by now.assume him dead by now.

Twenty years! No wonder they call me “faithful Penelope”

We’ve hung out for a year. It’s time we hit the road

Okay, but if you want to get home, you first have to go to HadesHades and

have a chat with Teireseas, the blind prophet. He will tell you all you

need to know about getting home.

To summarize Circe:

She thinks men are pigs and she told Odysseus to go to Hell.

Back in Odysseus’ day, they thought that one could sail a ship to Hades. Admittedly, no one wanted to do that but, it could be done. Our Odysseus wanted to get home bad enough that he and his men went to Hades to get the important information they needed to make it home safely. They had to speak to an old dead blind prophet in order to get the information they needed.

Teiresias said,

1. DON’T eat the cattle of the Sun-god! Your men and ship will be destroyed if you mess with the cattle.

2. There will be trouble at your house so be super careful.

3. Go on another journey and sacrifice to Poseidon to make up for the wrong.

Odysseus talking to Teiresias in the Underworld

Dead souls that gathered around Odysseus

Odysseus ran into his mother, some old

friends and Agamemnon

Agamemnon is in Hades? How did that happen?

Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter to Artemis so that the Greek fleet could sail for Troy.

Clytemnestra cried, mourned and hated her husband for 10 years.

Remember:

Plus Agamemnon had the nerve to bring home a beautiful woman (war prize) from Troy

Clytemnestra did something no other woman ever did. She took on a man’s role and ruled. Not only that, she took a lover.When Agamemnon got home,

Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon in the bathtub. It wasn’t exactly a hero’s honorable death.

Agamemnon warned Odysseus to test his women.

After Hades, they took to the sea…

After leaving Hades, Odysseus had his crew stuff their ears with wax. This was to protect them from the Sirens. He was tied to the mast of the ship so that he alone could listen to their song.

They sailed right on by the Sirens toward Scylla.

The Sirens sung beautifully and lured sailors toward them. They were very seductive and liked to watch sailors die on their sharp dangerous rocks.

Notice Odysseus tied to the mast of the ship

Scylla is a big scary monster with 6 heads that munches men for fun.

“This was the most sickening sight that I saw throughout all my voyages.”

They missed the ship crunching whirlpool whirlpool on their way to the sun-god’s island.

Next came...

““No matter what, DO NOT eat the cows!”No matter what, DO NOT eat the cows!”

Sadly, a big storm stranded them

They ran out of supplies, got hungry and...

Without Odysseus, they ate a cow.

Where’s the

beef?

The storm cleared up and they were on their way…

Everyone but Odysseus

died.

They were warned! Don’t mess with the

cows.

Odysseus survived by holding onto chunks of his destroyed ship. The waves took him back toward Scylla and Charybdis. The raft was

sucked down into the whirlpool but Odysseus hung onto a tree until the raft resurfaced.

Odysseus drifted back by Scylla but the gods blinded her. She never noticed him.

After nine (9) days of drifting, Odysseus found himself on Calypso’s island.

Next

This is where we first saw Odysseus in chapter 5. Now we are up to date.

The Phaeacians, the famous sailors, took Odysseus home

to Ithaca.

Bye bye. Have a safe trip

home

Throughout this story, Odysseus fell asleep and bad things happened.

1. When Odysseus and the crew were almost home, Odysseus fell asleep. His men opened the bag Aeolus gave Odysseus causing the winds to blow them away from home.

2. While on the island of the sun-god, Odysseus fell asleep. His men killed and ate the cattle. All of the crew died when Zeus zapped the ship.

My eyes are getting

heavy

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Odysseus fell asleep on the boat ride home. When he awoke, he found himself on a beach with the Phaeacians’ gifts all around him. He didn’t know where he was. He figured that something horrible had happened again. He was wrong.

He was finally home.He was finally home.

The Phaeacians were turned intostone as they reentered the harbor. Poseidon did not like the fact that they helped Odysseus.Remember, Poseidon hates Odysseus!

Athena the goddess of wisdom and Odysseus the smartest man alive, sat down and made a plan for testing and taking revenge on those in his house. When these two come up with a plan. You better believe it’ll be a good one.

Athena zapped Odysseus old and ugly so that no one would recognize him. He could then find out who was really loyal to him.

The first person Odysseus goes to visit is his old sheepherder servant. He knew that if ANYONE was still loyal, it would be him.

Can you help me? I am a stranger in this land?

I am very poor since my master went away.

But, I will do what I can for you.

While Odysseus was at Eumaeus’ hut, Telemachus shows up. Athena sent him there (after his mini odyssey).

There was a happy reunion between Eumaeus and Telemachus

An invisable Athena tells Odysseus to reveal himself to Telemachus. She zapszaps Odysseus young and beautiful and then disappears again.

I am your father.

Ok son, here is the plan.1. You are going to give me a list of all the

servants who are loyal to me.

2. I’ll also need a list of the suitors and all their servants. We need to know what we’re up against.

3. Athena will zap me old and ugly again. You’ll see me at the house. Pretend like you don’t know me.

4. When I nod to you, collect all the armor and swords in the house. Tell the suitors you are going to clean it up.

5. Even if they abuse me, do nothing!

The suitors were mad that their plan to kill Telemachus failed.

The nurse, Eurycleia, was delighted that Telemachus made it home safe.

Odysseus said, “Tell no one that I am home.” Not my dad, not the nurse, and not Penelope.

Odysseus, Odysseus, dressed as a dressed as a beggar, went beggar, went to his own to his own home. The home. The suitors and suitors and goatherder goatherder abused him. abused him. In fact, one of In fact, one of the suitors the suitors threw a stool threw a stool at him (Little at him (Little did they know did they know –They were –They were digging their digging their own graves). own graves).

Argus, Odysseus’ dog, recognized him. Remember, this dog would have been over 20 years old! He wagged his tail and then died. Loyal to his master to the end. Odysseus cried.

These suitors had really made themselves at home. They ate and partied there, in Odysseus’ home, everyday for at least seven tears. They have been hitting on Penelope for many years. They want the power and money that go along with marrying her.

Now, when there was a new “beggar” in the house. They abused him (physically and verbally). It isn’t even their stuff and they won’t share.

They are sooo going to get it...

Penelope heard that there was a stranger in the house that might have news about her husband. She sent the nurse to extend hospitality to him. She washed his feet. While doing this she recognized a scarrecognized a scar. She knew it was him! Odysseus threatened to kill her if she told who he was. She was a faithful servant.

Meanwhile, the suitors got worse. They were seriously mean and abusive to Odysseus. In fact, they encouraged a fight between beggar Odysseus and the local beggar Irus.

Penelope said, Penelope said, “I hate Antinous like darkness “I hate Antinous like darkness of death itself.” Antinous is the worst of the of death itself.” Antinous is the worst of the suitors.suitors.

When Penelope interviews the “beggar” she reveals that she has remained faithful to her husband and that she has been mourning for him. Penelope knows that she will soon have to pick a new husband but does not want to. She has been trying to get gifts from the suitor and she has done several sneaky things to put them off awhile.

Homer also describes how remarkably beautiful Penelope is.

Penelope told the suitors that she could not pick a husband until she had completed weaving the burial cloth for Odysseus’ father. During the day she would weave and at night she would unweave. She fooled them for 3 years like this!

1.Telemachus and Odysseus remove the armor from the great hall.

2. Penelope announces that she will hold a contest to determine who she will marry.

The ancient Greeks believed in omens or signs from omens or signs from the godsthe gods. Several omens occurred once Odysseus

arrived on Ithaca.

It proved to build suspense in the It proved to build suspense in the story. story.

One goofy omen occurs while Penelope is talking to the beggar Odysseus. She expresses her desire to

have Odysseus home. Just then Telemachus sneezes. “It’s an omen! All the suitors are going to

die and Odysseus is coming home.”

Odysseus, still looking like a beggar, strings the bow and wins the contest. Before the suitors realize what is happening Odysseus kills the worst suitor. Meanwhile, Tel closes and locks the door. It gets really ugly and lots of suitors die.

The next few pages of the Odyssey are very bloody and ugly. The suitors beg and bribe Odysseus but he does not listen. Odysseus, Telemachus and the faithful servant kill ALL the suitors.

After all the killing, Odysseus orders the unfaithful female servants to clean up the mess. This would have been horrible for them since many of the suitors were having “relationships” with Penelope’s servants. They didn’t know that they were next…

When Odysseus gets revenge, he doesn’t mess around.

After all the killing and clean up, Odysseus is ready to tell Penelope that he is home. It is frequently called an interview with Penelope. She is very guarded. After all, he isn’t the first “Odysseus” to show up.

Penelope like Odysseus is sneaky and tests people. She will not be fooled!

She and Odysseus have a few secrets between the two of them. One of their secrets has to do with their bed.

When Odysseus calls her cold for not greeting her husband appropriately she tells one of her servants to move Odysseus’ bed out into the hallway. That way, he can sleep in his bed and she will sleep in the room (away from him).

Such a token was their own bed, which OdysseusOdysseus himself had constructed,

a detail only known by them. And now he described how he had built it,

bringing to memory the olive tree, thick as a pillar, which grew inside the

court. For round this tree he built the room, and lopping all the twigs off,

he trimmed the stem and used it as a basis for the bed itself. Then he finished

it off with an inlay of gold, silver and ivory, and fixed a set of purple ox-hide

straps across the frame. When OdysseusOdysseus had described all these details for

Penelope, he said:

"There is our secret, and I have shown you that I know it." "There is our secret, and I have shown you that I know it."

[OdysseusOdysseus to Penelope. Homer, OdysseyOdyssey 23.202]

It was then that Penelope, seeing the complete fidelity of the description, burst into tears, and running up to OdysseusOdysseus, threw her arms round his neck and kissed him.

Can you imagine what Penelope’s reaction when Odysseus tells her that he has to go on another journey? Remember he has to go in order to make things right with Poseidon.

1. The families of all the dead suitors show up and want revenge. Athena says, “Enough is enough. The killing stops here. Ithaca is a happy place again.

2. Odysseus goes to see his father. There is a happy and tearful reunion.

3. We learn that Odysseus will live a long good life and then die peacefully at sea.