Sail along with Odysseus
Lindsay Buono, Meg Haggerty, Will Erlanger,
Alex Wilkinson, Julia Pfatteicher
Footstep 1
“We came next to the island of Aioloa” (112).
Odysseus and his men travel to the island of Aioloa after being
given a bag of wind to guide Odysseus and his shipmates back
home to Ithaca. Instead, Odysseus's men believe that Aeolus
secretly gave Odysseus a bag of riches, so they decide to open
it. With surprise, the winds create a storm that sends Odysseus
and his men back to Aioloa.
Footstep 2
“Six days we carried on, all night and all day. On the
seventh we reached the lofty stronghold of Lamos,
Laistrygonian Telepylos, where herdsman hails
herdsman as one brings in his droves and the other
answers as he drives out his. There a man who could do
without sleep, could earn double wages, one by minding
cattle, one by pasturing sheep: for the paths of day and
night are close together” (113-114).
This is when Odysseus and his men arrive at another
island where the Laistrygonians live. They try to ask for
help but the natives quickly attack them and throw
stones at their ships as they try to escape. Only one ship
survived.
Footstep 3
”They found in a dell the house of Circê, well built with shaped stones, and
set in a clearing" (116).
"She gave them all comfortable seats, and made them a posset, cheese and
meal[...] she put dangerous drugs in the mess, to make them wholly forget
their native land. When they had swallowed it, she gave them a tap of her
wand at once and herded them into pens[...] They were then, miserably shut
up in the pigsty"(117).
Once they escape and travel to the home of Circe, Circe drugs a group of
Odysseus's men and turns them into pigs. Although Odysseus was on his
way to rescue his men, Hermes visits him and demands him to eat an herb
that would protect him from Circe's drug. Odysseus then overpowers Circe
and forces her to change his men back to human form. Odysseus soon after
becomes Circe's lover, but after a year, Odysseus and his men are directed
by Circe to sail to Hades in order to return home.
Footstep 4
Circe gives Odysseus guidance for his journey home. She tells him
that he must go to the house of Hadês and Persephoneia to get
directions from the blind prophet, Teiresias. As Odysseus tells his
men of the long journey ahead, he learns that he has lost his
youngest man, Elpenor, because he fell from the roof after falling
asleep drunk there.
Upon arriving, Odysseus makes a sacrifice to the god, Hades and the
souls of people he has lost visit him: "First the soul of my comrade
Elpenor, for he had not yet been buried in the earth[...] Then came
the souls of my dead mother, Anticleia daughter of the brave
Autolycos[...] Then came the should of Thebian Teiresias"(125).
Footstep 5
Teiresias gives Odysseus advice for his journey home: "You seek to
return home, mighty Odysseus, and home is sweet as honey. But
God will make your voyage hard and dangerous[...] Nevertheless,
you may all get home safe still, although not without suffering
much, if you can control yourself and your companions when you
have traversed the sea as far as the island of Thrinacia. There you
will find cattle and the sheep of Helios, who sees all things and
hears all things. If you sail on without hurting them you may come
safe to Ithica, although not without suffering much. But if you do
them hurt, then I foretell destruction for your ship and your
crew[...]"(126).
Odysseus then gets the chance to speak with his mother, Anticleia,
and some famous men and heroes.
Footstep 6
Odysseus is next visited by Agamemnon, Achilles, and tries to
speak with Ajax, but he refuses to speak because he lost a
contest with Odysseus. After being visited by many more
souls, Odysseus becomes overwhelmed by the several souls
begging to know about their relatives, so he rushes back to his
ship and instantly sails away.
Footstep 7
Odysseus and his men the travel back to Circe's island and he
spends one last night with her. He also buries Elpenor there.
Circe tells his of the problems he will face on the rest of his
journey home and how he should handle them.
They set sail and approach the island of the Sirens, beautiful
mermaids who lure men with their song then murder them.
Just like Circe told him, he plugs his men's ears with beeswax
and has them tie him to the ship so he won't fall into their trap.
Footstep 8
Odysseus and his men then encounter Scylla and Charybdis.
Charybdis is a dreaded black hole-like whirlpool and Scylla is
a six-headed monster. Odysseus guides his ship near the cliff
like Circe to avoid them and Scylla takes one man for each
head as the ship passes.
Footstep 9
The men land on the island of Helios, despite the warnings of Circê and
Teiresias. Odysseus tries to warn his men, but they refuse to listen. Even
though the men swore an oath not to harm any of the forbidden cattle, they
did not obey it and instead ate the cattle. A messenger informed Helios
Hyperion of their actions, and he called on Zeus to punish the men. Just as
Circê warned, all of the men except Odysseus were drowned with the ship
and Odysseus was retrieved by Calypso on the island of Ogygia.