Chapter
Four - Odysseus
The Trojan War ended
with the Trojan Horse. It was a huge wooden horse with Greek
soldiers hidden insie, commanded by Odysseus. During the night,
the soldiers came out of the horse and opened Troy's gates to the
entire Greek army.
After the Trojan War had ended, Odysseus and the other Greeks returned to their homes across the sea. In the meantine, everyone assumed that Odysseus was dead. His wife, Penelope, was almost to the point of beating all of the suitors off with a stick. Telemachus, Odysseus' son, called an assembly to ask for help. Zeus sent an omen of the suitors' doom. Two eagles swooped down and tore the suitors to pieces with their talons. Telemacus then set sail to get news of his father. Telemachus consulted King Nestor, who told him what he knew of the Greeks' return. Nestor told Telemachus that half of the army stayed behind to deal with Athena's anger. The rest of the army made it home safely, except for Menelaus, who was blown off course to Egypt, where he stayed for seven years. King Nestor lent Telemachus a chariot to travel to Menelaus' kingdom. Menelaus told Telemachus when he got there what he knew of Odysseus after the war. Odysseus was currently being held captive by Calypso, a nymph.
Zeus sent Hermes to Calypso's island. The nymph wasn't happy to let Odysseus go, but she did so anyway. The raft which Odysseus set sail on was destroyed by Poseidon, who didn't like him. Odysseus washed ashore a few days later and stumbled into an olive thicket where he fell asleep.
When Odysseus awoke, he heard maidens laughing. Princess Nausicaa of the Phaeacians was at the riverside with her handmaids, washing her wedding dress. The princess was nice enough to tell him how to get the king's help to return to his home. Odysseus followed her into town.
Odysseus halted on the threshold of the palace. He was awed by the splendor of the structure standing before him. The very walls were adorned with treasures from foreign lands. The blacksmith Hephaestus had graced the entrance way with two hounds of steel. Our friend the daring hero walked right up to the Queen and told her of his needs. The king was smart enought to show some decency to his guest and petitioner. He extends an invitation to a banquet, and Odysseus accepts. He also give Odysseus the promise of a healthy stay and a pre-paid passage home on a nice ship. The following day was declared a holiday in honor of the kingdoms guest. The king was not even sure of this daring stranger's name. A competition was scheduled to be hosted with races and games for everyone. You could tell that guests were treated like royalty themselves. Odysseus was asked to participate but politely refused. Someone threatened him by saying that he is too weak and afraid of losing to enter any of the competitions. At that he picked up a clay frisbee and threw it with all of his might. Everyone near him dropped to the ground in fear. That night at a party the jokester started to sing a song about the Trojan War. Odysseus was heard sobbing uncontrollably. The King yelled at the bard to stop singing and asked Odysseus who he is and where he came from. Odysseus told the king his name and all about his long and tiring journey.
As soon as Odysseus was done telling the king about his journey, the king ordered him sent to Ithaca. When the sailors put him down on the beach, Athena cast a mist about him that kept hm from recognizing anything. After a while, the goddess revealed herself and made the mist go away. Odysseus was so glad to be back, he started kissing the beach. Athena then transformed him into an old beggar as a disguise. Odysseus was clad in a dirty tunic as he went to find his swineherd, because Athena had told him to do so. The dirty stranger was warmly welcomed by the swineherd Eumaeus. The kind swineherd even threw his bedcovers over a pile of boughs so that Odysseus, who still had not revealed his identity, could sit down. Eumaeus slaughtered a boar for Odysseus, who made up a very elaborate story of where he came from. When night came, he slept by the fire while the swineherd slept outside. Athena summoned Odysseus’ son home and told him how to avoid an ambush from all of Penelope’s suitors. Back on Ithaca, Eumaeus was telling Odysseus his life story. Telemachus eluded the ambush, and proceeded to the farm of Eumaeus. He met the tattered guest and sent Eumaeus to tell his mother that he was there safe. Athena changed Odysseus’ appearance again so that he would look normal. Telemachus was very happy to see his father again after twenty years of waiting for him to come home. They planned to bring the suitors to their doom. They journeyed to town, Odysseus once again dressed as a beggar. He begged for food from the suitors, and didn’t receive so much as a crumb and a footstool in the back. Odysseus talked to Penelope, but he didn’t reveal his identity. She liked the stranger very much, so she ordered her maids to bathe his feet. One of the maids, who just happened to be Odysseus’ nurse when he was a child, noticed a scar that Odysseus got from hunting a wild boar on Mount Parnassus as a young man. The maid recognized her master, and Odysseus gave away his plot. Penelope appeared before the suitors, a bow in her hand left by Odysseus. The man that could successfully shoot the bow through the sockets of twelve axe heads could marry her. Odysseus asked if he could try. He sent the bow whistling through the ax heads. Antinous, the man that hurled the footstool at Odysseus, was just lifting a drinking cup when Odysseus shot an arrow through his throat. All of the other suitors were murdered in some way or another, whether being chopped to bits or hung. Penelope still couldn’t believe that her husband was back. She told a servant to make Odysseus’ bed in the hall. Odysseus, of course, noticed this, and Penelope fell into his arms.
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After the Trojan War had ended, Odysseus and the other Greeks returned to their homes across the sea. In the meantine, everyone assumed that Odysseus was dead. His wife, Penelope, was almost to the point of beating all of the suitors off with a stick. Telemachus, Odysseus' son, called an assembly to ask for help. Zeus sent an omen of the suitors' doom. Two eagles swooped down and tore the suitors to pieces with their talons. Telemacus then set sail to get news of his father. Telemachus consulted King Nestor, who told him what he knew of the Greeks' return. Nestor told Telemachus that half of the army stayed behind to deal with Athena's anger. The rest of the army made it home safely, except for Menelaus, who was blown off course to Egypt, where he stayed for seven years. King Nestor lent Telemachus a chariot to travel to Menelaus' kingdom. Menelaus told Telemachus when he got there what he knew of Odysseus after the war. Odysseus was currently being held captive by Calypso, a nymph.
Zeus sent Hermes to Calypso's island. The nymph wasn't happy to let Odysseus go, but she did so anyway. The raft which Odysseus set sail on was destroyed by Poseidon, who didn't like him. Odysseus washed ashore a few days later and stumbled into an olive thicket where he fell asleep.
When Odysseus awoke, he heard maidens laughing. Princess Nausicaa of the Phaeacians was at the riverside with her handmaids, washing her wedding dress. The princess was nice enough to tell him how to get the king's help to return to his home. Odysseus followed her into town.
Odysseus halted on the threshold of the palace. He was awed by the splendor of the structure standing before him. The very walls were adorned with treasures from foreign lands. The blacksmith Hephaestus had graced the entrance way with two hounds of steel. Our friend the daring hero walked right up to the Queen and told her of his needs. The king was smart enought to show some decency to his guest and petitioner. He extends an invitation to a banquet, and Odysseus accepts. He also give Odysseus the promise of a healthy stay and a pre-paid passage home on a nice ship. The following day was declared a holiday in honor of the kingdoms guest. The king was not even sure of this daring stranger's name. A competition was scheduled to be hosted with races and games for everyone. You could tell that guests were treated like royalty themselves. Odysseus was asked to participate but politely refused. Someone threatened him by saying that he is too weak and afraid of losing to enter any of the competitions. At that he picked up a clay frisbee and threw it with all of his might. Everyone near him dropped to the ground in fear. That night at a party the jokester started to sing a song about the Trojan War. Odysseus was heard sobbing uncontrollably. The King yelled at the bard to stop singing and asked Odysseus who he is and where he came from. Odysseus told the king his name and all about his long and tiring journey.
As soon as Odysseus was done telling the king about his journey, the king ordered him sent to Ithaca. When the sailors put him down on the beach, Athena cast a mist about him that kept hm from recognizing anything. After a while, the goddess revealed herself and made the mist go away. Odysseus was so glad to be back, he started kissing the beach. Athena then transformed him into an old beggar as a disguise. Odysseus was clad in a dirty tunic as he went to find his swineherd, because Athena had told him to do so. The dirty stranger was warmly welcomed by the swineherd Eumaeus. The kind swineherd even threw his bedcovers over a pile of boughs so that Odysseus, who still had not revealed his identity, could sit down. Eumaeus slaughtered a boar for Odysseus, who made up a very elaborate story of where he came from. When night came, he slept by the fire while the swineherd slept outside. Athena summoned Odysseus’ son home and told him how to avoid an ambush from all of Penelope’s suitors. Back on Ithaca, Eumaeus was telling Odysseus his life story. Telemachus eluded the ambush, and proceeded to the farm of Eumaeus. He met the tattered guest and sent Eumaeus to tell his mother that he was there safe. Athena changed Odysseus’ appearance again so that he would look normal. Telemachus was very happy to see his father again after twenty years of waiting for him to come home. They planned to bring the suitors to their doom. They journeyed to town, Odysseus once again dressed as a beggar. He begged for food from the suitors, and didn’t receive so much as a crumb and a footstool in the back. Odysseus talked to Penelope, but he didn’t reveal his identity. She liked the stranger very much, so she ordered her maids to bathe his feet. One of the maids, who just happened to be Odysseus’ nurse when he was a child, noticed a scar that Odysseus got from hunting a wild boar on Mount Parnassus as a young man. The maid recognized her master, and Odysseus gave away his plot. Penelope appeared before the suitors, a bow in her hand left by Odysseus. The man that could successfully shoot the bow through the sockets of twelve axe heads could marry her. Odysseus asked if he could try. He sent the bow whistling through the ax heads. Antinous, the man that hurled the footstool at Odysseus, was just lifting a drinking cup when Odysseus shot an arrow through his throat. All of the other suitors were murdered in some way or another, whether being chopped to bits or hung. Penelope still couldn’t believe that her husband was back. She told a servant to make Odysseus’ bed in the hall. Odysseus, of course, noticed this, and Penelope fell into his arms.
Back to the Library