The Odyssey- Book 13 (ODYSSEUS LANDS IN ITHACA)

• Odysseus' tale is finished. 
• Alcinous tells him that he is sure that Odysseus will return home without any further problems. 
• All of Odysseus' gifts are packed in a polished box and so at the moment they are to drink the sparkling wine and listen to the minstrels song.
• When Dawn appeared Alcinous went down to the ship and stowed away all of the gifts under the benches. 
• They then returned to Alcinous' palace, where they sacrificed an Ox to Zeus, feasted and listened to Demodocus sing the music of his lyre. 
• Whilst everyone else were enjoying the mew, Odysseus kept on longing to be on his way home. 
• Odysseus asks that the gods in heaven bless the Phaeacians as they have given him a way of getting home and offered him very good gifts. 
• In reply Alcinous tells Pontonous to get some wine so that they can make a wine offering to Zeus before they see off Odysseus. 
• As they headed down for the ship the young nobles took hold of Odysseus' baggage and stowed it in the "polished ship". Then they spread a rug and sheet on the deck for Odysseus himself so that he might enjoy some sleep. Odysseus then climbed on board and laid down. 
• Then the ship left Scherie and headed towards Ithaca. 
• The Phaeacians mounted the beach with the ship and lifted Odysseus who was still sleeping out of the ship on his rug. They then took out all of the treasures and then they set out for home. 
• Poseidon then turns around to Zeus and says that the immoral gods will lose respect for him now that the Phaeacians don't respect him. To which Zeus replies telling him that its not true that the other gods don't respect him. Poseidon says he respects Zeus but he wishes to destroy the Phaeacians ship and punishment for helping Odysseus return home and that he will fence the Phaeacians with high mountains., Zeus replies telling him that he can do what he wants but putting the mountains around Scherie is a bit over the top. 
• As the Phaeacains were waiting for the ship to return they saw that it had stopped as they were making it port. The Alcinous cries out saying that his fathers prophecies had come true that Poseidon would one day wreck one of their fine ships as it was returning from a journey and they encase the Phaeacian island with the mountains. 
• The Phaeacian people then gathered around the altar and interceded with Poseidon. 
• Odysseus has now woken up on his native land but after so long he fails to recognise it because Athene had thrown a magical mist over it to make Odysseus unrecognisable. 
• Odysseus then stands up and cried out "whos country have I come to this time"
• He then checked the gifts which Alcinous gave to him (the fine tripods, the cauldron, his gold and woven fabrics) and not a single item was missing. 
• Athene now appeared disguised as a young shepard. Odysseus asks her where he is and who lives here to which Athene replies saying that he is in Ithaca to which Odysseus replies with excitement. 
• Odysseus lies to Athene about who he is and where he comes from so that the suitors don't find out. 
• Athene smiled at him and her appearance changed to a tall, beautiful woman. She tells him that he was an "obstinate, cunning and irrepressible intriguer"she tells him he isnt willing to drop the lying tales which he loves to tell even in his own country, she tells him that he didnt recognise the goddess who was helping him all along then she starts ti tell him what she has done to him. 
• Odysseus replies saying that "it is hard for a man to recognise you at sight" he then goes on to see Penelope or Telemachus whereas other people would run off to find their family. 
• Athene then goes on to tell him that she wasnt prepared to go against her uncle Poseidon. She then tells him that he is in the harbour of Phrocys. 
• Odysseus was so excited that he was home that he kissed the soil of his homeland. 
• Him and Athene then sat by the olive tree and started to scheme the downfall of the suitors. 
• Athene then tells him that the suitors are after Penelopes hand in marriage, offering her gifts abd refusing to leave her alone. 
• Odysseus says that he could come to the same fate as Agamemnon without the help of Athene, Athene then agrees to help Odysseus by disguising him beyond recognition. She tells him that he must first go to the swineherd as he is loyal whilst Athene goes to Sparta to summon Telemachus. 
• Athene then touched him with her wand and withered his skin and covered his body with old mans wrinkles and dimmed the brightness of his eyes. She then turned his clothes into rags and threw a hide of a nimble stag over his back. 
• Then they both parted. Odysseus headed to Eumaeus and Athene to Lacedaemaemon where Telemachus is. 

The Odyssey - Book 12 (SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS)

• Odysseus and his crew reached the island of Aeaea where they beached their ship. As soon as dawn appeared Odysseus sent a party off to Circe's house in order to fetch the dead body of Elphenor. 
• When they had burnt Elphenors corpse with his armour they built him a barrow, hauled up a stone for monument and planted his oar at the top of the mound. 
• Circe then became aware of their return to Aeaea and came down with her handmaids laden with bread, meat and sparkling wine. 
• She told Odysseus and his men to rest for the rest of the day on her island and then at daybreak tomorrow to sail. She says that she will give them the route they must take.
• For the rest of the day Odysseus and his men took Circe's advice and feasted and drank with their rich supply of meat and mellow wine. 
• Once Odysseus' men had retired to bed for the night Circe took Odysseus' hand and sat him down away from his comrades. 
• Circe told Odysseus that his next encounter would be with the sirens "who bewitch everybody who approaches them". She tells Odysseus that he needs to soften some beeswax and plug the crews ears with it. But if he wants to listen himself he is to get his crew to bind himself to the mast and if he wants to be released his crew is to tighten the ropes and add more knots. 
• Circe tells him that once he has passed the sirens he has two routes which he can take. The first route which Odysseus can take is one which will lead him to the Wandering Rocks where there is "no escape whatever". The second route which Odysseus and his crew can take is where the two rocks are. One of the rocks is sky high and is the home of Scylla "the creature with the dreadful bark". She is a "repulsive monster". She has twelve feet and six scrawny long necks. The other of the rocks is Charybdis who sucks the waters down. Circe tells Odysseus that he must go towards Circe as it is better for him to lose six of his men rather than all of his men. Circe says that the best option for Odysseus is flight rather than fight against Scylla. 
• Circe then tells Odysseus that he will next come across the island of Thrinacie where the sun gods cattle are. She tells him that if he leaves them untouched then he will return home but not without suffering whereas if he touches the cattle he will reach home late having lost all of his comrades. 
• Circe then came to an end and Odysseus went back to his ship and ordered his men to untie the hawsers. 
• The Circe sent them a friendly, favourable wind. 
• Odysseus told his men firstly about the sirens and what they must do in order to survive them. 
• Odysseus then took a large amount of wax, cut it up with his sword and warmed the pieces up with his fingers. He gave two pieces to all of his men for them to plug their ears. His men then bound them to the mast. 
• When the sirens came aware that Odysseus was approaching in his ship they broke into their high, clear song. 
• As they approached Odysseus ordered his men to set him free but they did as he instructed before and tightened his ropes as well as adding more knots. 
• "My men were terrified" 
• After Odysseus and his men had passed the sirens Odysseus gave his men a motivational speech saying how if they survived the cyclops they can survive this. 
• Odysseus didn't however mention the horror of Scylla fearing that his men might stop rowing in panic. 
• Odysseus didn't listen to Circe's advice and armed himself ready to fight off Scylla but he couldn't see her anywhere. 
• They started to sail up the straits with Scylla on one side and Charybdis on the other side. 
• Scylla snatched out of Odysseus' ship six of his best men who all called out to Odysseus in anguish. 
• Scylla ate the comrades in front of her own door and the men shrieked and stretched out their hands to Odysseus in order for his help. 
• When they finally left the rock, Scylla and Charybdis behind they soon reached the sun gods island where Hyperion kept the cattle. 
• Then the words of Tiresias, the Theban prophet and Circe came into mind. As they had all been so insistent on him not touching Hyperions cattle. 
• Odysseus then warned his crew about the island asking them to drive past it. However Eurylochus asked Odysseus to let them have the evening on lands as they have been through a lot and need to cook their supper. 
• Odysseus agrees but tells his men they are not to kill or harm any of the cattle in the island which Circe hasn't given them. He doesn't tell his men about what will happen if they do kill the cattle however. 
• the crew all promised and swore an oath that they wouldn't harm the cattle and they started to prepare their supper out of the food which Circe had provided. 
• As soon as Dawn appeared the men beached the ship in a hollow cave. 
• Odysseus reminded them again that they aren't to touch the cattle, especially as they have a lot of food on board the ship. 
• Eurylochus once Odysseus had gone, said to the crew that they are all really hungry and dying of starvation is no way to die so they should take some of the cattle and sacrifice them to the gods, and then once they reach their home in Ithaca again their first act will be to build Hyperion a massive temple and fill it with precious offerings. 
• His idea was taken well by the rest of Odysseus' crew and so they went in search of Hyperions cattle. 
• They then started their ceremony towards the gods using leaves off an oak tree as they had no white barley left. Once they had done their prayers they split the cows neck and flayed them then cut our slices from the thighs, wrapped them in folds of fat and laids raw meat above them.
• As Odysseus approached from sleeping in the ship he could smell the burn going roast and exclaimed in horror.
• Calypso later told Odysseus that Lampetie ran to Hyperion and told him that they had killed his cattle. 
• He tells Zeus that they need to repay him in full for the slaughter of his cows. 
• Zeus replies saying he will strike their ship with a blinding bolt which will smash it to pieces. 
• Back on Thrinacie the hides of the cattle start to crawl around. 
• For six days Odysseus' men feasted on the cattle and then they left the island. 
• As soon as they left the island a wind struck their ship, men were thrown overboard and the whole ship broke. Odysseus was swept back to Charybdis and Scylla where he clung to the fig tree "like a bat". 
• Luckily Scylla didn't catch sight of Odysseus. 
• He drifted for nine days but on the tenth day the gods washed him up on the island with Ogygia where Calypso looked after him for seven years. 
• He then stops his story as he has already told it to the Phaeacians. 

The Odyssey - Book 11 (THE BOOK OF THE DEAD)

• Odysseus' first task when they reached the ship was to put the mast and the sails onto the ship. 
• Then they picked up the sheep and goats and put them on board before they got on board themselves. 
• Circe sent them a favourable wind to set their ship back into the sea. 
• The ship reached the furthest part of the oceans where the Cimmerians live. 
• They beached the ship there and headed along the coast until they reached the place which Circe had described. 
• Perimeters and Eurylochus kept hold of the sacrificial victims whilst Odysseus poured libations to all of the dead - which a mixture of honey and milk then some sweet wine and water. 
• Odysseus then promised them that when he got back to Ithaca he would sacrifice a barren heifer in his palace and make Tiresias a seperate offering of a black sheep. 
• When Odysseus has finished making his prayers to the dead he took the sheep and cut their throats over the trench so that their blood poured in.
• Then the souls of the dead started pouring up Erebus. 
• The first spirit which came up was Elphenor which was Odysseus' own comrades as he had not been buried. Odysseus started to cry when he saw his friend. 
• Elphenor told Odysseus that "the malicious decree of some god and too much wine were my undoing", he went on to tell Odysseus how he had had too much to drink and fell asleep on the roof of a building and in his sleep rolled off the roof and broke his neck. 
• Elphenor then begged Odysseus to remember him, but his body with the arms which he possesses and raise a mound for him. 
• Odysseus promises that he will do everything as Elphenor had asked. 
• The next spirit Odysseus saw was Anticleia, his mother. Odysseus refused to let her aproach the blood before he had spoken to Tiresias. 
• Tiresias then came up which his "gold sceptre in his hand" and drank the dark blood. He then told Odysseus that "the earthshaker" is making it difficult for him to get home. He says that Odysseus and his friends will not reach Ithaca without suffering. He says that Odysseus will soon come across the island of Thrinacie where they will find the sun gods cattle, if Odysseus leaves the cattle alone then he will return home but not without suffering. Whereas, if he hurts the cattle his ship and crew will be destroyed and if he happens to escape the destruction and reach home he will find trouble him his home. 
• Odysseus then asks Tiresias how he can make his dead mother recognise him. Tiresias replies saying that his mother needs to have access to the blood in order for them to speak the truth. 
• Tiresias then left into the hall of Hades after giving Odysseus his prophecies. 
• Odysseus then waited for his mother to come and drink the blood. She instantly recognised him and gave a cry of relief. His mother asks him why he is in the hall of Hades to which he replied telling her that he has come to see Tiresias. He then asks what happened to her as she was alive when he left for Troy, he then asks of Telemachus and Penelope and if the kingdom is safe or if Penelope has remarried and another man is in charge of the kingdom. 
• His mother replied saying that Penelope is still living in his home but "her eyes are never free from tears as the slow nights and days pass sorrowfully by", and that Telemachus attends all of the public banquets and is a good leader whereas Laertes "he lies in his misery, with old age pressing hard upon him, and nursing his grief and hearing for you to come back" she goes on to explain that she died of heartache for Odysseus. She tells Odysseus to remember what he has learnt there so can tell Penelope one day. She then left. 
• Odysseus saw more spirits coming towards his blood and he withdrew his sword to prevent them from drinking the blood. 
• The first he saw was Tyro, the second was Antiope, then Epicaste (Jocaste), then Chloris, then Leda, then Iphimedeia, then Phaaedra and Procis and then Ariadne. 
• Odysseus then stops speaking to the Phaeacians and Alcinous said that Odysseus is able to go but should wait until tomorrow so that he can get all of Odysseys' gifts together. 
• Odysseus replied saying that he would be happy to spend a further year with him in his palace. 
• Alcinous says that he trusts Odysseus but he wants to know if he came across any heroic comrades in Hades. 
• Odysseus says that he saw Persephone drive off all of the women's ghosts and it was then that he was approached by Agamemnon who told him about how he was killed by his wifes lover. 
• he says how he then saw Achilles, Ajax and Antilochus. 
• He said how he then saw Tityus, Tantalus, Sisyphus and Heracles. The all of the spirits rose up and Odysseus got scared and so went back to his shop.