Xenia and kleos in the Odyssey:

Xenia- hospitality
Kleos- a Greek earns kleos by carrying out great deeds. Kelos is what people have heard about you.

Xenia in the Odyssey:

• Xenia towards Telemachus-
• Nestor-
• Nestor allows Telemachus to stay with him for a night. 
• Nestor invited Telemachus to join him and his sons at the banquet. 
• Nestor makes drink offerings to Athene. 
• After Nestor offers the xenia to Telemachus he asks him who his friends are and where he comes from.
• Nestor then tell Telemachus a story about the Trojan war.
• Nestor then allowed Telemachus to stay overnight in his palace. 
• Nestor then give Telemachus a chariot and his son, Pesistratus who is to accompany him to Spata, to Menelaus and Helen's palace. 
• Menelaus and Helen-
• Menelaus' squire Eteoneous has bad xenia as he is against Telemachus and Pesistratus coming into the palace and refuses to tie the horses up. 
• Menelaus offers good xenia, he greets the guests and sits them down to have a meal with himself and Helen. 
• Menelaus begins to tell Telemachus about the Trojan war and how women cannot be trusted. 
• Menelaus tells Telemachus he looks just like Odysseus which is when Telemachus tells him he is truly the son of Odysseus. 
• After they have spoken more, Telemachus spends a night in the palace. In the morning Menelaus says he will put him up for twelve more days so he can then have glorious gifts off of him. 
• Menelaus gave Telemachus a mixing bowl of wrought which was handcrafted by Hephaestus. 
• Xenia towards Odysseus-
• Calypso-
• Calypso lets Odysseus go when the gods tell her that he needs to go. 
• She feeds Odysseus and lets him sleep with her. 
• She provides him with the materials to make his raft. 
• She sends him off with a favourable wind.
• The Phaeacians- 
• They listen to Odysseus' stories. 
• They let Odysseus stay in the palace 
• They feast with Odysseus. 
• They tell Odysseus about their stories and their bard Demodocus sings songs with his lyre. 
• They allow Odysseus to compete in the Phaeacian games. 
• Circe-
• Circe feasts with Odysseus and feeds him crew members every night which they stay. 
• Circe allows Odysseus to sleep with her. 
• Circe listens to Odysseus' stories which he tells her. 
• She lets him leave when he wants to. 
• Eumaeus- 
• Eumaeus lets the beggar Odysseus to stay with him even though he isnt dressed like one of the Ithacans which would be more acceptable.
• Eumaeus takes Odyssues to town to make sure he knows where he is going. 
• He does as Telemachus tells him to do, go to town  and talk to Penelope. 
• He allows Odysseus to stay with him even though Odysseus says that he can leave if he is too much hastle. 
• Eumaeus defends Odysseus when the cowheard Melanthius, attacks him. 

What is the greatest threat to Odysseus in the Odyssey? Essay plan

What threatens Odysseus' travels in the Odyssey?

• The Gods- 
• Poseidon- Poseidon hinders Odysseus' journey continuously since Odysseus blinded his son, Polyphemus. Poseidon send Odysseus storms, which wreck his ship and he punishes the Phaeacians after then help Odysseus by taking him back to Ithaca. 
• Athene- Athene doesn't pose such a great threat to him as she is helping him for most of the Odyssey, however when Odysseus starts to offend her she gets wound up which would result in threat as she is so powerful. 
• Zeus- Zeus poses a threat as he allows Poseidon to punish the Phaeacians, he punished Odysseus' men because they ate Hyperion's cattle and he warns men about their behaviour before he has to punish them for it. He doesn't pose a huge threat however as he doesn't intervene with Odysseus' travels much as he only grants other gods to help Odysseus. 
• Hermes- Hermes helps Odysseus, he is the messenger who goes to Caylpso to tell her to let Odysseus leave Ogygia because Zeus said so, then he also game Odysseus some Moly, which is the antidote to Circe's poison which turns men into pigs. 
• Monsters- 
• Cicones- they are Thracians living in Ismarus. They pose a threat to Odysseus as they started a battle, Odysseus killing six of his men from each of his ships. 
• Lotus-eaters- the lotus-eaters meant no harm to Odysseus or his crew members. They fed some of Odysseus' men who Odysseus had sent inland, and they ate they "honeyed fruit" which caused them to forget what they were supposed to be doing. None of Odysseus' men died, they were just dragged back to the ship where they continued their journey. 
• Polyphemus- Odysseus blinded Polyphemus and then stupidly told him his name and so Polyphemus set a curse on Odysseus. Poseidon then seeks revenge on Odysseus since Polyphemus is his son.
• Laestrygonians- Antiphates is the king of the Laestrygonians who pounces on one of Odysseus' men to eat him for dinner. Three of Odysseus' men dies which he sends to go and investigate the island. As soon as Odysseus sees all of the Laestrygonians heading towards his ships, he sets off immediately, leaving his three men behind.
• Sirens-  The Sirens are singers who bewitch men who pass them with their deallthy voices. Odysseus and his men row next to the Sirens and plug their ears with softened beeswax whilst Odysseus is tied to the mast of the ship so that he can hear the sirens voices but he wont be lured to his death by his temptation to go to them. 
• Scylla- Scylla is a six, scrawny necked creature who is opposite Charybdis. Scylla kills six of Odysseus strongest, ablest men when the rest of Odysseus' crew are busy paying attention to Charybdis. 
• Charybdis- Charybdis is a whirlpool opposite Scylla who is "like a cauldron on a blazing fire"
• Odysseus' crew- Odysseus' crew don't listen to Odyssseus when he tells them what to do. For instance when Odysseus tells them not to touch the bag of wind and they do it anyway out of their own curiosity. 
• Magic- Magic such as Circe turning Odysseus' men into pigs is threatening as only the gods can override the magic which threatens Odysseus.
• The Suitors- the Suitors threaten Odysseus as they threaten to take his wife and his home before he returns back to Ithaca. They could take away his kingdom which means so much to him. 
• Eurycleia, Argus- they threaten him because they could recognize who he was and let his guard down which would make him vulnerable because of the suitors. 
• Weather/ Sea- the gods control the weather and so Odysseus is threatened by the thought of losing his kleos by dying at sea, as then there would be no legacy for his family to carry about him. 
• Women- Circe and Calypso especially are threats to Odysseus as Odysseus is sexually desired to them. Odysseus has sex with both of the women, and both of them make it clear that they want him to stay with them rather than going home to Ithaca.
• ODYSSEUS- Odysseus is the most poignant threat to himself as he is the one who is the most adventurous and curious. 
• Crew- 
• Odysseus doesn't tell his crew members why they cant touch Hyperion's cattle and what the consequences would be if they did kill the cattle. 
• He also doesn't tell the men that the bag was full of wind, instead he stays up for as long as he can protecting the bag, making the crew members more and more suspicious and so when he eventually does fall asleep his crew members open the bag of wind which making his ship go all the way back to Aeolia. 
• Odysseus doesn't tell his men about Scylla in fear that they might stop rowing and huddle underneath the boards instead. 
• His sense of adventure-
• He doesnt need to stop at the Circones or the Lotus Eaters as he has only just left Troy and therefore will have plently of supplies and so there is no need to stop at Ismarus. 
• Even though Circe tells him not to arm himself to fight Scylla, Odysseus does anyway.
• It is his fault Polyphemus is blinded as he was the one who was greedy for hospitality and so went to Polyphemus' cave expecting to receive hospitality. 

The Odyssey- Book 14 (IN EUMAEUS' HUT)

• Odysseus followed a rough track leading to the woods, following the route which Athene gave him where at the end he would find the swineherd Eumaeus. 
• He found him sitting in the porch of his hut in the farmyard. 
• Around him there were twelve sites which Eumaeus had made himself to protect his masters pigs when he went to Troy. 
• There were three-hundred and sixty swines which were kept outside and guarded every night by four savage gods. 
• When he saw Eumaeus he was shaping a pair of sandals made out of leather to his feet. 
• They baying dogs caught sight of Odysseus and flew at him barking loudly. Odysseus had the sense to get down and drop his staff. 
• The swineherd dashed through the gate upon hearing the noise and shouted at the dogs sending them away. 
• Eumaeus then addressed Odysseus (unknowingly that it was Odysseus as he was disguised as a beggar) and asked him to go with him to his hut as when he is there he can have all of the bread and wine he could possibly want. Eumaeus then tell Odsseus that he is to tell him where he has come from and what his troubles have been. 
• Eumaeus the led the way to his hut and let Odysseus in. He sat Odysseus down on some brushwood which he covered in the shaggy skin of a wild goat serving as his own mattress. 
• Odysseus was grateful for Eumaeus' hospitality and spoke out to Zeus and the other gods "grant you your dearest wish for recieving me so kindly". 
• Eumaeus replies saying that it would not have been right for him to tunr away someone who is in need of his help. He then tells the beggar Odysseus that his master is misfortuned as "the gods have set their faces against his return". 
• Eumaues then starts to bitch about Helen, as she is the reason why  his master had to go away in the first place and "she has been the death of many a good man". 
• Eumaeus then stopped talking and selected two of the pigs, carried them in and slaughtered both of them. He then signed them, chopped them up and skewered them. Once he has roasted the meat he put it in front of Odysseus, sprinkled it with white barley meal and then mixed some mellow wind in a wooden bowl.
• Eumaeus then sat down opposite Odysseus and asked him to eat some of the pig which he has prepared for him. he then goes on to explain how the suitors eat most of the fattened pigs yet the gods done do anything to stop this from happening. 
• He goes on to tell Odysseus about how his "master" was "enormously rich" and no one was up to his standard. 
• Whilst Eumaeus was talking Odysseus ate all of his food and drunk the wine without making any comment as his brain was toying with the idea of what he would do to get revenge on the suitors. 
• Odysseus then asked Eumaeus who had brought him and who was the master which he was talking about (obviously fishing for compliments ) as he could give him news of the man. 
• Eumaeus tells Odysseus that many people have dresses up as beggars and said they ahve news on Odysseus when really they dont, they just want Penelope's hand in marriage.
• He goes on to tell Odysseus that his master is "dead and gone" and his death has brought nothing but grief for his friends and family, especially to Eumaeus as he will never find such a kind master again. "I still call him my beloved master". 
• Odysseus replies saying that "I will not merely state that Odysseus is coming back, I will swear to it" telling him that Odysseus will be home within the next month and will punish anyone who dishonours I his wife and his noble son. 
• Eumaeus replies saying that Odysseus wont be coming home again so they should just drink in peace and move the conversation on. Eumaeus then breaks the news to Odysseus that the suitors are planning to ambush Telemachus on his way home from Pylos. 
• Eumaues then asks Odysseus who he is and where he comes from and how he ended up in Ithaca. 
• Odysseus makes up the story that he is from Crete and is the son of a rich man. He says that he won a wife from a rich family who own a lot of land. He makes up that he fought at Troy and afterwards spent a month with his children and wife at home before he sailed to Egypt. He siad that when he got to Egypt they were having trouble themselves and so when he saw the Kings chariot and clasped before his knees, kissing them. The king pities Odysseus and soared his life. And shave Odysseus the seat beside him. Odysseus tells Eumaeus that he then spent several years in Egypt making a fortune and then one day managed to persuade the king to let him go on a voyage to Phoenicia. As they were passing Sound of Crete, Poseidon send them a storm and they ended up on the coast of Thesprotia which is where Odysseus' beggar character first heard of Odysseus. Odysseus told Eumaeus that Odysseus had gone to Dodona to learn the will of Zeus. Odysseus then said that his crew were extremely against him and stripped him of his cloak and his tunic in replacement of filthy new clothes and when they reached the island of Ithaca they tied him under the decks and left to have supper on the beach but Odysseus managed to free himself from the ropes and they escaped them. 
• Eumaeus then speaks saying that he feels sorry for him but why is there a need to tell such pointless lies? He goes on to explain that he is a hermit and never goes to the town except when Penelope invites him in. He says that he has lost all interest in questioning peoples news on Odysseus as one say a man from Aetolia told him that he has seen odysseus with Idomeneus in Crete repairing the damage which his fleet had suffered in Crete. He says that Odysseus would be back by autumn bringing back a fortune. 
• Odysseus then says that Eumaeus has a "suspicious nature" but that if Odysseus does return Eumaeus will give him a cloak and tunic to wear ans send him on his way to Dulchium. 
• However if Odysseus does not return he shall, tell his men to kill him to teach that the next beggar to not tell lies. 
• Eumaues says that he would not kill him as it is a crime against the gods. 
• The herdsmen then came up with their pigs and drive them into the sties for the night. Eumaues chopped some firewood with his sharp axe no to men dragged in a five year old hog. And held it by the hearth Eumaeus prayed to the gods of Odysseus' return before he struck the animal and slit its throat. 
• The chopped up the rest of the meat and roasted it thoroughly. 

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. 

The Odyssey - Book 10 (CIRCE)

• They went by the "floating island of Aeolia" which is the home of Aeolus. 
• Aeolus is the favourite of the immortal gods. 
• Aeolus shares his house with his family of twelve, six daughters and six grown up sons- he has gives his sons to his daughters in marriage. 
• For a month Aeolus entertained and questioned Odysseus on everything and he answered everything exactly as it was. 
• Aeolus gave Odysseus a leather bad, which was made from the flayed skin of a full grown ox. Inside the bag was imprisoned the energies of all the winds. 
• Zeus had put Aeolus in charge of the winds. 
• He then called up a breeze from the west to blow my ships and their crews across the sea. 
• For nine days and nights they sailed on. On the tenth day they were in sight of Ithaca. 
• Odysseus was utterly exhausted from driving the ship himself without a break. 
• The crew started to discuss what was in the bag which Aeolus had given them- they thought that it was gold or silver. 
• the crew undid the bag of winds and all of the winds rushed out, therefore pushing them away from their native land. 
• When Odysseus awoke he was debating on whether to jump over the ship and drown or whether to carry on. 
• The winds pushed the ship all the was back to Aeolus. 
• The men disembarked the ship and started having things to eat and drink, and Odysseus told his messenger to accompany him to the palace of Aeolus. 
• they saw Aeolus at dinner with his wife and family. 
• When Aeolus noticed them he asked what had happened, why Odysseus had come back when he had given them the power to reach home. 
• Odysseus replied saying that his "untrustworthy crew" had opened the bag of wind when he was asleep. 
• Aeolus replied telling him to get off the island instantly as there is no one more damnable than Odysseus. "It is not right for me to entertain and equip a man detested by the blessed gods". 
• Odysseus and his men left the island in deep distress. 
• "It was our own stupidity that had deprived us of the winds". 
• For six days and nights the men sailed on. On the seventh day they came to Telepylus (in the Laestrygonian land). 
• "Here we found an excellent harbour, closed in on all sides by an unbroken ring of precipitous cliffs, with two jutting headlands facing each other at the mouth so as to leave only a narrow channel in between". 
• Odysseus brought his ship to rest upon the harbour. He then climbed the headland to get a view from the top. 
• There were no cultivated fields in sight but he did see a wisp of smoke rising from the countryside. 
• Odysseus therefore sent a party of his men to find out what sort of people inhabited the land. 
• The men found a well used track which had been used for carrying timber down the mountains to the town. 
• The men came across Antiphates daughters, a strong girl, drawing water outside the town. She had come to the spring "Artacie" which the people of the town draw their water out of. 
• The girl pointed to her father's, (Antiphates) high roofed dwelling. 
• When they arrived they found Antiphates wife- "a woman of mountainous proportions". 
• Antiphates' wife called her husband who automatically showed his murderous intentions by pouncing on one of his men trying to eat him.
• The other two men ran back to the ship as fast as they could. 
• Antiphates raised a huge cry through the town which brought loads of Laestrygonians running from every direction. 
• They started a massacre throwing rocks at Odysseus' men and carrying the dead men off to make a meal. 
• Odysseus jumped on the ship and told his men to start rowing if they wanted to save their lives. 
• Once again they continues travelling with heavy hearts grieving for the loss of their men but rejoicing at their own escape. 
• They came to the island of Aeaea, "the home of the beautiful Circe, a formidable goddess, with a mortal woman's voice". 
• They brought the ship into the shelter and as some god guided them into it. 
• They lay on the beach for two days and two nights. 
• On the third day Odysseus took his spear from the ship and went to see whether he could find any signs of cultivation. 
• He climbed a rocky height and saw smoke rising from the distance of Circes house. 
• Odysseus then thought to return to the ships, give his men some food and drink and send out an exploration team. 
• When Odysseus had almost reached his ship he came across a stag, Odysseus killed it with his bronze spear and dragged it back to the ship.
• Odysseus' men then washed their hands and prepared a meal. 
• Odysseus then addressed his comrades saying that they are completely loser and so the sooner they think of a plan the better. 
• In the end Odysseus divided his crew into the two different parties with a leader for each. The two party members were Odysseus himself and Eurylochus. 
• Eurylochus went with his twenty two men. 
• They came across Circes house, built of polished stone. Prowling around her palace were mountain wolves and lions which Circe had bewitched with her magic drugs. 
• The men could hear Circe singing with her beautiful voice as she weaved with a dazzling fabric which a goddess made. 
• Eurylochus told the men that they must approach Circe and question her on whether she is a goddess or a mortal. 
• They called out and Circe came to the door and invited them in. The whole party followed her inside the apart from Eurylochus who stayed outside, suspicious. 
• Circe rushed the rest of the men inside and sat them all on chairs whilst she prepared them a mixture of cheese, barley-meal and yellow honey flavoured wine as well as a noxious drug to make them lose all memory of their native land. 
• Once they had finished their bowls they turned into pigs however their minds were just as human as before. 
• They were penned and Circe threw in some pig food. 
• Eurylochus came back to the ship to report what had happened but when he arrived was so horrified he couldn't say a word. After being bombarded by so many questions he finally was able to tell the rest of the crew what had happened. 
• As soon as Odysseus heard the story he threw on his sword and asked Eurylochus to take him back to the palace of Circe. 
• Odysseus ended up going by himself and as he was just starting to walk he came across Hermes. 
• hermes asked him where he is off to and about how Circe uses her black magic to create a drug which will turn people into animals. Hermes then picks up a drug of real virtue and gives it to Odysseus telling him that if he takes it then Circe's drug will have no effect on him. Then when Circe sees this she will invite him into bed with her and if he is to refuse then he will never get his crew back. 
• The drug which Hermes gave to Odysseus to protect him is called Moly and it is dangerous for mortal men to pick it up. 
• Odysseus stood outside Circes home and called out to her, she came to the doors and opened them and invited him inside. 
• Odysseus followed her inside and sat whilst she prepared brew in a golden cup for him. 
• As soon as Odysseus was handed the golden bowl he ate it all so quickly and nothing changed. 
• Odysseus snatched his sword and rushed at Circe but all of a sudden she clasped his knees, slipped below his blade and burst into tears. 
• She asked him to who he was and where he came from, she then asked him to bed with her. 
• Odysseus replied to her asking her why she is asking him to be gentle with her when she has turned half of his crew into pigs. He says he will sleep with her as long as she promises there is nothing else in store for him. 
• Odysseus sat in a cauldron and Circe washed him. She rubbed him with olive oil. 
• They then sat and ate a meal together. 
• Circe tells Odysseus to go down to the ships and stow his items in a cave and then come back with the rest of the crew members. 
• her. 
• Odysseus goes and tells him men to drag the ships further on shore and then tells his men to follow him up to Circes house in order for them to have more supplies which will last them forever. 
• Eurylochus was against Odysseus' idea and asked if they were looking for trouble. 
• As the months went by Odysseus' men always questioned Odysseus on why he is so possessed to stay with Circe rather than escape to his ancestral home. 
• He then went on to bed with Circe again but this time he asked her to keep her promise and let him go.
• Circe tells him that he does not have to stay unwillingly but first he will have to journey through the hall of Hades and dread Persephone. 
• Odysseus after hearing this news sat on the bed and wept but when he had finished he began to question Circe again. 
• Circe tells Odysseus that he will come to a wild coast and Persephones grove. he will need to beach his boat there and go into Hades Kingdom of decay. She tells him that he needs to sacrifice a ewe holding its head towards Erebus. 
• Odysseus then complained that they had lost Elphenor when he was drunk at Circes home and fell asleep on the roof causing him to fall off in the morning. 
• When Odysseus told his men where they were heading they were heartbroken and wept and tore their hair. 
• Circe had tethered a black ewe to the ship without the men seeing.