Most on Ithaca agreed that Odysseus must be dead and that Penelope should remarry. Many suitors came to woo the beautiful Penelope, but she and Telemachus still waited for the return of the king. The queen put off the suitors by saying she would make a choice once she had finished weaving a funeral cloak for Odysseus’s father, Laertes. She worked her loom during the day. At night, she undid all she had woven. The suitors discovered her trick, but Penelope still managed to delay her decision. The ancient laws of hospitality insisted that all guests be welcomed and fed. The would-be husbands ate nearly everything she had.
The gods alone knew the fate of Odysseus. Athena, patron of war and trickery, cared most of all the Olympians for the clever king. Spying Telemachus sitting by himself while the greedy suitors feasted around him, she flew down from Olympus in the disguise of Mentes, lord of the sea going Taphians.
Telemachus saw the visitor and offered him an honored seat at the table. After Athena drank and feasted, Telemachus asked the visitor what brought him to Ithaca. The man said he was an old friend of Odysseus come to see if he had yet returned. When Telemachus shook his head sadly, the visitor urged him not to lose faith: “Odysseus is alive, my young friend! He may be long delayed, but he will come home. Sail to Pylos to ask Nestor if there has been word. Go to Sparta and find out if Menelaus has heard anything. Good news comes to those who seek it, not those who wait. Be a man, Telemachus, and find your father. When he does return, he will need a man at his side to drive away these suitors.”
Telemachus was fired with courage. He asked the elders of Ithaca for a ship and sailors to make the journey. He declared it was time the islanders knew if their king was alive. If so, he would bring back news and maybe even his father. If not, he would marry Penelope to a new husband.
Penelope was proud of her son, though she feared losing him on the stormy seas. The suitors, led by Antinous, planned to kill Telemachus on his return. With him out of the way, Penelope would finally belong to one of them, along with the lands and crown of Odysseus.
Telemachus set sail for sandy Pylos. At last he saw the citadel of Nestor rising above the waves. The king was on the shore offering nine black bulls to Poseidon. Athena had sailed with young Telemachus, disguised as Mentor, a respected elder and friend of Odysseus. The goddess urged him to approach Nestor. Thus Telemachus landed and drew near to the gathering. He was welcomed by the king and by Prince Pisistratus. The whole crew was made welcome with roasted strips of beef and cups of wine.
When dinner was over, Nestor asked the strangers who they were. Telemachus said he was in search of news about his father Odysseus. Nestor was thrilled to have the son of his old friend at his feast and told him stories of their times together beneath the walls of Troy. But, alas, he could tell Telemachus nothing of his father’s fate. He urged the young man to travel inland to the city of Sparta. There he would find King Menelaus and Queen Helen herself. Perhaps they could help him.
Telemachus accepted Nestor’s son, Pisistratus, as guide. They climbed into a chariot the next morning and set off across the mountains. Telemachus had never seen such high peaks as those that guarded the city of Meneleus, but at last they made their way through the rugged passes until they came to the valley of the Eurotas River and Sparta. The splendid palace was easy to find, so the young men pulled up before the gate and asked for the king.
Menelaus was easy to recognize with his head of bright red hair. He welcomed his visitors and took them into his halls to dine at his table. When supper was finished, he asked them who they were. At that moment Helen entered the room and declared Telemachus, who looked like his father, could be none other than the son of Odysseus. Telemachus said that he was indeed the child of that long-lost king and asked if they might have any news. Like Nestor, Menelaus was overjoyed to meet the son of his dear friend and told him of all the two warriors had been through together at Troy. Tears ran down the cheeks of Telemachus as he heard stories of the father he could not remember.
Finally Menelaus told him that he had been delayed himself for several years for failing to honor the gods. The winds had blown him all the way to Egypt. He met a sea nymph on an island who told him where to find food and water for his starving crew. She also told him of her father, Proteus, who lived nearby, a god with knowledge of all things.
Menelaus snuck into the seaside cave of Proteus and hid among his pet seals. When the god entered and lay down to rest, Menelaus jumped on him and would not let go. The shape-shifting god became a serpent, a panther, a wild boar, a stream, and a tree soaring to the sky. At last he asked Menelaus what he wanted. The king declared that he was in search of news of Greece. Proteus told him that his own kingdom was safe, but that his brother Agamemnon had been murdered in Mycenae. Menelaus was sorry, but listened as the god told him of the fate of other great warriors, including Odysseus. Proteus had seen the king of Ithaca sitting on the shore of the island of the goddess Calypso, the hidden one, weeping for the home he could not reach.
“That is all that I know of Odysseus,” Menelaus said. “Whether he is still on that island, has sailed away, or has gone down to the house of Hades, no man can say.”
As dawn touched the top of Mount Olympus, Athena asked her father, Zeus, if it wasn’t time to let Odysseus return to Ithaca after almost twenty years away. Hadn’t he suffered enough? Wasn’t the anger of Poseidon satisfied? Zeus agreed and sent Hermes to the island of Calypso to tell her she must release Odysseus.
Hermes found the goddess braiding her hair, surrounded by nymphs. She didn’t want to let Odysseus go, but she had no choice. She made her way to a beach where Odysseus sat on a rock, staring toward Ithaca far across the sea. He spent his days thinking of his wife and son, and of his aged father, Laertes.
Calypso told Odysseus that she would help him sail away, but she also tried to get him to stay—promising him immortality.
Odysseus answered: “Goddess, I long every day to see my Penelope again. What good is eternal life without the one you love? I would rather live a single lifetime with my Penelope than an eternity with anyone else.”
He began to build a small boat. When it was ready, he stored one skin of wine and another of water aboard, along with a sack of food. Then he raised his single sail, and set off to the east toward Ithaca.
For eighteen days he sailed with a fair wind to his back. Just as his food and water were gone, he spotted an island. But at the same moment, the god Poseidon saw him on the waves and cursed his brother on Olympus: “So, Zeus, you decide to let Odysseus sail home? I may not be able to stop him, but I can still make his life miserable!”
Poseidon stirred up a storm that sent waves crashing over the little boat. The sail was torn away, then lightning split the mast in two. Odysseus was thrown into the sea and his clothes were torn from him in the waves. With the help of the sea goddess Ino, he reached the shores of the island. Naked, exhausted, and covered in seawater, he collapsed on the beach and fell into a deep sleep.
The princess Nausicaa was tired of life in the palace. She wanted a day at the beach. Her father, the great King Alcinous, wanted her to spend her time weaving and learning the things a young lady should know. She needed a good excuse, so she told her handmaids to go to her brothers’ quarters and gather all the dirty laundry they could find. Then she went to her father and whispered in his ear: “Daddy dear, I’m worried about your sons. They are hopeless when it comes to their clothes, always leaving dirty things lying about and wearing whatever they can find. The girls will never give them a second glance. Let me take their laundry to the beach and give it a good cleaning. It may take all day, but I’m willing to do it to help my brothers.”
Alcinous knew what his daughter was doing, but he loved her. He ordered the servants to take Nausicaa and her friends to the shore.
Once the princess and her companions reached the water, they rinsed the clothes quickly and threw them on the rocks to dry. Then they swam in the sea and spread a picnic on the beach. They traded gossip and teased
one another about who their fathers would choose for them to marry. They gloried in the fact that they had a few hours to themselves.
Odysseus woke with a start when he heard young women laughing. He looked around and saw that he was lying in some bushes and that the sun was high. The raft he had made on Calypso’s island had brought him to some new land. He decided it was best to approach the girls and ask if they could direct him to the king.
Nausicaa and her friends gasped when they saw the naked man. He looked terrible, but the princess noticed some noble bearing that stopped her from running away. Odysseus asked her for a few rags to cover himself and directions to the local palace. Nausicaa ordered her maids to give the man some of her brothers’ old clothes and to show him a stream where he could wash.
When he was done, Nausicaa told Odysseus he was on the island of the Phaeacians, ruled by her father King Alcinous. It wouldn’t look proper if she led a strange man to her home, but he could follow the road to find the palace.
The princess and her companions gathered their things and headed home while Odysseus considered what he should do. The girl seemed friendly, but he had been through much at the hands of those who had welcomed him. He decided not to reveal too much, and prayed to Athena that this would be his last stop before Ithaca. He asked the goddess to move the king to grant him a ship to sail home to his Penelope.
As Odysseus walked toward the splendid halls of Alcinous, a little girl offered to guide him. She warned him that the people of the island, descended from Poseidon, were suspicious of strangers. He should first go to Queen Arete, as she was more welcoming than her husband. As they entered the palace, the girl wished him well and disappeared. She was Athena in disguise.
Odysseus gathered his courage and walked into the throne room. Before anyone saw him, he fell down before the queen: “Queen Arete, I come to you to beg for mercy. May the gods grant you prosperity and may your children be the pride of your life. I ask only for a ship to take me back to my native land. If you knew how far I’ve come and how much I’ve suffered, you would be kindly disposed to the man you see before you.”
The queen and king were surprised, but they knew the laws of hospitality. They called for a chair and placed food and wine before him.
After he had eaten his fill, they asked the mysterious stranger who he was. Odysseus replied that he was a nobleman who had been held for seven years on the island of Calypso, daughter of the Titan Atlas. He had escaped and come to their shores, seeking a small ship to take him home to Ithaca. The king declared he would see that his visitor reached his home, but in the meantime told him to rest. The next day they would have a feast and send him on his way.
Odysseus thanked Alcinous and went to his chambers to sleep. Years of trouble seemed almost at an end. He knew that he would face trials in Ithaca, but at least he would be home.
The following evening the king held a banquet in honor of his guest with all the nobles of the land. After platters of food had been served and sweet wine poured, the king called his bard Demodocus to entertain them. The company rose to honor the blind singer who remembered the history and stories of their people. He knew songs of lands beyond, as well. Everyone cheered as he sang of how Hephaestus had once trapped his wife, Aphrodite, in a net with Ares on Mount Olympus. Then someone asked for a tale of Troy. Demodocus sang of the wooden horse built by the plan of the clever Odysseus. He told of how the Greeks had snuck from the belly of the beast and slaughtered the Trojans as the city went up in flames.
Odysseus listened to the words. In his mind he saw again the horror of that night—brave men dying all around him as they tried to defend their families—all for the glory of war. He began to weep. The Phaeacians watched him with sympathy and gave him time to collect himself. Then Alcinous asked him again who he was. “Great king, noble lady, kind people of Phaeacia. You ask who I am and what brought me to this land. It is a long tale full of pain, but if you want to hear it, I will tell you. I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, and I have suffered more than any man alive.”
And with that, he began his story:
We set sail from Troy that day so long ago. The wind drove our ships west to the Thracian lands of the Cicones, allies of the Trojans. My warriors and I sacked one of their cities and killed the men, but kept the women and children as slaves. I shared everything with my comrades and urged them to sail before more Cicones came. Instead they drank wine until they fell asleep. The next morning the neighboring Cicones rode out of the mist and cut them down. We struggled to raise our weapons against the Cicones, but they forced us to flee. Many men who had fought at Troy for ten years died that day because of their foolishness.
Winds tossed our ships for two days and nights. We were exhausted when the sun finally showed us the Peloponnesus on our starboard side. The gale had carried us just where we wanted to go—almost home! I might have seen my family, but another storm hit us then, far worse than the first. It drove us for nine days. On the tenth morning we reached the land of the Lotus Eaters. I drew the ships onto the shore to collect fresh water and sent three scouts inland. When they didn’t return, I set off myself with a group of armed men. The natives of that land offered us the honey-sweet fruit of the lotus. Some of my men tasted it, then lost their desire to journey home. All they wanted to do was stay and eat the lotus fruit forever. I forced them back to the ships. We cast off and rowed away.
The spirits of my men were low as we sailed to another strange shore. It was a lonely land with rough hills and wild goats. We anchored in a small harbor and caught goats for our supper. After a fine meal, we slept through the night. When dawn came, I left most of my soldiers on the beach and headed away with a few warriors to see what kind of men lived there. We hadn’t gone far when we saw the entrance to a cave with a large stone rolled away from its mouth. There were sheep nearby, larger than any in Greece. I took a skin of wine and entered the cavern, hoping to trade for food. No one was home. My men discovered cheese drying on racks and spring lambs penned in the corner.
We built a fire to roast a sheep, then feasted on cheese and awaited the return of the shepherd. Late in the day, we heard something large approaching and quickly put out the fire. The creature that entered was taller than three men standing on top of each other and had a single, enormous eye in the center of his forehead. He entered the cave, then rolled the huge stone across the opening so that nothing could escape. My men and I hid in a corner while he milked his sheep. After he had lit his fire, the monster saw us huddled in the shadows.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
“We are Greek sailors,” I answered, “making our way home from Troy. May it please Zeus, who watches over all guests, we would like to trade with you for food and be on our way.”
“I am Polyphemus, a Cyclops, the son of Poseidon,” the giant said. “I care nothing for Zeus.” He grabbed two of my men and smashed their heads against a stone. He ate them raw, even the bones. We cried to Zeus for justice, but the Cyclops ignored us and fell asleep. I thought about killing him—but then who would move the stone away? We were trapped with a monster that was going to eat us all.
The Cyclops left the next morning, putting the stone carefully in place to seal us in. We tried everything to move that rock, but it was no use. While my men wept and prayed to the gods, I sat down to think. Just before sunset, I hit upon a plan and told my men to pour some wine into one of the Cyclops’s bowls. When the giant entered and closed us in again, I spoke to him: “Mighty Polyphemus, son of the great god Poseidon, receive this gift from our hands.”
The monster drained the bowl in a single gulp, then demanded more. After a second bowl, he asked my name.
“My name is Nobody,” I said.
“A strange name,” said the Cyclops. “I will eat you last!” Then he laughed as he ate two more of my men. With that he fell over in a drunken stupor and snored so loudly the cave shook.
“Courage,” I whispered to my men. “Now we will have our revenge.”
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p; I ordered them to sharpen a wooden pole, then harden the point in the fire. When all was ready, I climbed on a rock above the sleeping Cyclops and plunged the stake into his single eye. The monster screamed in agony, then groped his way to the stone and rolled it away from the door just enough to shout to his neighbors.
“Help me!” he cried. “Nobody has attacked me! Nobody has blinded me!”
From the hills came cries in response: “Shut up you fool! If Nobody has hurt you, why are you bothering us?”
Polyphemus sank down on the cave floor and rolled the stone back in place. He tried to find us with his hands, but we moved too quickly. At last he settled into sleep in front of the door.
The next morning the sheep woke the Cyclops as they cried to be let out to pasture. I told my men to each grab the underside of one of the animals and hold on. Polyphemus rolled the stone away again and stood by the entrance. He carefully felt each sheep to make sure it was not a man, but he didn’t search underneath. We all made it out of the cavern clinging to those wonderful sheep.
My men were overjoyed as we ran to our ships in the harbor. As we rowed away I could see Polyphemus stumbling down the path crying out that the man who had blinded him had escaped. My warriors urged me to keep quiet, but I couldn’t help glorying over the stupid monster: “Polyphemus, you filthy cannibal, maybe now you’ll learn to treat your guests with respect. My name isn’t Nobody, it’s Odysseus, raider of cities and hero of Troy.”
The Cyclops threw giant stones at us, but they splashed off our stern. Then he fell to his knees and prayed to Poseidon: “Father, grant to me that Odysseus may never reach his home. If it is his fate to do so, at least make sure that day is far off and that he returns home alone, a broken man.”
Poseidon heard his prayer. I foolishly gave Polyphemus my name to use in his curse and have suffered for it since.
From the land of the Cyclops we came to a beautiful island with cliffs reaching to the sky. This was the home of Aeolus, lord of the winds. He hosted us for a full month as I told him of the long war at Troy and all that had happened since. As we left, he gave me a sack holding winds from all the corners of the earth, but the west wind he let loose to blow us home.
Heroes of Olympus Page 19
