Ithaca Myths: The legendary story of Odysseus

The word Odyssey in the English language has come to mean a journey of epic proportions. The
word comes from Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey”, written in the 8th century BC and it is a sequel
to Homer’s other epic poem, “The Iliad”, which describes the last days of the great Trojan War. The
Odyssey speaks of Odysseus’ adventures that delay by a decade the return to his beloved homeland,
Ithaca.

“The Odyssey” was probably a popular story transmitted down the generations orally, with Homer
writing down the story in one narrative. The story is told by Homer in a flashback format and
narrates the legendary journey of king Odysseus to return home, to his palace and family, after the
Trojan War had ended.

Odysseus, a legendary man

According to Homer, Laertes and Anticleia were the parents of Odysseus. He was married to
Penelope and they gave birth to a son, Telemachus. Odysseus was often called “Odysseus the
Cunning” because of his clever and quick mind. Autolycus, his grandfather, was a famous skilled thief
in the Peloponnese. The Romans transformed the name Odysseus to Ulysses and that is how he is
mostly known today all over the world.

Odysseus had a proud and arrogant character. He was the master of disguise in both appearance
and voice. He also excelled as a military commander and ruler, as is evident from the role he played
in ensuring to the Greeks the victory over Troy, giving thus an end to the long Trojan War.

The fall of Troy

All began the day Paris of Troy abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. Enraged, Menelaus
called upon all kings of Greece, including Odysseus, as all had once vowed to defend the honour of
Helen, if someone ever tried to insult her. Odysseus, however, tried to escape the promise made to
Menelaus by feigning insanity. Agamemnon, the brother of Menelaus proved Odysseus to be lying
and henceforth the legendary warrior set out for Troy, along with Agamemnon ‘the lord of men’,
Achilles ‘the invincible’, Nestor ‘the wise’ and Teucer ‘the master archer’, as they were called.

Ten years had passed since the Greeks attacked Troy and they were all still there, outside the strong
walls, fighting with the locals, who proved themeselves brave warriors. In the tenth year of the war,
Odysseus the Cunning, the most trusted advisor and counselor of king Agamemnon, the leader of
the Greeks, devised a plan to deceive the Trojans. He wanted to make them believe that the Greeks
had lost their nerves and had returned back to Greece. In the middle of the night, the Greeks
deserted Troy leaving only a gigantic wooden horse on wheels outside the gates of the city. When
dawn broke, the Trojans were surprised to see no Greek army surrounding them, only a wooden
horse. They indeed believed that the Greeks had gone and had left this horse as a gift to the gods, to
give them a good sea trip. Thus they wheeled the wooden horse into their city and started revelry to
celebrate the end of the war.

However, unknown to the Trojans, Odysseus had built a hollow into the wooden horse to hide there
a few Greek warriors. This plan was the only way to gain entry to the city that had held its defenses
for so many years. Now that they were inside Odysseus and his men went out the dummy horse and
slaughtered the unsuspecting guards. Then they opened the city gates and allowed the entire Greek
army, who were hiding some miles away, to enter the city. Thus, thanks to the plan of Odysseus, the
Greeks won the Trojan War. With the war over, Odysseus and his men set sail for their homeland,
Ithaca, but in the end only one of them would come back.

The long journey home

The journey home for Odysseus and his fellows would be long and full of adventures. Their eyes
would see all the strange of the world and Odysseus would come home with more memories and
experiences than any other person in the world.

The Cicones – Odysseus and his legion set sail from Troy aboard twelve ships. Tranquil waters
facilitated the movement of the ships and they were well out to sea. After a few days, they sighted
land and Eurylochus, second-in-command to Odysseus, convinced him to weigh anchor, go ashore
and devastate the city with the assurance that they would not be harmed. Seeing the ships weigh
anchor and thenceforth the warriors coming ashore, the Ciconians, the local residents, fled to the
nearby mountains. Odysseus and his men plundered and looted the empty city. However, Odysseus’
men resisted his efforts to get them back aboard the ship immediately and after a hearty meal
accompanied by wine that flew like water, they fell asleep on the shore.

Before the first light, the Ciconians returned with their fierce neighbors and set upon the warriors,
killing as many as they could. Odysseus and his men beat a hasty retreat to their ships but heavy
damages had already been inflicted on their number. Berating himself for having listened to
Eurylochus and thereafter losing so many valuable men, Odysseus and Eurylochus fought with each
other but they were separated by their fellow-men and peace was once again established amidst the
warriors.

The Lotus-Eaters – Rounding to the south, Odysseus and his men were blown off-course, towards
the land of the Lotus-Eaters. While Odysseus was scouting around the land, some of his men
mingled with the natives and ate the local lotus grown on the land. Soon, everything went hazy and
the men found themselves under the heavy influence of some intoxicant that caused them to fall
asleep. The lotus flowers they had eaten were narcotic in nature and made them forget all about
their family and homeland. These men wanted to stay on this land and eat lotus for the rest of their
lives. They refused to go home. Desperately, Odysseus and some other men had to carry them back
to the ship. Without delay, they set sail and upon waking these men had to be bound to the masts to
prevent them from jumping into the sea and swimming back to the shore to consume the lotus
flower that they had got so addicted to.

Polyphemus the Cyclops – After sailing for many weeks without further adventure, the warriors
chanced upon a strange land. Odysseus and a handful of his men went ashore to search the land. A
few minutes walk from the ships brought them to the mouth of a gigantic cave. Curious, the warriors
entered the cave and found it to be the habitation of some gigantic being. Further on, they found
flocks of sheep inside the cave and being hungry, they slaughtered a few of them and feasted on
their flesh. Unknown to them, this was the lair of Polyphemus the Cyclops and this land was the
home of the gigantic Cyclopes.
Returning to his cave, Polyphemus blocked the entrance with a huge rock, as he usually did.
Odysseus and his men ran towards the entrance but they were dismayed at the sight that greeted
them. Here was a huge rock preventing their escape from a being that was even bigger than the
rock. Laying his only eye on the warriors, Polyphemus asked who they were. Without revealing their
identity or mission, Odysseus told Polyphemus they were sea-farers who had lost their way and had
come ashore looking for food.

Unhappy that his sheep had been killed and eaten by these men, Polyphemus refused them to exit
his cave. Everyday he made a meal of two brave warriors, dashing their brains out on the walls of the
cave and chewing them raw. Unable to bear this act of cruelty, Odysseus devised a plan to get them
out. He had with him a gourd of strong wine and one day he offered it to Polyphemus, who grabbed
it and poured it down his throat greedily. The wine made the Cyclops drowsy and within minutes he
fell asleep. Odysseus and his remaining men took a red-hot poker from the fire-place and thrust it
into the Cyclop’s only eye, blinding him.

The sleeping giant awoke in shock, howling in pain and bellowing in rage, demanding to know who
had done this. Yet again Odysseus presence of mind proved of the very essence and he shouted out
that his name was ‘Nobody’. Polyphemus, now on his feet and stumbling around created such a
commotion that his fellow Cyclops came running to his lair to see what had happened. When they
stood outside the cave and asked Polyphemus what had happened, the Cyclops said that Nobody
had blinded him. The other Cyclopes laughed out loud, called him an idiot and told him there was
nothing they could do for ‘Nobody’ had hurt him.

The following morning, Odysseus and his men strapped themselves to the belly of the sheep and in
this manner they escaped when Polyphemus let his flocks out of his lair to graze. Once outside, the
warriors ran to the safety of their ships. Odysseus, however, priding his brilliance, could not resist
taunting Polyphemus. The moment they set sail, he shouted out to the Cyclops that it was he,
Odysseus, who had blinded him. Enraged and unable to see, Polyphemus threw a massive rock in the
direction of the voice. Luckily for Odysseus, it fell short of its target for else his ship would have been
smashed. Polyphemus cried out to his father, the sea-god Poseidon, to avenge this ignominy and
thereafter Odysseus became a sworn enemy of Poseidon.

The Bags of Aeolus – Fleeing the land of the Cyclopes, Odysseus found his ships nearing Aeolia,
home of Aeolus, the god of the winds. Aeolus used to blow the wind over the sea and the land. After
hearing of Odysseus’ journey home, Aeolus gave him a bag full of winds that would guide him home
safely. Odysseus set sail the seas once again and spent many sleepless nights guarding the bag until
one day, too tired and overcome with fatigue, he fell asleep.

Curiosity overcame a couple of his men who had been awaiting the opportunity to grab the bag to
see what their leader was guarding with his life. They got their chance the moment Odysseus fell
asleep, as they were approaching the shore of Ithaca. Without a minute of hesitation, the two sailors
opened the bag. The winds caught in the bag escaped and created a furious storm that drove the
ships backwards. Sensing something wrong in the motion of the ship Odysseus awoke with a start
only to find himself back at Aeolia. This time, Aeolus declined to give again the gift of the winds and
a heartbroken Odysseus set out once again on the arduous journey back to Ithaca.
The Laestrygonians – Out of the darkness of night, an island was raising in the distance. This was
Telepylos, an island with natural defenses in the form of the cliffs and with only one narrow passage
in. Each ship passed into the calm harbor surrounded by cliffs with the exception of Odysseus’, who
for some reason anchored it in the turbulent waters outside.

Two warriors went ashore to explore the island and they came across a girl who took them to her
father. Nearing the castle, they saw a gigantic woman who called out to her husband. A giant man,
her husband, came running out and snatching up one of the men devoured him alive. The other ran
for his life and the entire race of giants that inhabited the land gave chase to him. At the harbor,
Odysseus’ men ran for cover but the giants smashed their ships with massive rocks and speared
them alive. Only Odysseus managed to escape on his ship with some sailors on it since he had
anchored it outside the island.

Circe the Enchantress – Having barely saved their lives, Odysseus and the men aboard the one
surviving ship landed on the island, Aeaea, home to the powerful Circe, enchantress and powerful
sorceress. With the help of strong magic and unknown to the warriors, Circe had already envisioned
their arrival on her island. Some fellows of Odysseus who had been sent to explore the island,
walked into the palace of Circe and saw her sitting on her magnificent throne, surrounded by wild
animals who were once men. The beautiful enchantress, with one touch of her stick, turned the
mighty warriors into pigs.

With the help of god Hermes, Odysseus drank a certain herb that protected him from Circe’s magic.
When she saw him, the sorceress found her spells to be ineffective and on his demand that his men
be turned back into human form, the sorceress agreed but only if Odysseus shared her bed-
chamber. Odysseus consented and moreover, he and his men spent a whole year on this island. At
the end of that year, Odysseus decided to depart from Aeaea and continue his way home. Circe,
having the ability to predict future, gave him instructions on what to do afterwards. She advised him
to go to the Underworld and meet the blind prophet Tiresius to ask him for instructions.

The Journey to the Underworld – No alive man had ever entered the Underworld. But brave
Odysseus decided to do so, in order to continue his journey and reach Ithaca at last! Odysseus and
his men made sacrifices to god Hades by the shores of the River Acheron and Odysseus alone took
the path to the dark Underworld. Tiresius appeared to Odysseus and the blind prophet told him that
in order to get home he had to pass between Scylla and Charybdis, two great monsters.

The Sirens – Leaving Hades, Odysseus and his men sailed for many days without sight of land. Not
before long, though, strange disquieting sounds reached the ears of the men aboard the ship. The
sounds tugged at their hearts and made them want to weep with joy. Odysseus at once realized that
they were approaching the Sirens that Circe had warned him about. The sorceress had told him to
block every man’s ears with wax for if any were to hear the song of the Sirens, he would surely jump
off the ship, go close to the Sirens and the winged monsters would kill them. Odysseus did exactly
that with his men, but he himself wanted to hear their strange song. He thus ordered his sailors to
tie him up to the mast so he could not jump into the sea in an attempt to meet the Sirens.

With their ears blocked with wax, the men heard nothing and the ship passed near the Sirens.
Suddenly, Odysseus wanted to get free of his bonds and swim towards the Sirens for their song had
just become clear and it was very beautiful and captivating. But the ropes were very tight and
fortunately he could not untie himself. His fellows could hear neither the Sirens neither the screams
of their leader, who was praying them to untie him. As the ship was sailing away from the shore, the
song of the Sirens was fading out.

Scylla and Charybdis – Following the advice of Tiresius, Odysseus chose the route that would take
him on one side close to Scylla, a six-headed monster who had once been a woman and on the other
side Charybdis, a violent whirlpool. Tiresius had advised Odysseus to sacrifice six men to Scylla so
they might pass through without losing any more men.

Approaching the mouth of the strait between Scylla and Charybdis the warriors shrank back in fear
for on either side were violent deaths. Only Odysseus was quiet, sad that he would have to lose six
brave warriors but he was ready to do so, in order to save the others. As they passed by Scylla, she
picked up six men and allowed the rest to pass through safely. Odysseus never forgot the screams of
the men he had to sacrifice and to the very end of his days he lamented his betrayal. He had not
informed a single warrior of his motive. Then his ship passed from Charibdys but managed to
survive.

The Cattle of Helios – Weary and tired from the ordeal, Odysseus ordered his ship to weigh anchor
at the island of Thrinacia. This island was sacred to the sun god Helios whose cattle grazed freely
here. Even though Odysseus had been warned by Tiresius and Circe not to harm any of the cattles,
his men defied him and set about slaughtering and feasting on them. Immediately Helios complained
to Zeus, vowing to take vengeance by sending the sun down to Hades, never to rise again. Zeus in
response sank Odysseus ship with a thunderbolt as it was leaving Thrinacia and destroyed every man
aboard with the exception of the valiant leader. Somehow, a floundering Odysseus was swept past
Scylla and Charybdis and washed up ashore on an unknown island.

Seven years with Calypso – The island that Odysseus found himself was Ogygia and it was there
where he spent seven years with the nymph Calypso, who found him unconscious on the beach. She
promised him immortality in exchange for his love, but soon Odysseus sensed once again the desire
to see Ithaca and his family, his unfortunate wife and his son who would have grown up till then.
Even a beautiful and powerful goddess like Calypso couldn't fill this feeling of the unaccomplished
that Odysseus was always carrying in to his heart. However, Calypso had fallen in love with him and
wouldn’t let him go. On the behalf of Zeus, Hermes appeared before Calypso and told her to let
Odysseus go. One day finally, on a raft that he built himself, Odysseus set off for Ithaca with a
wooden float but once again he was caught in the middle of a storm and shore to another strange
land.

Meanwhile on Ithaca – Telemachus, the son of Odysseus who had just turned twenty, decided to set
out in search of his long gone father. His mother had woes of her own. She was constantly plagued
by suitors asking for her hand, since ten years had passed from the end of the Trojan War and her
husband had not returned. Day after day, she fended off their advances with an ingenious trick. She
told the suitors that she was weaving a burial shroud for Odysseus’ father and only when it was
complete, would she even think to marry anyone of them. Penelope’s trick was to weave the cloth in
the daytime and undo it at night, so the suitors were kept waiting indefinitely, until her husband
would return. However, a chambermaid betrayed her to the suitors and soon they were back, asking
for her hand and the kingdom of Ithaca.
Knowing that his mother was successfully keeping her 108 suitors away, Telemachus decided to set
out on his quest. Aided by goddess Athena and along with some of his faithful warriors, he went to
Sparta to meet Menelaus and ask him if he had any news from his father. Unfortunately, Menelaus
knew nothing and Telemachus disappointed returned to Ithaca.

The Phaeacians – The land of the Phaeacians, which the historians believe is modern Corfu, was
where Odysseus found himself after a terrible storm. Nafsica, the local princess, found Odysseus
exhausted and naked on the shore and led him to the palace of her father. While in the court of King
Alcinous and Queen Arete, he heard the bard Demodocus sing of the Trojan War. Odysseus was
overcome with grief at hearing stories about the war and of the Trojan Horse that had been his
invention. It was then that the emotions came crashing down on him and he broke down into tears.
The people gathered around him asked who he really was and why the story affected him. It was
then that Odysseus revealed his true identity and his struggles to reach Ithaca. After listening to his
ordeals, the Phaeacians gave him their fastest ship, the best of their provisions and bid him good
luck on his way home. And so it was that the hero finally returned to Ithaca, eager to see his wife
Penelope and son Telemachus, from both of whom he had been separated for two whole decades.

Finally on Ithaca – Odysseus’ arrival on Ithaca went unnoticed and, in the guise of a beggar, he
approached the palace. He first met his old servants and his beloved son, Telemachus. From them,
he learnt about the suitors that have been bothering Penelope for so long. Odysseus, still in the form
of a beggar, he met his wife, who didn’t recognize him. He told her about her husband’s bravery and
how he had helped in winning the Trojan War. These tails brought tears to her eyes. Calming herself,
she approached the suitors who were always hanging around the palace and set them a simple task.
Penelope would marry anyone of them who could string Odysseus’ bow and shoot an arrow through
twelve axe-handles joined together.

The suitors pushed and shoved each other to be the first to succeed but little did they know that the
task they faced was impossible. Stringing the bow that belonged to Odysseus was not an easy task
for it required not brute strength but dexterity. One by one, each suitor tried his luck but to no avail.
Finally, Odysseus picked up the bow, stringing it with ease and in one fluid motion letting fly an
arrow that pierced all the twelve axe-handles. After that, there was chaos.

Revealing his true identity, Odysseus began massacring the suitors and, aided by Telemachus and
the swineherd Eumaeus, they had soon cleared the court of all 108 of them. The suitors were killed
and the maid-servants, who had made themselves the pleasure slaves of the suitors, were all hung.
When Penelope heard the massacre, she run to the court. Fazed by the sudden spate of events, she
refused to believe that this strange beggar was indeed her long lost husband Odysseus, so she set up
another test for him.

In front of Odysseus, Penelope ordered the palace servants to remove the bed from her bed-
chamber to the hall outside. On hearing this, Odysseus bristled with anger and opposed the idea,
saying that this bed had been fashioned out of a living oak by his own hand and none, save a god,
none in the whole world could move it. Joyful, Penelope rushed to Odysseus and hugged him, with
big tears in her eyes, for she was reassured that this man was her beloved husband returned to her.
Only Odysseus knew the secret about their bed and his words were the proof she needed to believe
him.