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Books 9-12 (What We Are
Reading)
Known as "The Wanderings
of Odysseus," this section is the most famous of the epic. At the end of
the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men sail first to the land of the Cicones. The
Greeks succeed in raiding the central city but linger too long and are routed by
a reserve force. Hoping to sail directly home, the flotilla instead encounters
a severe storm, brought on by Athena, that blows them far off course to the
land of the Lotus-eaters. These are not hostile people, but eating the lotus
plant removes memory and ambition; Odysseus is barely able to pull his men away
and resume the journey.
Curiosity compels Odysseus to
explore the land of the Cyclops, a race of uncivilized, cannibalistic, one-eyed
giants. One of them, Polyphemus (also known simply as "Cyclops"),
traps Odysseus' scouting party in his cave. To escape, Odysseus blinds the
one-eyed monster, incurring the wrath of the giant's father, Poseidon.
Aeolus, the wind god, is
initially a friendly host. He captures all adverse winds and bags them for
Odysseus, who is thus able to sail within sight of Ithaca. Unfortunately, his
men suspect that the bag holds treasure and open it while Odysseus sleeps. The
troublesome winds blow the party back to Aeolus, who wants no more to do with
them, speculating that they must be cursed by the gods.
The next hosts, the
cannibalistic Laestrygonians, sink all the ships but Odysseus' in a surprise
attack. The remaining Greeks reach Aeaea, home of the beautiful enchantress
Circe, who turns several of them into pigs. With advice from Hermes, Odysseus
cleverly defeats Circe and becomes her lover. She lifts the spell from his men
and aids in the group's eventual departure a year later, advising Odysseus that
he must sail to the Land of the Dead. There, he receives various Greek heroes,
a visit from his own mother, and an important prophecy from the seer Tiresias.
Odysseus resumes his journey.
Barely surviving the
temptations of the Sirens' songs and an attack by a six-headed monster named
Scylla, Odysseus and his crew arrive at the island of the Sungod Helios.
Despite severe warnings not to, the men feast on the cattle of the Sungod
during Odysseus' brief absence. Zeus is outraged and destroys the ship as the
Greeks depart, killing all but Odysseus, who is washed ashore at Calypso's island,
where he stays until released seven years later.
