The Land of the Dead Continued...

As we bore down on the ship at the sea's edge and launched her on the salt immortal sea we were very cautious. By night our ship ran onward toward the ocean, the region of the Men of Winter. We went to the land that Circe foretold us to go to and planed to sacraficed the ram and ewe ashore. We sacrificed our animals with sweet wine, clear water, honey, and milk. The souls gathered as the black blood streamed into the wellpit, but I commanded my officers to flay the sheep and then came Elpenor, dead in Circes hall. I wept for pity as I spoke to him. He then told me of how he had come to fall off of Circes' roof and died. He told us to have him a proper burrial and that it would all work out. Then came the soul of Anticlea, my mother. As I morned her, I held off for the presence of Tiresias. He came forward. He told me my future and what was to come. He told me of the Sirens and also the Cattle of the Son Gods. He warned me that if my men feasted off of the cattle that they all would parish and I would remain, and as I would reach home, strang men would be in my house, they would eat my livestock as they court my lady, and after I would have delt out death to all the suitors. I would find land where men have ate meat unsalted and never seen seagoing ships and I shall make sacrifice to Lord Poseidon and take a seaborne death in old age. And all this shall be jus as he fortold...

The Land of the Dead

My men and I sailed to Aeolia where the king of the winds sent us on our way with a gift: a sack containing all the winds except the favorable west wind. When we were near home, my men opend the sack, letting lose a storm that drove us back to Aeolia. Aeolus cast us out, having decided that we were detested by the gods. We then sailed for seven days and arrived in the land of the Laestrygonians, a race of cannibals. These creatures destroyed all of our ships except the one we were sailing in. My reduced crew and I escaped and reached Aeaea, the island ruled by the sorceress-goddess Circe. She transformed half of my men into swine. Protected by a magic herb, I then demanded that Circe change my men back into human form. Before we departed from the island a year later, Circe told us that in order to reach home we must journey to the Land of the Dead, speak to Hades, and consult the blind prophet Tiresias.