Penelope's Test

Greathearted, home at last, I was bathed by Eurynome and rubbed with golden oil, and clothed again. Athena changed me from an old beggar, back to my old self. But she made me look taller, and massive, with crisping hair in curls. She lavished beauty over me before I appeared in front of Penelope again. When I saw Penelope I said:

“Strange woman, the immortals of Olympus made you hard, harder than any. Who else in the world would keep aloof as you do from her husband if he returned to her from years of trouble, cast on his own land in the twentieth year? Nurse, make up a bed for me to sleep on.” Penelope spoke:

“Strange man, if man you are….This is no pride on my part nor scorn for you –not even wonder, merely. I know so well how you –how he– appeared boarding the ship for Troy. But all the same…Make up his bed for him, Eurycleia. Place it outside the bedchamber my lord built with his own hands. Pile the big bed with fleeces, rugs, and sheets of purest linen.” What she said angered me, for I had made our bed out of a tree, and it could not be moved. I spoke with anger:

“Who dared to move my bed? No builder had the skill for that –unless a god came down to turn the trick. No mortal in his best days could budge it with a crowbar. There is our pact and pledge, our secret sign, built into that bed –my handiwork and no one else’s!” I explained how I built the bed and why it was so important.

Penelope ran to me with eyes brimming tears and throwing her arms around me, she said:

“Do not rage at me, Odysseus!” Penelope asked me to forgive her and explained her reasoning for testing me. She rejoiced and gazed upon me, her white arms around me pressed as though forever.

Odysseus' Revenge

Before beginning my revenge I had my son, Telemachus, take all the armor, shields, and swords and hide them in a room so that the suitors could not fight against us. I spoke to the suitors:
“So much for that. Your clean-cut game is over. Now watch me hit a target that no man has hit before, if I can make this shot. Help me, Apollo.” I planned to get my revenge and I turned to Antinous first. He was ridiculing me and was the cruelest of all the suitors. When Antinous went to sip his wine, I shot an arrow at his throat. Backward and down he went, letting the wine cup fall from his shocked hand. The suitors' anger flared and they yelled cursing words at me. So I replied:
“You yellow dogs, you thought I’d never make it home from the land of Troy. You took my house to plunder….You dared bid for my wife while I was still alive. Contempt was all you had for the gods who rule wide heaven. Your last hour has come. You die in blood.”
The other suitors began to fear me once I told them what I had in store for them. The suitors pleaded with me. They told me that Antinous made them do it all, but I did not believe them, nor did I care. I fought the suitors with Telemachus by my side. My faithful swine herder and the cow herder also assisted us. Athena sent down a thundercloud to shield me. The suitors ran madly, trying to get free. But it was hopeless, none made it out alive.
               

The Challenge

Pressed by the suitors to choose a husband from among them, Penelope said that she will marry the man who can string my bow and shoot an arrow through twelve ax handle sockets. The suitors attempted, but all of them failed. Still in disguise, I asked for a turn. In one motion I strung the bow and  I slid my right hand down the cord and plucked it. The vibrating hummed and sang a swallow’s note. I made it through all the sockets and won the challenge. The suitors were angry and surprised at the same time. Zeus thundered overhead, one loud crack for a sign. I laughed within. I said to Telemachus:

“Telemachus, the stranger you welcomed in your hall has not disgraced you. I did not miss; neither did I take all day stringing the bow. My hand and eye are sound, not as contemptible as the young men say. The hour has come to cook their lordships’ mutton–supper by daylight. Other amusements later, with song and harping that adorns a feast.”

Telemachus agreed. He belted his sword on, clapped hand to his spear, and with a clink and glitter of keen bronze stood by his chair, in the forefront near his father.

Penelope

In the evening, Penelope interrogated me. I was still disguised as an old beggar. She said to me:
"Friend, let me ask you first of all: who are you, where do you come from, of what nation and parents were you?" So I replied:
"My lady, never a man in the wide world should have a fault to find with you. Your name has gone out under heaven like the sweet honor of some god-fearing king, who rules in equity over the strong..." I could not tell her who I was...yet. She told me that if her husband was to return, she could possibly be happy once again.
"How could I? Wasted with longing for Odysseus, while here they press for marriage." Penelope said. She also told me about how she had been stalling the suitors by weaving a shroud for Lord Laertes when cold Death comes to lay him on his bier. But she would weave during the day, and unweave what she did late at night when everyone is sleeping. One night someone caught Penelope, so she had no choice but to finish weaving. After telling me about herself, she said:
"But you too confide in me, tell me your ancestry. You were not born of mythic oak or stone."
I made up a tale that mentioned Odysseus and I declared that her husband will soon be home. I told her:
"You see, then, he is alive and well, and headed homeward now, no more to be abroad far from his island, his dear wife and son. Here is my sworn word for it. Witness this, god of the zenith, noblest of the gods, and Lord Odysseus' hearthfire, now before me: I swear these things shall turn out as I say. Between this present dark and one day's ebb, after the wane, before the crescent moon, Odysseus will come"

The Suitors

     Still disguised as a beggar, I entered my home. I was then stopped in my tracks by the suitor, Antinous. He bellowed out then, "God! What evil wind blew in this pest? Get over, stand in the passage! Nudge my table, will you? Egyptian whips are sweet to what you'll come to here, you nosing rat, making your pitch to everyone! These men have bread to throw away on you because it is not theirs. Who cares? Who spares another's food, when he has more than plenty?" 
     With disgust I backed away, and spoke,
"A pity that you have more looks than heart. You'd grudge a pinch of salt form your own larder to your own handyman. You sit here, fat on others' meat, and cannot bring yourself to rummage out a crust of bread for me!" And all the while my son, brave and strong of heart, sat there watching, fists balled in anger. 
     I could see the anger in Antinous' eyes when he answered "You think you'll shuffle off and get away after that impudence? Oh, no you don't!" The stool he let fly hit my right shoulder, on the packed muscle under my shoulder blade- it had no effect that anyone saw. I shook my head as I walked on, thinking of the bloody death I would deal to this monster of a man later. I turned to face the crowd and met eyes with all as I spoke,
"One word only, my lords, and suitors of the famous queen. One think i have to say. There is no pain, no burden for the heart when blows come to a man, and he defending his own cattle- his own cows and lambs. He it was otherwise. Antinous hit me for being driven on by hunger- how many bitter seas men cross for hunger! May Antinous meet his death before his wedding day!" 
     There were many threats made and people did take up for me, the old beggar, people with good still in their hearts. My wife, Penelope, heard the blow and knew who gave it. She murmured now: "Would god you could be hit yourself, Antinous- hit by Apollo's bow shot!" 
     Her housekeeper put in: "He and no other? If all we pray for this to pass, not one would live to dawn!"
     Her mistress spoke softly to her: "Oh, Nan they are a bad lot; they intend ruin for all of us; but Antinous appears a blacker-hearted hound than any. Here is a poor man come, a wanderer driven by want to beg his bread, and everyone in hall gave bits, to cram his bag-only Antinous threw a stool, and banged his shoulder!" 
      The mistress, thinking in her chamber among her maids, she called to the forester and said: "Go to that man on my behalf, Eumaeus, and send him here so I can greet and question him. Abroad in the great world, he may have heard rumors about Odysseus. He may have known him!" 
     My wife, still had hope in her heart that I would return, but did not know, I had already returned. We would be together soon, and forever more! 

Argus

Outside the palace, I stood there; I spotted a dog lying on a pile of dung. My dog, as I left him when I went away for war. Old and treated as rubbish he laid there and I wish to go to him, but I cannot for risk of being found out. My dog, my companion lay there in pain and I must watch him wither. I speak and as he hears my voice, he struggles to wag his tail and point his nose. The dog I left behind had no strength to move toward me. My dog can finally rest easy now that he knows that I am safe and will be happy. As I turn away I wipe a salt tear from my cheek hiding it from Eumaeus.
          "I marvel that they leave this hound to lie here on the dung pile; he would have been a fine dog, form the look of him, I can't say as to his power and speed when he was young." I say to Eumaeus. 
He replies, "A hunter owned him but the man is dead in some far place.  If this old hound could show the form he had when Lord Odysseus left him, going to Troy, you'd see him swift and strong. He never shrank from any savage thing he'd brought to bay in the deep woods; on the sent no other dog kept up with him. Now misery has him in leash. His owner died abroad, and here the women salves will take no care of him. You know how servants are: without a master they have no will to labor, or excel. For Zeus who views the wide, into the death and darkness that awaits, that instant Argus closes his eyes and after seeing his master, he dies. And I walk foward, ready to face the Suitors, to get my revenge...

      “World takes away half the manhood of a man that day, he goes into captivity and slavery."
      As we walk away, toward the death and darkness waiting for us, my dog closes his eyes and dies. And I keep walking, ready to face the suitors and my revenge that is sure to follow...

Twenty years gone, and I am back again...

I finished telling my story to the Phaeacians. The next day, young Phaeacian noblemen conducted me home by ship. I arrived in Ithaca after being gone for twenty years. Athena appeared and told me of the situation at home. Numerous suitors, who thought I was dead, have been continually seeking the hand of Penelope, my wife, in marriage. They also had been eating my livestock. The suitors were planning to kill Telemachus, my son, because he would inherit my lands. Both Penelope and Telemachus still hoped I would return. Telemachus journeyed to Pylos and Sparta to learn about my fate. Athena disguised me as an old beggar and I went to see my old swine herder, Eumaeus. While Eumaeus and I were eating breakfast, Telemachus arrived.

I told Telemachus that I was his father. When I told him he shouted out and refused to believe that I was his father. I told him about my plan to kill the suitors and how Athena had changed me into an old beggar to disguise myself so that I could surprise the suitors.  I asked Telemachus how many suitors were in the home so that we could be prepared for the attack. He said that there were ten or even twice ten men. From Dulichium alone there were fifty-two picked men, with armorers, a half a dozen; twenty-four came from Same, twenty from Zacynthus; our own island accounts for twelve. Around 108 men were in my home, hoping for my wife’s hand in marriage and eating my livestock. No one could know who I was when we arrived at the house. So I said to my son: “Now one thing more. If son of mine you are and blood of mine, let no one hear Odysseus is about. Neither Laertes, nor the swineherd here, nor any slave, nor even Penelope. But you and I alone must learn how far the women are corrupted; we should know how to locate good men among our hands, the loyal and respectful, and the shirkers who take you lightly, as alone and young.” I could not for tell what was to come, however, I hoped for the best.

The Cattle of the Sun God

In the small hours of the third watch, when stars that shone out in the first dusk of evening had gone down to their setting, a giant wind blew from heaven, and clouds driven by Zeus were visible over the land and sea. We knew a storm was arising. We sailed to a sea cave. Our ship's food was running out and my men were starving. I mustered all the crew and said,
"Shipmates, our stores are in the ship's hold, food and drink; the cattle here are not for our provision, or we pay dearly for it." I warned my men not to eat the cattle, for I remembered my fortune that Circe foretold.
It stormed nearly every day, day in and day out. Soon, all the barley on the ship was gone; hunger drove my men to scour the wild shore to search for food. One day I withdrew from the ship to pray the gods in solitude, for hope that one might show me some way of salvation. Soon I found myself in a daze, a dream almost. And I slipped off into a deep sleep, at the time I did not know was caused by the gods. Now on the shore Eurylochus made a plea. He explained to the men that all the deaths had been hateful, mortal wretches, but that famine is the most pitiful, the worst end that a man can come to. He said that they would cut out the noblest of the cattle and sacrifice it to the god and once they return home that they would build a temple in honor of the god. It would be better to die at sea, rather than starve to death. So, the men ate the cattle while I was sleeping and made sacrifices to the god. Just then, I awoke from my slumber. When I saw my men, I cried up at Zeus: ‘O father Zeus and gods in bliss forever, you made me sleep away this day of mischief!’ For, I knew what the fate of my men would be. Helios was angry at Odysseus’s men for eating his cattle. So, he requested that the men be punished or he would make the sun shine on the underworld.

        When the men got back on the ship Zeus threw lightning bolts. And by then, the rest of my men were killed. I floated off into the sea on a part of the mast of the ship. For days, I wandered the ocean, but soon winds carried me to Charybdis. The ship was sucked down in the whirlpool and I panicked as I grabbed onto a nearby tree. Waiting nearly a day for my ship to arise, it finally resurfaced. I grabbed onto the ship once it was out of the whirlpool and began my journey home…

Scylla and Charybdis

As the Sirens faded, I saw smoke and white water and the men heard a sound and it terrified them. As the men panicked and dropped their oars, I spoke gently and said "Friends, have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, than when the Cyclops penned us in his cave? What power he had! Did I not keep my nerve, and use my wits to find a way out for us?" The men then knew I would keep us out of trouble. They had faith in me. But as I sent them on toward Scylla, I didn't tell them anything, because I knew they would panic. They would have dropped their oars again. So I took up two heavy spears and made my way along the deck of the ship, looking for the sea monster, thinking I'd see her for the first time here. I strained my eyes but nowhere could I catch sight of her. And then she vomited, all the sea was like a cauldron seething over intense fire, when the mixture suddenly heaves and rises. The waves and white water were all around and it fell like rain. When she swallowed the sea water down we saw the funnel of the storm and heard the rocks all around. My men, by then, were in a panic. And that is when Scylla made her strike, taking out six of my best men from the ship. She ate them as they shrieked my name. I suffered as I watched them. But, we rowed on, my men in sorrow, and in doubt. We traveled on. My my didn't know what was yet to come, and I awaited the evils to show... 

The Sirens

          When we return to Circe's island, the goddess reveals our course to us and gives us advice on how to avoid the dangers we will face. She warns us of the sirens that lure sailors to their destruction, and the wandering rocks that even destroy sea birds in flight, the perils of the sea monster Scylla and the whirlpool of Charybdis. She warns that we should not eat the cattle of the sun god, which Tiresias has warned us of also.
          As soon as Circe stoped speaking, my men and I headed straight for our ships. The men ran to their places and soon we were on the sea. I spoke to my men of what Circe had told me and the first peril on our course were the sirens. I then spoke to the men and told them to listen careful as I put then wax on their ears so they did not hear the songs that the sirens were surely to sing. I then had them tie me up tight as a splint, and we set out, quick as lightning. As the men rowed, I bare witness to the songs that the Sirens were begining to sing. As I listened to their beautiful voices trying to lure me to death, I was soon begging the men to let me go and untie me. But they bent seady to the oars. So on we rowed until the Sirens dropped under the sea rim, and their singing faded away. We got through our first obstacle, but there were many more to come. I wondered if my men would make it out alive and the thought chilled me to the bone...

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.

The Cyclops

Next, the ship came to an island of the Cyclops. We then went to a cave of the Cyclops’s and waited for him, hoping he would give us many gifts for our many troubles. Instead, when the Cyclops returned home, he refused to offer us anything and stated he was not afraid of Zeus. The Cyclops kept me and my little group of men prisoners. He ate and tortured my men. I came up with a plan to escape. I gave the Cyclops a dark drink of wine and and told him that it was a gift from me and my men. The Cyclops drank it and requested more. He got very drunk and we stabbed the Cyclops in the eye with a large branch that we had sharpened into a point. The Cyclops was angry and us not being fools, hid. I then thought of another plan to escape from the cave. I tied my men underneath the Cyclops’ sheep because I knew that the sheep were let out of the cave to graze in the field. We then escaped out of the cave and stole the sheep. When we got to the ship I was very happy with myself for the accomplishment of our escape. On the ship, as we began to leave, I yelled to the Cyclops. I yelled that we had escaped and that he was a fool. The Cyclops was angry, so he picked up large rocks and threw them at the ship. So I shouted at the Cyclops and told him my name. The Cyclops was shocked because he remembered that a wizard once had told him that he would lose his eye to a man named Odysseus. He yelled at me to come back. I refused for this was a trick, so the Cyclops prayed to his father, Poseidon, and asked that I lose all my men and never return home. The god heard him and granted his prayers. We set out once more on to the dark sea that has brought us many hardships...

The Lotus-Eaters

Within the next days, our god, Zeus, had created a storm that raged for days. The current carried us out to sea, we drifted for nine days, on the tenth day we came to the coastline of the Lotus-Eaters. The Lotus was a flower that the people of the land lived on. I sent out two of my best men and a runner to search the land, but late that night they did not return. I had come to find out that the men had eaten the Lotus and had lost their desire to reach home. They Careless in their worry-free state I went and brought them back and tied them to the ship for when the flowers wore off they would soon realize their need to reach their loved ones.  I then warned the others to not eat the flowers for if they wanted to reach home they must stay focused.  We set out yet again to sail. With the few men that we had left, I was not sure we could survive the journey home...

Sailing From Troy

My men and I have been trying to sail foward to our homelands. This journey we have been on seems never-ending. Lastnight a great storm carried us to the coast of Ismarus, where we stormed the place and killed the men. My men, in their joy of victory, had been drinking the dark drink of wine and were to drunk to respond when I ordered to get back on the ship. Fugitives of the land that were called by the army came and killed many of us. The few remaning men got on the ship and started again on our way home. We started sailing, but yet something still urked me....