Kirke Kirke, the goddess that inhabits Aiaia, posed yet another obstacle in Odysseus’ journey back home to Ithaka. After landing on Aiaia, Odysseus sent a group of his men to explore the isle. The men soon came across a house surrounded by docile animals, they came across the goddess, Kirke, who lured all but Eurýmakhos into her house and turns the men into pigs. When Odysseus learned of how his men were tricked, he set off alone in order to save them from the goddess’ spell. With the help of Hermes, who supplied him with the molu in order to protect him from Kirke’s spell, he was able to catch the goddess off guard, and was able to make her turn his men back into human form after taking the goddess to bed and making her swear to do no more …show more content…
At the end of their year-long stay on Aiaia when Odysseus and his men were preparing to leave, Kirke told Odysseus how he must go to the Land of the Dead and talk to the dead prophet, Teiresias, in order to learn how to get home safely. He and his men departed from Aiaia and sail to the Underworld, which is forever enshrouded in night. Once there, Odysseus followed Kirke’s instructions in order to talk to Teiresias. He first dug a pit into which he poured milk, honey, wine, and water, and scattered barley around its edges. He then prayed to the dead and promised to sacrifice a cow to the shades and a black ram to Teiresias when he and his men return home to Ithaka, and slashed a black ewe’s and black ram’s throats and pours their blood into the pit. When the shades appeared, Odysseus held them off with his sword until he saw the shade of Teiresias, and allowed him to drink from the pit so that he could talk to him. Teiresias then told him how he and his men were to get safely home to Ithaka: first, they must sail through a narrow strait until he reaches Thrinakia, Helios’ isle. He must restrain him and his men from eating Helio’s kine, for the god will destroy the men and their ship. Second, when Odysseus returns home, he must make the suitors who have been courting Penelope atone in blood. Lastly, in order to make his peace with the gods for his deeds after the Trojan
In myhtology such as Homer’s “The Odyssey” Odysseus’s actions prove him to be a heel throughout his journey, with his actions to frequently causing problems . During the encounter with the POlyphemus, Odysseus’s choice to meet the cylops caused the rest of the voyage to be cursed and for six of his men to be killed just because of his curiosity. When Odysseus decided to stay with the enchantress Circe he delayed returning home for a year because he enjoyed being pampered.
Christian Gonzalez Gonzalez 1 World Literature 10 2 August 2015 The Odyssey Summer Reading Assignment Book I. 1. Where is Odysseus?
The Unstoppable Odysseus Odysseus and his men had came upon an island where they stayed and feasted on wine and wild goats for three days. After the third day Odysseus and his men stormed the main island where the Cyclopes lived. The Cyclopes did not live by rules or had any sense of hospitality; they aren 't god fearing men. Cyclopes lived off the land, farming and they had their herd of sheep that they took extremely well care of. They were huge, bigger than any men they were creatures to big to be any man.
This side of her is first shown upon the arrival of Odysseus’ men to Kirke’s palace on the island of Aeaea, where they witness her enchanting appearance firsthand. Combining this with the inviting nature of her palace and the innocent, safe attitude she sells herself with, Kirke is virtually irresistible. In the story of Odysseus’ journey home, author Homer writes “‘Come, come in!’ Like sheep they followed her, but I saw deceit and stayed behind,” which validates how Kirke was able to seduce Odysseus’ men to their temporary demise with such ease (173.) Using just a quick glance and her sweet song followed by a few works of alchemy and the supernatural, Kirke is able to have men intertwined in her perfectly manicured fingers; this leads to her being fully capable of accomplishing her goal aforementioned.
Odysseus and his crew reach the island of Thrinacia but are stuck there for a while. Odysseus was previously warned about the cattle of Helios, to not touch the cattle, under no circumstances. He and his crew will only eat the food they already had. Odysseus states, “They quickly swore the oath that I required and once they had vowed they’d never harm the herds…” (12.328-29).
After Odysseus returns from his encounter with Circe, a beautiful witch-goddess who drugs and bewitches Odysseus’s most able crewmen, his men are more than relieved to see him and they flock around him as if he is their master and their shepherd. Odysseus is a man who is respected by his crew and treated as a mortal god by the heavens above. As shown in this scene, his men are stuck in the middle of a cross road without his guidance, pivoting towards all directions but incapable of moving forward with a plan. They are “wailing and crying besides [the] sailing ship”(10.433) without any sense of hope and direction in life. They are missing a leader who will lead them in war and guide them back home; they are missing Odysseus.
In Greek epics, tragedies, and mythology women are portrayed in various ways. Women are mainly considered to be weak and less important than men, but there are some women who are shown to be strong and heroic, despite the reputation that was placed onto them in Ancient Greek civilizations. There were two particular women that were strong and took the roles of their husbands while the men left to fight in the Trojan War. These two women were Penelope, wife of Odysseus, and Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon. These two women were different in how they chose to rule while their husbands were at war and how they acted once they got back.
One of the islands he traveled to help a cyclops who was a cannibal. Odysseus saved his crew by spearing him right in the eye blinding him. The cyclops was the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea.
I looked out the window, expecting to see the runaway crew member but instead I saw a different man who I immediately recognized as Odysseus. My spirits rose because I knew he was smarter than the others. Once again I lured him into my palace and offered him food and wine, which he refused. He only wanted to get his men returned to their original forms and to continue his journey to Ithaca with them by his side. When I finally convinced him to drink my wine, he was not affected by it.
The natives there gave Odysseus and his men an intoxicating fruit of the lotus. After Odysseus and his men eat the fruit, they forget all of their thoughts about home and decide to eat more of the fruit. The only way that Odysseus can get him and his men back home is by dragging his men back to the ship and lock them up, Odysseus decides to go along with it. When Odysseus went back to Ithaca, He made the wise choice to go and see his wife Penelope. Odysseus was so brave to go see his wife because he didn’t know if she was going to recognize him at all or want to be with him for the rest of her life.
Before leaving The Land of the Dead, Teiresias told Odysseus that they will face destruction and only he will survive to return home. After the prophecy, Odysseus and his men encountered Charybdis and Scylla. To avoid destruction, Odysseus demanded his men to sail the ship quickly through Scylla and hug onto the cliff. Odysseus did not want his men to lose hope and turn against him if they knew that only Odysseus would return home. To avoid his men going against him, “Odysseus does not tell his men of Circe’s last prophecy-that he will be the only survivor of their long journey,” (Homer 716-719).
Author Ursula K. LeGuin has said, “It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end”. Her statement implies that striving toward a goal or overcoming obstacles associated with a goal defines us as human beings and is more important than the goal itself. This can be seen in Homer’s epic Odyssey. In the Odyssey, Homer uses Odysseus’s journey to show how one’s journey can affect them as a person. One way Odysseus's journey affected him is by making his overwhelming desire to get home his primary focus.
Today it is quite frightening to stay in a stranger’s home, but in The Odyssey, it is common to do so. The Odyssey, a novel written by Homer in the twelfth century B.C.E. (Who Was Homer?), is about Odysseus’ journey home to Ithaca, his gentle wife Penelope, and his maturing son Telemachus after the Trojan War. In this novel, the theme of hospitality occurs frequently. Hospitality is the act of being welcoming to others by giving the guest food, drink, clothes, a place to rest, and a bath. Being hospitable in Homeric Greece is so significant, that it is a part of their culture.
Yes, Penelope struggles greatly with a very important decision throughout the course of the story. In the background of the main plot, Penelope struggles with a very important decision throughout the time Odysseus remains lost at sea. After many years without Odysseus’ return, the prospect of a new marriage inclines itself onto Penelope. The sons of the noblest families come to live with Penelope in order to court her for marriage.
He reaches out to Zeus, “For hope that one might show me some way of salvation” (Homer 625) and in replication, the god, “closed [Odysseus’] eyes under slow drops of sleep” (Homer 625). Although the quotes display amnesty, they have a deeper meaning than finding salvation. In response to the hero’s call, the god puts Odysseus to slumber, while the crew indulges in the cattle. Moreover, Helios messages the thunder god to kill those who ate his cattle. It was this decree that made Zeus throw a bolt at Odysseus’ men, killing them all.