Summary
Highlights
After the Trojan War, Odysseus, ruler of Ithaca, sets sail for home. Their journey begins with a stop at Ismara, home of the Ciconians, where they raid for supplies but are forced to retreat after a fierce attack. A storm then blows them off course towards the island of the Lotus-Eaters.
On the island of the Lotus-Eaters, Odyssues's crew consumes the lotus fruit, which causes them to forget their desire to return home. Odysseus realizes the danger, rescues his men, and makes a swift escape.
Running low on supplies, Odysseus and his men land on an island and find a cave filled with provisions. The cave belongs to the giant cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, who traps them and begins to eat his men. Odysseus devises a plan: he gets Polyphemus drunk, blinds him with a sharpened stake, and escapes by having his men cling to the undersides of sheep as they leave the cave. Odysseus reveals his true name to Polyphemus, leading the cyclops to curse him through his father, Poseidon, prophesying a long and difficult journey home and the loss of all his crew.
Odysseus lands on the floating island of Aeolia, where King Aeolus gifts him a bag of winds to aid his journey. Nearing Ithaca, Odysseus's curious crew opens the bag, releasing the winds and blowing them back to Aeolia. Aeolus, believing Odysseus is cursed by the gods, refuses further aid. They then land in Lastragonia, where giant cannibals destroy all but one of Odysseus's ships and devour most of his men.
Odysseus and his remaining crew arrive at the island of Aeaea, home of the witch Circe. Circe transforms some of Odysseus's men into pigs. With the help of the god Hermes, Odysseus overcomes Circe's magic, forces her to transform his men back, and stays on the island for a year. Circe then advises him to visit the Underworld to consult the prophet Tiresias for guidance on his journey home.
In the Underworld, Tiresias warns Odysseus not to harm the cattle of Helios, the sun god, if he wishes to return home alive. Following Circe's earlier advice, Odysseus and his crew then encounter the Sirens. Odysseus, curious to hear their song, has his men plug their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast, becoming the first mortal to hear their song and survive, leading to the Sirens' demise.
Odysseus faces a choice between the six-headed monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis. He chooses Scylla, losing six men, a heavy but calculated sacrifice. They then land on Thrinacia, the island of Helios's cattle. Despite Odysseus's warnings, his starving men slaughter and eat the sacred cattle while he sleeps. Helios appeals to Zeus, who strikes Odysseus's ship with a thunderbolt, killing all his remaining crew, fulfilling Poseidon's curse. Odysseus alone survives, drifting for nine days.
Odysseus washes ashore on the island of Ogygia, where the goddess Calypso falls in love with him and keeps him captive for seven years, offering him immortality. Odysseus longs for his home, and eventually, Athena persuades Zeus to order Calypso to release him. Calypso reluctantly helps him build a raft, but Poseidon creates a storm to destroy it. Odysseus barely survives, reaching the island of Scheria.
On Scheria, Odysseus is discovered by Nausicaa, the daughter of King Alcinous and Queen Arete. He is brought to the palace, where he is welcomed. During a feast, a poet sings of the Trojan War, including the tale of the Trojan Horse and Odysseus's cunning. Overwhelmed by emotion and the telling of his own story, Odysseus reveals his identity. The king and queen, impressed by his heroism, provide him with a ship and crew to return to Ithaca.
After 20 years, Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca. Athena disguises him as an old beggar and warns him of the suitors who have infested his palace, vying for Penelope's hand. Penelope has been faithfully awaiting his return, using a trick of weaving and unweaving a shroud to delay marriage. Odysseus reunites with his loyal servant Eumaeus and his son Telemachus, who had been searching for him. Disguised, Odysseus enters the palace. Penelope, to choose a new husband, proposes an archery contest using Odysseus's great bow. None of the suitors can string it. Odysseus, still disguised, successfully strings the bow and shoots an arrow through twelve axe heads. He then turns the bow on the suitors, and with the help of Telemachus and Eumaeus, slaughters them all.
With the suitors defeated, Odysseus finally reunites with Penelope, who, after a moment of disbelief, recognizes her husband. Overwhelmed with emotion, they embrace, ending Odysseus's long and arduous journey home.