All about history book of myths and legends. ( PDFDrive )

PERILS OF THE SEA

The Greeks were a people who lived mainly on islands and in coastal

settlements, and hence were accomplished sailors. They knew well

that sea voyages, even in the often calm Mediterranean, had their

dangers, and that sailors had to watch out for unfavourable winds,

dangerous whirlpools or currents, and jagged rocks. Odysseus had

to cope with tempests sent by Poseidon, perilous currents, and

some more fantastic dangers. Some of these, like the seductive

song of the Sirens, could be deceptive – Odysseus was warned

by Circe that the song of the Sirens must be resisted.

MONSTERS AND OBSTACLES
Odysseus encountered several obstacles on his journey. The giant
Laestrygonians destroyed all the ships in his armada except for his own.
When they were trapped in Polyphemus’s cave, he and his men tied
themselves to the underbellies of the Cyclops’s sheep. The next day,
Polyphemus let his sheep out to graze, and the Greeks escaped. On Circe’s
island, Odysseus’s men were turned into pigs, thus delaying the voyage.

THE ODYSSEY

The Laestrygonians

Antiphates, the king of the

Laestrygonians, killed and

ate one of Odysseus’s men.

Then all the giants pelted

the Greek ships with huge

rocks, sinking all but one.

Odysseus and Polyphemus

Using a sharpened stake of olive

wood, Odysseus put out the

single eye of Polyphemus

so that he and his men

could escape from the

Cyclops’s cave.

Odysseus and the Sirens

While his sailors blocked their ears,

Odysseus had himself tied to the mast

so that he could not follow the Sirens.

Charybdis

This notorious whirlpool sank all passing

ships, but Odysseus steered through the

narrow gap between it and Scylla.

The magic of Circe

The enchantress Circe turned men into

animals by giving them a potion and

striking them with her wand.

THE WORLD OF THE DEAD
Odysseus visited the Underworld to find out about
his future. First he consulted the prophet
Tiresias, who warned him not to harm
the cattle of Helios. Then he met his
mother, Anticleia, who told him how
his wife and son were sufering at
home. Odysseus also met the
ghost of Achilles.
Finally, he grew fearful and left
the Underworld in terror.

Achilles

The ghost of Achilles told Odysseus he

would rather live on Earth as a humble

labourer than rule among the dead.

NEVER YET HAS ANY

MAN ROWED PAST THIS

ISLE IN HIS BLACK SHIP

UNTIL HE HAS HEARD

THE SWEET VOICE FROM

OUR LIPS. Homer, Odyssey, Book IX

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