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Trojan War ends
The Trojan War ends, and Odysseous sails for home. -
Raid on the Cicones
Odysseus and his men attack the Cicones, who were allies of the Trojans. Odysseus and his men are thrown back into the sea as the Cicones' allies counterattack, and he loses 72 men. -
Odysseus encounters the Lotus Eaters
Odysseus and his men stop at the island of the Lotus Eaters, and when he sendsthree men out as a scouting party, they eat the lotus and lose all desire to return home, forcing Odysseus to drive them onto the ships; they sail away with all speed. -
Polyphemus and the island of the cyclopes
Odysseus and his men land on the island of the cyclopes, and Odysseus leads a band of men to explore the island. They venture into the cave of the cyclops Polyphemus, and wiat for him to return. He devours several of the men, and Odysseus formulates a plan. The next day Odysseus sharpens and fire-hardens a pole, and proceeds to get Polyphemus drunk. While he was asleep, Odysseus blinds Polyphemus and escapes the next day by hiding uder his sheep. Odysseus taunts the cyclops and reveals his name, -
Aeolus, to Ithaca, and back
Odysseus and his men land on the island of the wind god Aeolus, who offers them two bags: one contains fair winds which will speed them home, and the other containing stormy winds. Just as they come within sight of Ithaca, his men open the bag of stormy winds, thinking it was filled with gold. They are blown back to Aeolus's island, but he now thinks that they are cursed by the gods and refuses to help them. -
Lost at sea, and the island of the Laestrygones
After leaving Aeolus's island, Odysseus and his men are lost in the Ocean, and stumble across the island of the Laestrygones. The vicious cannibals pelt Odysseus's fleet with boulders, sinking all but one of his ships. -
Circe's island
With his one remaining ship and the men onboard,Odysseus stumbles onto the island of the witch Circe. He sends a scouting party inland, They come across the house of Circe, and all but Eurylochus enter. Circe feeds the men, then proceeds to turn them into pigs. Eurylochus returns to warn Odysseus, who goes to save his men. Hermes stops him and gives him moly to protect him, and Odysseus, immune to Circe's magic, forces her to free his men. -
The land of the dead
Odysseus journeys to the land of the dead, and seeks advice from the prophet Tiresias. He also speaks to his mother, and some of his slain men. Tiresias warns him to not eat the sacred cattle of Helios. -
Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis
After briefly stopping at Circe's island, Odysseus and his men continue sailing, until they reach the place of the sirens. His men plug their ears with earwax, but Odysseus lashes himself to the mast so that he can hear their song. After passing the sirens, they reach the lair of Scylla, who devours six of his men. They choose this route rather than risk their ship being destroyed by the whirlpool-monster Charybdis. -
Helios's cattle and Zeus's wrath
Despite his protestations, Odysseus and his men lay anchor at the island of Helios. He warns the men to not harm Helios's cattle, but when he falls asleep they kill several and eat them. Helios brings his case to Zeus, where he threatens to keep the sun from shining unless justice is administered. As they leave the island, Zeus strikes the ship with a lightning bolt, killing all but Odysseus, who did not eat the cattle. -
Calypso and the island of Ogygia
After his ship is destroyed, Odysseus floats along until he reaches the island of Ogygia, .home of the nymph Calypso. She cares for him, and he remains with her on her island for seven years. Finally, after Athena pleads with Zeus, who sends Hermes to tell Calypso to allow Odysseus to leave. She gives him a raft, and he leaves her island -
King Alcinous, and Odysseus's tale
Odysseus lands on the island of king Alcinous, and he relates the tale of everything that has happened to him thus far. King Alcinous is moved, and arranges for Odysseus to be taken to Ithaca. -
Ithaca and Athena's aid
Odysseus awakes, and is informed by Athena that he is in Ithaca. She disguises him as a beggar, and has him visit his swineherd, Eumaeus. He is welcomed in, and sheltered by Eumaeus. -
Telemachus meets his father
Odysseus reveals his identity to his son, Telemachus, who is at first incredulous, but then finally accepts the truth. -
Odysseus and Argus
Outside the palace Odysseus meets his dog Argus, whom he had personally trained as a puppy twenty years before. He wags his tail, then drops dead. -
The Test of the Bow
As the suitors are becoming increasingly demanding that she choose one of them to marry, Penelope decides to hold a contest, saying that she will marry the one who can string Odysseus's bow, then shoot an arrow through twelve axe rings. After all of the suitors fail, Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, successfully completes the challenge. -
Murder of the suitors
Odysseus wreaks his terrible vengeance on the suitors, slaying all one-hundred of them. -
Odysseus's secret and the end
Penelope is at first skeptical about Odysseus's identity, but after Odysseus reveals the secret about their bed, she embraces him. Odysseus then visits his father to let him know that he lives, and the epic draws to a close.
