The Odyssey

The Trojan War

1200 BCE

Odysseus leaves his Oikos, wife, and infant son to fight in the Trojan war. The war lasted about 10 years

The Cicones

1190 BCE

Odysseus and his crew, after sacking Troy, left for home, only to be pushed off course by a heavy wind. This wind pushed them towards the Cicones of Ismarus, where him and his crew took their riches to share amongst themselves and held their women as well. They stayed longer than they should have, and the Cicones called for help from their mainland. The next night they lost a good amount of men from Odysseus' crews to the Cicones, but some escaped along with Odysseus.

The Land of the Lotus-Eaters

1190 BCE

After escaping the Cicones, Odysseus and what was left of his crew were yet again pushed off course by strong winds. After nearly two weeks, they hit land again and soon began preparing a meal on the shore. Odysseus sends a few of his men to explore the island, where they found humans known as the Lotus-Eaters. They fed them intoxicating fruits that made the men have no will to return to Odysseus and their journey. Odysseus went and retrieved the men, forced them back on the ship, and set sail.

The Cyclopes

1190 BCE

After leaving the Lotus-Eaters, they soon reach the land of the Cyclopes. They regard them as barbaric in a sense, pointing out they have no laws and are very individualistic, and trust the Gods will take care of their food, land, and crops. The crew broke into the home of one, ending in the death of many of the crew members when he found them and feasted on them 2 by 2. The remaining men and Odysseus blinded Polyphemus with an olive speer and escaped on his sheep, setting sail once again.

Aeolus

1190 BCE

After the Cyclopes called upon Poseidon to delay their journey, they reach the island of Aeolus. There, Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag of winds to help him along on his journey. They set sail again and Odysseus falls asleep. While he is sleeping, his crew gets angry that Odysseus gets all the praise and gifts, so they open the bag. This unleashes the winds and pulls them from close to their native shoreline all the way back to Aeolus. Aeolus turns them away, so they set sail again.

Laestrygonia

1190 BCE

After Aeolus, they reach the land of Laestrygonia. Odysseus sends 3 men to investigate the land, appalling the king and queen of the land. This started an uproar in which all the ships in Odysseus' fleet and the men in them were sunk except for his ship and crew. The civilians did this by throwing boulders at the ships and sinking them. Odysseus set his own ship free and immediately sailed off, leaving his men to die.

Aeaea, Home of Circe

1189 BCE

Once they came to Circe's island, one group of men went to explore. They came across Circe who called to them, gave them potent drugs that made them not want to leave, and turned them into pigs. Odysseus went to save them, running into Hermes. He told him to take an antidote then sleep with her to escape with all of his friends. They stayed until the end of the year before Circe told Odysseus they must embark towards Hades.

Hades and Tiresias

1189 BCE

The remaining crew finds their way to the underworld following Circe's instruction, where Odysseus speaks with the prophet Tiresias. He predicted much hardship to come. Odysseus also was able to contact his mother who had passed, as well as Elpenor, who requested they go back to Circe's island and properly bury him. After stories and all with the dead, they set sail again.

Burial

1189 BCE

The crew returned to Aeaea to perform a proper burial for Elpenor, being fed by Circe again. They sail past the Sirens, where they tie Odysseus to the mast so he could listen to their song. They then navigated the sea between Scylla and Charybdis, losing 6 men to Scylla. The rest of his men go against the prophet's isntructions, leading to Zeus having to punish them by destroying their ship. The men all were swept away except Odysseus, who floated for days before reaching Calypso's island.

Calypso's Island

1188 BCE

Odysseus floats by himself for days until he finally reaches Calypso's island. He is then forced to be her slave for the next 7-8 years. Athena then appeals to Zeus to let Odysseus return to Ithaca after all those years, and he allows it, though Poseidon still has a hatred for Odysseus and would not make his journey home easy.

Home

1180 BCE

Odysseus is set free and begins his journey home at last. He constructs a raft with Calypso that Poseidon capsizes. Odysseus is saved by Ino, and swims to Phaecia himself, where he finds Nausicaa who helps him. He tells them his life story and they give him gifts and a new crew. Odysseus then wakes up on his homeland, disguises himself as a beggar, reveals himself to his son, and together they kill the suitors and take back his oikos. They kill anyone who goes against him taking back his throne.