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Estimated around 1400 B.C. Odysseus reaches the land of the Phaeacians and, as a guest, recounts his ten-year journey after the fall of Troy.
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*or, chronologically in Text View Mode, bottom to top.
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The sole survivor of Zeus' wrath after his crew desecrated the Sun God's cattle, Odysseus floated along a board of driftwood form his broken ship. He wound up on the island of Ogygia, home to the nymph Calypso. She supposedly held Odysseus captive as her lover for some seven years before Zeus' intervention upon Athena's request.
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Odysseus and his crew land on an island inhabited by the Helios the Sun God's livestock. Intending to leave immediately, Odysseus is instead forced to stay on the island by a storm sent by Zeus. Odysseus tells his men not to touch the cattle, as they could survive on the food supply given to them by Circe. Ignoring his orders, Odysseus' crew kills the cows. When they disembarked later, Zeus hurled a lightning bolt and destroyed the ship and all of Odysseus' men.
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Odysseus is forced to sail between two monsters, Scylla and Charybdis. Circe tells him that he should go by Scylla, as it would be better to lose six men than the entire ship.
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According to myth, these were creatures whose singing was so enchanting, men would shipwreck themselves on their island only to be devoured. Odysseus was urged to cover his men's ears with wax to guard them against the Sirens' song. He lashed himself to the ship's mast so he would be able to hear the song and survive.
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By Circe's advice and guidance, Odysseus' fleet sails off to perform a ritual and summon the dead prophet of Thebes, Tiresias in an effort to learn of a way to return to Ithaca. Odysseus also meets and speaks with the spirits of his mother, former heroes, and various women married to prestigious men or gods.
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Odysseus and co. find themselves on an unknown island and discover that it is inhabited by the sorceress, Circe. She transforms a reconnaissance group sent by Odysseus into a bunch of animals. Odysseus, with the help of Hermes, manages to force Circe to undo the spell and ends up in her care for a year.
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Odysseus' men are tempted to open the mysterious gift from Aeolus. Just within reach of Ithaca, the winds sealed inside the bag are unleashed, and they create a turbulent cyclone that whirls Odysseus' fleet back to the palace of the wind god.
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Here, Odysseus receives a bag, and sealed within are the winds themselves. Aeolus releases the West Wind to speed Odysseus home.
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Odysseus meets Polyphemus, and the Cyclops devours six of Odysseus' men.
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Eleven days after his fleet attacked the Cicones -- two spent trying to get home, and another nine spent tossed around by rough winds -- Odysseus reached the Island of the Lotus-Eaters.
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It's unclear how long the gap is between Odysseus' departure from Troy and the beginning of the story he tells the Phaeacians. Odysseus tells the Phaeacians that his crew landed at a city of the Cicones, and with his crew he ransacked the land for supplies. His men became greedy and stayed too long--Long enough for the Cicones to gather reinforcements and counterattack, killing several men from each ship in Odysseus' fleet.
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It's a war.
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Estimated around 1420 B.C. Twenty years before Phaeacia, Odysseus was recruited to enter the Trojan War.
