Free Mythology of the Iliad and the Odyssey by Karen Bornemann Spies Page B

to the Underworld to meet with the prophet Tiresias.
    Q:
What happened when Odysseus visited the Underworld?
    A:
He sacrificed a ram and some sheep and filled a pit with their blood, because that was what the ghosts of the Underworld craved. Tiresias then appeared and told him not to eat any of the cattle on the Island of the Sun. Odysseus also visited with the ghosts of his mother and Achilles.

INTRODUCTION
    In this tale, Odysseus and his crew sailed back to Aeaea where Circe, the sorceress, used her magical powers to find out about three deadly dangers that lay ahead: the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis. First, Odysseus had to steer his ship safely by the Sirens, who lured unsuspecting sailors to their deaths. Then, he would encounter Scylla, a six-headed monster, and Charybdis, a deadly whirlpool. If he and his crew made it safely through these dangers, they would land on the Island of the Sun. Circe told Odysseus that no matter how hungry he and his men were, none of them should touch the cattle of the Sun. Anyone who touched them would never return home.
    The tales of the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis are based on stories well-known to Homer’s listeners. The hero Jason and his crew, the Argonauts, faced these same dangers in a Greek myth that is older than the
Iliad
and the
Odyssey
. 1 In the twelfth book of the
Odyssey,
knowledge of Jason’s voyage and his adventures is assumed.
    A key theme of this tale is that of a fantastic journey. It retells many fantastic and amazing adventures that Odysseus faced. The stories of Circe and the Cyclops are other stories with this theme.
    The nymph, Calypso, who appears in this myth, represents other divine and mortal women who fell in love with Odysseus. Most of them, including Calypso, tried to entrap him, often by trickery. Faced with the temptations these women presented, such as beauty and luxurious living, the mighty hero ultimately resisted the love of all the women other than his wife.
    The love of Odysseus for his wife and son plays an important part in this tale. Although at first he enjoyed the relaxing life on Calypso’s island, especially after ten years of war, Odysseus longed deeply for Penelope and Telemachus. This longing led to his ultimate release from Calypso’s island.

Deadly Dangers on the Sea
    The Sirens sang high, thrilling songs that bewitched sailors and caused them to crash their ships into the rocks. They were surrounded by the whitened bones of their many victims. To prevent his crew from hearing the Sirens’ voices, Odysseus cut a circular chunk of beeswax into pieces, softened the pieces, and plugged the ears of his crew members with the wax. But Odysseus wanted to hear the songs of the Sirens, so he commanded his men, “Bind me hand and foot and tie me to the mast, for I want to hear the music of these maidens. But I dare not take a chance of having our last remaining ship crash into the cliffs, so I must be lashed to the mast. No matter how hard I urge you, do not release me until we are safely out of reach of the Sirens.”
    As the ship drew near to the Sirens, they burst into song. “Come closer to us, famous Odysseus,” they sang. “Moor your ship near our coast so that you can listen to our sweet songs forever.”
    Odysseus strained against the ropes that bound him to the mast. He signaled frantically to his crew to set him free, but they followed Odysseus’ command and refused to release him. They flung themselves against the oars and rowed harder and harder until the voices of the Sirens faded away. When the crew felt that they were out of danger, they removed the wax in their ears and loosed Odysseus’ bonds.
    No sooner had they escaped from the Sirens when Odysseus spied waves booming against another set of cliffs. The passageway between them was so narrow that it seemed impossible to pass through. In a cave on the higher cliff lived Scylla, a long-necked monster with six dogs’ heads and twelve feet. When ships passed by, she