The Land of the Dead

Summary of Minor Adventures that Occur Before this Scene

Odysseus and his men sail to Aiolia (Eye-oh-leea), where Aiolos (Eye-oh-los) (king of the winds) sends Odysseus on his way with a gift: a sack containing all the winds except the favorable west wind. When they are near home, Odysseus’ men open the sack thinking that it is treasure, which lets loose a storm that drives them back to Aiolia. Aiolos casts them out, having decided that they are detested by the gods.
They sail for seven days and arrive in the land of Laestrygonians (less-tra-go-nians), a race of cannibals. These creatures destroy all of Odysseus’ ships except the one he is sailing in.
Odysseus and his reduced crew escape and reach Aeaea (Aye-ee-ah), the island ruled by the sorceress-goddess Circe (Cur-say) . She transforms half of the men into swine. Protected by a magic herb given to him by the gods, Odysseus demands that Circe change his men back into human form. Before Odysseus departs from the island a year later, Circe informs him that in order to reach home he must journey to the Land of the Dead, Hades, and consult the blind prophet Tiresias. The following describes their journey to the underworld:

We bore down on the ship at the sea’s edge

and launched her on the salt immortal sea...

till the sun dipped, and all the ways grew dark

upon the fathomless unresting sea.

We made the land, put ram and ewe ashore,

and took our way along the Ocean stream

to find the place foretold for us by Circe.

There Perimedes (per-im-edes) and Eurylochus (eur-ill-uh-kus)

pinioned the sacred beasts [ram and ewe]. With my drawn blade

I spaded up the votive pit, and poured

libations round it to the unnumbered dead:

Thus to assuage the nations of the dead

I pledged these rites, then slashed the lamb and ewe,

letting their black blood stream into the wellpit.

Now the souls gathered...

with rustling cries; and I grew sick with fear.

But presently I gave command to my officers

to flay those sheep the bronze cut down, and make

burnt offerings of flesh to the gods below—

to sovereign Death, to pale Persephone.

Meanwhile I crouched with my drawn sword to keep

the surging phantoms from the bloody pit

till I should know the presence of Teiresias.

One shade came first—Elpenor, of our company,

who lay unburied still on the wide earth

as we had left him—dead in Circe's hall,

untouched, unmourned, when other cares compelled us.

Now when I saw him there I wept for pity

He sighed, and [called out]:

‘Son of great Laërtês,

Odysseus, master mariner and soldier,

bad luck shadowed me, and no kindly power;

ignoble death I drank with so much wine.

I slept on Circe's roof, then could not see

the long steep backward ladder, coming down,

and fell that height. My neck bone, buckled under,

snapped, and my spirit found this well of dark.

Now hear the grace I pray for:

When you make sail

and put these lodgings of dim Death behind,

you will moor ship, I know, upon Aiaia Island;

there, O my lord, remember me, I pray,

do not abandon me unwept, unburied,

to tempt the gods’ wrath,

while you sail for home;

but fire my corpse, and all the gear I had,

and build a cairn for me above the breakers—

He ceased, and I replied:

‘Unhappy spirit,

I promise you the barrow and the burial.’

Now came the soul of Anticlea (an-tee-klee-ah), dead,

my mother...

dead now, though living still when I took ship

for holy Troy. Seeing this ghost I grieved,

but held her off, through pang on pang of tears,

till I should know the presence of Teiresias.

Soon from the dark that prince of Thebes (Teiresias) came forward

bearing a golden staff; and he addressed me:

‘Son of Laertes and the gods of old,

Odysseus, master of land ways and sea ways,

why leave the blazing sun, O man of woe,

to see the cold dead and the joyless region?

Stand clear, put up your sword;

let me but taste of blood, I shall speak true.’

At this I stepped aside, and in the scabbard

let my long sword ring home to the pommel silver,

as he bent down to the sombre blood. Then spoke

the prince of those with gift of speech:

The following is what the prophet Teiresias says to Odysseus. Read each section and paraphrase what he says.

‘Great captain,

a fair wind and the honey lights of home

are all you seek. But anguish lies ahead;

the god who thunders on the land prepares it,

not to be shaken from your track, implacable,

in rancor for the son whose eye you blinded.

One narrow strait may take you through his blows:

denial of yourself, restraint of shipmates.

When you make landfall on Thrinákia first

and quit the violet sea, dark on the land

you’ll find the grazing herds of Hêlios

by whom all things are seen, all speech is known.

Avoid those kine, hold fast to your intent,

and hard seafaring brings you all to Ithaka.

But if you raid the beeves, I see destruction

for ship and crew. Though you survive alone,

bereft of all companions, lost for years,

under strange sail shall you come home, to find

your own house filled with trouble: insolent men

eating your livestock as they court your lady.

Aye, you shall make those men atone in blood!

But after you have dealt out death—in open

combat or by stealth—to all the suitors,

go overland on foot, and take an oar,

until one day you come where men have lived

with meat unsalted, never known the sea,

nor seen seagoing ships, with crimson bows

and oars that fledge light hulls for dipping flight.

The spot will soon be plain to you, and I

can tell you how: some passerby will say,

“What winnowing fan is that upon your shoulder?”

Halt, and implant your smooth oar in the turf

and make fair sacrifice to Lord Poseidon:

a ram, a bull, a great buck boar; turn back,

and carry out pure hekatombs at home

to all wide heaven’s lords, the undying gods,

to each in order. Then a seaborne death

soft as this hand of mist will come upon you

when you are wearied out with rich old age,

your country folk in blessed peace around you.

And all this shall be just as I foretell.’

Guiding Questions

In the following section, Odysseus and his men make it to the underworld and Odysseus has to perform a ritual in order to speak to Tiresias.

1.) As you read, identify the three ghosts that Odysseus talks to in the Underworld.

-ram & ewe: male and female sheep

-pinioned: tied

-libations: drink; offering for gods

*Perimedes: one of Odysseus's companions during his return. He is very loyal to Odysseus throughout the story.

*Eurklokhos: second-in-command of Odysseus' ship. He returned to Ithaca after the Trojan War. He is cowardly, undermines Odysseus and stirs up trouble.

-assuage: to make less intense

*Persephone: kidnapped wife of Hades

*Teiresias: blind prophet who Circe advised Odysseus to see for advice on how to get home.

-shade: ghost

2.) Who is Elpenor? How did he die? What does he request of Odysseus?

*In Greek culture, it is believed that a person cannot pass into the afterlife if they are unburied after they die.

3.) Who is Anticlea to Odysseus?

-scabbard: a sheath for a sword

-pommel: round knob on the end of the hilt of a sword

-sombre: dark or grey in color

-anguish: suffering

-implacable: not to be appeased

-rancor: ill will

4.) Who is the "son whose eye you blinded?"

5.) Who is the "god who thunders?"

-landfall: sighting of lan

*Helios: sun god

-kine: plural of cattle

*Ithaka: remember, this is Odysseus's home

-beeves: plural of beef

-bereft: deprived

-livestock: cows

-court: date

-atone: make amends for

6.) What does Tiresias say will happen if they eat the cows?

-fledge: to nurture until it can fly

-plain: clear

-winnowing: to blow air through

-turf: ground

-hekatombs: public sacrifice of 100 oxen to the gods

-foretell: predict

7.) what does Teiresias instruct Odysseus to do after he kills all of the suitors?

8.) How does he say Odysseus will die?

Miss De Marco's

9th Grade English

The Land of the Dead