After sailing from the Cyclops’ island, Odysseus and his men land on the island of Aeolia. There the wind king, Aeolus, does Odysseus a favor. He puts all of the story winds in a bag so that they will not harm the Ithacans (Odysseus and his men are from Ithaca.) The bulls-hide bag containing the winds is wedged under Odysseus afterdeck. But during the voyage, the suspicious and curious sailors open the bag, thinking it contains a treasure, and the evil winds roar up into hurricanes that blow the ships back to Aeolia. Aeolus sends them away again, but without any additional help this time.
On the island of the Laestrygonians, gigantic cannibals, (we do not have this section in our books to read) all of the ships except one are destroyed and their crew members devoured. Odysseus’ ship and the men on his ship escape and land on the island of Aeaea, the home of the witch Circe. Here a party of twenty-three men, led by Eurylochus, goes off to explore the island. When Odysseus and his men reach this island, the men are beguiled by the sorceress, who turns them into swine and shuts them in a pigsty. Hermes gives Odysseus a plant to eat called moly which will protect Odysseus from Circe’s magic. Odysseus “stays” with Circe as the price for letting his men be restored to human beings. They all stay together feasting and enjoying Circe’s company for about one year. Eventually, however, Odysseus and his men beg Circe to help them get home.
Circe responds to their pleas with the command that Odysseus alone descend to the Land of the Dead. There Odysseus must seek the wisdom of the blind prophet, Teiresias.
On the island of the Laestrygonians, gigantic cannibals, (we do not have this section in our books to read) all of the ships except one are destroyed and their crew members devoured. Odysseus’ ship and the men on his ship escape and land on the island of Aeaea, the home of the witch Circe. Here a party of twenty-three men, led by Eurylochus, goes off to explore the island. When Odysseus and his men reach this island, the men are beguiled by the sorceress, who turns them into swine and shuts them in a pigsty. Hermes gives Odysseus a plant to eat called moly which will protect Odysseus from Circe’s magic. Odysseus “stays” with Circe as the price for letting his men be restored to human beings. They all stay together feasting and enjoying Circe’s company for about one year. Eventually, however, Odysseus and his men beg Circe to help them get home.
Circe responds to their pleas with the command that Odysseus alone descend to the Land of the Dead. There Odysseus must seek the wisdom of the blind prophet, Teiresias.