Week 4: When Luck Runs Out

I start this story by telling you that I’ve been lucky. I survived to manhood in Ancient Greece, which is no small feat. I was one of the warriors who was picked by Odysseus to travel to Troy. I managed to survive a war that lasted for ten long years. Finally, I’m headed home to Ithaca. I’ll see my son and wife again; I’m sure my son is a man in his own now.

            Odysseus is a little funny, but he is a great leader. After all, he managed to keep us alive for so long. Those of us on his ship anyway. The others were destroyed a while back. It’s a little hard to keep track of the days and weeks, or even months, on the ocean. One day bleeds into the next. Although some of them stand out. Like the monster we encountered, with the one eye. That was terrifying, especially when he ate a couple of the men. But I’m lucky that I survived that too, I guess. 

            We’re finally back on the ocean again. I don’t know exactly why Odysseus made us go to the land of the dead, but after one last talk with Circe we’re headed home again. Odysseus tends to get distracted, but I know he’s as homesick as the rest of us. Circe gave him some advice apparently. There are these things called Sirens up ahead; Odysseus said they sing songs so beautiful you try to reach them on their island and end up dying. But, him being him, he wants to listen to their song. So all of us now have wax in our ears so we can’t hear anything. A couple other guys tied Odysseus to the mast. I can see him from my position at an oar if I turn my head the right way. A few minutes ago he was just standing there, but now he’s struggling, pretty badly too. I’d think he’d hurt himself if I didn’t know how tightly bound he is. 

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It took a while, but Odysseus isn’t struggling anymore. He’d told us that meant we were out of hearing of the sirens’ song. It does feel nice to take the wax out of my ears. You don’t realize how much you rely on your hearing for balance, especially on the ocean. 

I know there’s more dangers ahead. I wish Odysseus would tell us exactly, but he’s been a little vague. At some point there’s a monstrous whirlpool by some cliffs. Or a monster that is a whirlpool. After he was removed from the mast he gave a speech, told us not to worry and to trust him, basically. All of us do, especially since he's led us this far. Now that we're approaching the whirlpool, he's gotten more specific. Apparently we’ve got to stick as close to the cliffs as we can without actually hitting them. It’s the only way to avoid getting sucked into the whirlpool.

That whirlpool is terrifying, now that we’re close. I can feel the blood drain from my face, and saw it reflected in my companion’s face. I catch a glimpse of Odysseus, and had enough time to wonder why he was in his armor on a ship when it happens.

Something tight and sharp grabs me by the shoulder, and suddenly I’m lifted into the air. My screams mingle with those of others, and I manage to see that a horrible, monster has grabbed me with only one of its heads. There are others also caught by the heads, and we’re all screaming desperately as the monster drags us into the cave. I catch a last glimpse, impossibly, of Odysseus, standing there in full armor and looking after us as we die.

I guess my luck finally ran out.

(Source: The Book Palace)

Author’s note: This is the last segment of Kline's translation of The Odyssey that’s available for the readings. Everything up until this part has been backstory: Odysseus is explaining his tale to the Phaeacians, whose shore he washed up on. From there Odysseus eventually makes his way back home. All in all, he was gone for ten years fighting the Trojan War, and it took him another ten years to get back home.

Odysseus’s journey took a long time for various reasons, but one of them is because of the interference of the gods. The aforementioned cyclops is a son of Poseidon. When Odysseus injured the cyclops, Poseidon cursed him and interfered with his trip home. In the end, none of Odysseus’s men made it home with him.

I ended up taking the perspective of one of the sailors for that reason. It’s miraculous that a lot of them survived the war to head home (initially there were twelve ships that left Troy; as mentioned in the story all but Odysseus’s ship were destroyed). I liked the idea of one of them making it so far, and thinking they were so close to home, only to miss out. There’s a lot more in the Odyssey that I didn’t mention, because it would take too long, but the same idea is there.

Reading Notes, Part B: The Odyssey, Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis

Having managed to escape from the cyclops, Odysseus and his men sail on, encountering the witch Circe on her island. Eventually, they escape from her as well, but with warnings of the sirens and the two sea monsters, Scylla and Charybdis. This story, from Kline's translation of Homer's Odyssey, sums up the last of his adventures, after which it returns to the present setting (Odysseus telling his story to the people who found him washed up on shore).

Reading Notes

• Odysseus explains to his men that he wants to hear the sirens' song (although he doesn't appear to explain why) and what he has planned for them.
• The sirens' song lures men to their death (the sirens eat them)
• The crew all stuff their ears with wax, and Odysseus is tied to the mast of the ship.
• Although he is enchanted by the sirens' song, he can't break free of the ropes, and as the men can't hear him, they don't obey his order to let him free.
• They free him after they're out of range
• This gets copied a lot in various fictions
• They go towards the two sister sea monsters, Scylla and Charybdis
• Odysseus was warned of them by Circe, but he doesn't totally obey her instructions about staying unarmed.
• Charybdis is a whirlpool, while Scylla is a six-headed monster.
• The ship is so focused on avoiding Charybdis that Odysseus loses six of his crewmen to Scylla, who eats them, one per head.
• Odysseus describes the site as the saddest thing he's seen on the sea (this from a man who fought a ten-year-long war).

I feel like Odysseus was probably tied more securely to the mast than is shown. (Source: Wikipedia)

Reading Notes: The Odyssey, Prisoner of the Cyclops (Part A)

Homer's Odyssey has often been recreated and retold throughout the years. One story that shows Odysseus' famous wit and cleverness is the story of the Cyclops, although this reading focuses on how he and his crew became prisoners (Source: Homer's Odyssey, by Kline)

Reading Notes

• Homer takes VIW (Very Important Wine) with him off the ship, because his gut told him too (whatever you say bro)
• The language is very flowery and detailed, as to be expected (he goes into a lot of detail about how important the VIW is)
• His men want to rob the so-called savage whose cave they find and enter, but Odysseus says no, because he wants to see how hospitable the savage is
• Although they still start a fire without warning and eat the savage's food, so I don't see how that's any different than what his men wanted, apart from leaving them vulnerable.
• Apparently the giant isn't very observant, as he entered the cave with some of his flock, sealed it, milked the goats that came inside, and treated the milk, all before seeing the intruders (I get they slipped into a corner but still)
• Odysseus introduces himself, and lies to the giant about where the ship is because the giant shows no pity to him or the others (he also gives a really long introduction)
• The cyclops kills two of his men, eats them whole, and then falls asleep with no worry about the little men trapped in his cave.
• Odysseus' first thought is to kill him, but realizes that would be stupid, as he and his men can't move the rock blocking the entrance.

Odysseus and his men eventually manage to free themselves from the cyclops, but not without danger (Source: Wattpad)