homer\'s the odyssey books 11, 12, 13 PDF

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Prof. Jessica Nowlin...

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BOOK 11: ODYSSEUS VISITS THE UNDERWORLD (NEKUIA) ● After digging pit and sacrifice, Odysseus consults different spirits: ○ Elpenor (helmsman, drank too much and fell off Circe’s roof and died) ○ Teiresias (prophet of Thebes) ■ Leave the oxen of Helios alone ■ Kill suitors in Ithaka ■ Carry your oar until someone thinks it’s a winnowing fan, make an offering to Poseidon ■ After this, your life will be peaceful and happy ○ Antikleia (Odysseus’ mother) ■ Died from grief from worrying about Odysseus ■ Says Laertes has removed himself from the palace (bc of the suitors) ■ Odysseus tries to embrace her 3 times and cannot (she was cremated, there is nothing left) ○ Odysseus meets Agamemnon, Achilles, and Ajax ■ Agamemnon says to be careful when he comes home and not to tell his wife everything, “beach your ship secretly when you get home” ■ Achilles says he would rather be a slave on earth than to be dead and in the underworld ■ Ajax will not speak to him; still upset that they battled over Achilles’ armor and Odysseus got it ● After all of this, Odysseus leaves BOOK 12: THE SIRENS, SCYLLA, AND CHARYBDIS, CATTLE OF HELIOS ● Odysseus and his men return to Aiaia to bury Elpenor, as instructed ● They pass by the Sirens, and Circe gives them advice: “Tie yourself to the mast, Odysseus, so you can listen and not stray. Have your men put wax in their ears so they don’t hear this.” ● Sirens are represented as bird-like females ● The Sirens’ song claims that they know everything that happens, including the sacking of Troy, to entice Odysseus ● They pass the Sirens ● Scylla: 6-headed, 12-footed monster (female with dogs heads, lives in a cave) ● Charybdis: massive whirlpool, sucks everything to the ocean floor 3 times a day and spits it back ● Odysseus and his crew must sail between as quickly as possible, sailing as close to the coastline alongside Scylla - Circe warns that they will lose a few men (Odysseus does not tell his crew this) ● Impossible situation, stuck between two deadly monsters with no right way to go ● Likely happened in the Strait of Messina ● Odysseus ends up losing 6 men to the Scylla ● Next is the cattle of Helios; Circe and Teiresias have warned him not to touch them ● Odysseus’ men ignore their commander and sacrifice their cattle after they run out of food

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Helios drives Odysseus and his men away, and a storm sent by Zeus destroys all of the ships - Odysseus is the only survivor ○ Sacrifice as crime (think: Prometheus, Hermes) ○ Final omen: the dead cows start moving and mooing on the spits (Odysseus’ men keep eating) Odysseus did not exactly warn his men about the cows and the consequences

BOOK 13: ODYSSEUS IS BACK ON SKHERIA, END OF ODYSSEUS’ INTERNAL NARRATIVE, ODYSSEUS AND ATHENA ON ITHAKA ● Remember from book 6, Odysseus is seeking love and pity from the Phaeacians ● Alkinoos is moved and pities him, orders the Phaeacians to prepare Odysseus’ final homecoming ● Odysseus is given a crew of Phaeacians for his ship ● Poseidon (Earthshaker) is angered at the Phaeacians for helping Odysseus; the Phaeacians are Poseidon’s people ● Turns the crew to stone, blocks off their harbor out of anger ● The Phaeacians drop Odysseus off at Ithaka’s Harbor of Phorcys (named after the grandfather of Polyphemos) ● Odysseus does not recognize Ithaka and panics, thinking he’s been tricked (he has not and realizes this soon) ● Athena visits him disguised as a shepherd to tell him he’s arrived safely on Ithaka and disguises Odysseus as an old beggar ● Odysseus tells her a lie, says “Ithaka? I’ve heard of it, I have sons at home who are more wealthy”. Athena says “You’re still keeping up this facade in your own land.” ● Athena reveals herself and they began to plot against the suitors ● First, Odysseus has to go to a hut on the outskirts of the palace to find people who have stayed loyal to him, and build up his people as he gets closer to the palace...