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Written by the blind poet Homer over 2,800 years ago, The Odyssey tells the epic story of the Greek king Odysseus who, after fighting in the Trojan War for ten years, spends then next ten years trying to return home.  During his journey, he must confront monsters,hurricanes, shipwrecks, and the the wrath of Poseidon, god of the sea. Once home, Odysseus must ally with the goddess Athena and use his courage and cunning to regain his kingdom and his family from the evil men who would destroy him.
Book 1Athena Visits Telemachus

Tell me, Muse, about that resourceful hero Odysseus, who was forced to wander far and wide after he had destroyed the famous city of Troy. He saw many cities and became acquainted with their ways. He suffered greatly at sea while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home. But hard as he tried, he could not save them. They foolishly ate the cattle of the Sun god Hyperion, who then made certain they would never reach home, and so they died.
Tell us this story, goddess, daughter of Zeus, one more time.

All the Greek warriors who had survived battle of Troy had, by now, ten years later, returned safely home, except Odysseus. Though he was longing to return to his home and his wife, he was being held against his will by the beautiful and powerful nymph, Calypso, a goddess who kept him captive in a large cave on her island of Ogygia, and wanted to marry him.
As the years went by, the gods finally decided that Odysseus should leave Calypso’s lair and go back home to Ithaca. All the gods had now begun to pity him except Poseidon, god of the sea, who still pursued him and would not let him get home.
But recently, Poseidon had gone off to the Ethiopia, at the end of the earth, to accept a tribute of sheep and oxen, where he was enjoying himself at his festival.
Meanwhile, the other gods met in the halls of Zeus, father of all gods and men, on Mount Olympus. Zeus was pondering over the foolishness of mortal men, and thinking of Aegisthus, who had been killed by Agamemnon’s son Orestes. He said to the other gods:
"See how men blame us gods for their own foolishness. Look at Aegisthus. He made love to Agamemnon’s wife and then killed Agamemnon, though he knew it would be the death of him. I sent our messenger, Hermes, to warn him not to do either of these things, for Agamemnon’s son, Orestes, would certainly take his revenge when he grew up. But Aegisthus would not listen, and now he has paid for his wrongful deeds with his life.”
Then Athena, the goddess of wisdom, glared at Zeus and said, “Father, it served Aegisthus right. But my heart bleeds for poor, unhappy Odysseus, when I think of his sufferings on that lonely island far away. The goddess Calypso is holding him against his will, using all her charms to make him forget Ithaca and his wife.
“But you, sir, pay no attention to him. Yet when Odysseus was fighting at Troy, did he not honor you with many burnt sacrifices? Why then, are so angry with him?”
And Zeus said, "My child, what are you talking about? How can I forget Odysseus, when there is no braver man on earth, or one more generous in his offerings to the immortal gods? But Poseidon is still furious with Odysseus for having blinded the eye of his son, Polyphemus, king of the Cyclops.
“Therefore, though Poseidon will not kill Odysseus outright, he torments him by preventing him from getting home. Still, let us put our heads together and see how we can help him return to Ithaca. Poseidon will be unable to defy all of us, if we are united.”
Athena said, "Father, if the gods now wish Odysseus to return home, we should first send Hermes to tell Calypso that we have made up our minds.
Meanwhile, I will go to Ithaca, to give hope to Odysseus' son Telemachus. He was an infant when Odysseus left home twenty years ago, and he is now a man.
“Odysseus was King of Ithaca, and his wife, Queen Penelope, is being courted by suitors who think Odysseus is long dead. These suitors, more than a hundred of them, are consuming his estate, and eating all his sheep and oxen. I will embolden Telemachus to call the Greek fathers in assembly and condemn these suitors. I will also lead Telemachus to Pylos and Sparta, to see if he can learn anything about his father’s return, and gain fame for himself by doing so.”
Athena put on her golden sandals that carry her like the wind over land or sea. She grasped the massive bronze-tipped spear with which she conquers the battalions of heroes who have displeased her, and down she darted from Olympus.
Quickly, she was in Ithaca, at the gate of Odysseus' palace, disguised as a visitor, Mentes, King of the Taphians, with her bronze spear in her hand. There she laid her eyes on the arrogant suitors, sitting on the hides of the oxen which they had killed and eaten, and playing dice in front of the palace. Servants and pages were bustling about to wait on them, some mixing wine with water in bowls, some cleaning tables and serving great quantities of meat.
Telemachus was sitting among the suitors with a sad heart, imagining his brave father returning home, to be master of his palace again and flinging the suitors out.
Telemachus saw Athena before anyone else did, and went straight to the gate, for he was upset that a stranger should be kept waiting for admittance. He put her right hand in his, and then he took her spear.
"Welcome to our house, stranger," said he. “After you have eaten, you shall tell us why you have come."
Telemachus led the way, and Athena followed him. Inside, he placed her spear in a stand, alongside the many other spears of his father. He led her to a beautiful chair, with a footstool for her feet. He sat in another chair nearby, away from the suitors, so that Athena would not be annoyed by their noise, and so that he might ask her more freely about his father.
A maid then brought them water in a beautiful golden pitcher, poured it into a silver basin for them to wash their hands, and placed a clean table beside them. A servant brought them bread and many kinds of food, while the carver fetched them platters of meat, and another servant brought them wine and poured it into golden goblets.
Then the suitors came in and took their places on the chairs. Servants poured water over their hands and gave them bread, food and wine. As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, they wanted music and dancing, which usually followed a banquet. So a servant brought a harp to Phemius, the court bard in Ithaca, whom they forced to sing to them.
With the music playing, Telemachus spoke low to Athena, so that no man might hear:
"I hope, good stranger," said he, "that you will not be offended by what I say, but singing comes cheap to those who do not pay for it, and all this is done at the expense of my father, whose bones are rotting in the sea. If these men were to see my father return, they would leave quickly. But he has fallen on an ill fate, and even when people sometimes say that he is coming, we no longer listen to them, for we shall never see him again.
“And now, please tell me where you come from. Tell me about your parents, what country you are from, and what ship you came on--for you cannot have come by land. Tell me also--are you a stranger to this house, or did you visit when my father was here?”
Athena answered, "I will tell you the truth. I am Mentes, King of the seafaring Taphians. I have come here with my ship and crew, on a voyage to a foreign land with a cargo of iron, and I shall bring back copper. Our fathers were friends before us, as your grandfather Laertes will tell you, if you will go and ask him. They say, however, that Laertes never comes to town now, and lives by himself in the country.
“I heard that your father was home again, and that was why I came. But the gods must be holding him back. But he is not dead. He is on some island in the middle of the ocean, a prisoner among savages who are detaining him against his will.
“I am no prophet, but the gods have told me that he will not be away much longer. He is so resourceful that he will find some way of getting home again. But tell me, can Odysseus really have such a fine-looking son? You look so much like him.”
“My mother," answered Telemachus, “tells me I am the son of Odysseus, but I do not know for sure. I wish I were the son of a father who had grown old at home, for the man who they say is my father is the unluckiest man on earth.”
And Athena said, "Do not fear that your family name will die out, with such a fine son as you. But tell me, what is the meaning of all this feasting, and who are these people? Is this a banquet, or is there a wedding in the family? No one has brought any food of his own, and the guests--how horribly they are behaving. It would disgust any respectable person who came into your house.”
"Sir," said Telemachus, "when my father was here, our house was well-respected. But the gods in their displeasure have hidden him away more than any other man was ever hidden. I would feel better if he had died with his men at Troy, for then the Greeks would have honored him, and I would have been heir to his fame.
“But now, he is gone without a trace, and I inherit nothing but dismay. But the gods have given me other sorrows as well. The kings of all our neighboring islands, and the nobles of Ithaca itself, are courting my mother and eating out my estate. My mother will neither marry, nor turn them out, so they are consuming my property, and before long they will probably kill me as well."
Stirred into anger, Athena exclaimed, “Then you do indeed need Odysseus home again. Give him his helmet, shield, and a couple of lances and, if he is the man he was when I first knew him, he would soon lay his hands on these evil suitors, and they would have a short life and no wedding.
“But the gods must decide whether Odysseus will return and take revenge in his own house. I would, however, urge you to try to get rid of these suitors at once. Take my advice--call the Greek leaders in assembly tomorrow, lay your case before them, and call on the gods to be your witness. Order the suitors back to their own houses.
“And if your mother's mind is set on marrying again, let her go to her father. He will find her a decent husband and provide her with all the marriage gifts that such a dear daughter may expect.
“As for yourself, find the best ship you can, with a crew of twenty men, and go in quest of your father. You will be directed by messages from the gods. Locate your father’s companions from the Trojan War—Nestor, King of Pylos, and Menelaus, King of Sparta, who got home last of all the Greeks—and ask them for any news. If you hear that your father is alive and on his way home, you can endure these suitors for another year till he returns.
“But if you hear that Odysseus is dead, come home at once, celebrate his funeral rites, build a shrine to his memory, and make your mother marry again. Then kill these suitors in your own house. You are too old to act like a child. Have you not heard how people are singing Orestes' praises for having killed his father's murderer, Aegisthus? You are a fine, smart fellow. Show your strength, then, and make a name for yourself.
“Now, however, I must go back to my ship and crew, who will be impatient if I keep them waiting longer. Think the matter over, and remember what I have said to you.”
"Sir," answered Telemachus, "it has been very kind of you to talk to me in this way, as though I were your own son. I will do everything you tell me. I know you want to get on with your voyage, but stay awhile till you have bathed and refreshed yourself. I will then give you a beautiful gift, a keepsake that only dear friends give to one another."
Athena answered, "No, I must be on my way. Whatever gift you wish to give me, keep it till I return, and I will take it home with me. I will then give you a gift of equal value in return.”
With these words, Athena flew away like a bird into the air. But she had given Telemachus courage, and had made him think more than ever about his father. He felt the change, wondered at it, and knew that the stranger had been a god, so he went straight to where the suitors were sitting.
The bard Phemius was singing the sad tale of the Greeks’ return from Troy, and the suffering that Athena had laid upon them. Penelope heard his song from her room upstairs, and came down the staircase to the great hall, attended by two of her handmaids. She held a veil over her face, and was weeping bitterly.
“Phemius," she cried, "you know many songs about the feats of gods and heroes. Sing one of these to the suitors, and let them drink their wine in silence. But stop this sad tale, for it breaks my sorrowful heart and reminds me of my lost husband, whose name was great over all Greece.”
“Mother," answered Telemachus, "let the bard sing what he wishes. He does not cause the suffering that he sings of. It is Zeus who causes it, and who sends wealth or suffering to mankind, according to his own pleasure. Make up your mind to it and bear it.
“Odysseus is not the only man who did not return from Troy--many others died as well. Go, then, back upstairs and busy yourself with your daily duties, your loom, and the ordering of your servants. Making speeches are matters for men, and mine is above all others—for I am the master here."
Bewildered, Penelope went back upstairs, taking her son's words to heart. Then, going into her room with her handmaids, she mourned her dear husband till Athena laid sweet sleep over her eyes.
Meanwhile, the suitors were noisy throughout the house, and each one prayed that he might be Queen Penelope’s bedfellow.
Then Telemachus spoke, "Shameless and insolent suitors, feast at my pleasure now, and let there be no brawling, for it is a rare thing to hear such a divine voice as Phemius. But in the morning, meet me in full assembly so that I may give you formal notice to leave, and feast at your own houses at your own cost. If, on the other hand, you persist in sponging off me, heaven help me, Zeus will judge you in full and, when you die in my father's house, there will be no man to avenge you."
The suitors were quiet as they listened, and marveled at the boldness of his speech.
Then one suitor, Antinous, said, "The gods seem to have given you lessons in bullying and big talking. May Zeus never make you King of Ithaca as your father was before you."
Telemachus answered, "Antinous, do not reprimand me. God willing, I will be king too, if I can. Is this the worst fate you can think of for me? Being a king brings both riches and honor. Now that Odysseus is dead, there are many great men in Ithaca, both old and young, and one of them may become the new king. But I will be king in my own house, and will rule the servants whom Odysseus won for me in the war."
Then Eurymachus answered, "The gods will decide who will be king among us, but you shall indeed be master in your own house and over your own possessions. No man in Ithaca shall do you violence nor rob you.
“And now, Telemachus, I want to know about this stranger. What country does he come from? Has he brought you news about the return of your father, or was he on business of his own? He seemed a well-to-do man, but he was gone in a flash before we could get to know him."
“My father is dead and gone," answered Telemachus, "and even if some rumor reaches me, I put no faith in it. My mother sometimes sends for a soothsayer and questions him, but I pay no attention to his prophecies. As for the stranger, he was Mentes, King of the Taphians, an old friend of my father's.” But in his heart, he knew that it had been the goddess Athena.
The suitors then returned to their singing and dancing. But when night fell, they went home to bed in their own houses.
Telemachus' room was high up in a tower that overlooked the outer court. Here he sat, brooding and full of thought.
Eurycleia, his wise old nurse, came to him with a couple of blazing torches. Laertes had bought her with his own money when she was quite young. He showed as much respect to her as he did to Penelope, but he never slept with her, fearing his wife's resentment.
Eurycleia now lit Telemachus’ room. She loved him better than any of the other women in the house did, for she had nursed him when he was a baby. He sat down on his bed and, as he took off his shirt, he gave it to the good old woman, who folded it tidily and hung it up by his bedside. Then she left and closed the door.
But Telemachus, as he lay covered with a woolen fleece, kept thinking all night about his intended voyage, and the advice that Athena had given him.