Odyssey 9-12 Odysseus’ tells the Phaeacians tales of his
travels
Cave of Polyphemus the Cyclops
Book IXcovers
Blinding of Polyphemus the Cyclops
•Cicones in Thrace
•Lotus Eaters
•Cyclopes
Lotus- Eaters
Odysseus’ men ate the lotus and no longer thought of home—or anything else but eating more lotus. Odysseus had to drag them to the ships.
Land of the Cyclopes - lawless
The episode highlights Odysseus’ cleverness. He gives Polyphemus a fake name, “No-one” (Ουδεις).
But as his ships make their escape, he shouts his real name to the Cyclops – and Polyphemus calls on his father, Poseidon, to curse him.
Book X
• Aeolus, Keeper of the Winds
• Laestrygonians
• Circe, the witch
Aeolos, keeper of the winds
Shore of Laestrygonians
Odysseus overcomes Circe with Hermes help. He stays with her as her lover for one year. Circe advises him to travel to the underworld to talk with Tiresias for help getting home.
Book XI
• Visit to Hades to
Speak with Tiresias
Approach of the dead to the pool of blood.
Ghosts drink from the blood of Odysseus’ sacrifice.
Book XII
• Back to Circe
• Sirens
• Scylla & Charybdis
• Cattle of the Sun
• Scylla & Charybdis
• Isle of Calypso
Odysseus and the Sirens, Herbert James Draper 1909
Scylla and Charybdis
Stealing cattle of the sun
• Legend:1 Troy 9 Underworld2 Cicones 10 Sirens3 Lotus Eaters 11 Scylla and Charybdis4 Cyclopes 12 Helios5 King Aiolos 13 Calypso6 King Aiolos (again) 14 Phaeacians7 Laistryonians 15 Ithaca8 Circe
Map of Odysseus’ travels in the Mediterranean