Notes

In The Odyssey, book 10 begins with the Achaians reaching the island of Aeolia, home of Aeolus Hippotades. Aeolus has 12 children who live in the palace, six sons and six daughters. He married off his daughters to all his sons. He presents Odysseus with a leather bag containing winds, and uses the West Wind to blow Odysseus and his people in their ship, back home. They arrived on day ten. Some of the men on the ship believed that Aeolus gave Odysseus gold and silver in the leather bag. They opened the bag and the winds come rushing out, causing a storm that sends them back to Aeolia. Aeolus was surpised to see the men back. Aeolus tells him to go and calls him, "that man who's hated by the blessed gods" (10.75). The men went back to sailing and on day seven, they reach the land of the Laestrygonian. They entered the house of King Antiphates where he seized one of Odysseus' comrades and prepares him for dinner. Odysseus and his men try to escape on their ships. The men on the island throw boulders at their ships, sinking them all except for Odysseus' ship. They reached the island of Aeaea, where the goddess Circe lived. They stay their for two days and two nights. Odysseus notices smoke and decides to send 22 men to explore. They enter the house of Circe. She drugs them and Eurylochus suspects something is wrong so he stays behind. She strikes the men with a wand and turns them into pigs. Eurylochus heads back to Odysseus ship and weeps telling him the bad news. He refuses to go back, but Odysseus still goes with his men. On the way there, Hermes gives him advice and a herb, moly, which should keep him from being turned into a pig like the others. Circe decides not to use her magic on Odysseus as long as he agrees to have sex with her. He agrees and she later decides to turn the pigs back to their human form. She invites them to stay with her, and they do for a whole year. One of the men brings up the idea of returning home and Odysseus speaks to Circe about this. Circe tells him if he wants to go home, he must travel to the Underworld and speak to the spirit of Teiresias. She is a blind prophet who will explain to them how they can make their way home.