Odyssey- book 9 Flashcards
who does Odysseus name himself as to king Alcinous at the beginning of book 9?
names himself as Odysseus, the son of Laertes, and begins telling the story of his long travels after leaving Troy.
where is the first place that Odysseus and his crew were after the Trojan war and what happened?
the island of the cicones (ismarus)- he and his men sacked the city of the Cicones (Ismarus) and carried away many spoils; Odysseus wanted to leave, but his men decided to stay and plunder and feast. Meanwhile the Cicones called their neighbours for backup, and the expanded army killed many Achaeans before the rest escaped, sailing out at sea.
what happened whilst Odysseus and his crew were sailing away from the island of the cicones (ismarus) ?
Zeus sent down a hurricane, and the men desperately started to sail back to any land they could find- then, the men rested for two nights and two days.
when the men attempted to sail away again after the disaster at ismarus, what issue were they faced with?
the north wind pushed the boat into the wrong direction, until 9 days later, Odysseus and his crew reached the land of the Lotus eaters.
what happened at the land of the lotus eaters?
the crewmen came across the lotus eaters, who offered them lotus fruit to eat. The crew that ate the fruit of lotus lost all desire to return and all memories of home (they lost desire of Kleos)– they only wanted to stay and eat lotus. But Odysseus forced them to return to the ships, tied them to the masts, and told the remaining men to set sail.
where was the last and third place that the men reached?
Next they came to the land of the Cyclops.
what were the cyclops like?
The one-eyed Cyclops have no laws, no councils, no farms, no ships or traders nor follow the same rules of piety as the mortals and believe that they are greater than any deity
what happens during the first day at the cyclopes island?
The men reach the island during the night, and in the morning, Odysseus and his crew set out to explore the island while other men wait on another island. The men shoot multiple goats during the day, and when the sun sets the men eat supplies of meat and mellow wine
what happens on the second day at the cyclopes island?
The next day, Odysseus claims that he and his crew should find out what kind of people live on the cyclops island, and whether they are savages or hospitable people. On the main island, Odysseus spotted a cave that a cyclops would live in, and he ordered the other men to stay guard on the ship whilst he picked out his 12 best men to follow him into the cave, taking along a goatskin of very strong wine. The giant was not at home, and the crew looked at his flocks, his cheeses, and his buckets for milking. The men wanted to take what they could and run back to the ships, but Odysseus insisted that they stay to receive the giant’s xenia gifts.
what did the men do whilst they waited for the cyclops to return home?
they lit a fire and made an offering to the gods, as well as helping themselves to some of his cheese.
what happened during the evening when the cyclops returned home?
In the evening the Cyclops came home, closed the entrance to the cave with a giant rock, milked his sheep and goats, and lit a fire. Suddenly he noticed the men and asked them angrily who they were. Odysseus responded that they were Achaeans that had lost their way home, and urged the Cyclops, whose name was Polyphemus, to obey custom, respect the rules of the gods, and receive them generously.
how did the cyclops react when Odysseus encouraged him to follow the same rules of piety as the mortals (xenia rules)?
Polyphemus scoffed at Odysseus’s warnings and said that his kind doesn’t fear Zeus or any other god. He promptly bashed two men dead against the ground and ate them gruesomely before going to sleep.
why could odysseus and his men not kill Polyphemus the first night when he went to sleep?
Odysseus wanted to kill Polyphemus there and then, but realised that if he killed Polyphemus he and his men would have no way out of the cave, since only the giant could roll back the huge rock blocking the entrance. So they lay there all night in the cave in terror.
what happened in the morning after the men slept overnight in the cyclops’ cave?
At dawn Polyphemus lit the fire, milked his sheep, and ate two more men for breakfast. He then left for the day, shutting the entrance of the cave behind him with the huge rock. Meanwhile Odysseus plotted revenge.
He took Polyphemus’ club and his men filed it down to a point and singed it at the end. At dusk Polyphemus returned, milked his sheep and goats, and ate two more men for dinner. Odysseus offered Polyphemus his strong wine, and Polyphemus drank three bowls. As the giant became drunk, Odysseus mentioned that his own name was Nobody. In thanks for the wine, Polyphemus promised to eat him last and fell asleep, vomiting human flesh. Seeing their chance, Odysseus and four other men heated up the sharpened club and used it to gouge out the Cyclops’ eye. Polyphemus screamed in agony, and other Cyclops rushed up to his cave and asked who was hurting him. The Cyclops yelled ‘Nobody,’ so they walked away. Odysseus was delighted that his trick succeeded.
how did Odysseus and his crew escape the cave after blinding polyphemus?
Odysseus plotted their escape. He arranged the rams in the cave in groups of three and lashed a man to the belly of each middle ram; he lashed himself to the belly of the remaining old ram. At dawn, when Polyphemus let the rams out of the cave, the men escaped too by releasing each other from the belly of the rams.
