The Odyssey

The Odyssey was written by Homer, a bard or a Greet poet of the 8th-9th centuries B.C. The Odyssey is about Odysseus' (a hero of the Trojan War) return home. He faced many dangers, and because of these dangers, it took him ten years to return home.

First, on the voyage home, the wind blew him on an island, where people eat locust. When they eat it, they forget everything, so he left quickly. Then, the wind blew him on an island again. The island was full of Cyclopes, so he left quickly again. They landed on an island but left. Then the next island they came to was full of cannibals and destroyed all the ships except the one Odysseus commanded. and they left. Then he came to another island and saw a marble palace. It was the home of a witch, but she turned good and he stayed on her island for a year before he left. After he left, he knew they were getting near sirens (sea monsters with the body of a bird and the head of a woman), so he gave each of his crewmen earplugs and he was tied to the main mast. The earplugs are so that the crewmen could not hear the beautiful songs the sirens sing, and they got past unhurt. Then they came to an island with a monster with six heads and drowned six of the crewmen, but the rest got back safely. Then, when they landed on an island, their provisions began to fail, so they stole and cooked some fat cattle. All of a sudden, the skin and meat came to life and began killing them, so the rest left quickly.

When they were at sea, the ship broke into pieces, and all the men drowned except Odysseus. He hung to a log of the broken ship and washed up on an island shore. Someone lived on the island. It was calypso. She led him to a forest where he chopped down trees, build a raft, and set off for home. At sea, he was caught in another storm which broke his raft and hung to a log for two days and nights. Eventually, he washed up on another island, was found by the princess, was taken to the king, and a boat was made ready for him so he could go home. When they got to his island, he was asleep, so they let him sleep and left. When he awoke, he went to his house clothed as a beggar where his wife was waiting for him. He lived happily until his death. Isn't that an awesome ten-year adventure?