Odyssey Books 13-16 Joshua
BOOK 13 Two Tricksters
BOOK 14 A Loyal Slave
BOOK 15 The Prince Returns
BOOK 16 Father and Son
Odysseus was ready to go home after he had finished his story.
The next day, Alcinous put his gift on the boat and the boat would send Odysseus to Ithaca. He slept all night while the ship head Ithaca, while the crew drove the ship.
Even if he landed on the boat the next morning, he was still sleeping. The crew gently took him and his gifts to the shore and sailed home.
When Poseidon discovered Odysseus has got home, he was very angry, because he was prepared to put Odysseus through more misery.
Poseidon complained to Zeus that Zeus had allowed him to punish the Phaeacians. Just as their boat, which sent Odysseus home, sailed into the harbor, the ship suddenly turned to stone and sank to the bottom of the sea.
The people on the shore realized that it was the God's punishment for them, and they remembered the previous prophecy and were determined to give up the custom of helping the traveler go home.
Back in Ithaca, Odysseus awoke to discover a country he did not know, as Athena shrouded Ithaca in fog. At first, he cursed the Phaeacians, who he thought had deceived him and left him in an unknown land. But Athena pretended to be a shepherd, met him, and told him that he was indeed in Ithaca.
Odysseus was very cautious and hid his identity from her until she revealed her identity. Delighted by Odysseus ' cleverness, Athena announced that it was time for Odysseus to punish the suitor. She told him to hide in Swineherd’s house.
Athena made him look like an old tramp so that no one would recognize him. Athena told Odysseus that his son, Telemachus, had gone to look for traces of Odysseus and told him it was out of her arrangement to gain a higher reputation for Telemachus. Athena set off to pick up Telemachus.
Odysseus found Swineherd outside his house. Although Swineherd did not recognize the beggar as his master, he invited him in. Odysseus had a hearty meal there, mainly pork, and Swineherd told Odysseus that his master, Odysseus, had a lot of wealth and complained about the bad-behaved suitors who consumed Odysseus ' property.
Odysseus was reluctant to reveal his identity, but said he knew Odysseus would be home soon. Swineherd did not believe Odysseus, saying he had met too many vagrants, all of whom said they were lying about the news of Odysseus, who, in this way, defrauded property from Odysseus ' wife and son.
Odysseus repeatedly stated that he knew the news of Odysseus, hoping that Swineherd believed him he also said that Odysseus would return home within a year, and swears that this will come true. Swineherd never believed the words of Odysseus, but he still entertained Odysseus.
Swineherd asked Odysseus about his experience, and Odysseus falsely claimed that he was from Crete and had lived a rich life, but then he went to Egypt and was cheated, causing him to lose all his possessions, and he said again that it was on this trip that he heard about Odysseus.
Swineherd still doesn't believe Odysseus and thinks he concocted some experiences. They enjoyed a more sumptuous dinner together, and Odysseus concocted a story between him and Odysseus. Swineherd let Odysseus stay at night and lend him a piece of clothes that can keep him warm.
Sparta and Pylos
Ithaca
Athena went to Sparta, where she found Telemachus and Nestor's son Pisistratus. She told Telemachus that he must return to Ithaca now because of the suitor. She also warned him that the suitors had planed to kill him and explained how to avoid it. She told him to go to the house of swineherd first instead of his own palace, and then can send swineherd to tell his men he has return. These are for his safety.
The next day Telemachus told Menelaus that he need to go back to home, Menelaus agreed with him. Menelaus and Helen gave Telemachus a lot of gifts. As Telemachus leave Menelaus’ palace, an eagle swooped down on him with a goose stolen from the fence. Helen interpreted the incident as a sign that Odysseus will go back home and kill all the suitors.
As soon as they arrived at Pylos, Telemachus asked Pisistratus to take him to his ship directly, or he need to spend a lot of time visit Nestor. A stranger asked Telemachus if he can get on his ship because otherwise he will be killed. Telemachus welcomed him and treated him warmly when they arrived in Ithaca.
In Ithaca, Odysseus put forward he wants to leave, despite the fact that he doesn't want to. He hopes will lead to the swineherd offers to let him stay longer. He said that have him there is too much pressure to swineherd, and said he would work for the suitors to earn money, but swineherd would not let him to do so. He said that being with suitors is equal to suicide. Then Odysseus asked swineherd about Odysseus’ family members’ situation and also asked swineherd’s story. swineherd explained that he was a son of a king who had been stolen from his home by Phoenician pirates with the help of a servant servant employed by his father. The pirates took him all over the world until Odysseus' father bought him at Ithaca.
The next morning, Telemachus arrived on the coast of Ithaca. As they parted, they saw an eagle flying with a dove in its paw, and a crew member saw this as a sign of the strength of Odysseus. Telemachus told the sailors and the stranger where to go and then went to swineherd’s home.
Odysseus' Palace
swineherd's House
Before swineherd could tell Penelope that Telemachus had returned, one of the sailors who came with Telemachus arrived at the palace and announced Telemachus's return loudly to all. Swineherd told Penelope what Telemachus told him to tell her.
When Telemachus followed Athena's instructions to the house of the swineherd, he found the swineherd talking to a beggar. Swineherd told Telemachus the story that Odysseus told him and suggests that Telemachus may let Odysseus go to his palace.
But Telemachus was worried about the suitors, and he thought that they were going to kill him and that they were going to be bad for Odysseus, so he decided that the swineherd needed to keep Odysseus in his house.
Telemachus worried that suitors were preparing to kill him, sent swineherd to the palace alone to tell Penelope he was back.
When the father and son are alone in swineherd’s house, Athena appears and called him outside, and removes his disguise to make Odysseus look handsome. Telemachus was surprised, he thought Odysseus was a god, and Odysseus told Telemachus that he was Odysseus, Telemachus didn't believe him, and then Odysseus convinced Telemachus to believe Odysseus' identity.
Odysseus describes how he came back to Ithaca. Then they began to discuss how to get rid of the suitors. Odysseus' plan was that he would enter the palace disguised as a beggar, and Telemachus would hide all the weapons in the palace, leaving only the weapons for them. Then they can kill all the suitors in the palace.
Telemachus was worried that there are too many suitors thus they can’t win them. Odysseus said that Athena and Zeus may help them. They also decided to test Penelope.
Athena again changed Odysseus into a beggar, so he will not be recognized by the swineherd. The swineherd told Telemachus that his return had been told to everybody and that the suitors who had gone to kill him had come back.
Frustrated that their scheme had failed, the suitors were planning their next move. They fear Telemachus will call a meeting and tell everyone about their evil behavior, so they are prepared to kill Telemachus.
Amphinomus, who is one of the suitors, worried that such a move might get them punished by some god. So he suggested other suitors to ask the gods before killing Telemachus.
Penelope realized the suitors were going to kill Telemachus, so she appeared and denounced the plot against her son. Antinous lied to Penelope by claiming they would not kill Telemachus but protect Telemachus.