7th+Athena's+Accolytes+Bk+12



Odysseus' ship navigates through rocky chasms and cliffs, past Charybdis (the vortex) and Scylla (the six-headed, twelve-footed monster).

The mighty Odysseus is continuing the telling his story to the Phaeacians. In this book, he is completing his tale. His story starts with the journey back to Circe's Island to bury Elpenor. After he gives Elpenor a proper burial, he seeks aid from Circe on how to return home. Circe first warns Odysseus of the Sirens. The sirens were women who lured men's ships into the jagged rocks surrounding their island, as stated below, with their beautiful voices. Circe told Odysseus to put wax into the ears of his crewmen to keep them rowing past the sirens. The next peril that Circe warns of is the pass of Scylla and Charybdis. Scylla was a 6 headed, 12 footed monster who ate animals and men if they passed by. Charybdis was a monster that 3 times a day would spit out water and debris and suck it up again, creating a strong vortex in the water. The third and final warning was the flows of Helios, the sun god. Helios had many animals on the island of Thrinacia, and if any one were to kill any of these animals, he would face the full wrath of the gods. **//__Part II, The Sirens__//** The first peril that the crew of Odysseus must face is the Sirens. Odysseus places softened wax into the ears of his crew men to keep the voices of the Sirens blocked out. He then has his crew tie him to the mast, for he wanted to hear the Sirens for himself. When the ship passed the Sirens, Odysseus cried for his crew to release him to the Sirens, but the crew only tied more ropes around him. **//__Part III, The Scylla & The Charybdis__//** The second peril Odysseus must face is the dreaded path of the Scylla and the Charybdis. Circe advises Odysseus to lead his ship closer to the Scylla because it could only devour 6 of his men while the Charybdis would destroy his entire ship. So, he leads his ship to the opposite side of the Charybdis, not informing his men of the Scylla. Six men are eaten by the Scylla, but the rest pass the narrow strait unharmed. After the tired and hungry crew of Odysseus pass the Scylla and the Charybdis, they seek an island to set shore and rest. The first island they see is the island of Thrinacia, the Island of the sun god, Helios. Odysseus warned the men not to go ashore, but, being exhausted and hungry, they went ashore anyways. While exploring the island, they find many herds of cattle; the cattle of Helios. The crew kills a few cattle as sacrifices to the gods. When Helios hears of this disrespect against his cattle, hes pleas to Zeus to punish the crew. Zeus ends up agreeing with Helios and sends a lightening bolt towards Odysseus's ship, killing all but Odysseus. **//__Part V, The Journey to Calypso's Island__//** After his ship was destroyed by Zeus, Odysseus grabs onto a wooden board and the currents take him back to face the Scylla and the Charybdis. The currents wash him up on Calypso's Island.
 * //__ Part I, The Warning of Circe __//**
 * //__ Part IV, The Cattle of Helios __//**

__Key Characters__ Odysseus Circe The Sirens The Scylla The Charybdis Elpenor

__Key Words__ Azure- The light of a nice, clear day Stores- A supply, usually found in a ship Portents- A sign that something is about to happen

__//**Hospitality**//__ __//**-**//__ Circe welcomes Odysseus and his crew with a feast and tells Odysseus everything he needs to know, not holding anything back.  (The highlighted part pertains directly to Odysseus) The Sirens were nymphs of the island of Sirenum scopuli. They were allegedly born to either Phorcys or the storm god Achelous and either Melpone, Sterope, or Terpsichore. These creatures would have been somewhat strange; they had the upper body of a maiden and the lower body of a bird. They also had feathered wings. The problem that Odysseus has with the Sirens is that they are known for their honey sweet music. This is a problem because the music is so sweet that sailors passing by the island are lured to the island and when they get too close, the jagged rocks and cliffs around the island destroy the ships. This sound is said to offer great knowledge to anyone listening to it which to people such as Odysseus, is irresistible. To combat this, Odysseus orders his men to put wax in their ears and Odysseus has his men tie him up against the mast of the ship so he can listen but not do anything about the sound such as ordering the ship over to the island.  There were five recorded names of the sirens, Aglaope, Leucosia, Parthenope, Pisinoe, and Thelxiepia. It is thought to be known that one played the lyre, one played the flute, and one sang songs enticing sailors to their destruction. They were companions of Persephone before Persephone went to Hades. After Persephone had died, they prayed to the gods to receive wings and so that they may keep their beautiful voices. Their prayers answered, they sang in unison the songs of Moerae which were the three sisters of fate. These songs tie into why they were so enticing, they offered knowledge that mortals are not suppose to posses. This is also possibly one of the reasons that nearly all of the sailors who heard this music met their deaths shortly after on the jagged coast of Sirenum scopuli.
 * //__Justice of the gods-__//** Helios Hyperion kills Odysseus' crew because they ate his cows, going against several prophesies of doom.
 * //__Sacrifice-__//** Odysseus' crew prayed to the gods while they slaughtered the herd, but the gods killed them anyways because the gods were not pleased.
 * //__Importance of Prophesy-__//** Both Circe's and Tiresias' prophecies of Odysseus' crew being destroyed on Helios' island came true.