The Land Of The Dead

* Odysseus’s crew lands next on the island of Aiolia, ruled by Aiolos, the god of the winds.
* Aiolos welcomes the Ithakans and listens to their tale of the Trojan War. They stay at his home fora month.
* When they leave, the gracious Aiolos gifts Odysseus with a bag of storm winds. The idea is that only the west wind is left free to blow the Ithakans straight back home.
* Odysseusdoesn’t tell his men what’s in the bag, and just takes care of steering the ship by himself for nine days.
* Then, expectedly, he falls asleep, exhausted. His men see Ithaka on the horizon, butbefore waking their master decide to check out what’s in the sack; they think it may be treasure of some sort.
* This is a phenomenally bad idea.
* The moment they open the sack all the stormwinds rage out and blow the ship backwards, undoing all their nine days of sailing.
* Odysseus, again expectedly, despairs. He even thinks to kill himself, which would be all suspenseful if heweren’t the one telling this story.
* So instead of suicide, Odysseus rows all the way back to Aiolia and begs for more help.
* Aiolos now realizes that Odysseus is cursed by the gods, because there’sno other way he could’ve messed that one up. The god refuses to help him.
* So the Ithakans row for six more days and again see land – Lamos, this time, the land of the Laistrygones, who aresomething between ogres and giants.
* When the men land, the king, Antiphates, greets them by falling on the first man and drinking his blood.
* Freaked out, Odysseus and his men leave.
* Theysail again until they reach the island of Aiaia, home of the goddess Circe.
* Odysseus scouts around and sees a plume of smoke rising inland. Made cautious by his last few adventures, he decidesnot to explore it alone.
* Instead, after killing a big stag for dinner, he sends 22 men – including his friend Eurylochos – to explore the hall.
* The witch Circe greets them and invites...