The Odyssey Book X

As Odysseus continues telling his story he tells of going to Aeolia home of Aeolus. Odysseus asks for help getting back to his home. Aeolus gives him a bag of winds and only lets out one wind. He tells Odysseus to take the bag but do not open it for there are some bad winds. They sailed with good winds for nine days. Odysseus decided to sleep and his men sure that he was holding gold and silver in the bag opened the bag just as they could see the shore of Ithaca. Out came the bad storm winds and a hurricane was quick to come up. They sailed back to Aeolia and asked Aeolus to give them another bag. Aeolus was sure that the God's were against them and sent them away at once. Next they came to the land of the giants. Odysseus sent his men out to find out who lived there. The men found the giants and one was eaten. The others got away but they were to late when they got to the ships. Odysseus and his men were in sad shape. They tried to escape but the giants stoned the men and the ships until all the ships but Odysseus's were lost. Odysseus's ship set out to the island of Circe. Odysseus sent 22 of his men to check out the island against their will. They found the house of Circe where they were given a drink that was poisoned. All the men turned into pigs except Eurylochus who saw the trap and didn't drink the poison. When Eurylochus gets back to the ship Odysseus says he must go save his men. Eurylochus does not want to go back but decides to help Odysseus find the house. Odysseus meets Hermes on his way to the house and Hermes tells him what to do when he gets to the house. He tells Odysseus to eat a herb and then the poison will not work on him. When Circe pulls out he wand he is to take out his sword. Circe will then ask him to stay in bed with her and he must agree. He does all that Hermes tells and Circe is shocked that he does not turn into a pig. At first she thinks he is a God but soon realizes that he is just a mortal with Gods behind him. Circe helps Odysseus get cleaned up and makes him look very handsome. She also releases his men. Odysseus and his men stay with Circe for a year. She promises Odysseus and his men that he will support and take care of them. At the end of the year Odysseus's men ask to leave. He agrees to ask Circe and she tells them they must go to Hades, then Tiresias the Theban. The next morning when they are about to leave they see Elpenor fall off the roof. He fell asleep drunk and fell off the roof and broke his neck. Odysseus told his men where they must go and that they are to take a black ewe and a ram to use as sacrifices for the spirits they are to visit.