The Odyssey Book XI

Odysseus is told by Circe that he must preform this ritual to be able to talk to the dead spirits that he wants to. He used his knife and dug a ditch about a foot by foot. Around the pit he poured milk and honey for the dead. Then he poured wine and pure water. He scattered white barley meal over the top. He pledged that when he got home he would sacrifice a heifer and give many other gifts. After he had prayed he took the sheep and slit its throat over the pit. When he does this crowd of dead people rise up and cry out random things to him. He first meets with Elpenor. He begs Odysseus to come back and give him a proper burial for he was foolish and did not use the ladder to get off the roof. The most important people he talks to are Tiresias, and his mother-Anticleia. Tiresias tells of his future and that his trip home will be hard and long because Poseidon is mad at him for blinding his son. He will return home but it will be on a different ship and he will be alone. He warns him that when they come to Thrinacia not to kill and eat the grazing cattle. He tells Odysseus that when he returns home his house will have been taken over by the suitors and he will have to kill all of them when he gets home. He must travel to a far away land to please Poseidon and give Poseidon many gifts and hopefully Poseidon will forgive him. Next he sees his mother and she tells him what has happened in Ithaca since he left. She tells him that she died waiting for him to return. Odysseus learns that it will be a long time before he gets home and he will return alone to a house full of lazy suitors that he will have to kill. He then meets with many wives and daughters of great Gods and Kings. He met with many and can not name them all. He then asks the King of Phaeacians to let him sleep for he is tired but the king and queen want him to tell them more. He next spoke with Agamemnon and Odysseus was told of his death from his wife and to be careful when he gets home for he is lucky that he is still welcome and people are still waiting his return. He then speaks to Achilles who wants to know about his son. He attempts to speak to Ajax but he will not speak because he killed himself after he was beat by Odysseus in a fight. He then speaks to Heracles and sees Tantalus try to get food and water but every time he reaches for either they slip out of reach. He sees Sisyphus struggle to push a rock off a cliff. Soon there are crowd of dead people wanting to talk to Odysseus and Odysseus gets frightened and scared that they will take over him. He runs to his ship as fast as he can and orders his crew to leave the island immediately.