Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
~ Ulysses: Adventurous Life ~
Homer, author of the Odyssey
Before the Trojan War
Ulysses (Odysseus) was King of Ithaca, an island in Greece.
Ulysses and Penelope, his wife
Telemachus, his son, with a mentor
Tiresias, his friend
During the Trojan War
Ulysses preferred diplomacy and persuasion to avoid fighting if possible.
Ulysses, the cunning, conceived of the Trojan Horse trick.
After the Ten-Year Trojan War
Ten-Year Journey Home to Ithaca
Ulysses and his men stormed the island of the Circones, but were driven away.
Ulysses went to the island of the Lotus Eaters. His scouting party ate lotus.
The lotus-drugged men were tied to the ship benches to force them to return.
Odysseus was trapped by Polyphemus, the Cyclops, who began eating two of his men every day.
Odysseus gave wine to the Cyclops. He and his men blinded the sleeping giant and escaped.
Odysseus came to the land of ***, who gave him a bag of all winds except one, the homeward wind.
His men opened the secret bag, looking for treasure, and were blown back to ***.
Ulysses came to the Laestrygonians' land. The giants wrecked his ships. Only one ship escaped with Ulysses.
Ulysses came to the island of Circe, the enchantress. She drugged his scouts.
One scout escaped. Ulysses trapped Circe and remained with her for one year.
Ulysses journeyed to the Underworld to speak to Tiresias for advice and counsel.
Ulysses came to the land of the Sirens, who tempted him with knowledge of past and future, and wisdom.
Forewarned, Ulysses was tied to a mast and his men plugged their ears to avoid hearing the Sirens' song.
Ulysses came to Scylla, a six-headed monster, and Charybdis, a whirlpool. He escaped both.
Ulysses came to the island of the sacred cattle of Helios. His hungry men ate some of the cattle.
Zeus destroyed their ship with a thunder bolt. Only Ulysses survived.
Ulysses was washed ashore on the island of Calypso, the nymph, who held him captive for seven years.
Calypso let him go on a small raft. Poisedon wrecked it. He washed ashore on the island of Scheria.
He was fouind by Nausicaa, daughter of the Phaeacian King, who provided him a ship to carry him home.
Homecoming
Ulysses arrived on Ithaca alone in 1178 BCE. On landing, Athena disguised him as a beggar.
Through Athena, Telemachus, his son, was the first to recognize him.
Argos, his faithful dog, was the second to recognize him.
Eurycleia, his old wet nurse, was the second human to recognize him, by a leg scar.
She told him that Penelope had remained faithful and put off her suitors.
The suitors ate her food, drank her wine, and consorted with her servants.
The beggar told Penelope that Ulysses was brave in the war.
Penelope brought Odysseus' bow as a challenge to her suitors.
None of the suitors could string the bow. Then the beggar strung the bow.
The beggar killed the suitors with arrows, then with spears.
Penelope then tested him by a secret that only they shared. He passed the test.
The main event of this spiritual odyssey is the homecoming.
Killing the suitors is a metaphor for removing hypnotic, social conditioning.
Social conditioning includes ego, mind, thoughts, words and all other constructs.
To be Home, go within, beyond your mind, to the innermost center of being.