Odysseus set sail for his kingdom, Ithaca, with a single thought in his mind. He wanted to be reunited with his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus. The boy was an infant when he left for the war. He longed to be in their company soon.
‘Hmm... Telemachus must’ve grown into a
fine boy in these ten years. Wonder whom he resembles!’ he thought wistfully.
But deep in his heart he remembered the
oracle and steeled himself for the arduous journey that lay ahead. Not someone
to be easily shaken, he guided his men with poise and confidence, as only a
valiant and capable leader could.
The ships of the victorious Greek army
sailed together in the high seas until a terrible gale blew them apart.
Odysseus’s fleet drifted away from the rest of the group.
Luckily, Odysseus commanded an excellent
fleet. It managed to come out of the storm without much loss and before long
reached an unknown island, called the Ciconian Ismarus.
“Come, my men! We shall take this city and
show them the might of the Greeks!” roared Odysseus. He and his men took the
coastal city unawares. After plundering its wealth, they set fire to the city.
They celebrated their victory with the sweet wine gifted to them by Maro, the
priest of Apollo, whom they had kindly spared.
But the revelry did not last long. The
Ciconians who inhabited the interior parts of the kingdom, saw the smoke rising
above their city. Sensing some serious trouble at hand, they charged down on
the merry-making Greeks and sent them running for dear life.
It took some time for Odysseus to gather
all his men and set sail again. A fierce wind drove his fleet across the Aegean
Sea towards Cythera. Odysseus tried his best to steer the vessel towards
Ithaca. But the wind was violent and it was several days before the group hit
land again.
“We’ve run out of fresh water. I want you
to go into this island and collect some water. Be cautious and find out what
kind of people they are,” said Odysseus and sent three of his men to explore
the place. The natives warmly welcomed the visitors and offered lotos to them.
The hungry men relished the fruit and forgot their
mission. When the men did not return for a
long while, Odysseus was worried.
“I wonder what happened to those men,” he
said to his trusted lieutenants. “I hope they are not in danger. Let us send a
rescue party to search for them.” The search party soon found the men. But
Odysseus was in for a greater surprise.
“Who are you?” demanded the men. “Why have
you brought us here?” The men did not recognise him and the rest of the group.
Odysseus knew there was only one way out: he must leave the island immediately
if the rest of his men were to remain sane. “Come!” urged Odysseus. “Whatever
the sickness that has assailed you will be cured only if we leave this island.
Let us set sail for Ithaca immediately.” But they did not want to sail again.
“We are happy here. Let us remain here,” they said. But Odysseus would not
listen. He bundled them up into the ship by force, clasped them in iron
shackles, and quickly left the place. Curious though he was to know how the
fruit tasted, Odysseus restrained himself from tasting it.
*
Odysseus and his men then reached a fertile island with plenty of trees and wild sheep that roamed about. Odysseus anchored his fleet. “Look at those plump sheep. Let us kill some of them for our dinner,” he said. The famished men slaughtered some sheep for food. After a sumptuous lunch, Odysseus decided to explore the other parts of the island. He sailed in one of his ships to the far side.
It was the
land of the Cyclopes, named after its inhabitants who had a large, round eye
that glared from the middle of their forehead. In the olden days, the Cyclopes
had been the ironsmiths of the great god, Zeus. But now they herded goats for a
livelihood, having completely forgotten their glorious past. They lived in
caves carved out of rocky hills, and each one lived as far as he could from the
rest of his stock.
At a
distance, Odysseus saw the entrance to one such dwelling. It was decorated with
laurels. The front yard was fenced off with huge stones. He found some sheep
locked in the pens at the back of the cavern. On entering the cave, he saw
large baskets containing cheese hanging from the walls of the cavern.
“Look what
I found. Come here, my men!” Odysseus went out and called out to his men
excitedly. Soon the tired men kindled the large hearth, roasted some young kids
and helped themselves to the rich cheese.
Little did
they know that it was the abode of a giant named Polyphemus, who relished human
flesh. Towards evening, he returned and drove his flock into the cavern. Then
he rolled a huge rock to close the cave’s entrance. He did not know that he had
some uninvited guests at home. He milked his goats and glanced around casually.
His eye suddenly fell on Odysseus and his friends reclining around his hearth.
(To be continued)
