The Odyssey is one of the most enduringly popular and influential stories in Western culture. The biography of its author, a poet we know as Homer, is shrouded in mystery, as are the exact origins of the tale. There is general agreement that this poem and its companion, The Iliad, were composed in the 8th century BCE. The events described in the poems--which revolve around the Trojan war and its aftermath-- are believed to have taken place in the 12th century BCE.
One of the things that I like most about The Odyssey is how it demonstrates, in form and function, our powerful need for stories to understand who we are and where we have been. These two epics introduced the ancient Greeks to themselves, rooted them in their already ancient history, and articulated shared cultural values. Centuries have past and yet the travails and transformation of the long-suffering Odysseus are easily transposed into our lives today. Stories show us the ways that life repeats itself. This has all happened before!!--only this time it is happening to you.
The poem is divided into 24 "books" or chapters. The first four books are called the "Telemachy" because the action revolves around Telmachus, son of Odysseus. Here is my brief paraphrase of Book 1, interspersed with a few explanatory notes. I'm primarily using Robert Fagle's translation if you want to read along or refer to my source material.
Book 1: Athena Inspires the Prince
Homer introduces the entire poem by calling upon the Muse to tell us the story of Odysseus. In this brief outline of the story, we learn that Odysseus is hidden away on an island with the nymph Calypso and that the god Poseidon thwarts his attempts to get home to Ithaca... but the time has come for him to reach his homeland.
(Something, or someone, has been incubating.)
Then the poem begins with a gathering of the gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus. Everyone is there except Poseidon, who is in Ethiopia at a feast in his honor. The mighty Zeus speaks to the assembly. "The mortals always blame us for their troubles," he says, "but they bring a lot of suffering onto themselves through sheer recklessness. Look at Aegisthus for example. He had to seduce Agamemnon's wife and kill the old king even though we told him that Orestes, Agamemnon's son, would kill him in revenge. And we were right of course."
"Absolutely," says the goddess Athena. "But I'm thinking about Odysseus. He's a good man and he's been suffering anyway. Do you have some grudge against him?" Zeus notes that Poseidon is the one who is angry. "But it is time for Odysseus to come home," he says, "and Poseidon isn't here and he can't stand up to all of us anyway. So what do you propose?"
Athena asks Zeus to send Hermes, messenger of the gods, down to visit the nymph Calypso. "Tell her that she has to let Odysseus go," Athena says, "and help the man on his way. In the meantime, I'll go to Ithaca and counsel the son, Telemachus. He needs to be ready for his father's return. Odysseus is going to need a strong ally."
So Athena flies down to the rocky island of Ithaca. Disguised as a man named Mentes, she goes to the palace to find Telemachus. There is quite a mob there because 108 suitors are lounging about, eating rich meals and playing games and ostensibly wooing the grief-stricken queen, Odysseus's wife Penelope. But Telemachus sees the stranger standing on the porch and immediately goes to greet him and extend the hospitality of the palace.
(The Greek code of hospitality, called "xenia," was the cornerstone of ancient Greek civilization, instituted and upheld by Zeus. Strangers were always welcomed, fed and bathed, then asked to reveal their identity and mission. Gifts were given. Proper ceremony was observed. Detailed descriptions of xenia abound in the story and the careful decorum observed in other palaces stands in sharp contrast to Ithaca. The suitors are abusing this code of hospitality, a serious transgression.)
Telemachus and Athena (as Mentes) go to a private table to eat and talk. "Look at these guys," Telemachus complains, "they're lazy abusers of my household. But my father is dead so there's no one to stop them. It makes my blood boil. But tell me about yourself. Who are you?" "I am Mentes, lord of the Taphian men and an old friend of your father's," says Athena. "I doubt that the great Odysseus is dead, he's just gotten crosswise with a god. And a man like your father, who is courageous, strong, and blessed by the gods,can make short work of these scoundrels. Now tell me about yourself. You do look a lot like your dad."
Telmachus expresses some doubt about being his father's son. "That's what my mother tells me," he says," but I was just a baby when he left and I'm not so certain. And I'd rather be the son of the happy man at home then the missing Odysseus anyway."
The two talk about the situation with the suitors awhile longer. "These men say that they're suitors but if they are wooing my mom they should be bringing us gifts, not laying waste to my household," says Telemachus, "and my mom leads them on, doesn't make up her mind." Athena says, "You have to do something Telemachus, take charge. First, call an assembly tomorrow morning and tell these guys to get out. Then take a journey yourself. Go visit King Nestor and King Menelaus and see if they have news of Odysseus. If they suspect that he's alive, wait another year. If they know that he's dead then make his burial mound and give you mother to another husband. But act. You've heard about Orestes, right? When Aegisthus killed his father Agamemnon, Orestes took revenge as a good son should do."
Athena leaves and Telemachus puts this advice into practice. His mother comes down to the hall but she hears the bard singing a song about the heros returning from Troy and begins to cry. She asks the bard to sing another song but Telemachus steps in and tells her to retire to her chamber instead. Then he turns to the suitors and tells them to go home. Tomorrow there will be an assembly. They're surprised by his attempt to assume authority. "Who was your guest?" they ask. Telemachus tells them that he was an old family friend but in his heart he knows that his visitor was in fact the goddess.
Then Telemachus goes to bed, aided by his old nurse Eurycleia. She has known him from birth, and his father before him.
