Odyssey Study Guide Contents
By the start of the 13th book of the Odyssey, Odysseus has finished his travelogue for the feasting Phaeacian nobility. The Phaeacian king, Alcinous, tells the nobles at the feast to supply Odysseus with a cauldron and tripod each. They shouldn't have to provide these costly items on their own, but should seek reimbursement from their people. Then they leave the feast for sleep.
The Phaeacians load the boat the following morning. They then return to the palace for a sacrifice and feast. At evening, Odysseus and his rowers set off. Odysseus falls asleep. Overnight, the crew reach Ithaca where they deposit Odysseus on the ground. They stow the loot by a great olive tree for safety.
Poseidon complains to Zeus about the lack of honor the Phaeacians have shown him by making the end of Odysseus' journey so easy. The sea and earthquake god asks permission to punish the Phaeacians. Zeus readily gives it, but persuades Poseidon not so much to wreck their ship as to turn it to stone and to bury their city under a mountain. Poseidon does as Zeus suggests when the people of Scheria realize a prophecy is coming true. Alcinous says to make a sacrifice to Poseidon, which they do.
When Odysseus awakens, he doesn't recognize the land, mostly because of his long absence, but also because of a fog Athena has placed upon it to hide Odysseus. Odysseus thinks he has been tricked, so he counts his gold and other loot. He finds nothing missing. When he sees what appears to be a shepherd, he asks where he is. The shepherd, Athena in disguise, tells him he is in Ithaca. Odysseus says he is a Cretan who left Crete after killing Orsilochus, son of King Idomeneus of Crete. Odysseus says he killed Orsilochus for trying to steal his Trojan War plunder.
Athena reveals herself and tells Odysseus that there's danger at home. He must not tell people who he really is until he settles the suitors. He is first to go to the swineherd where he is to stay until she returns from checking up on Telemachus. Telemachus, she tells Odysseus, is with Menelaus in Sparta looking for his father. Odysseus wants to know why she didn't just tell him where he was. She answers that she wanted Telemachus to make a name for himself.
After Athena makes Odysseus look like an old man and they safely stow the loot in a cave, Athena departs to bring back Telemachus.
Quiz on Odyssey Book XIII
Book XII Summary|Book XIV
Read a Public Domain translation of Odyssey Book XIII.
