Summary of Odyssey Book XXII

What Happens in the Twenty-Second Book of Homer's Odyssey

By N.S. Gill, About.com Guide

Slaughter of the Suitors, from a Campanian red-figure bell-krater, c. 330 B.C.

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Odyssey Study Guide Contents

Just as Odyssey Book XXI is the book of the bow, so Odyssey Book XXII is the book of the slaughter.
A numbered list shows the order of the killing and which of Odysseus' group of 4 kills which of the suitors.

Odysseus kills Antinous with an arrow.
The other suitors are confused and think it may have been an accident. Odysseus rants at them for bleeding his home dry and wooing his wife. Only then do they realize who he is and realize they're going to die. Eurymachus says they'll pay up. Odysseus says it's no deal. They must fight or flee. Eurymachus urges the others to fight. Melanthius goes to the storeroom and retrieves weapons for the suitors.

Telemachus sends Eumaeus to see who is arming the suitors. Eumaeus sees Melanthius and asks anout killing him. Odysseus tells Eumaeus to tie him up in the storeroom. He is obeyed.

Athena, as Mentor, appears. Both the suitors and Odysseus ask her for help. Mentor taunts Odysseus and tells him to stand beside her.

Mentor disappears. Odysseus, Telemachus, Eumaeus and Philoetius stand against Agelaus, Eurynomus, Demoptolemus, Amphimedon, Pisander and Polybus. Agelaus says the six of them should be able to go against the four. They try to kill them, but the four are untouched. Odysseus tells his allies to throw their lances.
Odysseus kills Demoptolemus,
Telemachus kills Euryades,
Eumaeus kills Elatus,
Philoetius kills Pisander.
The suitors throw again. Athena makes most of the weapons miss, but Telemachus and Eumaeus are scratched. Odysseus and allies throw spears.
Odysseus kills Eurydamas,
Telemachus kills Amphimedon,
Eumaeus kills Polybus, and
Philoetius kills Ctesippus.
Odysseus sticks a lance through Agelaus and
Telemachus kills Leocritus.
Leodes grabs Odysseus' knees and begs him not to kills him. He says he was just a priest. Odysseus replies that he was praying that Odysseus not return and then
Odysseus beheads Leodes.

The bard Phemis, likewise, begs for his life. This time, Telemachus steps in and asks Odysseus to spare the bard and also the herald Medon who has been cowering under a chair. They are spared and told to go out to the courtyard.

Odysseus tells Telemachus to summon Eurycleia, who comes and is excited to see all the suitors dead and Odysseus covered with blood and gore. She reports on the faithful and faithless women. She wants to go tell Penelope, who has slept through the slaughter, but Odysseus tells her to hold off. He asks her to send out the 12 faithless women.

Odysseus tells Telemachus, the swineherd, and the cowherd to start cleaning but to make the 12 women help. They are then to escort the women to the courtyard and slash them with a sword.

The women come in, clean and then Telemachus marches them out. He hangs them, Then they take Melanthius outside and dismember him.

Eurycleia brings in sulfur to purify the room where the slaughter took place and the then the faithful women come down and embrace Odysseus.