Our Secret Symbol

(Wandel)

Telemachus and I successfully killed all of Penelope's suitors, and I have convinced Penelope that I am the real Odysseus. I have convinced her of this by telling her of a secret symbol that I had carved on our bed. I would tell you what it is, but then it would not be a secret anymore. Do not expect me to write a post on this blog once more, for I am finished with my adventure; now I will live happily ever after with Penelope and Telemachus.

Test of the Bow

(Woodeene)

I am finally on Ithaca! I met my son Telemachus after twenty years, and now my wife Penelope will meet me. For many years, there have been suitors in our house, eating my food and drinking my wine. They will pay for what they have done to distress my wife and steal my place in the house. Penelope says that she is going to test the suitors to string my bow and shoot it through a few rings. I will achieve this task and eliminate the suitors, fighting alongside Telemachus. I will then triumph and finally be with Penelope for the rest of my life. 

Calypso

(Island of Mljet)

When Zeus hit my ship with a lightning bolt, I drifted off, all of my men dead, and I ended up on the island of Ogygia, where the beautiful nymph Calypso lives. Now I am still on this island, listening to her songs and enjoying her love for me, but I still feel a longing for Ithaca and my wife. I will talk about this to Calypso, hoping that she might lead me to Ithaca. 

Helios' Cattle

(Dead Cattle)

The gods had me sleep for too long! When I tried to pray to the gods, I fell asleep. In the meantime, Eurylochus convinced my men to eat Helios' cattle, so all of my crew broke their vows and killed the finest cattle on the island for themselves to eat. I am sure that Helios will punish us now. 

The Island of the Sun

(Zafeiridis)

We have been on the island of the sun for one month now, and my men are starved and hungry. We have finished all the bread and red wine on our ship; we are eating whatever falls into our hands. The storms out at sea are continuing, not allowing us to set sail again. However, we are not helpless yet; today, I will pray to the gods, hoping that one of them will help me.

Scylla and Charybdis

(Atalanta)

We faced the two monsters Scylla and Charybdis today. The two sisters were very fierce; Charybdis instilled fear in my men by pulling our ship towards her whirlpool, and Scylla plucked sailors off my ship, eating them viciously. Finally, when we got past the monsters, we landed on the island of Helios' cattle. I originally didn't want to come here because of Tiresias' and Circe's warning, but my men were tired and all wanted to take rest on this island. They have taken vows to not eat Helios' cattle, but I don't know how long we can last; our food supply is running thin.

The Sirens' Song

(Music Notes)

We carefully avoided problems with the Sirens today. While sailing past them, my men stuck beeswax in their ears as to not hear their beautiful, luring song. I, on the other hand, wanted to listen to the song because I had heard stories that men come out wiser when they have listened to the song. My men tied me so that I wouldn't kill myself; I gave them clear orders not to let me loose even if I wanted to be untied. The song was so lovely that I wanted to swim over to them, so I pleaded with my men to untie me. Perimedes and Eurylochus simply tied me more. The song indeed made me wiser, and I am very thankful to my men for keeping me tied up.

Circe

(Achillea millefolium)

Yesterday we reached a thickly forested island. Half of my men explored the interior of the island, but only one returned. He told me of a goddess named Circe who had turned my men into pigs. To rescue my men, I forced Circe to give a magical herb to the pigs. The magical herb was given to me by the god Hermes, and it worked well; the pigs turned back into men. Thank you Hermes! Please accept my offering.

Escape from Polyphemus

(Wooly Ram)

We have been stuck in Polyphemus' cave for a few days now. This monster of a cyclops eats a couple of my men for every meal. I am in the midst of creating a plan to escape this sealed cave. In the evening, I will serve Polyphemus some wine and tell him that my name is Nohbdy. While he is sleeping, I will stab his eye, blinding him. When his comrades come to his aid, they will hear and think that "nobody" is hurting him. Then, each of my men will be tied to each of the wooly rams, to hide themselves from the cyclops. In the morning, when Polyphemus lets his rams out, we will exit with the rams and take off towards our ship. I hope that this plan will work out.

The Lotus Eaters

(Lotus)

My men and I have come to the coastline of the Lotus Eaters, where they serve us lotuses like these to make us forget about our dreams of coming home. I will refuse the lotuses and make my men see sense, for I am determined to return to my wife Penelope.