Craig James Jackson - 2016100827

HUM11 – Ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval Thought

Take Home Quiz #1

Journal Entries of Odysseus

First Entry: The Journey to Troy

It has been a number of days since I had to part from my beloved wife, son and country. How old

will he be when I lay eyes on him again? Will I even see them again? I am not afraid of death,

but I can’t bear the thought of never returning to my country. I should be the one to raise my son

and teach him how to string my bow. I should be the one to teach him how to fight and to show

him how a man should behave. I should return before he has a beard if I am to teach him

anything, for another man filling my place as father is better for him than having no father at all.

Better still, I shouldn’t have to fight this war at all and leave them.

Second Entry: The Journey from Troy

It has been several days of sailing since Poseidon’s warning to me back at Troy. So far, we have

been blessed with weather we can tolerate, but fear is growing inside me. I fear for my men’s

lives and also that of my beloved family. I have already missed ten years in the lives of my wife

and my son, how much longer must I miss? My failure to respect Poseidon could be the downfall

for all on this ship. They are happy for now, we have food and wine but who knows what cruel

tricks the gods will play on us? How will their attitudes change when the wine runs out? We

need to reach land soon lest we run out of our stocks.

Third Entry: After leaving Polyphemus’ Cave

Yesterday, we landed on the beach of an unknown island. I took some of my crew up to explore

the vicinity. We found a large cave mouth towering above ourselves with cheese and goats pens

inside. We should have just stolen the cheese and goats, but curiosity led me to stay. The owner
Craig James Jackson - 2016100827
HUM11 – Ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval Thought
Take Home Quiz #1

of the cave was a giant cyclops named Polyphemus. He arrived and rolled a giant rock across the

entrance to seal it. He ate some of my men and the only way to subdue him was to give him

some wine. During his slumber, we managed to sharpen a wooden pole and heat it in the fire,

then stab his eye with it. He woke with anger and fear and terror, and we lost another man during

our escape from his cave. It was lucky for us that I gave him an alias of “nobody” because he

was also the son of Poseidon. If only I had listened to the men and we had stolen the cheese and

goats, they would all still be alive now.

Fourth Entry: About to Leave Circe’s Island

It has been an eventful journey since my last entry. After fleeing from the island of the cyclops,

we came to the island of Poseidon’s cousin, Aeolus the god of wind. We were lucky that he took

favor of me, because he took the power of the wind and put it in a bag in order to guide us back

to Ithica. But he gave it with strict instructions of “don’t open the bag until you reach Ithica!”. I

stayed awake for the whole journey and I could actually see Ithica again with my own eyes, but

that was when curiosity once again became our downfall. I fell asleep holding the bag and a few

of my men took it from me. They believed me to be withholding treasures from them and took

their opportunity to see what I was guarding. The bag was opened and the power of the wind was

released upon us. The ship was broken and we got blown far away until we grounded on the

island of Circe the witch. I sent a number of the men out to go hunting for something to eat,

because the storm had broken our stores of food. We thought we got lucky when a pig came

running across our camp, but one of the men stopped us from killing it and told us it wasn’t a

pig, but one of our crew. He claimed that the group I had sent out earlier had come across the
Craig James Jackson - 2016100827
HUM11 – Ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval Thought
Take Home Quiz #1

house of a beautiful witch. She led them inside with the promise of food and wine, then turned

them into animals. That was when I decided to go and find the house and bring my men back.

How many more should suffer on this journey home? On my way to the house, Hermes came to

me with advice and instructions about how to deal with the witch. I didn’t want to listen to him

but he insisted that men should not deny the gods. He gave me the antidote to the spell the witch

would use on me, and instructed me that I should bed her in order to have my men returned. I

followed Hermes’ instructions and Circe transformed the animals back into my men. I sent for

the rest of the men to come and feast at Circes palace, where they were seduced by the women

there and I was seduced by Circe. For 5 days we stayed there, eating and drinking wine. Then I

decided it was time to sail home, and Circe told me each day lasts a year. We had been at the

island for 5 years! Already me and my men have missed 15 years of the lives of our families.

How much longer will this journey home cost us?

Fifth Entry: Journey from Phaeacia

I hope this will be my final entry before I may finally set foot on Ithica once again. It is with a

heavy hand and heart that I write this entry, as I am the only one left alive from my ship. After

setting from Circe’s island, we found the land of the dead, and followed its paths to the river

Styx. I sacrificed a goat and received advice from Tireseus, that “Orion will lead the way”. I saw

my mother again on the paths there, confirmation to me that she is dead now.. We leave the

island and follow Orion’s direction, towards Charybdis. That is when I lost my crew. We came

upon a many headed monster, which wrecked our ship, and all of my crew were lost into its

mouth. I managed to escape, but with no ship, so I held on to a piece of the broken mast, until I

was washed onto the beach of Calypso’s island. I was seduced by Calypso and her beautiful
Craig James Jackson - 2016100827
HUM11 – Ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval Thought
Take Home Quiz #1

maids took care of me there. Tormented by nightmares, Calypso consoled me and I stayed with

no ship and no hope of leaving any time soon. I saw a ship once and tried to swim to it, but

Calypso sent her maids to bring me back. Then after some time, Hermes came to my aid once

more, and told Calypso to let me go. She offered me immortality if I was to stay on the island in

her bed, but my desire to go home to my wife and son was too much for me to stay. I built a raft

using drift wood and left the island. On my journey, Poseidon sent a storm to teach me a lesson

that “man is nothing without the gods”. This broke my raft and I was woken up on an unknown

beach by a princess. They brought me to the king’s hall and I discovered that I had washed up

onto the beaches of Paeacia. At first I wouldn’t tell the king who I was, fearing that my name

was now a curse, but King Alcinous worked out who I was. He gave me a ship with a crew of

Phaeacia’s best sea men to take me home to my beloved Penelope and my son. If only my crew

could have survived to this point, because I feel responsible for their lives. I shall not sleep again

until I set foot on Ithica. What will I find when I get there? Will Penelope have already

remarried? Will my son Telemachus have a beard? It has been 20 years and I know not what has

become of my kingdom and legacy.