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Homer asks the Muses to fill him with the gift of storytelling so he can tell the story of Odysseus.

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Athena appeals to Zeus to let Odysseus return home to Ithaca. Back in Ithaca, evil suitors have taken over the palace, threatening to take Penelope and Odysseus' kingdom.

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Of the 10 years Odysseus has spent wandering the Mediterranean, 7 of them were spent on Ogygia, the island of Calypso. Hermes is sent down to tell Calypso to release Odysseus and that she must build him a raft. Odysseus must then sail for 20 days to the island of Scheria.

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Calypso presses Odysseus for why he still wants to return if he could be immortal on the island. Odysseus says that he still wishes to return home despite the offer. He then sails to Scheria and sleeps.

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King Alcinous of Scheria welcomes Odysseus and throws a large celebration in his honor. Later, he presses Odysseus about who he is and where he's from. Odysseus begins by explaining that he is the son of Laertes and explains how he has travelled the Mediterranean trying to return home. He then describes the encounter with the Cicones and how he lost 72 men.

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After the Cicones, the men sail to the coastline of the lotus eaters, who 3 men fruit. They forget about their mission and would live there their entire life if Odysseus didn't wrap them up and bring them back to the ship.

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Odysseus and his men land at an island opposite the island of a Cyclops. Odysseus takes 12 men along with a flask of wine to the Cyclops. They wanted to take cheese inside the cave of the Cyclops and leave but Odysseus decides to wait to meet the Cyclops. When Odysseus describes who they were, the Cyclops killed 2 men and ate them. When the next morning arrived, the men got a large stick of wood and burned the edge and carved it into a sharp point. When the Cyclops returns, Odysseus gives him wine and the Cyclops becomes drunk. By this time, the men have prepared to poke the Cyclops eye out and at the order of Odysseus, they do. When the Cyclops asks for Odysseus' name, he says his name is Nobody. When the other Cyclops here the screams, they ask who did it. He responds by saying, "Nobody did it!" The other Cyclops mock Polyphemus, and go back to sleep. They then decide they need to leave. The men devise a plan to hide under the fleece of the sheep and ride through the door to freedom. When they arrive back at the ship, Odysseus reveals his real name and Polyphemus sends down a curse upon Odysseus and his men.

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Odysseus and his men sail to the island of Aeolus, the wind god. They part with a gift of winds that will blow them to Ithaca and a bag of stormy winds. When they are in sight of Ithaca, the men release the bad winds, thinking the bag contains silver and gold. They are blown back to Aeolus, who believes they are cursed. After, the men sail to the land of the Laestrygonians, who pummel the ships with boulders. Only Odysseus' ship and his 45 men survive. They then sail to Aeaea, the island of Circe.

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Eurylochus leads an expedition to explore the island. Circe finds them and lures them in. They feast then are turned into piglets by Circe's magic. Eurylochus escapes and warns Odysseus, who goes to the island to negotiate. On his way up, Hermes gives Odysseus a plant called moly that will make him immune to Circe's magic. Circe attempts to kill Odysseus with magic, but it does not work and he almost kills her with his sword. He ends up staying for a year and must go to the Underworld and get a prophecy to escape.

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Odysseus travels into the Underworld, encountering a number of souls. He sees his mother and Elpenor, one of his crew. He slept on the roof of Circe's palace and fell off. Odysseus next visits the soul of Tiresias, who gives him a prophecy. The prophecy begins by stating that Odysseus will travel through a strait with monsters on both sides, named Scylla and Charybdis; he will have to deny himself and restrain his shipmates from the Sirens; in Thrinacia, Odysseus is told to not eat the cattle or he will be the only survivor; he will end up being away from home for years; he will return home under a strange sail; he will fight suitors in his home; he will walk inland and implant his oar and sacrifice animals to Poseidon; and if all of this is done, he will die peacefully.

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Odysseus then speaks to the shade of his mother, who says she died of a broken heart. She describes how Penelope and Telemachus are in mourning, as well as Laertes, Odysseus' father. Odysseus then talks to other shades, who fill him and his crew with so much terror they run back to their ship.

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Book XII - The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis

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Book XII - The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis

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Upon his return to Aeaea, Circe describes the obstacles Odysseus will face. First, he will encounter the Sirens, who sing of dreams and better times. They lure people in then devour them. Circe tells Odysseus to knead beeswax and to put it into the men's ears. She also tells him to let his men tie him up so he can listen to what they sing about. When the men pass the Sirens, Odysseus is tied onto the mast of the ship. He hears the song of the Sirens and begs to be untied, but he is simply tied tighter. Once he can no longer hear the Sirens, he motions for the men to untie him and to take out the wax.

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Book XII - The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis

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Book XII - The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis

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After the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis are found in a narrow straight. Scylla contains 12 tentacled legs and 6 heads which snap up men; Charybdis sucks down water and spits it back out 3 times a day. Circe tells Odysseus to stay towards the side of Scylla, as it is better to lose 6 men than all. She says there is no way to fight Scylla and that he should not tell the crew so that they do not panic. When the men reach Scylla and Charybdis, they become occupied while watching Charybdis suck the water down. At the same time, Scylla takes 6 of Odysseus' best men. The men sail further until they pass Scylla and Charybdis.

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Book XII - The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis

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Book XII - The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis

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After passing Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus and his men reach Thrinacia, where Helios' sacred cattle live. The men beg to eat the cattle and do so despite Odysseus' warnings. Helios is so upset he begs Zeus to do something or he will stop shining. Zeus sends down a lightning bolt that destroys his ship and kills his men. Odysseus only survives, and he drifts to Ogygia, where the story begins. After 7 years, he is released and ends up on Scheria, ending the tale to King Alcinous.