24He was welcomed there by Calypso, daughter of Atlas, who went to bed with him, and bore him a son, Latinos.* He remained with her for five years,* and then built a raft and sailed away. It was broken up at sea, however, through the wrath of Poseidon, and he was cast ashore naked on the land of the Phaeacians. 25Nausicaa, the daughter of King Alcinoos, was washing clothes there, and when Odysseus approached her as a suppliant, she took him to Alcinoos, who welcomed him as a guest. And then, after presenting him with gifts, he sent him away to his native land accompanied by an escort. In his anger against the Phaeacians, Poseidon turned the escorting ship to stone and surrounded their city with a mountain.
26When Odysseus arrived in his native land, he found that his house had been ruined; for believing that he was dead, suitors* were courting Penelope. From Doulichion came fifty-seven: 27Amphinomos, Thoas, Demoptolemos, Amphimachos, Euryalos, Paralos, Evenorides, Clytios, Agenor, Eurypylos, Pylaimenes, Acamas, Thersilochos, Hagios, Clymenos, Philodemos, Meneptolemos, Damastor, Bias, Telmios, Polyidos, Astylochos, Schedios, Antigonos, Marpsios, Iphidamas, Argeios, Glaucos, Calydoneus, Echion, Lamas, Andraimon, Agerochos, Medon, Agrios, Promos, Ctesios, Acarnan, Cycnos, Pseras, Hellanicos, Periphron, Megasthenes, Thrasymedes, Ormenios, Diopithes, Mecisteus, Antimachos, Ptolemaios, Lestorides, Nicomachos, Polypoites, and Ceraos. 28From Same came twenty-three: Agelaos, Peisandros, Elatos, Ctesippos, Hippodochos, Eurystratos, Archemolos, Ithacos, Peisenor, Hyperenor, Pheroites, Antisthenes, Cerberos, Perimedes, Cynnos, Thriasos, Eteoneus, Clytios, Prothoos, Lycaithos, Eumelos, Itanos, and Lyammos. 29From Zacynthos came fortyfour: Eurylochos, Laomedes, Molebos, Phrenios, Indios, Minis, Leiocritos, Pronomos, Nisas, Daemon, Archestratos, Hippo[machos, Euryalos, Periallos, Evenorides, Clytios, Agenor], Polybos, Polydoros, Thadytios, Stratios, [Phrenios, Indios,] Daisenor, Laomedon, Laodicos, Halios, Magnes, Oloitrochos, Barthas, Theophron, Nissaios, Alcarops, Periclymenos, Antenor, Pellas, Celtos, Periphas, Ormenos, [Polybos,] and Andromedes. 30And from Ithaca itself, there were twelve suitors: Antinoos, Pronoos, Leiodes, Eurynomos, Amphimachos, Amphialos, Promachos, Amphimedon, Aristratos, Helenos, Doulichieus, and Ctesippos.
31These suitors had travelled to the palace and consumed the herds of Odysseus at their feasts. Penelope had been forced to promise that she would consent to marry when the shroud of Laertes was finished, and she worked at it for three years, weaving it by day and unravelling it by night. In this way, the suitors were fooled by Penelope, until the day came when she was caught in the act. 32When Odysseus learned of the situation in his household, he visited his servant Eumaios disguised as a beggar. And then, after making himself known to Telemachos, he went to the city with him. Melanthios the goatherd, a mere servant, met them on the way and abused them. On arriving at the palace, Odysseus begged food from the suitors, and discovering a beggar there called Iros, he wrestled with him.* He revealed his identity to Eumaios and Philoitios, and together with them and Telemachos, he devised a plot against the suitors. 33Penelope gave the suitors the bow of Odysseus (which he had received from Iphitos in earlier days), and said that she would marry the one who could flex the bow. When none of them succeeded, Odysseus took it and shot down the suitors, helped by Eumaios, Philoitios, and Telemachos. He also killed Melanthios, and the maidservants who had been sleeping with the suitors; and he revealed his identity to his wife and father.
The later history of Odysseus
34After sacrificing to Hades, Persephone, and Teiresias, he travelled on foot through Epirus, and arrived in the land of the Thesprotians,* where he propitiated Poseidon* by offering the sacrifices that Teiresias had advised in his prophecy.* Callidice, who was queen of the Thesprotians at the time, asked him to remain and offered him the throne; 35and she slept with him and bore him a son, Polypoites. After he had married Callidice, he became king of the Thesprotians, and defeated in battle the neighbouring peoples who attacked them. When Callidice died, he transferred the throne to his son and returned to Ithaca, where he discovered that Penelope had borne him a son, Poliporthes.
36When Telegonos learned from Circe that he was a son of Odysseus, he sailed away in search of him. Arriving at the island of Ithaca, he plundered some of the cattle,* and when Odysseus came to their rescue, Telegonos wounded him with the spear that he was carrying, which was tipped with the needle [from a stingray*]; and Odysseus died. 37When Telegonos discovered his identity, he lamented bitterly, and took his corpse, and Penelope too, to the land of Circe, where he married Penelope;* and Circe sent the pair of them to the Isles of the Blessed.
38It is said by some, however, that Penelope was seduced by Antinoos* and sent away by Odysseus to her father Icarios, and that when she reached Mantineia in Arcadia, she gave birth to Pan, as a son of Hermes.* 39Others say that she was killed by Odysseus himself because of Amphinomos;* for they claim that she had been seduced by him. 40And there are some who say that when the relatives of the men killed by Odysseus made accusations against him, he took as his judge Neoptolemos,* who ruled the islands off Epirus; and Neoptolemos, thinking he would gain possession of Cephallenia if Odysseus were out of the way, condemned him to exile. And Odysseus went to Thoas,* son of Andraimon, in Aetolia, where he married the daughter of Thoas, and died at a great age leaving behind a son by her, Leontophonos.
APPENDIX
SOME INTERPOLATIONS AND AN UNRELIABLE PASSAGE FROM THE EPITOME
Indicated by a dagger(†) in the text
1. 2. 4. 2 (p. 65)
Pindar and Hesiod in the Shieldsay of Perseus: ‘The whole of his back was covered by [the head of] a fearsome monster, [the Gorgon,] which was enclosed in a kibisis.’The kibisisbears that name because clothes and food are placed in it.
2. 2. 5. 12 (p. 83)
It was unlawful at that time for foreigners to be initiated, for Heracles was initiated only after he had become the adopted son of Pylios.
3. 3. 1. 4 (p. 97)
He was the first to become master of the sea, and extended his rule to almost all of the islands.
4. 3. 4. 4 (p. 102)
The names of Actaion’s dogs in the . . . were these:
Now surrounding his beautiful body, as though it were that of a beast,
His powerful dogs tore it apart. Beside it, Arcena first,
[. . .] after her, her valiant offspring,
Lynceus, and Balios the finely footed, and Amarynthos [. . .]—
And those that singled out by name are listed thus:
[. . .] and they then killed Actaios, at the instigation of Zeus,
For the first who drank the black blood of their master
Were Spartos, and Omargos, and Bores swift on the scent.
These were the first to devour Actaios and lap his blood.
And after these, the others rushed on him in a frenzy [. . .]
To be a remedy for the grievous sorrows of men.
5. 3. 6. 7 (p. 110)
What was said by Teiresias to Zeus and Hera:
Of the ten parts, a man enjoys only one,
But a woman in her heart enjoys all ten in full.
6. 3. 10. 3 (p. 119)
I have found some who are said to have been raised by him, namely, Capaneus and Lycourgos, according to Stesichoros in the Eriphyle;and Hippolytos, according to the author of the Naupactica, and Tyndareus, according to Panyasis, and Hymenaios, according to the Orphics, and finally, Glaucos, the son of Minos, according to Melesagoras.