5.256–57 He heaped the boat with brush . . . to keep the water out: The construction of Odysseus’ boat has been much discussed by scholars. The poet seems to be limited by the fact that most epic descriptions of boatbuilding deal with the construction of large ships (like the Argo), not one-man rafts. Ancient ships were generally built starting with the innards, the keel, the stem, and the sternpost, with ribs added on after—a reverse of the modern practice. The brush is apparently heaped in the bottom of the boat to protect the cargo from the bilgewater. It is unclear how wicker could do anything to keep out leaks.
5.274 the only star that has no share of Ocean: The idea is that the Plow (the Big Dipper) is the only constellation that stays above the horizon all year round. This is not true in astronomical fact; other constellations also remain visible year round.
5.289 the rope of pain that binds him: Peirar, the word translated here as “rope,” can have literal meanings (“binding” or “rope”) and metaphorical ones (“end,” “completion,” “boundary”).
5.311 Peleus’ son: The reference is to Achilles.
5.340 create an odyssey of pain for you?: The original uses a verb that puns on our hero’s name: odysat’, which means “he hated” or “he was angry at.”
5.422 famous Amphitrite: See the note to 3.91.
5.435 A mighty wave rolled over him again: The verb in the original—rendered here as “rolled over,” but more literally “covered”—is kalypsen, an important term in this book since it is cognate with Calypso’s name.
5.477–78 two bushes grown together, / of thorn and olive: The species of the first bush may be wild olive, fig, or evergreen thorn. The olive wood is, as ever, significant in that it is Athena’s tree: the goddess is still watching over her hero.
5.491–92 So was Odysseus concealed in leaves. / Athena poured down sleep to shut his eyes: The Greek words translated here as “covered” (kalypsato) and “shut” (amphikalypsas) are again cognate with Calypso’s name.
BOOK 6 SUMMARY
Athena appears in a dream to the Phaeacian princess Nausicaa and tells her to go to the washing pools and do laundry, in preparation for her putative future marriage. Nausicaa sets out on this trip with a packed lunch, a wagon full of dirty laundry, and some helpful slave girls. After laundry and lunch, the girls are playing ball and start screaming when the ball is lost. Odysseus pops up from his hiding place and appeals for help to Nausicaa. She gives him a set of clothes, and provides instructions about how to get into town and to her parents’ palace, keeping behind her so as to evade the criticism or suspicion of the people. Odysseus waits in Athena’s sanctuary outside the town and prays for the help of the goddess.
6.293 his orchard and estate: The “estate,” temenos, is land set apart for a king or a temple precinct.
BOOK 7 SUMMARY
Nausicaa gets home. Odysseus walks to town; Athena hides him in magic mist, and then, as a little girl, guides him to the palace. He supplicates Arete, the queen. Alcinous, the king, welcomes him warmly and gives him food and wine. Arete notices that Odysseus is wearing clothes that she made herself. Odysseus explains that Nausicaa gave them to him. Odysseus is offered a comfortable bed out on the porch, where he goes to sleep for the night.
7.53 First greet the queen: The prominence of Queen Arete in this account is puzzling, especially since when Odysseus reaches the palace, the queen makes no response to his appeal.
7.54 Arete is her name: The name means “Virtue” or “Excellence.”
7.81 Erechtheus’ palace: Erechtheus was a legendary king of Athens.
7.108 oil was dripping from the woven fabric: The oil may be from the fabric itself if it is wool, or perhaps the women are applying olive oil to the material to make the weaving easier.
7.198 the heavy ones, the Spinners: The Spinners (Klothes) are imagined in Greek mythology as three old female figures who construct the thread of human destiny—associated here with Fate (Aisa), the “share” allotted to humans in life.
7.323–24 they carried fair-haired Rhadamanthus / to visit Tityus, the son of Gaia: Rhadamanthus is the mythical son of Zeus and Europa, closely associated with Crete; Tityus is a Titan, one of the generation before the Olympian gods; and Gaia is the original Earth Goddess. The story of Rhadamanthus’ visit to Tityus is entirely unknown beyond this passage.
BOOK 8 SUMMARY
At the Phaeacian council place, Alcinous invites the lords of Phaecia to his palace for a feast to welcome the stranger. He orders men to equip a ship, to help the visitor on his way. Everyone assembles and eats; after the meal, Demodocus the blind poet sings about a quarrel of Odysseus and Achilles. Odysseus starts crying. Alcinous, noticing, suggests that everybody go outside and play sports. There are competitions in sprinting, wrestling, discus, and boxing. Then Laodamas, Alcinous’ youngest son, invites Odysseus to participate; another son, Euryalus, taunts Odysseus that he is no athlete. Odysseus hurls a discus far beyond the others and is congratulated by Athena in disguise. Demodocus sings a second, longer song, about the adulterous affair of Aphrodite and Ares; Odysseus is pleased. The Phaeacians give Odysseus lavish gifts, bathe him, and feed him. He asks Demodocus to sing the song of the Wooden Horse; when the poet complies, Odysseus weeps desperately. Alcinous notices and asks Odysseus to explain who he is.
8.52–53 tying / each to its leather thole-strap: Tholes are pins set in the side of a boat to keep the oar in place.
8.81–83 Apollo had foretold . . . through the plans of Zeus: Apparently the Delphic oracle (Pytho) told Agamemnon that Troy would be destroyed when the “best of the Achaeans” were quarreling.
8.108–14 Many young athletes stood there . . . Naubolus’ son: These names are all invented to suggest the Phaeacians’ skill in seafaring: Acroneüs = “Topship,” Ocyalus = “Sharpsea,” Elatreus = “Driver,” Nauteus = “Shipman,” Thoön = “Quick,” Anchialus = “Seaside,” Eretmeus = “Oarsman,” Anabesineus = “Embarker,” Ponteus = “Deep-Sea,” Prymneus = “Sternman,” Proreus = “Prowman,” Amphialus = “Sea-Girt,” Polynaus = “Many-Shipped,” Tecton = “Shipwright,” Naubolus = “Ship-Launcher,” and Euryalus = “Wide-Sea.”
8.124–25 the length / of a field plowed by mules: The length-across area of land that could be plowed in a day was a standard unit of measurement. The distance imagined here is probably about two hundred feet (an unlikely margin for a race).
8.518 to find Deiphobus’ house: After Paris was killed, Helen was appropriated by Deiphobus, another Trojan prince; Odysseus killed him and mangled his corpse, and Menelaus reclaimed his wife.
BOOK 9 SUMMARY
Odysseus begins to tell his story. He tells how, after sacking Troy, he and his fleet were blown off course. They reached the land of the Cicones, where they sacked the city, killed the men, and enslaved the women as concubines. Odysseus’ party remained on the shore, drinking; the Cicones retaliated, and some of Odysseus’ men were killed. Another storm struck the fleet, and the ships reached the land of the Lotus-Eaters, who tempted some of the men to eat the lotus fruit and forget all thoughts of home. Odysseus ordered the whole crew back on board. They reached the island of the Cyclopes, where they found a cave inhabited by a large, solitary shepherd, named Polyphemus. Odysseus left most of his crew with the ships, taking twelve men and a sack of special wine with him to visit the native inhabitant. Finding him absent, they broke into the cave; the men tried to persuade Odysseus to steal Polyphemus’ cheese and animals and then make a quick escape. Odysseus insisted on staying. When the Cyclops came home, Odysseus demanded a gift; Polyphemus refused and ate two of the men; he then went to sleep. The door-stone of the cave was too heavy for the men to move, so they were trapped inside. Next morning, Polyphemus ate two more men, and then set out for pasture with his flock. Odysseus prepared a sharp olive wood stake to blind Polyphemus. When the Cyclops returned, he ate two more men; Odysseus then offered him some wine. He drank too much. Odysseus claimed his name is “Noman.” When the Cyclops passed out, Odysseus and his men shoved the stake into his eye. Polyphemus called for help, but no one came, because he said that “No man” has hurt him. Next morning, the blinded Cyclops opened the door-stone, counting the sheep and goats as he let them out to pasture. Odysseus and his men escaped by clinging to the animals’ bellies. As they sailed away, Odysseus shouted back to taunt Polyphemus and revealed his true name. Polyphemus hurled a huge rock that almost destroyed the ship and called on his father Poseidon to curse Odysseus.